Title: Fundamental features of a Zoho Books extension | Community | Zoho Finance

Title: Fundamental features of a Zoho Books extension | Community | Zoho Finance

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!


SEE MORE



    • Recent Topics

    • Help with SEO

      Hi There, I have recently published a site and added some Keywords in the SEO settings. Searching Google I currently don't find my site though. When do these settings take effect? In the SEO settings there is also a section "Sitemap" I can change settings for "frequency" and "Priority" What do these settings do? Kind regards
    • Report Level Button

      Currently I couldn't find a way to add a report level button I think currently we can only add buttons/actions for records, but having custom report level button would be really beneficial Usecases Click to import/sync Data from On Prem Systems Click
    • Create collection from start integer to end integer

      I want create some ticket number. Starts at 1 and end at 10. I want the result to be a string 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10. Trying something like this but need the correct way write the start and end part. start = 1; end = 3; sequence = List();
    • Importing Subform Data is Removed in Zoho Creator 6

      Previously It was possible to import Data to the Subform in Creator 5 This basic and mandatory Feature was completely removed from Creator 6 with no Timeline to add support for it How are we supposed to add our data if we want to use Creator? Manually?
    • Function #50: Send Mass emails to your customers

      Hello everyone, and welcome back to our series! We have reached a milestone of 50 Functions, which means that we have automated 50 different tasks in Zoho Books. Every Friday, we have shared a nifty function aimed at either automating a task or streamlining
    • Smart Document Automation:: From Zoho Projects to Zoho Writer – Merge, Edit, and Share

      Hello Everyone, A custom function is a software code that can be used to automate a process and this allows you to automate a notification, call a webhook, or perform logic immediately after a workflow rule is triggered. This feature helps to automate
    • Zoho Desk - Cannot Invite or Register New User

      Hi who may concern, we encountered a problem that we cannot invite user or the visitor cannot register for a user at all through our help center portal, with the snapshot shown as below and the attachement. It always pops up that "Sorry, Unable to process
    • How to remove an Instagram post on Zoho Social?

      Hi there, I wanted to delete yesterday's post on all social platform and managed to do so for Twitter and Facebook. I couldn't for Instagram as there is no option for delete. How can I delete successfully?
    • 【開催報告】東京 ユーザー交流会 Vol.2 2025/6/13 CRM Plus/Formsの活用におけるポイントやおすすめ機能を紹介

      ユーザーの皆さま、こんにちは。コミュニティチームの藤澤です。 6月13日(金)に東京で「ユーザー交流会 Vol.2」を開催し、16名の方にご参加いただきました。ご参加くださった皆さま、ありがとうございました。 この投稿では、当日のセッションの様子や使用した資料を紹介しています。残念ながら当日お越しいただけなかった方も、ぜひご覧ください。 ユーザー活用事例セッション:マーケ・営業・サポートをつないで顧客体験を向上させる!Zoho CRM Plusのおすすめサービス活用事例 Zoho Champion
    • No Real DANE Support

      The issue in https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/community/topic/will-zoho-implement-dane was closed today claiming DANE was implemented. You never implemented DANE correctly, even if you think you did. DANE requires DNSSEC to work properly, you never added
    • Applying Price List to All Customers

      I just created a new price list as we have several items that have volume price breaks. To create my price lists, I followed the instructions in this article: https://www.zoho.com/us/inventory/help/items/price-list.html When it comes to applying my price
    • What's wrong with this deluge code to create a Bill?

      I know that all the data in the map is correct. The line items are pulled directly from a purchase order. // Add the purchase order ID to the bill billPOIds.add(poID); // Retrieve and merge the line items poLineItems = purchaseOrder.get("line_items");
    • 2 Ideas, Clone timesheet entry from monthly view and Notes in Weekly view

      While i love timekeeping I am finding some things slow me down.  Slow to the point of considering writing my own API call to do this. It would be so useful to be able to clone a timesheet entry from the monthly view.  It is somewhat painful to have to
    • Zoho Workdrive API call to find public external Link for a Folder

      Hi all, I can create new external share links for a WD Folder using this API call https://workdrive.zoho.com.au/api/v1/links . This works fine, however if there is already an external link created for a given folder, trying to create a new one fails (which
    • Converting Sales Order to Purchase Order

      Hi All, Firstly, this code works to convert a sales order(SO) to a purchase order (PO) via a button, however I am running into an issue when I convert the SO where the values from the line items are not pulled across from the SO to the PO. The ones in
    • Accessing and Using Formula Field

      Hi There, I created a formula field called 'Day of the Week' in the Leads module that takes the record created time and transforms it into the day of the week. The formula field returns the correct values. However, I am unable to find or use the field
    • 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 🇲🇽 Ask the Experts: A Live Q&A Session

      Session Closed Thank you to everyone who participated in this Ask the Experts session! Your questions, insights, and engagement made it a valuable discussion for the entire Zoho Recruit community. The comment section is now closed, but feel free to browse
    • Request For Quotation (RFQ) module

      Hello, Do you have any plans to implement a RFQ module in to ZOHO Inventory? I would like to chose items that I require a price for, select a number of different suppliers to e-mail and have them submit there pricing online. I would then like to see a
    • Ability to Append or Prepend specific signer name field to all documents in an envelope

      We use templates regularly and have a need to be able to rename the individual pdf documents contained in an envelope, such that a signer's name is appended or prepended (e.g. Form1 - SignerName). This is critical for us, because of how we process documents
    • Export an email as an HTML file?

      How do we export an email in Zoho Marketing Automation as an HTML file? We have an advertising partner that needs our campaign email as an HTML file. We can't find any way to do this. If this is not possible, please explain why. It doesn't make sense
    • Function #30: Display list of associated PO on SO details screen

      Hello everyone, welcome back to our series! Imagine having the ability to effortlessly access and view details of all purchase orders linked to a sales order directly from the sales order itself. Well, today's script is designed to do just that for you.
    • Custom Print Button in Page/Stateless Form

      [Zoho Creator] Unable to Add Custom Print Button to Page or Stateless Form We need the ability to add a custom print button on a page or stateless form in Zoho Creator to print a templated or formatted output (e.g., appointment confirmation, summary slip).
    • Page Variable Not Passed from Report to Form

      [Zoho Creator] Page Variable (Resource) Not Passed from Report to Form in Appointment Module We are facing a limitation in our Appointment Module related to the handling of page-level variables. We are using a page variable to select a resource, which
    • MS Teams Meeting to Zoho CRM

      Has anyone figured out a good way to push MS Teams meeting info on a trigger of "meeting end" to Zoho CRM? We're looking for a way to take attendees of a meeting and meeting duration and push it into Zoho CRM after the meeting has ended. If I can just
    • Creating Layout Rule With Formula Field

      By The Grace Of G-D. Hi, I see that i cannot use Layout Rules to show/hide Formula Fields. Is that something you plan on adding sometime soon?
    • Combine / merge multiple invoices into master

      Good morning Zoho! Upon looking for a solution for my issue, I found many that had my similar problem...dating 13 years ago! Please, any updates on this? Merging multiple invoices on a Master Invoice would alleviate all the extra work of resending and
    • Free Webinar Alert! Productivity Hacks that you don't want to miss on June 24

      Hello Zoho Community! Want to work smarter and get more done with Zoho Mail? We’re here to help! Join our interactive webinar to explore powerful Zoho Mail features that can boost your productivity. Watch live demos, learn helpful tips, and take part
    • Web Clipper cannot save to collections

      With the recent update that added collections, i am unable to use the web clipper to save to a collection
    • sort by name is always z to a

      I typically keep my notes in alphabetical order. Suddenly they are all backwards - z to a. They stay that way whether I select a to z or z to a. Is there a way to fix this?
    • Project Management Bulletin: June, 2025

      Our project management suite's representatives have been busy socializing with global customers in the USA (Zoholics) and Australia (roadshows). We also had multiple stop overs at our customer’s establishments and were glad to see the efficiency our products
    • Agenda For Zoholics Benelux & Nordics 2025

      Dear Zoho Benelux community, We are pleased to announce the agenda for Zoholics Benelux & Nordics 2025 on September 23-24 at NBC Congrescentrum in Nieuwegein. The topics of the presentations are: Zoho innovations in the region and worldwide The introduction
    • How to query Deal "Stage" "Is Open" in Analytics SQL?

      How do I query this "field" in Analytics? What is going on? It seems like there is another 'mapping' somewhere but that it is inaccessible with raw sql??? If I query "Stage" Like '%Won%' I get a wildly different number than I do when I manually filter
    • Enhanced Candidate Portal: Now Featuring Federated Login, Passwordless Access & MFA

      You can now enhance your Candidate Portal experience with Federated Login, Password less Sign-in and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). These features offer greater flexibility and control—allowing seamless sign-ins through trusted platforms and adding
    • Custom View and Custom Fields

      Hi We have custom fields that we need in the Sales\Customer module and we would like to have the fields available to view in the Bills module so that we can add them to a custom view, is that possible? That way we can look at the Bills screen to see what
    • Can I write a check in Zoho Books with no associated bill?

      This currently does not seem possible, and I have a client that desperately needs this function if I am able to convert them with Quickbooks. Thank you in advance for your reply. 
    • Automation#35 : Auto-Add Comments under the Owner's Name in Tickets via Macros

      Hello Everyone, This week's custom function provides simple steps to configure a Macro for adding comments to tickets with the name of the Comment owner. When managing tickets, you can use the Comment feature to communicate internally with your team and
    • Subfrom Changes are NOT included in Audit Logs and Timeline

      In the Timeline the subform changes are not tracked We have an important custom module for Recording Pricing Information It has a subfrom, now if Changes are made to the subform fields they are not shown in the timeline, ONLY the aggregated fields This
    • Tracking Emails sent through Outlook

      All of our sales team have their Outlook 365 accounts setup with IMAP integration. We're trying to track their email activity that occurs outside the CRM. I can see the email exchanges between the sales people and the clients in the contact module. But
    • Changing Link Color

      When I create a link from a block of text, the text color changes to a color i do not want. After scrolling through the CSS and HTML files I cannot find the setting for the link color. Changing the link color word by word seems inefficient and must be a setting somewhere? Greg Aanes 2109 Queen Street Bellingha WA USA
    • Content Management System

      Is there any plan to develop a CMS application that allows us to manage all of the ZOHO services such as Writer, Sheet, and Planner? Besides that, it would be nice to manage the files and logs of WebNMS using SOA. Otherwise i'll try to make it. Thanks, Takash F
    • Next Page