Zoho Developer Community Monthly Digest – February 2025

Zoho Developer Community Monthly Digest – February 2025



Hello everyone,

First of all, an apology is in order—our January digest got swept away by a whirlwind of hackathon madness. But fear not, February's digest is here to make up for lost time! We’ve got everything from upcoming events like the Zoho Developer Hangout (with a special focus on Catalyst!) to our new Client Script Commands session. We also dive into resources like the latest Zoho CRM Developer updates and Kaizen posts to help you stay ahead. Plus, the community spotlight showcases real developer problem-solving moments, and some of the best insights shared in our Cliq channel.

So, without further ado, grab your favorite beverage, settle in, and let’s jump into the updates!

Previous Month Highlights

Before we dive into this month's updates, let's take a moment to celebrate the grand success of the ZDC Hackathon 2024. After 46 days of innovation, intense competition, and collaboration, we wrapped up the first-ever Zoho Developer Community Hackathon with a bang!

With over 1,000 participants, 797 teams, and representation from 45 countries, this truly was a global event. A special shout-out to all our participants—students, independent developers, customers, and partners—who brought their A-game to the table.

The judges had their work cut out, but after thorough evaluation, we're proud to announce the winners:



A massive thank you to everyone who participated and made this hackathon a tremendous success! You can check out all the category-wise winners on our website. Until next time, keep the innovation rolling and stay tuned for the next challenge!

Upcoming Events

Client Script

Title: Part 5: Introduction to Client Script Commands 
Date: March 11, 2025
Time: 10:00 AM IST & 8:00 PM IST (GMT+5:30)

In this session, we'll explore a new dimension of Client Script that enables users to trigger them anytime and anywhere in CRM, extending their event-driven functionality beyond just specific modules and pages. Using Client Script Commands, the user can either use custom keyboard shortcuts or command palette to execute Client Scripts. Click here for registration and more details.

Zoho Developer Hangout: Episode 19

Title: Catalyst for Zoho Developers
Date: March 13, 2025
Time: 8:30 AM CT / 8:00 PM IST

This session, presented by our power user @Christopher Mowers, is for Zoho developers who are familiar with typical approaches to working in the Deluge environment and who would like to learn to adapt to the approach that Catalyst requires. We will cover the Catalyst services that are most relevant to you as a Zoho developer and the fastest and most reliable ways to integrate your Catalyst layer with other Zoho applications. We will also cover important factors to consider when planning to use Catalyst as a part of your Zoho solution. Register now to get tips from the expert!

Zoho Community Developer Bootcamp – Deluge

Date: March 15 & March 29
Time: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM IST
Place: New Delhi & Mumbai

All applications must be automated to improve themselves as well as the businesses they serve. Zoho provides a plethora of relevant solutions for all your application needs. However, to cater to specific requirements and handle more complex business logic, we use our in-house scripting language—Deluge. Save your spot to immerse yourself in our engaging hands-on bootcamp, designed to equip you with the skills and knowledge to harness the full potential of Deluge for Zoho applications.

Catalyst 101

Title: Introduction to Catalyst
Date: March 18, 2025
Time10:00 AM IST & 8:00 PM IST (GMT+5:30)

Catalyst is a full-stack cloud development platform that simplifies the complex. Build, test, host, deploy, and optimize solutions like never before. Its easy learning curve eliminates complexities, empowering you to craft bold innovations at the lowest total cost of ownership (TCO). This is a four-part learning initiative that focuses on offering a thorough understanding of Catalyst—Zoho's cloud computing platform. Click here for registration and more details.

ZDK CLI (Zoho Development Kit Command Line Interface)

Date: Mar 20 | Apr 10
Time: 10:00 AM IST & 8:00 PM IST (GMT+5:30)

Managing metadata in Zoho CRM shouldn’t feel like navigating a maze. Yet, the endless clicks to modify profiles, roles, modules, or layouts—and the challenges of version control—can quickly become overwhelming. What if you could skip the hassle and manage your metadata effortlessly? Introducing ZDK CLI—your one-stop solution for streamlining metadata modifications, pushing changes directly from the command line, and tracking updates seamlessly with your preferred Version Control System (VCS). Register now to discover how to take control of your CRM workflow with ZDK CLI.

Extensions 101

TitleZoho Projects – Modal Boxes
Date: March 27, 2025
Time: 10:00 AM IST & 8:00 PM IST (GMT+5:30)

This series aims to guide developers through the process of building extensions for various Zoho products using the Zoho Developer platform, Sigma. Our previous sessions in this series covered extension development for multiple Zoho products and highlighted the platform's key capabilities for developing efficient extensions. Register for the upcoming sessions, where we'll delve deep into developing extensions for Zoho products like Projects, CRM, Books, and Desk.

Learning Table Series

Title: Creator for the Logistics industry
Date: April 3, 2025
APAC & ANZ: 11 AM to 12 PM IST - Registration Link
EMEA: 4 PM to 5 PM IST - Registration Link
Americas: 9 PM to 10 PM IST - Registration Link

We designed this series to provide users with valuable insights and knowledge about Creator's capabilities in various business use cases and applications. We have adopted the 12 Months 12 Industries concept. Every month, we will focus on a specific industry, illustrating its unique processes with real-time business scenarios and how to make best use of Creator for that industry. Our previous webinar on Creator for the Manufacturing Industry was a success, and in the upcoming session, we'll be exploring Creator for the Logistics industry.
 
Creator Tech Connect

Title: Product Release Updates in Zoho Creator
Date: April 10, 2025
APAC & ANZ: 11 AM to 12 PM IST - Registration Link
EMEA: 4 PM to 5 PM IST - Registration Link
Americas: 9 PM to 10 PM IST - Registration Link

Creator's tech connect series would comprise of technical sessions that provide immersive training on the key essentials and technical nuances of building a solution in Zoho Creator. This is a great opportunity for our developer community to stay informed about Creator's new feature releases, product roadmap, best practices to follow while scripting in deluge, new deluge concepts, and cloud functions. In our previous session, we discussed enhancing dashboards with Javascript widgets in Zoho Creator. In the upcoming session, we will explore the recent product release updates in Zoho Creator.

Resource Spotlight

Info
We've consolidated all the resources from the developer community learning series into a centralized hub for your convenient access. Consider bookmarking our Zoho Developer Community website to stay informed about the latest updates in the developer community.
  • Zoho CRM Developer Updates:
    • Introducing Catalyst Solutions to streamline automation at scale with minimal effort. 
    • The Bulk Data Processor CodeLib, powered by Catalyst, offers a ready-to-use solution for bulk reading, processing, and writing large datasets. It automatically handles the setup with pre-configured resources. Simply add your custom processing logic, and let the solution do the heavy lifting for you!
    • Refer to our Getting Started guide for setting up and the GitHub Repository for Code Samples.
Fill out this Early Access Form to get this feature enabled for your account. This feature will tentatively be opened in the second week of April, 2025.
    • Client Script support for Subforms is now available across all DCs.
Subform events are triggered from user actions, such as adding or deleting rows or updating data in subform.
These events allow you to run Client scripts for validation, automation, or dynamic updates.
By leveraging Subform Events, you gain precise control over subform behaviour. Click here to view the announcement post. Click here to view the updated help document.
    • Client Script functionality is extended to Zoho CRM Portals, allowing businesses to enhance portal interactions without creating new scripts. We understand that many of you have been eagerly awaiting this enhancement, and we are pleased to inform you that this support is now live for US DC. We will update once its rolled out for other DCs. Click here to view the announcement post.
    • Python SDK - Upgraded python SDK supporting V7 APIs to version 4.0.0. GitHub, pypi.
    • Upgraded NodeJS SDK supporting V7 APIs to version 4.0.0.
    • Kaizen Posts

      • Kaizen 171 - Check out the frequently asked questions on the Zoho CRM COQL API in the Zoho Community Forum with answers.
      • Kaizen 172 - This post discusses how you can use the 'crmAPIResponse' object in a standalone function and use that REST API-enabled function as a Source in Queries.
      • Kaizen 173 - Comparing Zoho CRM REST APIs and Zoho CRM GraphQL APIs.
      • Kaizen 174 - Learn how to trigger Client Scripts anywhere within Zoho CRM, extending the scope of Client Script beyond standard pages and events.
      • Kaizen 175 - Learn how to configure a Settings Widget for your Zoho CRM extension to enable key configurations and enhance user experience.
      • Kaizen 176 - Learn how you can optimize your queries in different ways using record ID as a variable.

      • Kaizen 177 - This post explains the Duplicate Check Preferences API, the Upsert API, and their differences, along with real-time scenario.

      • Kaizen 178 - Learn in detail about Criteria and Filter support in Zoho CRM APIs, how to construct them, and explore the various comparators supported for different field types.

      • Kaizen 179 - Discover when to use ZDK CLI vs. Zoho CRM UI for CRM customization. Learn the best practices while using ZDK CLI.

  • Building extensions for Zoho Finance Suite applications
  • Zoho Finance: We've supported new SDK methods in widgets. You can now include a confirmation modal and display success and failure messages in your widgets. Additionally, we have created a separate help document for the widget locations supported in Zoho Books.

  • Zoho IoT: The Internet of Things is no longer a futuristic concept—it’s a driving force for innovation across industries. Zoho IoT simplifies the complexity of IoT, offering a low-code platform that empowers businesses to harness the full potential of their data. Learn all about how you can build, visualize, and automate your workflows with Zoho IoT.

  • The Ultimate Guide to AutomationAre you tired of spending time on repetitive tasks? Automating routine processes not only boosts efficiency but also frees up your team to focus on what truly matters. Discover how automation can streamline workflows, reduce errors, and drive business growth

  • Zoho Cliq: Stay ahead of the game with Cliq Bot Calls! Automate alerts, speed up decision-making, and keep your team in sync—all without lifting a finger. Find out how this feature can transform your workflow.

  • Zoho DataPrep: Data preparation is evolving, and 2025 is set to bring smarter, faster, and more automated solutions! From AI-powered cleaning to real-time data enrichment, stay ahead of the trends shaping the future of data. Explore the top data preparation trends for 2025.

  • Zoho RPA: Not all tasks are created equal—some are perfect for automation! Discover which business processes are best suited for Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and how automating them can save time and reduce errors.

  • Zoho AnalyticsThis article explores how Zia can help you leverage advanced analytics, helping businesses identify trends, predict outcomes, automate insights like never before, and make smarter business decisions.

Community Discussions

Zoho Developer Forum

Developers ZUG Cliq Channel

Info
These conversations are confined to the Developers ZUG Cliq channel members. If you're keen on becoming a part of this space, visit our website, click JOIN NOW, and complete the form to get an invite to the channel.

Ever feel like you're banging your head against a wall trying to figure out a tech problem? Well, you're not alone! This month, we saw some awesome examples of how a community of Zoho users can turn those frustrating moments into "aha!" moments.
  • Real People, Real Problems, Real Solutions:
    • Imagine you're coding a script, and suddenly, it just...stops working. That's what happened to @Andre. Instead of spending hours pulling his hair out, he asked for help. And guess what? @Mike spotted a potential cause right away—a sneaky change behind the scenes. That's the power of having experienced folks around!
    • Or picture this: you're trying to connect two apps, but you keep getting an error message. @Buddy Quaid ran into this with Zoho Writer and CRM. Thankfully, @Mike (again, our resident superhero!) explained the missing piece, and boom, problem solved.
    • And it's not just about fixing errors. @Himali was trying to figure out a tricky workflow in Zoho Inventory. The community jumped in, explained the process, and @Bijoy even suggested a workaround to make things smoother. That's how we learn from each other!
    • We also had a great chat about keeping track of all those automations and workflows. Anyone else feel like you're herding cats sometimes? It was awesome to see everyone sharing their tips and tricks.
  • Unlocking the Power of Zoho Together:
  • Why this matters? (especially if you're new here):
    • You're never alone: Tech can be confusing, but in a community like this, you'll always find someone willing to help. So, the next time you're stuck, just ask the community—someone might just have the answer (or three)!
    • Learn by doing: Seeing how others solve problems is a fantastic way to learn something new. 
    • Discover hidden gems: You might stumble upon a clever trick or workaround you never knew existed.
    • We talk about the practical stuff: Like how to manage and keep track of your automations and workflows across the Zoho platform.

Community Spotlight

Cliq Contributors

We want to express our sincere appreciation to all our community contributors. Your commitment, expertise, and the time you invest are invaluable to the community. 



For those who are new to the Zoho Developer Community, check out this post to get started. 

Make sure to follow the digest every month for the most recent updates and conversations. Stay connected and participate in the forums and the Cliq channel to be featured in the upcoming month's digest. Wishing you all an amazing month ahead!


SEE ALSO




      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

                                  • Lost my notes

                                    Hi while re installing the notebook app, I have lost 2 most important notes and I am not able to find them anywhere. Can you help. Those were very important for my businesses, it had all the important transaction info, and the other were my log ins. I
                                  • Notebook App Not Opening

                                    I love this app but for the last 2 days it recuses to open. My phone tells me the app is bugged and I must wait for a new update. Is anyone else having this problem or is something going on with me? I have many important notes that I can't necessarily
                                  • Unable to connect to smt servers.

                                    Unable to connect to smtp.zoho.eu servers. Therefore, I cannot send emails via smtp.
                                  • Custom Function : Copy multilookup field to text field

                                    Hi, I'm a newbie on function programming, I try to copy text from a multi lookup field named "societe" to a text field named "societe2". I've used this code. In deluge script it seems to work, but when I trigger this function it doesn't work (Societe2
                                  • Problem Pasting Into Notes

                                    Occasionally I want to create a note by copying and pasting a few paragraphs from an article on line. When I create a new note and paste in the section the newly created note winds up with each paragraph in white text on a dark background rather than
                                  • Customers not receiving emails

                                    So, a little backstory, we have been using Zoho Forms for the past eight years. And when we initially started, we would have email notifications be sent from inside Zoho Forms after a submission. We recently started using Zoho CRM as we wanted a better
                                  • Not receive mail

                                    I just made my Zoho mail but I cannot receive any mail at all. What happen
                                  • Possible to reorder Pipelines position?

                                    I have multiple Pipelines and want to reorder their positions, so that in the Deals module record for the Pipeline field, I have them ordered in a certain way. Is there a way to reorder the position of the Pipelines without deleting existing Pipelines
                                  • How do you pre-fill Form fields using URL parameters, for embedded forms?

                                    Is this possible? This is something that can be done on most major Form platforms (JotForm, TypeForm etc). Currently if pre-filled fields are a necessity for your business, you cannot use embedded forms.
                                  • How to report and analyze a multi-select field entries distinctly ?

                                    As many of CRM users I have many multi-select fields that allows me to choose more than one chose in one cell for a specific filed Like: Field A - A;BC - A;C -B;C But when reporting the field it will handle each cell as a "String" not multiple entries
                                  • ZOHO Creator subform link

                                    Dear Community Support, I am looking for some guidance on how to add a clickable link within a Zoho Creator subform. The goal is for this link to redirect users to another Creator form where they can edit the data related to the specific row they clicked
                                  • Unable to delete Attachment on Modules/Record

                                    Hi Team, Could you please check the backend. Looks like today, CRM decided not to allow deletion of Attachment on Modules or Records. No error message but when you click Delete > Move to recycle bin, nothing happens. Please fix ASAP.
                                  • Filter Multi-Line Properties with Plain Large Text

                                    To be able to filter fields that feature Plain large text, I am only able to filter on plain small text when you offer 3 separate options.
                                  • Zoho Mail : Email Outgoing Blocked

                                    I suddenly received the following message yesterday. I cannot send any mail. Please resolve as soon as possible, I cannot work without sending email. Dear User, We regret to inform you that your email outgoing has been blocked and you will not be able
                                  • Global Sets for Multi-Select pick lists

                                    When is this feature coming to Zoho CRM? It would be very useful now we have got used to having it for the normal pick lists.
                                  • Problem with signature in a forwarded mail

                                    Dear All, In my email account I created a signature and I unchecked the 'Place signature above the quoted text for relies and forwards' My question is, when I am trying to forward an email, sometimes I need to insert my signature so I select it from the
                                  • Clone a Module??

                                    I am giong to repurpose the Vendors module but would like to have a separate but very similar module for another group of contacts called Buyers. I have already repurposed Contacts to Sellers. Is it possible to clone (make a duplicate) module of Vendors
                                  • Update date field from one module to the another

                                    Hi, I have a module called "Cargo". In this module there is a date field called "Fecha ETA". Api name = Fecha_ETA I have another module called "Deals". In this module there is a date field called "ETA 2". Api name = Fecha_Madrid I need to create a function
                                  • Simple Text Search Function

                                    Would it be too much to ask for a simple text search function? My slide decks are often simply collections of slides of a random over, and I often have to find the slide I need at a moment's notice. A text search function, no matter how rudimentary, would
                                  • Deluge script for purchase receive

                                    Trying to create purchase receives.... receive.put("purchaseorder_id",poId); // purchase order associated ... receive.put("line_items",itemList); result = zoho.books.createRecord("purchasereceives", orgId, receive); info result;...... {"code":9,"message":"Purchase
                                  • Delete completed tasks

                                    My completed tasks will not delete. I have tried deleted them all together and one by one. It says they are deleted but they are still showing on my list. Help
                                  • One user multiple access?

                                    Hi, I want to know if t is possible to have just one Zoho account for the business and have multiple users access this at the same time?
                                  • Notebook not working on Windows 11/Atlas OS

                                    Hello, I jave bought gamer laptop in used condition to make some AI application. I installed Atlas OS to improved performanceds and it is working very well. I have Avast Secutiy as firewall. The whole system is really fast and all my apps work well....but
                                  • Why are you taking functionality out of notebook?

                                    We were able to choose a custom sort, in free version. Now it seems that feature is only available if I upgrade. Not a nice trick, shame.
                                  • Is Zoho Notebook available in any other languge besides english?

                                    There seems to be no option to change the language of the UI in the web browser version of Notebook, is this the case for all other versions? iOS Android Windows App MacOS
                                  • Can't change form's original name in URL

                                    Hi all, I have been duplicating + editing forms for jobs regarding the same department to maintain formatting + styling. The issue I've not run into is because I've duplicated it from an existing form, the URL doesn't seem to want to update with the new
                                  • Zoho Notebook suddenly running very slow on long notes

                                    I have been a longtime user of Zoho Notebook. Historically, it has run quite well, but I've noticed over the last few days that it has begun to run unbearably slow when typing in large notes, to the point where I can type four words and have to wait for
                                  • Completely blank window

                                    When I open my notebook application on Windows 10 I get a completely blank window, see the attached .png file. There is no notebook or any hint that notebooks exist. Furthermore, the application always asks me to sign in again *every* time I start it.
                                  • Writing on sketch cards is bugged when zoomed in

                                    When zoomed in, it writes a noticeable distance above or to the side of where you're actually trying to write. The further you're zoomed in, the more noticeable it is. Zooming is also entirely absent on the desktop version.
                                  • File Upload and Add via API

                                    I've been attempting to upload to via the Files api and I have been hitting the wall with actually getting the file to attach. What type is the API expecting ? Base64 Encoded ? When I do I get a 414 Error. I would appreciate your help as I am currently
                                  • 請求書に添付されているファイルをAPI経由で取得する際の問題について

                                    Books APIリファレンス 現在、Books APIを利用して請求書内の添付ファイルを取得するメソッドを構築しています。以下のコードを参考にしているのですが、添付ファイルが複数アップロードされている場合、responseにおいて2つ目のファイルの情報しか取得できない現象が発生しています。 headers_data = Map(); headers_data.put("Authorization", "Zoho-oauthtoken 1000.41d9xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxc2d1.8fccxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx125f");
                                  • To be able to create a report sub folder

                                    Hello Can we request the ability to create subfolders in report folders.
                                  • Default Lookup Field Value based on Picklist

                                    How do I change a lookup field value based on another field's value, while creating/editing a record using form? I have a picklist of different types of Loans. For example: PPP, EDIL, Term, etc. When I create a record using the form, if I choose PPP from
                                  • Centralized Organization Information Management in Zoho One

                                    Dear Zoho One Support, I'm writing to propose a feature that would significantly improve the user experience and streamline data management within Zoho One. Current Challenge: Currently, managing organization information across various Zoho One apps requires
                                  • Kaizen #63 - Layout Rules in Zoho CRM

                                    Hello and welcome to another week of Kaizen! This week, we will be discussing Layout Rules in Zoho CRM. If you need to modify the layout of a module based on user inputs, or to show or hide sections based on the value of a specific field, we have got
                                  • Unable to create a Zoho Desk ticket from a call in Zoho CRM

                                    I want to create a Zoho Desk ticket when a new record is created in the Calls module in Zoho CRM. However, I get the following error message when trying to test & debug: We are unable to setup Zoho CRM. Please try again or contact us for further help
                                  • How to add a discount (percent %) field?

                                    My particular case it’s regarding the “Opportunities” module. I’ve created a subform to calculate the value of the opportunity, and now I’d like to include a discount field in the form of a percentage. However, no matter how or where I add the "percent"
                                  • Share saved filters between others

                                    Hi, I am in charge to setup all zoho system in our company. I am preparing saved filters for everybody, but the only one can see its me. How can others see it? Thanks
                                  • Outlook plugin funktioniert nicht.

                                    DAs Outlook Plugin funktioniert nicht mehr. Ich werde aufgefordert, mich mit der App "OneAuth" anzumelden Intelligente Anmeldung per OneAuth funktioniert nicht zufreidenstellend. Nach erfolgreicher Anmeldungung mittels QR Code lande ich wieder beim QR
                                  • sync two zoho crm

                                    Hello everyone. Is it possible to sync 2 zoho crm? what would be the easiest way? I am thinking of Flow. I have a Custom Module that I would like to share with my client. We both use zoho crm. Regards.
                                  • Next Page