Zoho Creator to Zoho Writer for prefilled documents...

Zoho Creator to Zoho Writer for prefilled documents...

In response to the question about connecting Zoho Creator to Zoho Writer for prefilled documents, I wanted to share a working implementation that demonstrates how to use the record_id parameter with the Zoho Writer Merge API. This allows Writer to automatically fetch data from your Creator record without manually building the merge data map. The Solution According to the official Merge and Sign documentation, instead of using merge_data, you can pass the record_id and Writer will fetch the data internally:
Key Insight: This approach is applicable only for Zoho CRM, Creator, Recruit and Bigin templates. When you pass the record_id parameter, Zoho Writer automatically retrieves the field values from your Creator record - no need to manually construct a merge data map.
Working Script Example

Here's a complete Deluge function that demonstrates using the Creator record ID with the Merge and Sign API:

Pro Tip: When configuring your merge template in Writer, you'll connect it to a Creator report as the data source. If you trigger a merge manually within Writer, all fields will populate correctly. However, when triggered via the Merge API, Writer uses the Creator Get Record by ID API to fetch data from your report — this means any fields not included in the connected Creator report will return empty in the merged document. Ensure all fields you need are present in the Creator report before using the API.
void zWriterSign.sendForSigning(Form_Name fnRecord)
{
    //fetch employee record
    eeRecord = Employee[ID = fnRecord.Employee_Lookup];
    //
    //Writer template ID (found in document URL)
    templateId = "dfd8f76sf0dfdfeb8974ifcx9873d9876d8s03";
    //
    //Use the Creator record ID - Writer will fetch the data automatically
    recordId = fnRecord.ID.toString();
    //
    param = Map();
    param.put("record_id",recordId);
    param.put("service_name","zohosign");
    param.put("filename",fnRecord.Field_Name);
    //
    //Build signer list
    signerList = List();
    //
    //First signer - approver
    signerObj1 = Map();
    signerObj1.put("recipient_1",ifnull(eeRecord.Email,"fallback@example.com"));
    signerObj1.put("action_type","approve");
    //approve|sign|view|in_person_sign
    signerObj1.put("language","en");
    signerList.add(signerObj1);
    //
    //Second signer - actual signer
    signerObj2 = Map();
    signerObj2.put("recipient_2",fnRecord.Signer_Email);
    signerObj2.put("action_type","sign");
    //approve|sign|view|in_person_sign
    signerObj2.put("language","en");
    signerList.add(signerObj2);
    //
    param.put("signer_data",signerList);
    param.put("sign_in_order","true");
    //
    //Optional: custom message
    if(!fnRecord.Custom_Message.isEmpty())
    {
        param.put("message",fnRecord.Custom_Message);
    }
    //
    //Optional parameters
    param.put("reminder_period","3");
    param.put("set_expire","7");
    param.put("test_mode",true);
    //
    //Execute the merge and sign request
    newSignMerge = invokeurl
    [
        url :"https://www.zohoapis.eu/writer/api/v1/documents/" + templateId + "/merge/sign"
        type :POST
        parameters:param
        connection:"zwritersign"
    ];
    //
    info newSignMerge;
}
Important: Data Center Considerations The API endpoint URL must match your Zoho data center. Using the wrong domain will result in authentication failures or data access issues.
Data Center Region API Domain
US United States https://www.zohoapis.com/writer/api/v1/...
EU Europe https://www.zohoapis.eu/writer/api/v1/...
IN India https://www.zohoapis.in/writer/api/v1/...
AU Australia https://www.zohoapis.com.au/writer/api/v1/...
JP Japan https://www.zohoapis.jp/writer/api/v1/...
CA Canada https://www.zohoapis.ca/writer/api/v1/...
CN China https://www.zohoapis.com.cn/writer/api/v1/...
How to determine your data center:
  • Log into your Zoho Creator application
  • Check the URL in your browser's address bar
  • If it shows creator.zoho.eu, use zohoapis.eu
  • If it shows creator.zoho.com, use zohoapis.com
  • Match the domain suffix accordingly for other regions
Prerequisites

Before using this API, ensure you have:

1. Template Access
Open your Writer template at least once from the Zoho Writer dashboard before sending API requests. Navigate to the hamburger menu → Automate tab.
2. OAuth Connection
Create a connection in Creator with the required scopes:
ZohoWriter.documentEditor.ALL
ZohoWriter.merge.ALL
ZohoSign.documents.ALL

Template Field Mapping:

Your Writer template merge fields must match your Creator form field names exactly. When using record_id, Writer automatically maps fields by their link names.

Available Merge API Endpoints The record_id approach works with multiple Writer Merge APIs:
API Endpoint Purpose
Merge and Sign /merge/sign Merge document and send for electronic signature via Zoho Sign
Merge and Email /merge/email Merge document and send as email attachment
Merge and Store /merge/store Merge document and save to Zoho WorkDrive
Merge Document /merge Merge and return download link (expires in 2 days)
Merge and Share Fillable /merge/sharetofill Generate pre-filled fillable links for data collection
Signer Configuration Options
//Available action types for signers:
signerObj.put("action_type","sign");        //Requires signature
signerObj.put("action_type","approve");     //Approval only, no signature
signerObj.put("action_type","view");        //View only access
signerObj.put("action_type","in_person_sign"); //In-person signing

//Optional: Specify recipient name
signerObj.put("recipient_name","John Smith");

//Optional: Add private notes to signer
signerObj.put("private_notes","Please review section 3 carefully");

//Optional: Alternative delivery methods
deliveryType = Map();
deliveryType.put("type","sms");             //or "whatsapp"
deliveryType.put("countrycode","+1");
deliveryType.put("phonenumber","5551234567");
signerObj.put("delivery_type",{deliveryType});
Common Issues and Solutions
Issue Cause Solution
"Invalid merge data" error Record ID not found or wrong format Ensure record_id is passed as a string using .toString()
Empty merge fields Field name mismatch between Creator and Writer Verify template merge field names match Creator field link names exactly
Authentication failure Wrong data center domain Match API domain to your account's data center
"Template not accessible" error Template not opened in Writer UI Open template once from Writer dashboard → Automate tab
Connection scope error Missing OAuth scopes Regenerate connection with all required scopes listed above
Pro Tip: Use param.put("test_mode",true); during development. This allows you to test the merge without consuming Zoho Sign credits (though the output will contain a watermark). Remove this parameter for production use.


      Zoho Campaigns Resources


        • Desk Community Learning Series


        • Digest


        • Functions


        • Meetups


        • Kbase


        • Resources


        • Glossary


        • Desk Marketplace


        • MVP Corner


        • Word of the Day


        • Ask the Experts


          Zoho CRM Plus Resources

            Zoho Books Resources


              Zoho Subscriptions Resources

                Zoho Projects Resources


                  Zoho Sprints Resources


                    Zoho Orchestly Resources


                      Zoho Creator Resources


                        Zoho WorkDrive Resources



                          Zoho CRM Resources

                          • CRM Community Learning Series

                            CRM Community Learning Series


                          • Tips

                            Tips

                          • Functions

                            Functions

                          • Meetups

                            Meetups

                          • Kbase

                            Kbase

                          • Resources

                            Resources

                          • Digest

                            Digest

                          • CRM Marketplace

                            CRM Marketplace

                          • MVP Corner

                            MVP Corner




                            Zoho Writer Writer

                            Get Started. Write Away!

                            Writer is a powerful online word processor, designed for collaborative work.

                              Zoho CRM コンテンツ



                                ご検討中の方

                                  • Recent Topics

                                  • New Beginnings with Zoho Desk mobile app best practices: Part 3

                                    In focus: Scaling consistency, intelligence, and customization In our third installment, we'd like to share tips to help you elevate your customer experience as you handle support operations seamlessly on mobile. Let's reconnect with Omniserve, the field
                                  • Highlights of 2025: Milestones and moments

                                    Hey everyone! As we step into 2026, it’s a great time to look back at everything 2025 brought to Zoho Social. This year was big, packed with powerful new features, smart enhancements, exciting events, and a major milestone: a whole decade of Zoho Social.
                                  • Introducing the sandbox environment in Zoho Sign

                                    Hey there! Customer and partners across the globe have been requesting a testing environment—also called a sandbox—for quite some time. Sandboxes help you try out document workflows before using them in your production setup. This new year, we are excited
                                  • Can I share the drive with another Windows user?

                                    We use the WorkDrive Sync application on a server with several remote desktop users. Our question is: Can the drive created by WorkDrive Sync be shared from one of these remote users with the other users so they can access the files, or do we need to
                                  • Syncing Bills in Zoho Books to Zoho CRM

                                    Is there any way to sync the Bills in Zoho Books in Zoho CRM
                                  • Auto CheckOut Based On Shift.

                                    This Deluge script runs on a scheduled basis to automatically set the 'Actual_Check_Out' time for employees who haven't manually checked out. If the current time is past their scheduled 'Shift_End_Time', the script updates the check-out time to match
                                  • ERROR: Product type cannot be changed for Items having transactions.

                                    I have mistakenly added a product type as goods for an item that was a digital service. Now when HSN/SAC became mandatory, this brought my attention to this error I did. So I tried changing the product type but it displayed this error message Product
                                  • Boost your CRM accuracy with smart Data Enrichment

                                    Hello all! In this post let's look at data enrichment from a holistic perspective to gain more clarity on how you can use it. So, here's a quick recap of what data enrichment is and how you set it up it to enhance your existing module data! What is data
                                  • Is it possible to set a region lookup table so that my deal country can lookup this lookup table

                                    Hi there, I would like to be able to add a data lookup table with the following fields: Country, Region. And then in my deal report, i can then lookup this table to fish out the region in my report. This will be important for my sales process to categorise
                                  • Test Emails Show Sent "via zcsend.net" in My Gmail Account

                                    I noticed the following info... However, a few email service providers such as Outlook and Gmail will display that the email was sent by zcsend.net (Zoho campaigns’ server) on your behalf instead of just your from email address.  In order to prevent this, you can go for either of these options: Do not select the check box meant for DomainKey Signature which is listed under Unverified sender domains. Include our mail servers by advanced authentication method such as SPF/ Sender ID and DomainKey/ DKIM.
                                  • 'UnAuthenticated Connection: zbooks_connection'

                                    I have a zoho connection in Zoho Books, the link name es zbooks_connection, but I like to validate if exist, by example if I use this line in my code: response=zoho.books.getTemplates("", "","zbooks_connection"); But I don't  have the connection I like
                                  • Calling the new 'Custom API' feature from within a Custom Widget

                                    From what I've learned it is not possible to call an endpoint from the new "Custom API" feature within a Creator Widget. The SDK's doesn't support it yet, when calling it natively you end up with CORS issues or at least I couldn't get it working even
                                  • Cannot post to Instagram. I get the error: Insufficient permission to publish on this page. Check with your page Admin to update permissions.

                                    We had another admin that left the company. Since he left, we get this error when posting to Instagram.
                                  • Zoho desk desktop application

                                    does zoho desk has a destop applicaion?
                                  • Ability to re-order Workflow Rules

                                    We really need the ability to re-order workflow rules within departments.  Either the ability to drag/drop them into a different order or something.
                                  • Create an article template

                                    I have a question concern the Knolwedge Database from Zoho Desk. There is any possibility to create an article template ? Exemple of what I research : TODAY : I want to create a lot af articles with the same baseline > I create one article > I copy/paste
                                  • Persisting email signals to contact timeline?

                                    Hello there. Regarding the email signals that are logged when a contact opens an email, am I correct that these signals are not logged to a contact's timeline? Ideally, I would like to have this context available for future follow-ups, if the contact
                                  • Change of Blog Author

                                    Hi, I am creating the blog post on behalf of my colleague. When I publish the post, it is showing my name as author of the post which is not intended and needs to be changed to my colleague's name. How can I change the name of the author in the blogs?? Thanks, Ramanan
                                  • Zoho FSM API Delete Record

                                    Hi FSM Team, It would be great if you could delete a record via API. Thank you,
                                  • Instant Messaging Update | Now migrate your WhatsApp Business phonenumber from another BSP to Zoho Desk | Dec'23

                                    Hi All, Everything seems to move at lightning speed these days, and time is certainly flying by for the IM team. But we are delighted at how much ground we covered this year. 🚀 For one, we enabled WhatsApp business phone number migration so that you
                                  • Upload ticket attachments via Drag-&-Drop

                                    Hello, if you want to upload a file to the ticket attachment you need to click the button and use the file browser to select and upload the desired file. In many cases, it would be much more efficient if you could simply drag the file to the browser window...
                                  • Can we disable add to cart in Zoho Commerce?

                                    Hello, Our sales happen on the phone. During the call the customer is directed to our website to inspect the products together with the sales rep. So we need a way to present our inventory. I figured Zoho Commerce is a good fit for this use case. However
                                  • Introducing WhatsApp integration in Bigin

                                    Greetings! In today's business landscape, messaging apps play a significant role in customer operations. Customers can engage with businesses, seek support, ask questions, receive personalized recommendations, read reviews, and even make purchases—all
                                  • Zoho One account closure vs deactivation

                                    I wonder what are the best practices and guidelines around deactivating vs deleting Zoho accounts in organisations? Any practical considerations?
                                  • Global Search placement in the new UI

                                    Having a hard time with the global search placement in the UI redesign. Surely I can't be the only one. Previously global search placement was perfect. A bar at the top/center of the page. Exactly where you would expect it to be. Since the new UI has
                                  • Schedule Zoho CRM reports only on Business Days

                                    Hello, Is it possible to schedule reports only on business days ? We currently get daily sales reports on weekend which has no value since the sales team doesn't work on weekends. Thanks
                                  • How to install Widget in inventory module

                                    Hi, I am trying to install a app into Sales Order Module related list, however there is no button allow me to do that. May I ask how to install widget to inventory module related list?
                                  • How to track a contact or customer's past product purchases in Bigin Premiere?

                                    Hello there. I am the sole user of Bigin for a small company (chess club), and would like to track current and past purchases made by a contact (player) or company (family which includes the player). Players may register for multiple tournaments, take
                                  • LENTITUD EN RECIBIR MAIL

                                    Buenas tardes, Estamos experimentando lentitud en la recepción de correos electrónicos.
                                  • Items should display under specific warehouse

                                    I have configured the multi warehouse but it show all the items under all warehouse which is not correct according to our business logic, so i want that items should only display under that specific warehouse not under all the warehouses not even with zero quantity. Some items should be common but not all so is there any option for that purpose so i can specific the items to its warehouse. Regards
                                  • Partial refunds

                                    I am trying to process refund for a one item invoice, however the refund is partial: i am getting this error while creating credit note, can anyone share some wisdom about this
                                  • Best practice importing items and matching assemblies

                                    Hi, I was wondering what would be the best practice to import items and composite items (assemblies) From my backup, what should I import first? The items or the composite items? I am on Zoho one, using inventory and books. Kind regards, Sabine
                                  • Bulk Fill In & Edit PO/Bill/SO/Invoice

                                    Hello, I am adding stock in bulk on a PO, the system is automatically populating the Rate (price) and Tax from the item data. Problem is that the bill rate is different from the rate on the item data, so I have to manually erase each and enter the price.
                                  • Separate Items & Services

                                    Hi, please separate items and services into different categories. Thank you
                                  • Items Below Reorder Point Report?

                                    Is there a way to run a report of Items that are below the Reorder Point? I don't see this as a specific report, nor can I figure out how to customize any of the other stock reports to give me this information. Please tell me I'm missing something s
                                  • Allocating inventory to specific SO's

                                    Is there a way that allocate inventory to a specific sales order? For example, let's say we have 90 items in stock. Customer 1 orders 100 items. This allocates all 90 items to their order, and they have a back order for the remaining 10 items which could
                                  • Cancelled Transfer order problem

                                    Hello, We've canceled a transfer order, and we can't add the related items to a new Transfer Order. The system tells us that the bin doesn't have the required quantity, but when we check the item, it indicates that there are 2 units in the bin. It also
                                  • Creating a Chart from a Report

                                    In Zoho Analytics, is it possible to create a chart from a Pivot View report? We are looking to use Zoho Analytics to replace Excel for Sales reports and would like to be able to show both the table and the chart together.
                                  • Client Portal ZOHO ONE

                                    Dear Zoho one is fantastic option for companies but it seems to me that it is still an aggregation of aps let me explain I have zoho books with client portal so client access their invoice then I have zoho project with client portal so they can access their project but not their invoice without another URL another LOGIN Are you planning in creating a beautiful UI portal for client so we can control access to client in one location to multiple aps at least unify project and invoice aps that would
                                  • Email Insights included in Bigin emals are marked as SPAM everywhere

                                    Today I noticed that email recipients who use Office 365 never receive emails sent from Bigin. Further examination showed that all Email Insights links in email headers are marked as spam/phishing by Office 365. Example screen included. The problem is
                                  • Next Page