Bulk user onboarding for Cliq Channels in a jiffy

Bulk user onboarding for Cliq Channels in a jiffy

As developers, we frequently switch between coding, debugging, and optimizing tasks. The last thing we want is to be burdened by manual user management. Adding users one by one to a channel is tedious and prone to errors, taking up more time than we could devote to actual development. 



Let's explore how to create a custom workflow using Cliq's platform components to streamline the process of bulk-adding users to a channel via a Zoho Sheet or CSV file. This approach facilitates a smooth onboarding experience without the need for manual effort.

Pre-requisite :

Before beginning to script the code below, we must create a connection with Zoho Cliq. Once a connection is created and connected, you can use it in Deluge integration tasks and invoke URL scripts to access data from the required service.

Create a Zoho Oauth default connection with any unique name and the scopes -  ZohoCliq.Channels.All and ZohoSheet.dataApi.ALL

Refer to the below links to learn more :

Step 1  : Creation of slash command

  • After a successful login in Cliq, hover to the top right corner and click your profile. Post clicking, navigate to Bots & Tools > Commands.
  • At your right, click the button - Create Command.
  • To know more about slash commands and their purposes, refer to Introduction to slash commands.
  • Create a slash command using your preferred name. Specify the following details: the command name, a hint (to give users an idea of what the command is for), and the access level.
  • Finally, click "Save & edit code".

  1. inputs = List();
  2. inputs.add({"name":"channels","label":"Pick a channel","placeholder":"Choose a channel where you need to add members","max_selections":"1","multiple":false,"mandatory":true,"type":"native_select","data_source":"channels"});
  3. inputs.add({"name":"headername","label":"Header name","placeholder":"Email ID","hint":"In which the Email ID is present","min_length":"0","max_length":"25","mandatory":true,"type":"text"});
  4. inputs.add({"type":"radio","label":"Import type","name":"import_Type","hint":"Choose a type that you need to import users","options":[{"label":"CSV","value":"csv"},{"label":"Zoho sheet","value":"zohosheet"}],"trigger_on_change":"true"});
  5. return {"name":"addbulkuser","type":"form","title":"Add bulk users","hint":"To add maximum of upto 1000 users in a channel.","button_label":"Add Users","inputs":inputs,"action":{"type":"invoke.function","name":"addbulkusers"};

Step 2  : Scripting form function

  • We need to create a function for the form that manages submission responses, including the Zoho Sheet link or CSV file, the name of the column containing the email addresses, and the channel details where users should be added in bulk.
  • Hover to the top right corner and click your profile. After clicking, navigate to Bots & Tools > Functions.
  • To your right, click the Create Function button.
  • Name the function "addbulkusers," provide a description as desired, and select "form" as the function type. Then, click "Save and edit code," and paste the following code.
  1. emailIdList = list();
  2. successlist = list();
  3. failedlist = list();
  4. try 
  5. {
  6. info form;
  7. formValues = form.get("values");
  8. columnName = formValues.get("headername");
  9. headerName = formValues.get("headername");
  10. if(formValues.get("import_Type").get("value") == "zohosheet")
  11. {
  12. url = formValues.get("url");
  13. spreadSheetId = url.getPrefix("?").getSuffix("open/");
  14. sheetName = url.getSuffix("?").getPrefix("&").getSuffix("=");
  15. worksheetname = sheetName.replaceAll(" ","%20");
  16. columnName = columnName.replaceAll(" ","%20");
  17. allDatas = list();
  18. params = Map();
  19. params.put("column_names",columnName);
  20. params.put("method","worksheet.records.fetch");
  21. params.put("worksheet_id",sheetName + "#");
  22. sheetDetails = invokeurl
  23. [
  24. url :"https://sheet.zoho"+environment.get("tld")+"/api/v2/" + spreadSheetId
  25. type :GET
  26. parameters:params
  27. connection:"addbulkusers"
  28. ];
  29. info sheetDetails;
  30. if(sheetDetails.get("status") == "success" && sheetDetails.get("records").size() <= 1000)
  31. {
  32. allDatas.addAll(sheetDetails.get("records"));
  33. }
  34. else if(sheetDetails.get("status") == "success" && sheetDetails.get("records").size() > 1000)
  35. {
  36. return {"type":"form_error","text":"I can only able to add 1000 user. Kindly try passing with 1000 records in the sheet!!!"};
  37. }
  38. else
  39. {
  40. return {"type":"form_error","text":"I can't find any email ids. Kindly re-check the column name and header row!!!"};
  41. }
  42. info "allData: " + allDatas.size();
  43. if(allDatas.size() > 1000)
  44. {
  45. return {"type":"form_error","text":"I can only able to add 1000 user. Kindly try passing with 1000 records in the sheet!!!"};
  46. }
  47. for each  data in allDatas
  48. {
  49. if(data.get(formValues.get("headername")) == null)
  50. {
  51. return {"type":"form_error","text":"I can't find any email ids. Kindly re-check the column name and header row!!!"};
  52. }
  53. emailIdList.add(data.get(formValues.get("headername")));
  54. if(emailIdList.size() == 100)
  55. {
  56. channelID = formValues.get("channels").get("id");
  57. params = {"email_ids":emailIdList};
  58. info "Params: " + params;
  59. addUsers = invokeurl
  60. [
  61. url :environment.get("base_url") + "/api/v2/channels/" + channelID + "/members"
  62. type :POST
  63. parameters:params.toString()
  64. detailed:true
  65. connection:"addbulkusers"
  66. ];
  67. info "Adduser: " + addUsers;
  68. if(addUsers.get("responseCode") == "204")
  69. {
  70. successlist.addAll(emailIdList);
  71. }
  72. else
  73. {
  74. failedlist.addAll(emailIdList);
  75. }
  76. info "100: " + emailIdList.size();
  77. emailIdList = list();
  78. }
  79. }
  80. if(emailIdList.size() > 0)
  81. {
  82. channelID = formValues.get("channels").get("id");
  83. params = {"email_ids":emailIdList};
  84. info "Params: " + params;
  85. addUsers = invokeurl
  86. [
  87. url :environment.get("base_url") + "/api/v2/channels/" + channelID + "/members"
  88. type :POST
  89. parameters:params.toString()
  90. detailed:true
  91. connection:"addbulkusers"
  92. ];
  93. info "Adduser: " + addUsers;
  94. if(addUsers.get("responseCode") == "204")
  95. {
  96. successlist.addAll(emailIdList);
  97. }
  98. else
  99. {
  100. failedlist.addAll(emailIdList);
  101. }
  102. info "Email id: " + emailIdList;
  103. }
  104. info "Successlist: " + successlist;
  105. info "Failedlist: " + failedlist;
  106. if(successlist.size() > 0 && failedlist.size() > 0)
  107. {
  108. postMessage = {"text":"Successfully added " + successlist.size() + " member(s) and failed for " + failedlist.size() + " Member(s)"};
  109. }
  110. else if(successlist.size() > 0 && !failedlist.size() > 0)
  111. {
  112. postMessage = {"text":"Successfully added " + successlist.size() + " member(s)"};
  113. }
  114. else if(!successlist.size() > 0 && failedlist.size() > 0)
  115. {
  116. postMessage = {"text":"Adding members in channel failed for " + failedlist.size() + " member(s)"};
  117. }
  118. info zoho.cliq.postToChat(chat.get("id"),postMessage);
  119. }
  120. else
  121. {
  122. csvFile = formValues.get("csvFile");
  123. csvFile = csvFile.getfilecontent();
  124. allDatas = csvFile.toList("\n");
  125. i = 0;
  126. indexValue = 0;
  127. indexBoolean = false;
  128. for each  data in allDatas
  129. {
  130. if(i == 0)
  131. {
  132. headers = data.toList(",");
  133. for each  header in headers
  134. {
  135. info header;
  136. if(headerName == header)
  137. {
  138. indexBoolean = true;
  139. indexValue = headers.indexOf(headerName);
  140. }
  141. }
  142. if(indexBoolean == false)
  143. {
  144. return {"type":"form_error","text":"I can't find any email ids. Kindly re-check the column name and header row!!!"};
  145. }
  146. }
  147. else 
  148.             {
  149. emailIdList.add(data.get(indexValue));
  150.             }
  151. i = i + 1;
  152. if(emailIdList.size() == 100)
  153. {
  154. channelID = formValues.get("channels").get("id");
  155. params = {"email_ids":emailIdList};
  156. info "Params: " + params;
  157. addUsers = invokeurl
  158. [
  159. url :environment.get("base_url") + "/api/v2/channels/" + channelID + "/members"
  160. type :POST
  161. parameters:params.toString()
  162. detailed:true
  163. connection:"addbulkusers"
  164. ];
  165. info "Adduser: " + addUsers;
  166. if(addUsers.get("responseCode") == "204")
  167. {
  168. successlist.addAll(emailIdList);
  169. }
  170. else
  171. {
  172. failedlist.addAll(emailIdList);
  173. }
  174. info "100: " + emailIdList.size();
  175. emailIdList = list();
  176. }
  177. }
  178. if(emailIdList.size() > 0)
  179. {
  180. channelID = formValues.get("channels").get("id");
  181. params = {"email_ids":emailIdList};
  182. info "Params: " + params;
  183. addUsers = invokeurl
  184. [
  185. url :environment.get("base_url") + "/api/v2/channels/" + channelID + "/members"
  186. type :POST
  187. parameters:params.toString()
  188. detailed:true
  189. connection:"addbulkusers"
  190. ];
  191. info "Adduser: " + addUsers;
  192. if(addUsers.get("responseCode") == "204")
  193. {
  194. successlist.addAll(emailIdList);
  195. }
  196. else
  197. {
  198. failedlist.addAll(emailIdList);
  199. }
  200. }
  201. info "Successlist: " + successlist;
  202. info "Failedlist: " + failedlist;
  203. if(successlist.size() > 0 && failedlist.size() > 0)
  204. {
  205. postMessage = {"text":"Successfully added " + successlist.size() + " member(s) and failed for " + failedlist.size() + " Member(s)"};
  206. }
  207. else if(successlist.size() > 0 && !failedlist.size() > 0)
  208. {
  209. postMessage = {"text":"Successfully added " + successlist.size() + " member(s)"};
  210. }
  211. else if(!successlist.size() > 0 && failedlist.size() > 0)
  212. {
  213. postMessage = {"text":"Adding members in channel failed for " + failedlist.size() + " member(s)"};
  214. }
  215. info zoho.cliq.postToChat(chat.get("id"),postMessage);
  216. }
  217. }
  218. catch (e)
  219. {
  220. info e;
  221. return {"type":"form_error","text":"I can't find any email ids. Kindly re-check the column name and header row!!!"};
  222. }
  223. return Map();

Step 3  : Configuring form change handler

  • After copying and pasting the code into the form submission handler, navigate to the form change handler for the created form function.
  • You can find this in the top left corner of the editor, where you will see an arrow next to the form submission handler. Clicking on this arrow will display the form change handler in a dropdown menu.
  • Click it to edit the code in the form change handler, which is necessary for real-time modifications to a form's structure or behaviour based on user input in a specific field. 
  1. targetName = target.get("name");
  2. info targetName;
  3. inputValues = form.get("values");
  4. info inputValues;
  5. actions = list();
  6. if(targetName.containsIgnoreCase("import_Type"))
  7. {
  8. fieldValue = inputValues.get("import_Type").get("value");
  9. info fieldValue;
  10. if(fieldValue == "csv")
  11. {
  12. actions.add({"type":"add_after","name":"import_Type","input":{"label":"CSV File","name":"csvFile","placeholder":"Please upload a zCSV File","mandatory":true,"type":"file"}});
  13. actions.add({"type":"remove","name":"url"});
  14. }
  15. else if(fieldValue == "zohosheet")
  16. {
  17. actions.add({"type":"add_after","name":"import_Type","input":{"name":"url","label":"Enter the sheet url","placeholder":"https://sheet.zoho.com/sheet/open/6xhgb324f142e91d845e5b4b472f7422379c9","min_length":"0","max_length":"400","mandatory":true,"type":"text","format":"url"}});
  18. actions.add({"type":"remove","name":"csvFile"});
  19. }
  20. }
  21. return {"type":"form_modification","actions":actions};

Business use cases:

  • HR onboarding: Seamlessly add new employees to internal communication channels.
  • Event management: Quickly invite attendees to event-specific channels.
  • Education platforms: Enroll students in course groups in one go.
  • Community building: Grow large communities by importing member lists effortlessly.

Bottom line

Bulk user addition in Cliq channels through Zoho Sheet or CSV files allows us to eliminate tedious tasks, reduce errors, and manage large-scale data effortlessly. Is onboarding consuming too much of your valuable development time? If so, it might be time to shake things up with a customized workflow!

We're here to help, so don't hesitate to reach out to support@zohocliq.com with any questions or if you need assistance in crafting even more tailored workflows.

    • Sticky Posts

    • Customer payment alerts in Zoho Cliq

      For businesses that depend on cash flow, payment updates are essential for operational decision-making and go beyond simple accounting entries. The sales team needs to be notified when invoices are cleared so that upcoming orders can be released. In contrast,
    • Automating Employee Birthday Notifications in Zoho Cliq

      Have you ever missed a birthday and felt like the office Grinch? Fear not, the Cliq Developer Platform has got your back! With Zoho Cliq's Schedulers, you can be the office party-cipant who never forgets a single cake, balloon, or awkward rendition of
    • Accelerate Github code reviews with Zoho Cliq Platform's link handlers

      Code reviews are critical, and they can get buried in conversations or lost when using multiple tools. With the Cliq Platform's link handlers, let's transform shared Github pull request links into interactive, real-time code reviews on channels. Share
    • App Spotlight : PagerDuty for Zoho Cliq

      App Spotlight brings you hand-picked apps to enhance the power of your Zoho apps and tools. Visit the Zoho Marketplace to explore all of our apps, integrations, and extensions. In today's fast-paced world, seizing every moment is essential for operational
    • Automate your status with Cliq Schedulers

      Imagine enjoying your favorite homemade meal during a peaceful lunch break, when suddenly there's a PING! A notification pops up and ruins your moment of zen. Even worse, you might be in a vital product development sprint, only to be derailed by a "quick

    Nederlandse Hulpbronnen


      • Recent Topics

      • Employee self-service portal: Onboarding and continuous learning platform for support reps

        Hello everyone, In any organization, employees must go through multiple courses to learn about the product, their organization's standards, and how to respond to customer queries using the knowledge base articles available. This typically requires completing
      • Zoho CRM for Everyone's NextGen UI Gets an Upgrade

        Hello Everyone We've made improvements to Zoho CRM for Everyone's Nextgen UI. These changes are the result of valuable feedback from you where we’ve focused on improving usability, providing wider screen space, and making navigation smoother so everything
      • 2024 Email Authentication Standards: Elevating Security with Google and Yahoo

        In contemporary email communication, email authentication plays a pivotal role in mitigating email fraud, spam, and phishing attacks. Brace yourself for a new level of security. Starting February 2024, Gmail and Yahoo will be implementing robust email
      • Contact custom field in layout

        Good day, all, I have an "Extension" custom field in contacts, and would like to display the contact extension in the ticket layout, but I don't seem to be able to. What am I missing? Thanks Rudy
      • Is there a way to automatically add Secondary Contacts (CCs) when creating a new ticket for specific customers?

        Some of our customers want multiple contacts to receive all notifications from our support team. Is there a way to automatically add secondary contacts to a ticket when our support team opens a new ticket and associates it with an account? This would
      • Exact match in name when searching workdrive

        Hello, I am wondering how to search workdrive files/folders with an exact match in the name. For example, when I search across folder with the url param search[name]=someName, I get multiple results such as "someName", "someNameAndMore", or "someName
      • Meeting impossible to use when sharing screen

        he Meeting tool in Brazil is practically unusable when sharing anything, whether it’s a presentation or simple navigation. When accessed via Cliq, the situation gets even worse: even basic calls fail to work properly, constantly freezing. And as you are
      • Add System Pre-Defined Lookup Field to Subform?

        Hi there! New to using Zoho, so this may already exist, but I'm having trouble figuring it out. Is there a way to get the system pre-defined Account Lookup field (in our case, renamed to Company Name), as the starting point for a subform? In our company,
      • Changing the Default Search Criteria for Finding Duplicates

        Hey everyone, is it possible to adjust the default search criteria for finding and merging duplicate records? Right now, CRM uses some (in my opinion nonsensical) fields as search criteria for duplicate records which do nothing except dilute the results.
      • Text widgets in dashboards

        Having a text widget in a dashboard would help immensely. It would allow adding links to related documents, relevant CRM views, etc. It would allow adding explanations of the data displayed in the other widgets, about how to interpret them or about filtering.
      • Is there a way to create a desktop shortcut for a website course portal?

        Hello everyone, I recently got a laptop and bought an online course from a website, Skillwint.com, which I visit regularly. I open that site many times a day and want to create a desktop shortcut so I can open it directly instead of searching in the browser
      • Condition based aggregate fields in subforms

        Hello everyone, We're excited to inform you about the latest enhancements made to our aggregate field capabilities in subforms; create aggregate fields based on conditions! An aggregate field is a column on which a mathematical function has been applied.
      • SalesIQ Tip for Admins: Your Safety Net for Data Recovery

        Ever clicked 'Delete' in your SalesIQ and then realized it was the wrong item? Maybe it was a prospect's chat that held important context you needed to refer to later on. Or, maybe you deleted an elaborate Zobot that you were still testing or planning
      • Depreciated mergeAndStore Function Help!

        Hello, I have a function designed to create a PDF containing information from the fields in a Deals record. There is a Writer Mail Merge template in WorkDrive that is populated via Deluge code, and a copy of the resulting PDF is then attached to the record.
      • Can I execute two 'functions' when completing a mail merge from CRM?

        Hi, I have set up a mail merge from CRM Deals to a template. I want a copy of this to be saved in Workdrive, and then a copy also saved back into the deal record from which the merge occurred. I can do both independent of each other, and managed to get
      • External Share > Edit: Cannot Create Zoho Files

        Hi Zoho, When we create an external share link with Edit permission, our external users are unable to create a Zoho file (Zoho Writer, Zoho Sheet and Zoho Show). They can only upload files. They can edit the Zoho files if we create them internally and
      • Using IMAP configuration for shared email inboxes

        Our customer service team utilizes shared email boxes to allow multiple people to view and handle incoming customer requests. For example, the customer sends an email to info@xxxx.com and multiple people can view it and handle the request. How can I configure
      • the custom domain forwards by default to the old career site / how to switch it off??

        dear friends, how to switch off the old version of the career site?? The set up custom domain forwards directly to the old site, so that I cant publish it... Any ideas? Thank you! KR, Victoria
      • Zoho learn Custom portal - networkurl & CustomPortalId

        I want to get my individual account’s networkurl and customportalId to use in this API: https://learn.zoho.com/learn/api/v1/portal/<networkurl>/customportal/<customportalId>/manual How can I retrieve the networkurl and customportalId using the API? I
      • Zoho Mail iOS app update - RTL languages support and access emails using permalink and universal link, image upload resolution

        Hello everyone! In the most recent version of the Zoho Mail iOS app update, we have brought in support for RTL languages(Arabic and Urudu), providing a seamless reading experience with proper text alignment and layout throughout the app. We have also
      • Presenting ABM for Zoho CRM: Expand and retain your customers with precision

        Picture this scenario: You're a growing SaaS company ready to launch a powerful business suite, and are looking to gain traction and momentum. But as a business with a tight budget, you know acquiring new customers is slow, expensive, and often delivers
      • Why are emails sending with @viazohocrm.com ?

        I just sent out mass emails from CRM. They are sending from the email below and people cannot reply, and they are getting this message: Address not found Your message wasn't delivered to sales.XXXXXXXX.com.au@viazohocrm.com because the address couldn't
      • Duplicating and referencing datasets

        I am moving from PowerBI to Zoho Analytics and while I find Zoho easier to use in many ways, there is one function that I use in PowerBI that I have not been able to find in Zoho.   I have several data sets that I need to modify in different ways to get
      • From Zoho CRM to Paper : Design & Print Data Directly using Canvas Print View

        Hello Everyone, We are excited to announce a new addition to your Canvas in Zoho CRM - Print View. Canvas print view helps you transform your custom CRM layouts into print-ready documents, so you can bring your digital data to the physical world with
      • Zoho Inventory Now Supports VeriFactu for Businesses in Spain

        Starting from January 1, 2026, Spain requires real-time invoice reporting for all B2B transactions. From July 2026, this requirement will extend to B2C transactions as well. All reporting must be carried out through the VeriFactu to AEAT (Agencia Estatal
      • Conditional Email Forwarding

        How can I set conditional email forwarding of the users? For example: Mail should be forwarded to a address only if it comes from a particular sender. So, I want such email forwarding, which forwards mails based on particular conditions, like the incoming
      • Why am I seeing deleted records in Zoho Analytics syncing with Zoho CRM?

        I have done a data sync between Zoho CRM and Zoho Analytics, and the recycle bin is empty. Why do I see deleted leads/deals/contacts in Zoho Analytics if it doesn't exist in Zoho CRM? How can I solve this problem? Thanks
      • Enhancements to Zoho Map integration tasks

        Hello everyone, We're excited to announce enhancements to the Zoho Map integration tasks in Deluge, which will boost its performance. This post will walk you through the upcoming changes, explain why we're making them, and detail the steps you need to
      • Let’s Talk Recruit: Meet Zia, your all-in-one AI assistant (Part-3)

        Welcome back to the Let’s Talk Recruit series. In the part 2 post, we explored how Zia has evolved with smarter summaries and seamless AI-assisted content creation. This time, we’re diving into the latest upgrades that take productivity even further —
      • Announcing Early Access to "Zoho CRM for Everyone" — A new and exciting update to Zoho CRM

        Update : Zoho CRM For Everyone's Nextgen Interface gets an upgrade! Hello everyone, We’ve updated the Zoho CRM for Everyone Nextgen interface based on your feedback. The UI is now simpler with a unified sidebar, a more visible global search and features
      • Unable to verify domain for Zoho People

        I have added TXT records in my DNS (GoDaddy) [screenshot attached], but unable to verify even after 12 hours after adding. On checking the console, it shows some errors [screenshot attached]. It appears that the verification flow is broken - please provide
      • Zoho Invoice Now Supports VeriFactu for Businesses in Spain

        Starting from January 1, 2026, Spain requires real-time invoice reporting for all B2B transactions. From July 2026, this requirement will extend to B2C transactions as well. All reporting must be carried out through the VeriFactu to AEAT (Agencia Estatal
      • Zoho Billing Now Supports VeriFactu for Businesses in Spain

        Starting from January 1, 2026, Spain requires real-time invoice reporting for all B2B transactions. From July 2026, this requirement will extend to B2C transactions as well. All reporting must be carried out through the VeriFactu to AEAT (Agencia Estatal
      • Weekly Tips : Make your email content error free with Spell check in Zoho Mail

        As someone who writes multiple emails a day, we are bound to make both grammatical and spelling errors. Most of them we may not even notice, and even if we do, we may not have the time to correct each one individually when we are in a hurry. So how do
      • Introducing Enhanced Storage Management

        We’re excited to roll out two new enhancements in Zoho Recruit, Subscription Information and Storage Management — designed to give admins complete visibility into subscription details, feature limits, and storage consumption — all from one place inside
      • How to add Product Add-Ons, Mandatory Forms, and Auto-Save Address in Zoho Commerce

        Hi all, I need help setting up several behaviors in Zoho Commerce. I can’t find the correct configuration options, so I want to confirm whether these are supported or if there is a workaround. 1. Product-Specific Add-Ons (Example: GWB Subscription) When
      • how to download all my files

        We are in the middle of zoho docs to zoho workdrive migration. I can not access my zoho docs page. I get redirected immediately to a zoho workdrive page. I would like to download all my files so that I have a backup in case something goes wrong with the
      • Convert Zoho Books SalesOrder - Invoice

        Converting a Zoho Books Sales Order into an Invoice Using the SalesOrder Convert API Hello Zoho Developers, Today, we are sharing a simple and effective solution to convert a Zoho Books Sales Order into a Zoho Books Invoice using the SalesOrder Convert
      • Zoho Expense - Report Templates

        Hi Expense Team, I do a recurring trip once every week which has the same cost: Per diem Milage Toll Payment It would be great if there was a feature which allowed me to clone a previously submitted report or create a template reports. This would save
      • How to add tabular data when execute Add Record API

        Hi everyone! I was send api updateRecord follow by this request url : https://people.zoho.com/people/api/forms/json/<formLinkName>/updateRecord with parameters "inputData", "tabularData", "recordId". Ex picture below And response success: But. When I
      • Next Page