Automation#30: Auto-Update Time Entry to the Nearest 5 Minutes

Automation#30: Auto-Update Time Entry to the Nearest 5 Minutes



Hello Everyone, 

Time tracking is a feature in Zoho Desk to help businesses stay organized and efficient. For Zylker Techfix, this feature has helped to track the duration of gadget services to generate accurate bills.
However, Zylker Techfix faced a unique challenge: they needed to round off time entries for precise billing calculations. Manually adjusting each entry was time-consuming and prone to errors. A simple custom function helped in auto-adjustments in time entry.
Zylker Techfix automated the process of rounding time entries to the nearest 5 minutes. This not only saved time but also ensured accuracy in their billing operations.
In this week’s post, we share this custom function with you! 
Follow the steps below to set up your workflow rule and automate your time entries for seamless billing.

Prerequisites

1. Create a connection
  1.1 Go to Setup(S) and choose Connections under Developer Space.
  1.2 Click Create Connection.
  1.3 Select Zoho OAuth under Default Connection.
  1.4 Set the connection name as connection.
  1.5 Under Scope, choose the below scope values:
Desk.tickets.UPDATE
  1.6 Click Create and Connect.
  1.7 Click Connect.
  1.8 
Choose the Desk's organization to connect with Deluge, and click Submit.
  1.9 Click Accept.
Connection is created successfully.

Create a Workflow Rule
1. Go to Setup, choose Workflows under Automation. 
2. Under Workflows, click Rules >> Create Rule.

In the Basic Information section,
3. Select Time Entry from the drop-down menu under Module.
4. Enter a Rule Name and Description for the rule.
5. If you want to activate the rule right away, select the Active checkbox. Else, create the rule and activate it later.
6. Click Next.
 
In the Execute on section, follow these steps:
7. Select Create.   
8. Click Next.
 
9. In the Criteria section, add criteria if required. click Next. 
10. In the Actions section, click the + icon and select New next to Custom Functions.
11. Under Basic Information, Enter a Name and Description for the custom function. Choose Time Entry under Module.
12. Under Argument Mapping, give a desired Method Name. Map the arguments as below: 
       
12.1 In the Argument Name field, type timeEntryId and select Time Entry Id under the Time Entry Section.
       12.2 In the Argument Name field, type ticketId and select Ticket Id under the Time Entry Section. 
       12.3 In the Argument Name field, type minutesSpent and select Minutes spent under the Time Entry Section.                                      
13. In the script window, insert the Custom Function given below:
  1. //---------- User Input ------------
  2. roundOffValue = 5;
  3. deskURL = "https://desk.zoho.com"; // Replace .com based on your DC
  4. //----------------------------------
  5. logs = Collection();
  6. reminder = minutesSpent % roundOffValue;
  7. minutesSpent = minutesSpent - reminder + roundOffValue;
  8. params = Map();
  9. params.put("minutesSpent",minutesSpent);
  10. params.put("secondsSpent",0);
  11. params.put("hoursSpent",0);
  12. updateTimeEntry = invokeurl
  13. [
  14. url :deskURL + "/api/v1/tickets/" + ticketId + "/timeEntry/" + timeEntryId
  15. type :PATCH
  16. parameters:params.toString()
  17. connection:"connection"
  18. ];
  19. logs.insert("updateTimeEntry":updateTimeEntry);
  20. info logs;
NOTE
 In Line 3, Replace ".com" with the domain extension based on your Data Center.
14. Click Save to save the custom function.
15. Click Save again to save the workflow.
Point to Remember 
This custom function rounds up the minutes in the Time Entry module. For example, 00:38:48 will be rounded up to 00:40:00, and 01:56:56 will be rounded up to 02:00:00.
We hope this custom function makes your time tracking smoother. We’d love to hear how this works for you! Share your feedback and connect with us for more tips and insights. Happy ticketing!

Regards,
Lydia | Zoho Desk

    • Sticky Posts

    • Register for Zoho Desk Beta Community

      With the start of the year, we have decided to take a small step in making the life of our customers a little easier. We now have easy access to all our upcoming features and a faster way to request for beta access. We open betas for some of our features
    • Share your Zoho Desk story with us!

      Tell us how you use Zoho Desk for your business and inspire others with your story. Be it a simple workflow rule that helps you navigate complex processes or a macro that saves your team a lot of time; share it here and help the community learn and grow with shared knowledge. 
    • Tip #1: Learn to pick the right channels

      Mail, live chat, telephony, social media, web forms—there are so many support channels out there. Trying to pick the right channels to offer your customers can get pretty confusing. Emails are most useful when the customer wants to put things on record. However, escalated or complicated issues should not be resolved over email because it's slow and impersonal.  When you need immediate responses, live chat is more suitable. It's also quick and convenient, so it's the go-to channel for small issues. 
    • Welcome to Zoho Desk Community - Say hello here!

      Hello everyone! Though we have been here for a while, it’s time to formally establish the Zoho Desk Community; we’re really happy to have you all here! This can be the place where you take a moment to introduce yourself to the rest of the community. We’d love to hear all about you, what you do, what company or industry you work for, how you use Zoho Desk and anything else that you will like to share! Here’s a little about me. I am Chinmayee. I have been associated with Zoho since 2014. I joined here
    • Webinar 1: Blueprint for Customer Service

      With the launch of a host of new features in Zoho Desk, we thought it’ll be great to have a few webinars to help our customers make the most of them. We’re starting off with our most talked about feature, Blueprint in Zoho Desk. You can register for the Blueprint webinar here: The webinar will be delivered by our in-house product experts. This is a good opportunity to ask questions to our experts and understand how Blueprint can help you automate your service processes. We look forward to seeing

    Nederlandse Hulpbronnen


      • Recent Topics

      • Zoho Inventory as connector in Zoho Creator

        Hello, It doesn't appear that Zoho Inventory is one of the many built in connectors in Zoho Creator? I see that there are non-Zoho inventory applications that have built in connectors such as Cin7, which leads me to believe that I'm missing something
      • Send Zoho Forms Link using Zoho CRM Email Templates

        I have set up Zoho Forms and CRM integration to pre-populate data from Zoho CRM to Zoho Forms. The setup is working fine. I have also created an email template in the Zoho CRM deals module to send Zoho forms links. So when I send an email using that template
      • My go to On Load Client Script - Fast, efficient, and works for ALL profiles; Hides everything except initial fields

        This is my on Load client script that I use for Create pages. I use a modified version for Edit and Display pages which you can create yourself using the same basic structure that I will give you below. First up, the script. Below that will be an explanation
      • CRM x WorkDrive: File storage for new CRM signups is now powered by WorkDrive

        Availability Editions: All DCs: All Release plan: Released for new signups in all DCs. It will be enabled for existing users in a phased manner in the upcoming months. Help documentation: Documents in Zoho CRM Manage folders in Documents tab Manage files
      • Zoho Books Finance Modules Not Accessible in Zoho CRM Mobile App

        We have integrated Zoho CRM with Zoho Books using the Zoho Finance Suite integration. In the CRM web version, we can see the Finance modules (Estimates/Quotes, Invoices, Sales Orders, Items, Payments) and are able to create invoices and quotes directly
      • Custom Search using HTM+CSS Snippet

        Suppose I wanted to create my own list view using HTML and CSS snippets inside a Page with a custom search input at the top of the list (not the Search snippet). Without Javascript, is there a way to retrieve a user's entry from that search input and
      • Cliq iOS can't see shared screen

        Hello, I had this morning a video call with a colleague. She is using Cliq Desktop MacOS and wanted to share her screen with me. I'm on iPad. I noticed, while she shared her screen, I could only see her video, but not the shared screen... Does Cliq iOS is able to display shared screen, or is it somewhere else to be found ? Regards
      • Mass Update of Lookup Fields not possible

        Hello List I've created a custom field for Leads and Contacts 'Current Campaign'. This is very Handy as I can filter leads and then related them to a campaign. Everything ready, but then I realized that mass update doesn't work for lookup fields... a
      • Zoho CRM Kiosk Upload Files

        Hello all, We are trying out Kiosks at the moment to see where it can fit best in our business. We are still a bit off in the application but lets say we will sort this out. My question is the following - when I create a Kiosk I can add "File Upload"
      • Double opt-in notifications and customizable confirmation messages for your webforms

        Dear CRM Community, We are excited to announce a major upgrade to our Webforms feature. You can now customize the confirmation message shown to your users who double opt-in from your webform and also customize your confirmation emails when they submit
      • Has Anyone successfully integrated Zoho and Sage Intact?

        Hey all, We’re evaluating Zoho One + Sage Intacct and I’m trying to connect with anyone who has actually implemented the two together.Specifically, I’d love to know: -- Which functions you kept in Zoho vs. Intacct (e.g., Product Catalog, AR/AP, invoicing,
      • Introducing Image Upload Field

        Hello everyone, In this post we will discuss about the benefits and usage of the Image upload field. The field is available for standard and custom modules.  Usage: This field can be used to upload a gallery of images to a record and share the record with peers or customers. The record can be made accessible to users outside of Zoho CRM via Portals, where they can upload the necessary images. Preview, editing, and deleting images: The uploaded images can be directly edited and saved from the record
      • Trigger a Workflow Function if an Attachment (Related List) has been added

        Hello, I have a Case Module with a related list which is Attachment. I want to trigger a workflow if I added an attachment. I've seen some topics about this in zoho community that was posted few months ago and based on the answers, there is no trigger
      • Free webinar alert on November 19 - Email driven strategies - Master personality based styles

        Hello Zoho Community! Want to make email management easier, smarter, and more you? We’ve got just the session for you! Join our interactive, game-based webinar to discover how Zoho Mail adapts to your personality and work style. Learn practical hacks,
      • Subform edits don't appear in parent record timeline?

        Is it possible to have subform edits (like add row/delete row) appear in the Timeline for parent records? A user can edit a record, only edit the subform, and it doesn't appear in the timeline. Is there a workaround or way that we can show when a user
      • AI generated meeting notes associated to Account or Deal

        As our organization works to improve efficiency we are looking for a solution to leverage AI to generate meeting notes and then add those notes to a CRM record such as an Account or Deal. I see Zoho has a Notebook AI offering that talks about the ability
      • due date on cheue

        how to handle cheque in zoho books for customers and vendors including due date
      • Zoho CRM Portal Field Level Permission Issue

        Hi Support Team, I am using the Zoho CRM Portal and configuring field-level editing permissions. However, we are unable to restrict portal users from editing certain fields. We have created a portal and provided View and Edit (Shared Only) access for
      • WebDAV / FTP / SFTP protocols for syncing

        I believe the Zoho for Desktop app is built using a proprietary protocol. For the growing number of people using services such as odrive to sync multiple accounts from various providers (Google, Dropbox, Box, OneDrive, etc.) it would be really helpful if you implemented standard protocols such as WebDAV / FTP / SFTP so that alternative inc clients can be used.
      • 'Statement of Accounts does not exist' error received, when creating PO using api in Zoho Inventory

        Here is request json -- JSONString = { "date": "2019-09-24", "purchaseorder_number": "PO-6-1", "delivery_date": null, "delivery_org_address_id": 36221200000056XXX, "vendor_id": 362212000000564XXX, "attention": "Testing", "line_items": [{ "unit": "Pieces", "account_id": 36221200000003XXX, "quantity": 1, "item_id": 362212000000049XXX, "tax_type": "", "tax_name": "", "name": "One HD", "purchase_rate": 85, "tax_percentage": 0, "item_total": 85.00, "tax_id": "", "warehouse_id": 362212000000564XXX }] }
      • Zoho Projects API 100 requests/2 min. Limit

        Hi Requesting clarification on the API documentation. "You can invoke or call an API for 100 times in a span of two minutes. If you invoke more than 100 times, the particular API request will be locked for the next 30 minutes. " Does this limit apply
      • Unveiling Zoho Sites 2.0 - A new dimension in website building

        Dear Zoho Sites Users, We are thrilled to announce the launch of Zoho Sites 2.0 today! This refresh represents a significant step forward in the capabilities of Zoho Sites and is crucial for creating a lasting and positive impact on our customers' businesses.
      • Integrate your Outlook/ Office 365 inbox with Zoho CRM via Graph API

        Hello folks, In addition to the existing IMAP and POP options, you can now integrate your Outlook/Office 365 inbox with Zoho CRM via Graph API. Why did we add this option? Microsoft Graph API offers a single endpoint to access data from across Microsoft’s
      • Zoho Projects - Attachments added to Task and Bug emails are not saved

        Hi Projects team, I have been experimenting with emails into projects to create tasks and bugs. I have noticed that attachments added to the emails are not saved to the task or bug. Is this normal behaviour? Thanks, Ashley
      • Zoho Inventory's latest shipping integration updates at a glance.

        Hello Users, We would like to share some important news about our latest improvements in the Shipping integration capabilities of Zoho Inventory that we achieved in 2024 with some of our major integration partners in key editions across APAC, North America,
      • Sorting a list of record acquired from the zoho.crm.searchRecords function.

        This is something for which I'm trying to figure out a straightforward way to do. The searchRecords does a great job fetching me the records that I want. However, in some cases, where it returns multiple records, I want it to sort the returned list by date of creation of that record, so that when I do records.get(0), I get the most recent record.  As an example, here's my sample pseudo code: records = zoho.crm.searchRecords("Clients", "Office_Number:equals:123456"); Now the "records" list above contains
      • Zoho Inventory Custom Field Update

        Hello All, In this post I am describing how can we Update the Custom Field Value in Zoho Inventory. // Get Org ID orgid = organization.get("organization_id"); // Field Value resvp = ifnull(item.get("purchase_rate"),null); // Record ID iid = item.get("item_id");
      • Deprecation of the Zoho OAuth connector

        Hello everyone, At Zoho, we continuously evaluate our integrations to ensure they meet the highest standards of security, reliability, and compliance. As part of these ongoing efforts, we've made the decision to deprecate the Zoho OAuth default connector
      • Alphabetically

        How can i arrange alphabetically - (Manage Manufacturer) Field in Item Master 
      • Spotlight series #6: The Show app for Android TV has a new look!

        Hello everyone! We are delighted to introduce our revamped and redesigned Show app for Android TV.  Smart TVs are exploding in popularity. Android TV alone has over 110 million active monthly devices. Zoho Show, as part of a constant effort to improve
      • Can i set a default value for country and state in address field in zoho creator?

        Can i set a default value for country and state in address field in zoho creator?
      • Using gift vouchers

        We would like to be able to offer a limited number of gift vouchers, of varying values, to our customers, and are looking for the best way to do this. We have looked at Coupons and Gift Certificates, but neither seem to fit the bill perfectly. Coupons:
      • Convert HTML to PDF & Send as Email Attachments in Zoho Creator (Deluge)

        This approach is useful for sending welcome letters, instructions, or promotional offers after order creation. // 1. Define the variables using the submitted input customerName = input.Customer_Name1; orderID = input.ID; customerEmail = input.Email_Address; //
      • Redirect after submission is not working after a few submission

        I have setup redirect url correctly and everything works as expected. However, it seems that there's a limit to the number of submissions before the redirect stops working. After the "limit" is reached, the page redirects to a seemingly zoho hosted page,
      • Enhancement Request for Multi-Asset Work Order Feature

        Hello Latha, Thank you for your continued support. The multi-asset Work Order feature is extremely helpful. I did some testing based on our requirements, and during the process, I noticed a few areas where we need your team’s support to improve the feature
      • Marketing Tip #8: Run limited-time offers

        Exclusive offers that don't last long make shoppers purchase right away instead of waiting. Run a flash sale or limited-time discount to convert interest into sales. Try this today: Set up a "Buy X Get Y" coupon in Zoho Commerce valid for a limited time
      • Add Option to Mass Dispatch by User

        Hello! We are using the dispatch console to dispatch service appointments to our service ressources. Right now, the process is our dispatcher verifies each ressource's route for the day and dispatches it after validation. Sadly, there doesn't seem to
      • Free webinar: Zoho Sign unwrapped – 2025 in review

        Hey there! 2025 is coming to an end, and this year has been all about AI. Join our exclusive year-end webinar, where we'll walk you through the features that went live in 2025, provide answers to your questions, and give you a sneak peek on what to expect
      • Zoho Projects - Email notification relabelling of modules not present on default templates

        Hi Projects Team, I noticed that in the default email template notification, the word "bug" was not renamed to the lable I am using in my system. As many users may used the Bugs modules for various purposes including Changes, Revisions, Issues, etc...
      • Publish to LinkedIn via API

        Hi, Is it possible to publish a job opening to LinkedIn (paid job slots) if creating a job opening via api / deluge function? Or is the user required to manually publish via the job boards process? Many Thanks Adrian
      • Next Page