Zoho Developer Community Monthly Digest - October 2024

Zoho Developer Community Monthly Digest - October 2024



Hello everyone,

This edition highlights October's product updates, upcoming community events, engaging discussions that sparked inspiration, and celebrates the top contributors who drove progress. Grab your favorite beverage and dive in!

Upcoming Events

Alert
We're super excited to announce our first-ever Zoho Developer Community Hackathon, coming your way this November. Get ready to innovate and compete on a global scale! Registration opens soon, so stay tuned for more details!

Zoho Apptics 101 

Date: November 12, 2024
Time: 12:30 pm IST & 9:30 PM IST
Title: Sessions, Screens, and APIs

In this series, we’ll dive deep into every aspect of application analytics to help you understand how Zoho Apptics aids in measuring important KPIs that reflect your app's performance, growth, and engagement. The last session of the series this year, focuses on Sessions, Screens, and API tracking. Registration and more details here.

Creator Tech Connect:

Title: Directory stores and device management in Zoho Creator using Zoho Directory.
Date: November 14, 2024
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. The previous session focused on managing domains, controls, and security policies in Zoho Creator using Zoho Directory and in the upcoming session, we will explore directory stores and device management in Zoho Creator using Zoho Directory.

Catalyst Webinar

Title: Boost eCommerce Efficiency by Automating PDF and Invoice Generation at Scale
Date: November 21, 2024
Time: 8:30 pm - 9:30 pm IST or 8 AM - 9AM PT
 
Are manual processes slowing down your ecommerce business? Join this webinar to discover how automation can revolutionize your operations. Learn how to generate invoices and PDFs seamlessly, reduce errors, and scale your business effortlessly.

Agenda:
  • The Power of Automation: Understand how automating invoices and PDFs can drive efficiency and enhance your ecommerce operations.
  • Seamless Integration: Learn how to implement automated PDF generation into your existing systems with ease.
  • Scaling for Growth: Explore strategies to optimize your processes and scale your ecommerce business effortlessly.

Learning Table Series:

Title: Creator for the Finance Industry
Date: December 5, 2024
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. This year, 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 NGO Industry was a success, and in the upcoming session, we'll be exploring Creator for the finance industry.

Feature Spotlight

Zoho Creator

We're thrilled to announce the launch of the revamped Zoho Creator Developer Console—a dedicated platform designed specifically for Creator developers and partners to build, test, and distribute apps to your clients. The revamped Zoho Creator Developer Console introduces a more streamlined, intuitive experience designed to empower developers at every stage of their app-building journey. Key updates include testing environments, seamless update deployment, the ability to publish apps for monetization in the Marketplace or distribute them privately with specific clients, and much more. Overall, the Zoho Creator Developer Console is an indispensable toolkit, enabling developers to innovate faster and deliver tailored, robust solutions to their clients.

Read more about this new launch in this community post or the partner network post.

Zoho Finance Platform: External Lookup Data Type in Custom Fields

We've added the External Lookup data to custom fields. Using this data type, you can select one of the available Zoho apps and look up data from one of its fields. Currently, you can look up data from Zoho CRM and Zoho Desk. After selecting the Zoho app, you need to select the organization, module, and field to lookup. For example, if you want to view the meetings you've had with your customers, you can create an external lookup for Zoho CRM, choose the CRM organization, select the Meetings module, and select the field to lookup (say Title). Learn More.

Products supported: Zoho Books, Zoho Inventory, and Zoho Billing.

Keep an eye out for our ongoing Custom Function Series!
 
For any queries related to the Zoho Finance development platform, reach out to our tech team at devsupport@zohofinance.com

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.

Community Discussions

Zoho Developer Forum

  • Sometimes, choosing the right data structure can make a big difference. @Ilja wanted to know the best way to compare a list of countries with their corresponding ISO codes. While a long chain of if-else statements might seem like a simple solution, it gets slow and hard to manage with a large number of countries. @Sakis Oikonomou, @Abhishek , and @Eric Chrobak jumped in and explained that a Map approach is superior. Go through this conversation to know why!
  • @WM Yeo encountered a roadblock in their client script where changes to a specific field weren't triggering updates in other fields. Find out how they resolved the issue as this thread underscores the importance of understanding the appropriate methods for field updates in different contexts.
  • @Clarke sought a way to send emails to each contact listed in a Zoho CRM subform. @MaxKnowsZoho suggested using Zoho Flow to automate this process, while @Pheranda Nongpiur offered a more direct approach with a custom Deluge code snippet. This conversation underscores the flexibility of Zoho CRM, with both low-code and custom coding options available to fulfill specific needs.
  • @yongmeng.tay wanted to automate a field update based on user data. @Bhoomi Joshi, a dedicated Zoho MVP, went above and beyond, providing a detailed client script solution and even offering a personalized debugging session. This thread showcases the power of community support and the importance of clear communication in resolving technical hurdles.

Developers ZUG Cliq Channel

InfoThese 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.
  • Redundant work can get pretty tiresome. Our top contributor, @Pranit, tried to overcome such a task through auto-populating fields in Zoho Desk. Check out this conversation where the community members bring together different pieces of the puzzle to get the complete picture. @Carter shares the logical flow, and @Vivek shares the coding solution with @Venessa and @Dr. Joe Sweeney backing it up with their thoughts.
  • Almost always, someone from the Community has the answer to another's question. Sometimes, a member ventures into something unventured. @Pranit found himself in such a situation. Needing to convert a byte array to PDF, he turned to the community for help. While the community offered various suggestions, the perfect solution remained elusive. Check out the conversation to see if you might have a solution to his problem. Who knows, you might even find any of the offered solutions beneficial to your business!
  • Each integration between products gives any business an additional dimension of functionality. It's even more pivotal when that integration deals with the final step of the sales cycle—creating and delivering the invoice for a completed deal. @Buddy Quaid faced an issue while creating an invoice with Zoho Writer and storing & sending it from Zoho Workdrive. This month's top Cliq contributor, Vivek Rai, joins Buddy on quite a journey of issues and stumbling blocks, before reaching the solution. Check it out here!

Community Spotlight

ZDH Speakers

As a continuation of featuring a ZDH presenter each month, this time, we are delighted to introduce the 16th episode presenter . Explore this post to discover the knowledge and insights he shared with the community.

Cliq Contributors

Here are our top contributors who have gone the extra mile to support and assist the community:


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

We appreciate you dedicating your time to peruse this month's digest. Make sure to follow the digest each 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 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


        • Sticky Posts

        • Announcing the Zohotshots of the ZDC Hackathon 2024

          Hey everyone! After 46 days of innovation, collaboration, and intense competition, the first-ever Zoho Developer Community (ZDC) Hackathon has officially concluded! 🎉 With 1079 participants, 797 teams, and representation from 45 countries across 6 continents,
        • Extensions 101 webinar series: Build, integrate, and monetize with extensions

          Attention developers! Are you ready to take your extension development skills to the next level? We're excited to bring back the Extensions 101 webinar series with an expanded lineup of Zoho products and an introduction to more platform features. Last
        • Zoho Developer Community Monthly Digest - December 2024

          Hello everyone! As we step into the new year, let’s reflect on the strides we’ve made together and gear up for the exciting opportunities 2025 holds. This month’s digest highlights key updates, engaging discussions, and upcoming events designed to keep
        • Zoho Developer Community Monthly Digest - November 2024

          Hello everyone! Welcome back to the November edition of the Developer Community Monthly Digest. Dive in to explore the upcoming events, hands-on training sessions, exciting product updates, insightful discussions, and more to keep you informed and inspired!
        • Zoho Developer Community Monthly Digest - October 2024

          Hello everyone, This edition highlights October's product updates, upcoming community events, engaging discussions that sparked inspiration, and celebrates the top contributors who drove progress. Grab your favorite beverage and dive in! Upcoming Events

        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

                                • How to Initiate WhatsApp Message on SalesIQ?

                                  I've just activated a Business WhatsApp phone number through SalesIQ because of its touted omnichannel chat approach. Sounds exciting. I understand that when a customer sends me a WA message, I can reply to it on SalesIQ and keep the chat going, perfect.
                                • WorkDrive Download Issue

                                  My client has been sending me files via WorkDrive, which generally has worked fine. Recently files won't download at all. If you try and individually select and download a file, a popup will appear in the bottom right saying it's preparing and then it
                                • How to get NSE/BSE Stock Prices in Zoho sheets?

                                  I've been looking for a function that provides me with the NSE/BSE listed stocks price in Zoho Sheets like GOOGLEFINANCE in Google sheets, but I found none. Please help if there is any way to het stock prices?
                                • Downloading Image from Subform using Deluge (invokeUrl) - Data Mismatch / Connection Issues

                                  Hi Zoho Community, I'm struggling to download an image from a subform in Zoho Creator using Deluge and then attach it to a Zoho CRM Deal record. I've been working on this for a while, and I'm encountering issues that I believe are related to either data
                                • Comment Reactions like a Thumbs Up

                                  Can we please have the ability to emoji react on comments or at the very least, thumbs a comment up? Literally every other project management system out there can support this and it is very much needed to just acknowledge a comment instead of completely
                                • How do you send an email to a customer from Zoho Desk?

                                  I have pulled up a customer record and I click the email icon and the email address, nothing happens.... Email attached of where I am.  Is there a different way to send an email?
                                • Feature Request – Auto-Save Draft for Interview Assessments

                                  Hello Zoho Recruit Team, I’d like to suggest a feature that would be incredibly helpful for recruiters conducting multiple interviews. Currently, when filling out an Interview Assessment, there is no option to auto-save progress as a draft. At times,
                                • Different timezone for users

                                  Is it possible for users to set a different timezone for themselves? We have staff in different locations.   Thanks!
                                • Attachment Template as PDF from Another Form Zoho Creator

                                  Hi Everyone, have a good day. I have question, below my script for put the attachment into email. But my template PDF from another form ("Form B"). I get errror because template PDF not exist in the form "Alasan Reject". The form name for example "Form
                                • Reopen and Continue WhatsApp Chats within 24-Hour Window

                                  Dear Zoho SalesIQ Team, I'm writing to request a new feature that would enhance WhatsApp communication management within the 24-hour window: the ability to reopen and continue conversations with customers after a chat has been closed from our end. Current
                                • Accessing Extension Created Functions

                                  Good day. I have recently been attempting to access a function from an extension that is installed on my crm in a standalone function I have created with deluge on Zoho CRM, however I have not managed to get this to work. I am attempting to send an SMS
                                • Unchecked an option in a checkbox when another option is checked

                                  Hi, in a Creator form, I have around twenty checkbox fields, named for example "cb1", "cb2", "cb3", etc... Each of these fields have two options: Done and N/A. I would like to be able to for each field, if I check "Done", "N/A" is unchecked, and if I
                                • Ability to Initiate WhatsApp Template Messages in Zoho SalesIQ Without Preexisting Chat

                                  Hi Zoho SalesIQ Team, I hope you're doing well. I understand that with the WhatsApp integration in SalesIQ, clients can contact us via WhatsApp, and we can use WhatsApp templates to send messages outside of the 24-hour window by reopening an existing
                                • Support streaming display of long texts in zobot chats (usefull for chatgpt / openAI and any other AI )

                                  Hello, I was able to test the new features you offer to connect chatgpt or openAI assistant with built-in feature or custom code. This is great but the chat seems very slow and laggy because you don't use streaming api from openAI, so the chat has to
                                • Is it possible to load a Module with a filter pre-applied by the URL?

                                  In many of the CRM related lists, there is limited sorting, and no filtering available. I thought of the idea of putting a Custom Button on a Related List that would take the user to that module, but PRE-FILTERED by the Account from where they were viewing
                                • Custom Icon on zoho Creator APP

                                  Is is possible to have a company logo as the APP image rather than the Zoho image?  thank you.
                                • How can I format numbers in an html table?

                                  I am building an html table to display how much people have paid, but the numbers are losing their formatting: application_table = application_table + "<td style='text-align: right;'>" + payment_row.Amount_Local + "</td>"; Amount_Local is a decimal field,
                                • Weekly Tips: Stay on Top of Work with Zoho Mail Streams

                                  You’re working on a big project, and all the updates from your team keep coming in from different angles. Some are sharing updates, others are asking questions, and you are constantly getting your inbox piled up with new information on the same project.
                                • Issue with Zoho Books /Zoho Inventory Support Team

                                  Oh my goss! This ticket just got closed without a solution/response?! (attached screenshot) That is so pathetic. I thought I could keep impartially all tickets tracked in your help website. Do I need to track issues raised to zoho support team in a separate
                                • Stock Count - Extracting Data

                                  Hi, I really like the new stock counting functionality however I can't find any way to extract the stock count results. -The build in stock count report is limited and has no export option - There is no export options from within the stock count screens
                                • Issue with Bin Locations and Stock Counting in Zoho Inventory

                                  Dear Zoho Support, We are currently experiencing a significant issue with bin locations and stock counting in our warehouse. Our warehouse is divided into 7 zones, each containing approximately 250 bin locations. When performing a stock count for an item,
                                • PO receive limitations

                                  It is VERY common to receive more or less that the PO quantity. It's totally ludicrous to limit the maximum receive to the PO quantity! What if the receive is 0.00001 less than the PO quantity - it leaves the PO as "Partially received" The current options are to edit the PO manually before finalizing the receive, an outrageous situation ! Please Zoho guys - this is an infuriating oversight & can be easily resolved by introducing the option as shown in the attached document ......
                                • Boost Customer Experience: Let Visitors Choose Their Preferred IM Channel in Your Chat Widget

                                  We have an exciting enhancement coming your way. Pushing the perimeter has always been our thing, and we have come up with yet another enhancement for your Zoho SalesIQ live chat. Did you know your live chat can support more than chats and calls? That's
                                • Ask the Experts 17: Elevate Customer Communication With Multichannel & Instant Messaging

                                  Hello Everyone, Get ready for the opportunity to interact with Zoho Desk specialists! This month, we’re diving into Multichannel Operations, helping you manage customer interactions across various platforms seamlessly. Why Join? Customers reach out through
                                • Auto Reply on Zoho Desk

                                  Can we set an Auto Respond to every email that Zoho Desk receives? Is there a way that any of the information in the original email can be pulled through to that reply? Like a mail merge?
                                • Several issues with formatting within the email campaign

                                  I continue to have several issues with formatting when creating newsletter through this platform. Any one have any guidance on how to deal with these issues? The newsletter content always gets clipped when first opened. To see the content in its entirety, you have to scroll all the way to the bottom and click a button to open it all up. Is there a way to make all content appear without having to click to open it up? I'm sure many people don't realize this and therefore don't see the content that
                                • Blueprint Issue - Being able to set a subform field as mandatory

                                  I'm creating a blueprint. My record involves a subform which is only shown once field is set but the field gets set in step two of the process. My problem - I can't save the record as the subform field is set to mandatory - If I unset the mandatory field,
                                • Zoho connect manuals and workflows

                                  Is there any plans to allow workflows to be triggered from changes or edits to a manual? It would get us over the line for deployment if there was.
                                • Introducing Screening Bot for pre-screening automation

                                  We’ve transformed the chatbot experience in Zoho Recruit! What was once a general Chatbot for sourcing is now a streamlined system with dedicated tools. The original chatbot has evolved into the Sourcing Bot, while the newly introduced Screening Bot simplifies
                                • Customer Portal Users Metrics

                                  Hi, Is there any way to know who and when a specific customer portal user accessed? without having to use the metrics page.
                                • Notebook stacks

                                  Hello, Are you planning to implement some kind of notebook grouping, similar to evernote stacks? I know that we can group notes inside of the particular notebook but for a lot of us it is not enough I belive. Sometimes that additional layer for organization
                                • Multi Step Parallel Transitions for Blueprints

                                  We have two processes, that are sequential and can be done simultaneously inside of one module. For example: For order processing, we have to kinds of tasks: tasks that need to be done at the car directly (for example repairs) and tasks where the physical
                                • Accessing Attachments in Zoho Recruit Extension for API Integration

                                  Hi, I am currently developing a Zoho Recruit extension to integrate with a third-party application. As part of this, I need to retrieve the attachment file from the current record and include it in an API request. However, I couldn’t find a relevant Zoho
                                • CRM - QR Codes and Bar Codes

                                  Hi I am using CRM to run my service team - Asset maintenance business We need to move to and generate a QR code for each Asset we look after. And we need Bar code reading for the testing we do. (pre-bar-coded sample bottles are provided by the lab) Does
                                • Mails to Deals

                                  Hi everybody. We are using ZOHO CRM connected to ZOHO Mail and we have a big trouble, which our ZOHO partner is not able to solve. Zoho CRM automatically connects received emails to last edited live Deal of the same Contact. For us this logic is very
                                • How to check if the sum of number fields match 100%

                                  I have 12 fields (12 months) which contain a number. When I sum the fields in a formula field I see the total, but I want to be sure that the total is always 100 (%). How do I validate that, since you can't validate an formula field it seems.
                                • How to Send Weekly Scheduled Emails of a Custom View

                                  Greetings, We have a custom view called "All Employee View" for the Employee form. We are able to manually export that view using the "Export" button: However, we want to programmatically export this view as an XLS file each week and send it in an email
                                • Introducing our latest privacy enhancement - Hiding email IDs in Zoho Cliq Networks

                                  Hello everyone, Zoho Cliq Networks offers a powerful collaboration platform that allows businesses to create dedicated digital workspaces for external vendors, partners, or individuals you want to communicate with professionally without adding them to
                                • The amount entered is more than the balance due for the selected bills."

                                  Hi Team i am trying to record payments for vendors using API and getting this error in response as { "code": 28011, "message": "The amount entered is more than the balance due for the selected bills." } JSON is prepared according to Documentation and
                                • Can I print a set of record templates as a single pdf?

                                  I have a record template formatted as a gift certificate. I can email a single gift certificate to each recipient, but I also need to print the whole batch for the organiser, and they won't want 40 separate files. The layout needs to be identical, so
                                • Next Page