Kaizen #205 - Answering Your Questions | Managing Picklists and Enabling History Tracking via Zoho CRM APIs
Hello everyone!
Welcome back to another post in our Kaizen series.
In this post, we will look at how you can manage picklist fields in Zoho CRM using APIs. This topic was raised as feedback to Kaizen #200, so we are taking it up here with more details.
In this post, we will cover the following:
- What is a picklist field in Zoho CRM?
- Picklist vs Multi-select Picklist
- Working with picklist fields via APIs
- Creating a picklist field using the Create Custom Field Metadata API
- Updating a picklist field using the Update Custom Field Metadata API
- Assigning picklist values when creating records using the Insert Records API
- Updating picklist values in existing records using the Update Records API
- History tracking for picklists
- What is history tracking for picklists in Zoho CRM?
- Use case
- Enabling history tracking for a picklist using the Create Custom Fields API
What is a picklist field in Zoho CRM?
A Picklist field is a drop-down field in Zoho CRM that contains a predefined list of values. While creating or updating a record, you can select one value from this list instead of entering it manually. This helps you avoid typing errors.
Example :
A Region field with values East, West, North, and South.
If a lead is from the East, the user simply selects East from the picklist instead of typing it manually.
Picklist vs Multi-select Picklist
Picklist | Multi-select Picklist |
Users can select only one value from the list. | Users can select multiple values at once. |
A standard Region picklist works when a record belongs to only one region. Example : East | A Multi-select Region picklist works when a record spans multiple regions. Example : East, North |
Global picklist / Global set : User can create a picklist in common and associate the created picklist across the modules to maintain accuracy. Refer to Kaizen #161: Global Sets using Zoho CRM APIs for more details.
Working with picklist fields via APIs
Creating a picklist field using the Create Custom Field API
You can create a new Picklist field in a module by calling the Create Custom Field Metadata API. For example, you can create a picklist field named Region with the values: East, West, North, South.
Request URL : {{api-domain}}/crm/v8/settings/fields?module=Leads
Request Method : POST
Sample Input
When creating a picklist field, set its data type as picklist and provide the list of options, each with a mandatory display_value. You can also configure additional properties such as actual_value, lexical sorting, and color coding.
{ "fields": [ { "field_label": "Select Region", "data_type": "picklist", // Specify the data type as picklist "tooltip": { "name": "info_icon", "value": "Select your region here" }, "profiles": [ { "id": "5725767000000026011", "permission_type": "read_write" } ], "pick_list_values": [ { "display_value": "East", //The unique display value for the picklist, which will be displayed in the CRM UI. Use the display_value in API requests during create, update, and upsert operations. "actual_value": "IN_East" //The unique reference value associated with the particular option. }, { "display_value": "West", "actual_value": "IN_West" }, { "display_value": "North", "actual_value": "IN_North" }, { "display_value": "South", "actual_value": "IN_South" } ], "pick_list_values_sorted_lexically": true, //Sorts options alphabetically. Default value is false. "enable_colour_code": true //Allows color coding for picklist options. Default value is false. } ] } |
Note : To create a multi-select picklist field, set the data_type key to multiselectpicklist in the request body ("data_type": "multiselectpicklist").
Sample Response
{ "fields": [ { "code": "SUCCESS", "details": { "id": "5725767000007613005" }, "message": "field created", "status": "success" } ] } |
Updating a picklist field using the Update Custom Field API
The PATCH - Field Metadata API lets you modify an existing Picklist field. Use the Get Fields Metadata API to get your picklist field ID.
You can:
- Add new options
- Update the picklist
- Remove existing options using Update Custom Layout API
Here is a sample request that updates the Select Region dropdown field in the Leads module.
Request URL : {{api-domain}}/crm/v8/settings/fields/5725767000007613005?module=Leads
Request Method : PATCH
Adding a new option to the existing picklist field
Sample Input
{ "fields": [ { "pick_list_values": [ { "display_value": "Central", //adding a new option to the existing picklist field "actual_value": "IN_Central" } ], } ] } |
Updating picklist
{ "fields": [ { "profiles": [ { "id": "5725767000000026011", "permission_type": "read_only" //updating the permission_type } ], "pick_list_values": [ { "display_value": "South Region", //updating the display field's value "id": "5725767000007613010" //unique ID of the option } ], "enable_colour_code": false //disabling color code for the options } ] } |
Note : Use the actual_value or unique ID of a picklist option to update its display value. Use the Get Fields Metadata API or Get Layouts Metadata API to get the details.
Removing existing options using Update Custom Layout API
To remove picklist values, keep only the required options in your input. Any options not included in the request will automatically move to the unused section.
First, fetch the required layout, section, field, and option IDs using the Get Layouts Metadata API. Then, in your request body, specify only the picklist values you want to retain.
Request URL : {{api-domain}}/crm/v8/settings/layouts/5725767000000091055?module=Leads
Request Method : PATCH
Sample Input
{ "layouts": [ { "id": "5725767000000091055", //layout id "sections": [ { "id": "5725767000000209001", //section id "fields": [ { "id": "5725767000007613005", //field id "pick_list_values": [ { "display_value": "Central", "id": "5725767000007626001" }, { "display_value": "East", "id": "5725767000007613004" } ] } ] } ] } ] } |
Here, Central and East regions remain as active picklist options, and West, North, and South regions are moved to the unused section.
Updated response
Use the Get Fields Metadata API to check the updated response. The Central and East are still active options (type: used), and North, South, and West are inactive options (type: unused)
{ "fields": [ . . . { "field_label": "Select Region", "id": "5725767000007613005", "api_name": "Select_Region", "pick_list_values": [ { "display_value": "-None-", "sequence_number": 1, "reference_value": "-None-", "colour_code": null, "actual_value": "-None-", "id": "5725767000007613013", "type": "used" //default option }, { "display_value": "Central", "sequence_number": 6, "reference_value": "Central", "colour_code": null, "actual_value": "IN_Central", "id": "5725767000007626001", "type": "used" }, { "display_value": "East", "sequence_number": 2, "reference_value": "East", "colour_code": null, "actual_value": "IN_East", "id": "5725767000007613004", "type": "used" }, { "display_value": "North", "sequence_number": 4, "reference_value": "North", "colour_code": null, "actual_value": "IN_North", "id": "5725767000007613008", "type": "unused" }, { "display_value": "South", "sequence_number": 5, "reference_value": "South", "colour_code": null, "actual_value": "IN_South", "id": "5725767000007613010", "type": "unused" }, { "display_value": "West", "sequence_number": 3, "reference_value": "West", "colour_code": null, "actual_value": "IN_West", "id": "5725767000007613006", "type": "unused" } ], "data_type": "picklist" } ] } |
Assigning picklist values using the Insert Records API
When you insert a record, you can directly pass the picklist option’s display value (not the ID) in the request body.
Request URL : {api-domain}/crm/v8/{module_api_name}
Request Method : POST
Sample Input
{ "data": [ { "Company": "Zylker", "Last_Name": "David", "Select_Region": "Central" // Picklist value to assign } ] } |
Note:
- When creating, updating, or upserting records,
- You can either pass an existing picklist value or add a new one, through the API. Please note that the new value will only be stored in that record, and will not be added to the picklist field’s metadata.
- In the UI, you can only select from the available dropdown options.
- Always use the display_value of the picklist option, not the picklist option’s ID.
- You can also assign the default option (-None-). In this case, the picklist field’s value will be stored as null ("Select_Region": null)
Sample Response
{ "data": [ { "code": "SUCCESS", "details": { "Modified_Time": "2025-08-23T04:51:39-07:00", "Modified_By": { "name": "Patricia Boyle", "id": "5725767000000411001" }, "Created_Time": "2025-08-23T04:51:39-07:00", "id": "5725767000007623017", "Created_By": { "name": "Patricia Boyle", "id": "5725767000000411001" } }, "message": "record added", "status": "success" } ] } |
Updating picklist values in existing records using the Update Records API
When updating, you also use the picklist display value in the field.
Request URL : {api-domain}/crm/v8/Leads/5725767000007628002
Request Method : PUT
Sample Input
{ "data": [ { "Select_Region": "West" // New picklist value } ] } |
This will replace the existing picklist value with West.
History tracking for picklists
What is history tracking for picklists in Zoho CRM?
You can enable history tracking for a picklist field using the Create Custom Field API. Once enabled, Zoho CRM automatically creates a related list for the tracked picklist and a separate module.
Every time the picklist value changes, Zoho CRM creates a new entry in this related list. Each entry shows the old value, the new value, who made the change, and when it was made, and how long the record stayed in the previous value before moving to the next one.
Use case
Zylker's sales team tracks lead progress through the statuses such as New, Contacted, Qualified, and Converted. The team wants to know how long a lead remains in each status and identify if follow-ups are delayed or leads are not progressing.
You can achieve this by enabling history tracking on the Status picklist. You can also monitor every status change, who made it, and how long the lead stayed in the previous status. This helps the team monitor, identify delays, and improve the follow-up process.
The log stores:
- New Value - updated region in the Moved_To__s key.
- Changed By - user who made the update in the Modified_By key.
- Changed On - date and time when the region was changed in the Last_Activity_Time key.
- Duration - how long the record stayed in the previous value before the change in the Duration_Time and Duration_Days keys.
Enabling history tracking for a picklist using the Create Custom Fields API
Request URL : {{api-domain}}/crm/v8/settings/fields?module=Leads
Request Method : POST
Sample Input
{ "fields": [ { "field_label": "Status", "data_type": "picklist", "pick_list_values": [ { "display_value": "New", "actual_value": "New" }, { "display_value": "Contacted", "actual_value": "Contacted" }, { "display_value": "Qualified", "actual_value": "Qualified" }, { "display_value": "Converted", "actual_value": "Converted" } ], "history_tracking_enabled": true, //(mandatory) Enables history tracking for the picklist "history_tracking": { "related_list_name": "Status History", //Lets you give a custom name to the history related list that CRM creates. "duration_configuration": "time", //Decides how to track the timing of changes: days - History is tracked by days and time - History is tracked by time. Note : Before specifying the time value, enable the duration customization feature in your organization by contacting support@zohocrm.com. "followed_fields": [ // The followed_fields lets you retrieve additional field values whenever the picklist value changes. { "api_name": "Owner" } ] } } ] } |
Sample Response in UI
Sample Response via API
Whenever a picklist option changes, the system creates a new record in the related list module. In this example, Status History is the related list module. The sample response below shows how a particular change looks when retrieved using the Get Records API.
Request URL : {{api-domain}}/crm/v8/Status_History/5725767000007739323
Request Method : GET
Sample Response
{ "data": [ { "Status": "Contacted", "$approval": { "delegate": false, "takeover": false, "approve": false, "reject": false, "resubmit": false }, "Modified_Time": "2025-08-28T06:35:15-07:00", "$currency_symbol": "$", "$field_states": null, "$review_process": null, "$editable": true, "Duration_Time": "6568847", //The system stores the duration in milliseconds. "$sharing_permission": "full_access", "Lead_Owner": { "name": "Patricia Boyle", "id": "5725767000000411001" }, "Moved_To__s": "Qualified", "$orchestration": false, "Last_Activity_Time": "2025-08-28T08:24:44-07:00", "Full_Name": { "name": "Zylker", "id": "5725767000007735001" }, "Modified_By": { "name": "Patricia Boyle", "id": "5725767000000411001", }, "$review": null, "$process_flow": false, "$in_merge": false, "id": "5725767000007739350", "$approval_state": "approved", "$pathfinder": false, "$zia_visions": null } ] } |
Note :
- You can select up to 10 fields in total, with a maximum of 5 user fields for all modules except Deals.
- Encrypted fields cannot be specified.
- In the Deals module,
- History tracking is enabled by default for the Stage picklist field.
- You cannot enable history tracking for any other picklist field in the Deals module.
- You can only update the existing Stage picklist field using the Update Custom Field API.
- You can add up to 6 followed fields, with a maximum of 5 user fields.
We hope this post helps you confidently manage picklists and track their history in Zoho CRM. Try it out, and let us know your experience in the comment section or reach out to us at support@zohocrm.com
Stay tuned for more insights in our upcoming Kaizen posts!
Cheers!
Previous Kaizen : Kaizen# 204 - Answering Your Questions - Perform Field Updates before Blueprint transition via Client Script | Kaizen Directory : Home
Related Links :
Topic Participants
Subramanian K
Sticky Posts
Kaizen #217 - Actions APIs : Tasks
Welcome to another week of Kaizen! In last week's post we discussed Email Notifications APIs which act as the link between your Workflow automations and you. We have discussed how Zylker Cloud Services uses Email Notifications API in their custom dashboard.Kaizen #216 - Actions APIs : Email Notifications
Welcome to another week of Kaizen! For the last three weeks, we have been discussing Zylker's workflows. We successfully updated a dormant workflow, built a new one from the ground up and more. But our work is not finished—these automated processes areKaizen #152 - Client Script Support for the new Canvas Record Forms
Hello everyone! Have you ever wanted to trigger actions on click of a canvas button, icon, or text mandatory forms in Create/Edit and Clone Pages? Have you ever wanted to control how elements behave on the new Canvas Record Forms? This can be achievedKaizen #142: How to Navigate to Another Page in Zoho CRM using Client Script
Hello everyone! Welcome back to another exciting Kaizen post. In this post, let us see how you can you navigate to different Pages using Client Script. In this Kaizen post, Need to Navigate to different Pages Client Script ZDKs related to navigation A.Kaizen #210 - Answering your Questions | Event Management System using ZDK CLI
Hello Everyone, Welcome back to yet another post in the Kaizen Series! As you already may know, for the Kaizen #200 milestone, we asked for your feedback and many of you suggested topics for us to discuss. We have been writing on these topics over the
Recent Topics
E-Invoicing in Belgium with Zoho Inventory
Starting January 1, 2026, Belgium is introducing mandatory electronic invoices (e-invoicing) for all B2B transactions between VAT-registered businesses. Invoices and credits notes must be exchanged in a prescribed digital format. How E-Invoicing WorksEmployee ID is not correct in get records api V2 for leave
Hi Team, We are facing an issue when calling the Get Records API V2. The employee.id returned in the response is not the actual employee record ID in Zoho People. As a result, our integration is forced to make an additional Get Record API call for everyFormatting Mailing Labels
I want to use the "Print Mailing Labels" function on the drop down list, but I am not seeing a way to change the formatting on the mailing labels. At the moment, the information that appears on the mailing labels ARE NOT mailing addresses, but randomZoho People. Updating TabularData
I am trying to update tabular data in the record. I always have the same response. I have checked many times. Section ID is correct. May be something wrong with request structure itself. Can someone help me. Body content type: form urlencoded query paramsCanvas View - Print
What is the best way to accomplish a print to PDF of the canvas view? Latest update (27th November 2025): We are excited to announce that the Canvas Print View is now available! We encourage you all to try it out and share your feedback with us. LearnNew to automation - please help
Hi there! We are new to automations in Zoho. We built out one automation campaign and it seems to be firing off for some people but others not. Please advise what's the best practice or if anything we should tweak. Thank you so much!E-Invoicing in Belgium with Zoho Billing
Starting January 1, 2026, Belgium is introducing mandatory electronic invoices (e-invoicing) for all B2B transactions between VAT-registered businesses. Invoices and credits notes must be exchanged in a prescribed digital format. How E-Invoicing worksZia Conversation Summary: Context at a glance for every customer interaction
Hello everyone! Every customer conversation tells a story—but in CRM, that story is rarely in one place. A sales rep moving between multiple leads has to reopen long email threads, check call remarks, and revisit meeting notes just to remember what wasHow to set a fixed width of column/cells
Is there a way to set a 'fixed' width for cells in zoho sheet? I know how to adjust the size of the colums.... but after I past a large block of text into a cell, it expands the cell size again. (yes, I have turned off word wrap) How can I set a fixed width so the cells don't change size each time I add data to a cell? Thanks.Cliq iOS can't see shared screen
Hello, I had this morning a video call with a colleague. She is using Cliq Desktop MacOS and wanted to share her screen with me. I'm on iPad. I noticed, while she shared her screen, I could only see her video, but not the shared screen... Does Cliq iOS is able to display shared screen, or is it somewhere else to be found ? RegardsWorkdrive Oauth2 Token Isn't Refreshing
I have set up oauth for a bunch of zoho apis and have never had a problem with oauth. With workdrive i am using the exact same template i usually use for the other zoho apps and it is not working. All requests will work for the first hour then stops soSingle Portal for Multiple Apps
Hello, I'm just getting started with Zoho and I'm very overwhelmed. I am currently using the free trial of Zoho One, but if I can figure it out, I intend to upgrade to the paid version. Zoho One, of course, gives me access to an entire suite of services/applications. One of the things I'd like to do is have a single place for clients (customers?) to log in and view current projects, invoices, contact information, etc. A single login for my clients. A single portal. I've come across documentation【開催報告】 大阪 ユーザー交流会 2025/11/20（木）Zoho CRM Plus 活用のアイデアとデータの“見える化”
皆さま、こんにちは。コミュニティチームの中野です。 11/20（木）に、大阪 ユーザー交流会を開催しました。本投稿では、その様子をお届けします。 当日の登壇資料などもこちらに共有しますので、参加できなかった皆さまもご参照ください。 （Zoho 社員セッションの登壇資料については、11/28(金)に開催予定の東京回の開催報告で共有いたします） 今年2回目の開催となる大阪 ユーザー交流会では、株式会社KDDIウェブコミュニケーションズ 山田さんによる Zoho CRM Plus の事例セッションのほか、「Zohosearch and Smart Bar both missing in Mail
One of the users on my account does not have the search bar at the top right or the Smart Bar at the bottom left of the desktop Mail app. Any ideas how to get those back?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 everythingContact 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 RudyFrom 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 withCan 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 getEvery rating counts: Shaping customer experience
We are back to that beautiful time of the year. It is the season to reflect, be thankful, and appreciate everything that has happened throughout the year. Thanksgiving is a time we connect with our family, friends, and relatives to strengthen relationships,Paging through API results. a major gap in your documentation.
There is no way for me. to get all of my data through a single API call. Typically REST APis have mechanisms for paging through API results. But the documentation for the API I am using: https://desk.zoho.com/DeskAPIDocument#Introduction Has no mentionHow to remove duplicate contacts
Custom Field for Subscription
Hi, I can't find a way to add a custom field (to contain a license key generated from our software) against a subscription? Is the only place to add this information in the Invoice module (as custom field for invoice)? When a customer views his subscription via the customer portal, there appears no way to display a license key for them? The invoice is not the natural place to store a license key for a particular subscription, so where else can this be stored and displayed?Custom View and Custom Fields on Zoho Books
Hi, I have some custom fields on Estimates and Invoices. I also use Custom Views so I can have a lot of information at a glance. I want to include my custom fields as columns in my custom views of estimates / invoice, but it looks like is not possible.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 saveCannot Access Subform Display Order in Deluge
As highlighted in this community post, we still have to deal with the significant limitation of not being able to access the user-sorted order of subform rows through Deluge. This creates a major disconnect between the UI capabilities and backend automation,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 alsoDropdown data depends on filters in another field.
In my quote form I have a lookup field called Reseller that pulls from Accounts. I would like it to pull from Accounts, but only those accounts with an account field 'Type' where that is 'Reseller'. Does anyone know a way to do this? Similarly, I'd likeIs it possible to adjust the web browser tab title (when a ZoHo Desk ticket is opened)
Hi All, When I open a ZoHo Desk ticket in a web browser, the tab title (text that appears at the top of the browser tab) uses the logic: *company icon picture* (xxxx) #ticket number - company name See below (highlighted in red) for reference. CompanyAdd Attachment Support to Zoho Flow Mailhook / Email Trigger Module
Dear Zoho Support Team, We hope you are well. We would like to kindly request a feature enhancement for the Mailhook module in Zoho Flow. Currently, the email trigger in Zoho Flow provides access to the message body, subject, from address, and to address,Collections Management: #7 Common Mistakes during Payment Collection
Payment collection may appear straightforward in most cases. Still, as your customer base expands and transaction volume increases, it becomes clear that even small inefficiencies can lead to delayed payments, increased support load, or even revenue loss.Recruit paid support?
Hi all, Could anyone who has paid support package advise if it provides value for money with regards to support response times? Exploring the idea as unfortunately when we have faced issues with Recruit it has been a 7+ day timescale from reporting toUnusual activity detected from this IP. Please try again after some time
When i try to create new addresses on my account i am getting this error, it has been 24 hours now and i am still getting this error can anyone helpRead webpage - MSXML2.ServerXMLHTTP
I have the following VBA script, put together from various sources (mainly zoho forum/help/support, so it once worked, I guess): private Sub GetListOfSheets() Dim url As String Dim xmlhttp As Object Dim parameters As String Dim html As String range("B1").valueSortie de Zoho TABLE ??
Bonjour, Depuis bientôt 2 ans l'application zoho table est sortie en dehors de l'UE ? Depuis un an elle est annoncée en Europe Mais en vrai, c'est pour quand exactement ??Rename Record Summary PDF in SendMail task
So I've been tasked with renaming a record summary PDF to be sent as part of a sendmail task. Normally I would offer the manual solution, a user exports the PDF and uploads it to a file upload field, however this is not acceptable to the client in thisLimitation with Dynamic Email Attachment Capture
I've discovered a flaw in how Zoho Creator handles email attachments when using the Email-to-Form feature, and I'm hoping the Zoho team can address this in a future update. The Issue According to the official documentation, capturing email attachmentsPresenting 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 deliversRecruit API search
Hi all, Attempting to call the search api endpoint from Postman using the word element as mentioned in api docs Search Records - APIs | Online Help - Zoho Recruit When making the call to /v2/Candidates/search?word=Saudi receive response of { "code": "MANDATORY_NOT_FOUND",Text/SMS With Zoho Desk
Hi Guys- Considering using SMS to get faster responses from customers that we are helping. Have a bunch of questions; 1) Which provider is better ClickaTell or Screen Magic. Screen Magic seems easier to setup, but appears to be 2x as expensive for United States. I cannot find the sender id for Clickatell to even complete the configuration. 2) Can customer's reply to text messages? If so are responses linked back to the zoho ticket? If not, how are you handling this, a simple "DO NOT REPLY" asHow to update Multi File upload field
Assume that i have a multi file upload field,how can i update the same field again?Next Page