Zoho Developer Community Monthly Digest – March 2025

Zoho Developer Community Monthly Digest – March 2025



Hello everyone,

This month is packed with exciting product updates, learning sessions, and powerful community conversations that remind us: sometimes, the best solutions come from a single shared question. From quick workarounds to upcoming training events and product releases, there's something here for everyone.

Let's dive in!

Upcoming Events

Creator Tech Connect

Title: Product release updates in Zoho Creator
Date: April 9–10, 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 comprises 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 advanced UI/UX customizations in Zoho Creator. In the upcoming session, we will explore the recent product release updates in Zoho Creator.

ZDK CLI (Zoho Development Kit Command Line Interface)

Date: April 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

Title: Zoho Projects – Data Storage
Date: April 17
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.

Zoho Developer Hangout – Episode 21

Title: Zoho System Integration: Collect, Manage, and Utilize Data
Date: April 23
Time: 8:00 PM IST (GMT+5:30)

In this session, we’re featuring a ZDC Hackathon 2024 winner from the Zoho Creator Category who tackled one of the biggest business bottlenecks—hiring—and turned it into a fully streamlined, automated system. Wonderboy, Sourcing Coordinator & Junior Developer at WeThinkCode_, built this project using Zoho Creator, CRM, and Forms, simplifying the entire recruitment process—from collecting applications to sending updates via WhatsApp and email. It’s smart, practical, and something you could absolutely build on. Register here.

Catalyst 101

Title: Data & File Management and Querying
Date: April 29
Time: 10:00 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.

Learning Table Series

Title: Creator for the Property Management
Date: May 8, 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 of Creator's capabilities in various business use cases and applications. This year as well, 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 Asset Management was a success, and during the upcoming session, we'll be exploring Creator for the Property Management.

Zoholics USA 2025

Date: May 13–15
Location: GRB Convention Center in Houston

Join us for three days of inspiration, innovation, and invaluable connections. Whether you’re attending breakout tracks, scheduling 1-on-1 expert sessions, or mingling in networking lounges, we promise you’ll leave with actionable insights and a refreshed perspective on your business. More details here.

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.
Alert
Postman’s 2025 Developers’ Choice Awards at POSTCON ’25

If you’ve found our Zoho CRM Developers API collection on Postman helpful, we’d be honored to have your support! This collection is regularly updated with a focus on simplifying your development experience and helping you work with our APIs effortlessly. We’re excited to be a part of this contest and your vote could help us win. Your support not only motivates us but also drives us to improve and deliver more value to our developer community.

Please cast your vote here and share our profile. Voting lines are open until April 18, 2025. 
  • Zoho Creator
    Get access to the previous Zoho Creator Session recordings from Youtube & Zoho Creator Studio below:
  • Zoho Analytics
    Let's explore how the integration between Zoho Analytics and Zoho Desk can transform customer support, helping teams move from basic reporting to data-driven decision making in this blog.

  • Zoho Flow
    One of the biggest advantages of using Zoho Flow is that all your workflows are in one place, making it easy to make changes, switch them on or off, and monitor how every step is performing.     Now we're making it even easier for you to keep track of your flows and perform quick operations. Say hello to the Zoho Flow mobile app for iPhone!

  • Zoho Notebook
    AI is advancing rapidly and becoming a staple in our daily lives. From boosting our writing skills to enhancing productivity, AI tech is all around us. Because AI is so impactful and becoming the future of advanced technology, we thought, why not implement it in Zoho Notebook to make your writing experience a piece of cake? I    ntroducing Notebook AI, our powerful AI writing assistant in Zoho Notebook.

  • Zoho Directory – Always Verify #09
    As we march ahead into April 2025, you have on your screens yet another edition of Always Verify. We have searched the internet far and wide to bring you impactful Identity and Access Management stories- MFA mandates, ransomware attacks, crazy authentication workflows and of course, the Oracle Cloud breach.

Community Discussions

It’s a great reminder that in the right community, every challenge is just one conversation away from a breakthrough.

Zoho Developer Forum

  • @Nik ran into a snag trying to remove backslashes from a string in Deluge, so he came up with a quick workaround—bit of a hack, but hey, it did the trick. Then @Andres stepped in with a much cleaner fix that made things way easier. Want to know what the fix was? You’ll have to check out the post! Just goes to show, even a messy workaround can lead to a solid solution when you share it with the right crowd.
  • @Federico ran into a workflow hiccup while creating a related record in Zoho CRM—every time he hit “Save,” it would bounce him right back to the parent record. He wanted to stay on the newly created record instead. What followed was a thoughtful exchange around client scripts, potential workarounds, and platform limitations. While there's no one-click fix (yet), the conversation shed light on the why behind this behavior—and sparked ideas that might just lead to a future product tweak. Curious how others are handling it? The post’s worth a read.
  • When @Richard ran into a frustrating error in his Zoho Books Deluge script, the error message wasn’t giving him much to work with. He reached out to the community, and @Bhoomi, our MVP, stepped in to help, spotting a small but crucial syntax issue—something as simple as a missing semicolon. It’s a reminder of how sometimes the smallest detail can cause the biggest roadblock. Check out the post for the full solution!
  • @Taryn noticed something strange—values entered into a custom field on the Lead form in Zoho CRM weren’t saving, and the field just lit up yellow with no error message in sight. It was one of those head-scratcher moments until @Hugh Marshall stepped in with a simple but spot-on suggestion: check the field’s permissions. Sure enough, that was the culprit. Just another example of how a fresh pair of eyes in the community can help uncover what you might’ve missed.
  • When @ebizness set out to automatically create a new Contact every time a custom CRM module received a new record, things seemed straightforward—until the workflow threw an error. While @Ishwarya guided them through the workflow setup, it was @Max Tyack who shared a golden tip that turned the tide. The moment @ebizness tried it, everything clicked into place. Curious what that magic tip was? Head to the thread to see the clever trick that made the automation work seamlessly!
  • @Hayden’s post casually introduces the concept of the Levenshtein Distance algorithm—measuring how many edits it takes to turn one word into another—while showing how he built a working fuzzy matching system in Deluge. Using maps to mimic 2D arrays and a quirky recursive helper, he proved that with a bit of creativity, even compact scripting tools can be stretched to do pretty impressive things. A fun read that’s both educational, entertaining, and super cool!

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.
  • This thread explores a real-world use case that pushes readers to think beyond the UI. By sharing her situation, Trish uncovered a workaround others can benefit from. Conversations like these empower developers to dive deeper into Deluge, workflows, and modular automation—things the docs might not cover, but the community certainly does!
  • When the documentation doesn’t cover a unique use case, conversations with peers help fill the gaps. When @LaVerne set out to trigger a custom function from the Zoho Cliq check-in (without using Zoho People), @Mike helped highlight some platform boundaries, while @Pranit offered practical insights and opened up the idea of using Cliq Widgets as a potential custom solution.
  • @Mangesh faced a common developer pain point: missing custom fields in the Zoho Books API response. His precise question led to a straightforward and helpful answer from @Pranit, who offered a simple tip that now makes API calls more predictable. It’s proof that asking clear questions gets you closer to clean solutions—especially when the right folks are listening.

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

    Nederlandse Hulpbronnen


      • Recent Topics

      • E-Mail auto-complete for deleted contacts

        I am having contacts pop-up in auto-complete when I start to type a letter in the TO address line. These e-mail address have been deleted from my contacts. I also have deleted all e-mails from/to these e-mail address but still there address is showing

      • Zoho Payroll: Product Updates for India - May 2025

        This May, we are glad to unveil new capabilities in Zoho Payroll that simplify your payroll activities. Here's the list: Let Employees Choose Their Tax Deduction Method for One-Time Payments Calculate variable earnings based on percentage of CTC Carry

      • Add picklist in subform lookup

        Hello, I am trying to rewrite a script that works on a from as parent form, to the same form when is is a subform. Here is what I did in the form itself : RefCat = Offre_de_produits.distinct(Categorie_OFFRE); clear Categorie_LIGNE; for each Record in

      • How to validate Rich Text in Zoho Creator! Urgent!

        Hi members, Recently I just started to use Rich Text field. Now I have a requirement where I need to validate to ensure this Rich Text field must contain a value. Meaning must contain something. I use the below script if(input.Rich_Text == null) { alert

      • Public send to group address?

        Am I doing something completely wrong or is it not possible for the public to send to a group email address? For example support@domain.com? I'm able to send from support@domain, but am not receiving emails to that address? Thanks for any help!

      • [Webinar] Zoho Writer for the manufacturing industry

        Creating, sharing, and distributing complex documents are constant challenges in the manufacturing services industry. That's why our next webinar is focused on how to simplify these document workflows. Join us on May 8, 2025, for a Zoho Writer webinar

      • Page HTML to PDF

        Hello everyone, I have a pdf template, but because zoho has limitations in the builder. I made the template in aPages. The question is, how to export the pages as PDF? Thank you very much.

      • What to Add in the Redirect URIs for Zoho Books Integration with Make.com

        I'm currently setting up an integration between Zoho Books and Make to automate my accounting processes. However, I'm stuck on the Authorized Redirect URIs part and could use some help. As part of the OAuth authentication process, I need to configure

      • Allowing workflows to execute as an admin

        Workflows currently seem to execute with the permissions of the logged in user. This is a problem for most of the forms we have where we have hidden fields that perform business logic. If we restrict the permissions of these fields so users can't view

      • This user is not allowed to add in Zoho. Please contact support-as@zohocorp.com for further details

        Hello, Just signed up to ZOHO on a friend's recommendation. Got the TXT part (verified my domain), but whenever I try to add ANY user, I get the error: This user is not allowed to add in Zoho. Please contact support-as@zohocorp.com for further details I have emailed as well and writing here as well because when I searched, I saw many people faced the same issue and instead of email, they got a faster response here. My domain is: raisingreaderspk . com Hope this can be resolved.  Thank you

      • This domain is not allowed to add. Please contact support-as@zohocorp.com for further details

        I am trying to setup the free version of Zoho Mail. When I tried to add my domain, theselfreunion.com I got the error message that is the subject of this Topic. I've read your other community forum topics, and this is NOT a free domain. So what is the

      • Announcing Trident desktop app for Zoho Mail & Zoho Workplace users

        Hello Community, I hope you are doing well and staying safe. As you know, our Mail & workplace teams have been constantly working on adding more value to our offerings to ensure you and your organization continue enjoying your Zoho experience. As part

      • Email policy not working?

        Hi, I created an email policy called "default", under which I created a "default" entry for the access items (the third icon with the key). I've set everything to "ON" (POP, IMAP, ActiveSync, etc.). But then when I create a new user and check it in Mail Admin -> Mail Accounts, it's really under my "default" policy, BUT ActiveSync and IMAP are still disabled by default like they were before. My only goal with creating a custom email policy is to have these enabled automatically because it's annoying

      • In line code commenting in Deluge

        A request to enhance readability: currently you can add 'in line' comments for Deluge code, but after you save and reopen, the comments are moved down to the new line. i.e. info "test response"; //this is a info statement for a test response gets changed

      • Set up multiple IMAP email addresses

        Hi, I just started using CRM and its great, but I just found out I can only add one imap email address for incoming mail in the included salesinbox ...this is ridiculous. All companies have different email such as sales@domain, info@domain , personal@domain

      • Announcing new features in Trident for Windows (v.1.25.8.0)

        Hello Community, Trident for Windows is here with exciting new features to elevate your email communication and enhance productivity. Let’s dive into what’s new! Accessing delegated mailboxes. Mailboxes delegated from the Zoho Mail web app can now be

      • Images in Zoho chat

        When I add an image to my chat, it just doesn't work, for the other participants it shows a blank image, like it's missing.

      • Add Desk Account comments using Flow

        The triggers and actions for Zoho Desk available in Flow are quite extensive, but I don't see anything related to Account-level Comments. There are actions to add comments to Tickets, Contacts, Tasks, and Topics, but nothing for Accounts. Am I missing

      • Installing EMAIL Setup in New Domain

        Respected Support team, I'm facing an issue with cloudflare in Pakistan, I want to setup Zoho Mail Setup but I Don't know how to enable Zoho mail setup without cloudflare. My Website https://stumbleguymod.com/ is using CF, and I want a different Zoho

      • Free webinar alert! Empower Customer Experience in a Changing World with Zoho Desk and Zoho Workplace

        Hello Zoho Workplace Community! We’re back with another exciting webinar—and this time, it’s all about delivering exceptional customer experiences. Join us for "Empower Customer Experience in a Changing World with Zoho Desk and Zoho Workplace," where

      • Custom Function to Format Phone / Mobile numbers in Australian Standard format

        So I got sick of phone numbers being formatted incorrectly and Zoho not doing anything to standardise phone numbers to meet E.164 formats. So I went and coded my own function to fix this. And figured I'd share with the community This is specifically for

      • Download pricebook products & details - not just pricebook creation date & name

        We're looking to download a copy of a pricebook and its associated products & book prices (as we have several offices in different countries selling the same products), however, when using the export feature under Data administration it only gives me

      • Learning how to customize templates via code and best practices

        Hi! Our developers team want to learn how to edit our template files safely. The last time we messed with these files our site went down for a day and we had to reconfigure it from scratch. What are the best practices to do this? How can we get a template

      • Output product SKU in ecommerce

        Hi how do I display the product SKU on the page can I place the SKU variable on the layout to output the SKU value.

      • Automate Note Creation for Service Appointments

        Hi Latha, I hope you're doing great. Thank you for your continued support in helping resolve previous issues — it's truly appreciated. I'm currently working on automating another workflow using Deluge in the Service_Appointment module. Specifically, I

      • 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

      • [Live Webinar] New in Zoho WorkDrive: AI enhancements, Data Loss Prevention, Version Controls, and more

        Hello everyone, We're excited to bring you another round of powerful updates in Zoho WorkDrive! Join us on May 15 for an exclusive live webinar where we’ll unveil the latest features designed to enhance your team’s productivity, collaboration, and data

      • Support for Digital Goods/Products and password protection

        Hi! Some companies sell product licenses or digital products directly, these licenses are unique for each sale that later allow you to download a ZIP file with a passwod-key that can uses the same license code (for example, a market report) or, failing that, is used in the product such as an authentication in the software or a request. It would also be interesting those who sell in subscription mode and can be integrated with Zoho Subscription. Thank you

      • Share forms with your team to collaborate better

        Collaborating and communicating as a team gets things done faster and increases productivity. That's why we're excited to announce our form collaboration feature, where you can share your forms privately with select users and co-edit them together.  What's

      • Ticket layout based on field or contact

        Hi! I want to support the following use-case: we are delivering custom IT solutions to different accounts we have, thus our ticket layouts, fields and languages (priority, status field values should be Hungarian) will be different. How should I setup

      • Integrate QuickBooks with Bigin and streamline your sales and accounting!

        If your business relies on Bigin for customer management and QuickBooks for accounting and invoicing, this new integration is here to make your operations more efficient. By connecting these two platforms, you can now manage your CRM and financial processes

      • Add Lookup Field in Tasks Module

        Hello, I have a need to add a Lookup field in addition to the ones that are already there in the Tasks module. I've seen this thread and so understand that the reason lookup fields may not be part of it is that there are already links to the tables (https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/community/topic/custom-fields-on-task-module).

      • What's New in Zoho Inventory | January - March 2025

        Hello users, We are back with exciting new enhancements in Zoho Inventory to make managing your inventory smoother than ever! Check out the latest features for the first quarter of 2025. Watch out for this space for even more updates. Email Insights for

      • Streamlining customer inquiries with Email-In approvals

        Greetings! Email-In has transformed the way Bigin users manage customer inquiries by seamlessly converting emails into pipeline records. By creating email aliases for your Bigin pipelines, any email sent to these aliases is automatically turned into a

      • Zoho People API - all active employees' emails

        Hello, how can i get all active employees' emails in Zoho People using api?

      • 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

      • Notice: Revise OpenAI model permissions to continue Using Zia Writing Assistant

        Dear Users, We’re upgrading the Zia Writing Assistant to use the GPT-4o-mini model for improved performance and accuracy. To continue using the Writing Assistant, please revise your OpenAI model settings by May 27, 2025. After this date, older models

      • Bulk upload image option in Zoho Commerce

        I dont know if I am not looking into it properly but is there no option to bulk upload images along with the products? Like after you upload the products, I will have to upload images one by one again? Can someone help me out here? And what should I enter in Category URL in the excel sheet that I use for upload? I entered my sub-category directly and it is still undefined. Can someone help me here please? I need to get my store live asap.

      • Managing manual users

        Why are there two seemingly-identical lines in the manual user management? How can someone in the space be both Disabled and Admin? What is the difference between the two groups?

      • Sum Total of various fields in child module and add value to parent module field

        Hi! Having trouble with a custom function, im trying to calculate the total of all the rent and sqm fields of our offices in Products module and have them transfer to the parent module Location. The API names are as below: Child module Products = "Products"

      • Next Page