Building extensions #3: Fundamental features of a Zoho Books extension

Building extensions #3: Fundamental features of a Zoho Books extension

In our earlier posts, we covered how to create, test, and publish an extension for Zoho Finance suite applications. Moving forward, we'll look specifically at instances relating to one of the products from the Zoho Finance suite: Zoho Books.
In this post, we'll explore the key features listed below that are available in the Zoho Books extension developer portal.
  1. Automation and customization
  2. Seamless integration
  3. Widgets
  4. Event-based data transfer and notifications
  5. Extension configuration

Automation and customization

These are defined sets of rules that automatically execute operations and customize standards for tailoring modules and fields.

Achieving it in Zoho Books

The Zoho Books extension developer portal provides a variety of automation features, including workflows (rules, actions, and triggers), custom actions, and schedules. There are also customization features, like creating custom modules and fields, adding buttons, and including related lists for both standard and custom modules.

Example use case

Automate emails to customers in various organizations based on their accounts receivable (A/R), so that different emails are sent indicating different actions that will be taken against them based on the total value of credit payments they owe.

By using an extension, you can easily add a new custom field for accounts receivable and specify workflow rules to send an email based on the value.


Widgets

A widget is a user interface that displays data to the end-user in order to facilitate their understanding or collects input data from them in order to perform additional operations.

Achieving it in Zoho Books

The developer portal's widget feature helps create a user interface or run a client-side script. You can easily design and develop user interfaces with any web development framework; these widgets could gather user input, if required, and, based on those inputs, perform logical operations.

Example use case

Issue a mortgage lien release (certificate of release) to a borrower who has paid off their mortgage completely. This certificate indicates that the lien on the borrower's property has been released and they have regained title ownership. In this situation, a customized widget can be developed to collect personalized inputs, such as the issuing bank's (lender's) information and a customized message to be sent to the borrower, before sending the certificate out.


Seamless integration

A seamless integration or tightly coupled integration to establishes a connection between applications for data transfer and synchronization.

Achieving it in Zoho Books

The Connections feature in the Zoho Books extension developer portal can be used to achieve seamless integrations.

You can establish connections between Zoho Books and other apps by:
➤ Using the default, ready-to-use connections offered in the Zoho Books extension developer portal
➤ Creating customized connections for the applications you want to integrate with Zoho Books
Example use case

You can sync data between Zoho Books and Shopify, running your business more efficiently by completing activities from a single app and reducing manual data entry.

This data sync can be achieved by establishing a connection between these apps using the Connections feature. This enables seamless collaboration between sales and finance operations; sales contacts can be added as Zoho Books customers, and invoices issued in Zoho Books can be instantly logged and synced in Shopify.


Event-based data transfer and notifications

These are real-time notifications or actions that are triggered and executed in response to the occurrence of a real-time event.

Achieving it in Zoho Books

Webhooks and signals on the developer portal facilitate real-time data updates and notifications in Zoho Books.
The webhooks feature enhances the connection between two applications. It allows you to capture the occurrence of an event and collect and post the real-time data as an update to another application.

The Zoho Books extension developer portal provides support for both incoming and outgoing webhooks, allowing real-time data updates to Zoho Books from another application and vice versa.

The signals feature allows you to receive real-time notifications.

Example use case

A finance meeting is planned and organized using an event management app, and future potential clients are gathered from the meeting. If the follow-up is successful and a client would like an event organized, it's scheduled for them.

In this case, webhooks capture the occurrence of the event being created, collect the event-related data, update it in Zoho Books, and generate an invoice for the event. Signals can be used to display real-time notifications when new customers are added to Zoho Books.

Learn more about webhooks and signals.

Extension configuration

Manage extension configuration by allowing users to provide their preferences or user-specific data and perform actions when extensions are installed or uninstalled.

Achieving it in Zoho Books

Global fields and installation actions help achieve extension setup and execute installation-related scripts.
  • You can either create global fields to collect input from users or design widgets (with global fields, if necessary), allowing users to provide inputs and choices to configure and use the extension.
  • Perform custom actions during the extension's installation and uninstallation.
Example use case

You can sync and manage Zoho Books projects with Trello, a project management platform, to create customized task views and visually manage tasks.

This is easy to accomplish with global fields and installation actions. Since Trello requires an API key to establish a safe connection with another app, we can add a global field for it in Zoho Books. After installing the extension, users can provide their user-specific API key to establish a secure connection between the apps. Then, an install action script can be created to transfer records.


In this post, we've covered an overview of the features available while developing a Zoho Books extension and how they might be useful. We'll explore each of these features in detail in upcoming posts. We hope you found this information helpful. Keep following us for more posts!


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