Hello Everyone,
Introducing a custom function that automates the process of adding new portal users to Help Center user groups, making user management effortless!
By default, Zoho Desk allows you to assign new portal users to groups manually. But with this custom function, the process is completely automated, ensuring seamless categorization.

Why User Groups?
Zylker Techfix was dedicated to helping customers through their Help Center. While they actively supported users, there was one challenge: everyone received the announcements, irrespective of their requirements.
Zylker Techfix wanted a smarter way to engage their users by sending targeted announcements based on individual interests, such as gadgets, office equipment, and operations.
To make this happen, they created user groups and assigned new users accordingly. But manually adding users to the right groups was time-consuming.
So, they automated the process! With a custom function, they streamlined operations, ensuring every new portal user was automatically assigned to the right Help Center user group. More relevance, better engagement, zero manual effort.
Let’s walk through the steps to incorporate this custom function into your workflow.
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 zohodesk.
1.5 Disable the toggle for User Credentials of Login User.
1.6 Under Scope, choose the below scope values:
Desk.contacts.READ
Desk.contacts.UPDATE
1.7 Click Create and Connect.
1.8 Click Connect and click Accept.
Connection is created successfully.
Create a Workflow Rule
1. Go to Setup, choose Workflows under Automation.
2. Under Workflows, click Create Rule.
In the Basic Information section,
3. Select Contacts 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 Field Update. Select field isPortalUser.
8. Click Next.
9. In the Criteria section, add isPortalUser is and select the checkbox. click Next.
10. In the Actions section, click the + icon and select New next to Custom Functions.
11. Enter a Name and Description for the custom function. Choose Contacts under Module.
12. Under Argument Mapping, give a desired Method Name. Map the arguments as below:
12.1 In the Argument Name field, type contactId and select Contact ID under the Contacts Section.
13. In the script window, insert the Custom Function given below:
- // ---------------User inputs------------------------------------------
- deskUrl = "https://desk.zoho.com/api/v1/"; // replace based on user dc
- groupId = "<<GROUP ID>>"; // replace the group id in your desk portal
- //---------------------------------
- logs = Map();
- try
- {
- getContactStatus = invokeurl
- [
- url :deskUrl + "contacts/" + contactId + "/helpCenters"
- type :GET
- connection:"zohodesk"
- ];
- contactUserId = getContactStatus.get("data").get(0).get("userId");
- if(contactUserId != null)
- {
- addUserToGroup = invokeurl
- [
- url : deskUrl + "groups/" + groupId + "/users/add"
- type :POST
- parameters:"" + {"users":{{"id":contactUserId}}}
- headers:{"Content-Type":"application/json"}
- detailed:true
- connection:"zohodesk"
- ];
- info "addUserToGroup" + addUserToGroup;
- }
- }
- catch (errorInfo)
- {
- logs.insert("errorInfo":errorInfo);
- }
- info "logs: \n" + logs;
- if(logs.containKey("errorInfo"))
- {
- throws "Error happen in the CF execution";
- }
User Inputs
a. In Line 2, replace .com in the URL based on your DC.
b. In Line 3, enter the group ID to which you would like to add your new portal users. To access group ID, go to Setup >> Help Center >> Select the Department having your preferred User group >> choose User Groups on the left panel >> Select the user group >> The Id in the address bar is the required Group ID.

Note: Configure the Workflow for the contacts module in the respective department where you want to add portal users to be added to the User group.
14. Click Save to save the custom function.
15. Click Save again to save the workflow.
Share with us how this custom function helps you in your operations! Drop a comment below or reach out to us at
support@zohodesk.com, we’re just an email away!
Meet you in the next post!
Regards,
Lydia | Zoho Desk
Recent Topics
Every time an event is updated, all participants receive an update email. How can I deactivate this?
Every time an event is updated in Zoho CRM (e.g. change description, link to Lead) every participant of this meeting gets an update email. Another customer noticed this problem years ago in the Japanese community: https://help.zoho.com/portal/ja/community/topic/any-time-an-event-is-updated-on-zohocrm-calendar-it-sends-multiple-invites-to-the-participants-how-do-i-stop-that-from-happening
How can I filter a field integration?
Hi, I have a field integration from CRM "Products" in a form, and I have three product Categories in CRM. I only need to see Products of a category. Thanks for you answers.
How to implement new online payment gateway?
Hello, Can you tell me how to proceed to implement my local payment gateway? DIBS has an open avaiable API that should be easy to implement into ZOHO BOOKS. http://tech.dibspayment.com/dibs_payment_window
Zoho CRM - Portal Users Edit Their Own Account Information
Hi Community, I'm working on a client portal and it seems like the only I can make the Account record editable to the Contact, is if I add another lookup on the Account to the Contact record. Am I missing something as the account already has a list of
I’ve noticed that Zoho Sheet currently doesn’t have a feature similar to the QUERY formula in Google Sheets or Power Query in Microsoft Excel.
These tools are extremely helpful for: Filtering and extracting data using simple SQL-like queries Combining or transforming data from multiple sheets or tables Creating dynamic reports without using complex formulas Having a Query-like function in Zoho
Connecting Zoho Mail with Apollo.io
Hi, I am trying to connect my Zoho Mail account with my Apollo.io account to start sending cold email for prospecting purposes. I have activated the IMAP setting but I am still unable to connect to the Apollo account. I am using my email credentials but
Where does this report come from in the Zoho One ecosystems?
Is this directly from MA, Analytics or ??? ???
Contact's title in "Contact Role Mapping"
When I'm creating a deal, I'd like to see the contacts title in the listing. Right now, I only see this: How can I get the contact's title in there?
Zoho CRM - Client Portal - Hide Notes Related List
Hi Community, I'm building a customer portal and I can't find a way to hide the notes related list. I don't want the client to see the notes I have about them. Is there a way to do this as it is no bin/trash icon when I hover over.
"Pivot Table" Conditional Formatting
Team, I there a way to use conditional formatting a "Pivot Table" report? Thanks, Arron Blue Pumpkin Hosting | Solutions Made Simple
How many clients can be added to Zoho Practice?
How many clients can be added to Zoho Practice without having their zoho app?
Stage History
when viewing a ticket , and you look at stage history tab (kanban view) and look at the stage duration column in days, it shows the current stage of the ticket as " current stage ". Should it not rather show the amount of days it has been in that current
Send Automated WhatsApp Messages and Leverage the Improved WhatsApp Templates
Greetings, I hope all of you are doing well. We're excited to announce a major upgrade to Bigin's WhatsApp integration that brings more flexibility, interactivity, and automation to your customer messaging. WhatsApp message automation You can now use
Automating Ticket Responses Using Zoho Desk's AI Features
We’re looking to set up an automation within Zoho Desk that can analyze incoming emails or tickets and automatically respond with relevant knowledge base articles based on the content of the request. Could you please guide us on how to configure this
Optimising CRM-Projects workflows to manage requests, using Forms as an intermediary
Is it possible to create a workflow between three apps with traceability between them all? We send information from Zoho CRM Deals over to Zoho Projects for project management and execution. We have used a lookup of sorts to create tasks in the past,
Service locations are tied to contacts?
Trying the system out. And what I discovered is that it seems that the whole logic of the app is, I'd say, backwards. There is a Customer - a company. The company has contact persons and service locations can be associated with different contact persons.
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
Bug in Total Hour Calculation in Regularization for past dates
There is a bug in Zoho People Regularization For example today is the date is 10 if I choose a previous Date like 9 and add the Check in and Check out time The total hours aren't calculated properly, in the example the check in time is 10:40 AM check
Narrative 12: Sandbox - Testing without the risk
Behind the scenes of a successful ticketing system: BTS Series Narrative 12: Sandbox - Testing without the risk What is a sandbox environment? A sandbox environment is a virtual playground that allows you to test freely and experiment with various elements
Dynamically catching new file creations
I have a team folder with many subfolders, and in those folders we add new documents all the time. I'd like to have a workflow or script to notify me (and then take other actions) when a file is added anywhere in that structure that ends in "summary.txt".
Announcing new features in Trident for Mac (1.27.0)
Hello everyone! Trident for macOS (v1.27.0) is here with new features and enhancements to improve scheduling and managing your calendar events. Let's take a quick look at them. Stay aligned across time zones. Both the scheduled and original time zones
Branding of native system emails
Make system emails adjustable in terms of branding. We want our system to be completely white label, because it is not a CRM anymore, it's way more than that. We are following the strategy of "CRM for everyone" to use the CRM in all departments, not only
Slow uploads of large files
I'm wanting to use Workdrive for transferring large images and video (we're talking things from 100MB-5GB). I'm running solo on a 500MBit/sec fiber connection. I'm getting upload speeds to Workdrive of no more than about 1-3Mbytes/sec when going through
Migrate Your Notes from OneNote to Zoho Notebook Today
Greetings Notebook Users, We’re excited to introduce a powerful new feature that lets you migrate your notes from Microsoft OneNote to Zoho Notebook—making your transition faster and more seamless than ever. ✨ What’s New One-click migration: Easily import
need to upload from airtable to google drive
I have a zapier zap that automates between airtable and google drive. When a customer uploads a new file into airtable via a client portal interface, zapier uploads that file into a folder linked to that customer's project record. I need to replicate
Can't delete functions that are associated with deleted workflow rules
We have a handful of functions that were once associated with a workflow rule, but the rule has been deleted. The function still thinks it is associated so I can't assign it to a new rule. It is starting to get really messy because we have a list of functions
Default Sorting on Related Lists
Is it possible to set the default sorting options on the related lists. For example on the Contact Details view I have related lists for activities, emails, products cases, notes etc... currently: Activities 'created date' newest first Emails - 'created
Credit Management: #1 Credit You Owe vs Credits Owed to the Business
Think about the last time you ordered food online. You might have paid in advance through your card, but you received a $20 refund because your order got delayed or cancelled. In most apps, refunds don't go into the bank account directly; instead, they're
Tip #46- Turn Every Session into an Insight with Zoho Assist survey report- 'Insider Insights'
Delivering exceptional remote support isn’t just about resolving issues, it’s about understanding how both customers and technicians experience each session. That’s where Survey Report in Zoho Assist come in. You can configure and customize survey questions
Enhancing Zia's service with better contextual responses and article generation
Hello everyone, We are enhancing Zia's Generative AI service to make your support experience smarter. Here's how: Increased accuracy with Qwen One of the key challenges in AI is delivering responses that are both contextually accurate and empathetic while
Allow the usage of Multi-Select fields as the primary field on "Layout Rules"
We want to force our users to enter some explanation strings when a multi-select field has been utilized. I can't understand the reason for the usage restriction of Multi-Select fields as a primary field. This is a simple "Display hidden mandatory field
CRM/Bookings integration edits Contact names
Hi there, I've installed the extension that connects Zoho CRM and Zoho Bookings. When we get a new appointment from Bookings from an existing Contact, that Contact's record shows this: First Name was updated from asd to blank value Last Name was updated
Domain Change
“Please update my Email-in domain from @biginmail.biginmail.in to @biginmail.zoho.com. Messages to the .in domain are bouncing.”
Webhooks Limit Exceeded
Today, I received an error message saying, 'Total number of Webhook call exceeded', but when I look at Manage > Billing, it doesn't look like any of my invokeURL calls are being logged. Following the advice from this thread: https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/community/topic/webhooks-daily-limits-in-zoho-creator
Auto select option in CRM after Zoho Form merge
Hi, I have a dropdown field in Zoho CRM that is filled with a Zoho Form. The data is filled but not automatically shown. After selecting the right value in the dropdown the information a second field is shown. So the question is; how can I make the dropdown
Bring your CRM data straight into your presentations in Zoho Show
Let's say you are working on a presentation about your team's sales pipeline for an upcoming strategy meeting. All the information you need about clients and leads is in Zoho CRM, but you end up copying details from the CRM into your slides, adjusting
Improved RingCentral Integration
We’d like to request an enhancement to the current RingCentral integration with Zoho. RingCentral now automatically generates call transcripts and AI-based call summaries (AI Notes) for each call, which are extremely helpful for support and sales teams.
Introducing New APIs in Zoho Contracts
We are excited to announce the release of new APIs in Zoho Contracts to help you automate and manage every stage of your contract lifecycle more efficiently. Here’s a quick overview of what’s new: 1. Complete Contract Draft You can use this API to complete
Vimeo
For me Vimeo is the most important video social channel for media and filmmakers. Would others agree and like it added to Zoho Social.
Delete a department or category
How do I delete a Department? Also, how do I delete a Category? This is pretty basic stuff here and it's impossible to find.
Next Page