## Documentation Index

Access the complete documentation index at:
https://www.zoho.com/en-sg/books/help/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available documentation pages before proceeding.

# Automation

Automation allows you to create rules that trigger actions automatically. You can set up workflow rules, define conditions for execution, and associate actions such as email alerts, in-app notifications, field updates, webhooks and custom functions. Additionally, you can create schedules for workflow rules and view logs of executed workflows.

* * *

## Workflow Rules

You can automate tasks such as sending emails, updating fields, and triggering webhooks or custom functions by creating workflow rules in Zoho Books. The workflow rule executes automatically once the conditions are met.

**Scenario:** John wants to automatically send a thank-you email with discount coupons to customers after they make a purchase. For this, he sets up a workflow rule in Zoho Books so that whenever a customer completes their payment, the rule triggers the email alert, and an email is sent automatically, saving time and effort for John.

* * *

## Create a New Workflow Rule

To create a new workflow rule:

*   Go to **Settings**.
*   Select **Workflow Rules** under _Automation_.
*   Click **\+ New Workflow Rule** in the top right corner.
*   In the _New Workflow Rule_ pop-up, fill in the following fields:
    *   **Workflow Rule Name:** Enter a name for the workflow rule.
    *   **Description:** Add a description if necessary.
    *   **Module:** Select the module for the workflow rule from the drop-down menu.

**Note:** You can create workflow rules for the following modules:

*   Sales
*   Purchases
*   Time Tracking
*   Contacts
*   Bank Transactions
*   Accountant
*   Tasks
*   Items
*   Inventory Adjustments
*   Payment Batches
*   Vendor Batch Payments

*   Click **Next**.
*   Under _WORKFLOW RULE EXECUTION CONDITION_, fill in the following fields:
    *   **Workflow Type:** Choose either **Event Based** or **Date Based**.
    *   **Action Type:** Select the action type that triggers the workflow.
    *   **Execute the workflow when:** Choose the actions that trigger the workflow (Edit, Edited or Created).
    *   **Execute when the record is:** Select either **Edited for the first time** or **Edited each time**.

**Note:** **Execute the workflow when** and **Execute when the record is** fields will only appear when the **Action Type** is set to **Edited** or **Edited or Created**.

*   Click **Next**.
*   Click **\+ New Criteria** to create a new criteria for the workflow rule:
*   In the right sidebar, click **Yes** to add criteria or **No** to skip.
*   Select a field, the comparator, and enter the necessary value.
*   Click **\+ Add Criterion** or **+** to create additional criteria if necessary.
*   If you add multiple criteria, select either **AND** or **OR** from the dropdown based on how you want the criteria to work. You can also edit the criteria pattern by manually entering the criteria in the _CRITERIA PATTERN_ field.
*   Once you’ve added the necessary criteria, click **Done**.
*   Add actions by selecting from the options below:
    *   **\+ Immediate Actions:** Triggers actions immediately when the criteria are met.
        *   In the right sidebar, select the type of workflow action you want to associate with the workflow rule from the _Type_ dropdown. Next, from the _Name_ dropdown, choose the workflow action you created and configured, or click **\+ New %Workflow Action%** from the dropdown to add a new workflow action.
        *   Click **\+ Add New Action** to add more actions if necessary.
        *   Click **Associate** to finish associating actions with the criteria.
    *   **\+ Time Based Actions:** Triggers actions based on the scheduled time.
        *   In the right sidebar, In the _EXECUTION TIME_ field, set the time for when the action will be executed.
        *   Select the type of workflow action you want to associate with the workflow rule from the _Type_ dropdown. Then, from the _Name_ dropdown, choose the workflow action you created and configured, or click **\+ New %Workflow Action%** from the dropdown to add a new workflow action.
        *   Click **\+ Add New Action** to add more actions if necessary.
        *   Click **Associate** to finish associating actions with the criteria.
*   Click **Save** to finalize and save the workflow rule.

Now, once you’ve created the workflow rule, whenever an action occurs that matches the trigger you set in the workflow rule, the rule will execute, and the specified action will take place.

**Note:** You can create up to 10 criteria for one workflow, and within each criterion, you can add up to 10 criteria.

* * *

## Other Actions in Workflow Rules

### Change the Order of Workflow Rules

If you want to view specific workflow rules at the top of the List View page or in a specific order, you can reorder them. Here’s how:

*   Go to **Settings**.
*   Select **Workflow Rules** under _Automation_.
*   Select the module where you want to change the order of workflow rules by clicking the Module dropdown.
*   Click **Change Order** in the right corner.
*   Now, pick and reorder the rules based on your preference.
*   After making the necessary reorder, click **Save Reorder**.

### Edit a Workflow Rule

*   Go to **Settings**.
*   Select **Workflow Rules** under _Automation_.
*   Hover over and select the workflow rule you want to edit, and click **Edit**.
*   Make your changes, and click **Save**.

### Clone a Workflow Rule

If you need a new workflow rule with the same details present in an existing workflow rule, you can clone the existing rule. Here’s how:

*   Go to **Settings**.
*   Select **Workflow Rules** under _Automation_.
*   Hover over the workflow rule you want to clone, click the dropdown to the right, and select **Clone**.
*   In the _New Workflow Rule_ page, review the cloned details.
*   Verify the _WORKFLOW RULE EXECUTION CONDITIONS_, and click **Update**.
*   Click **Save**.

### Mark a Workflow Rule As Inactive

If you won’t be using a workflow rule for a while but want to keep it for future use, you can mark it as inactive instead of deleting it. To mark it as inactive:

*   Go to **Settings**.
*   Select **Workflow Rules** under _Automation_.
*   Hover over the workflow rule you want to mark as inactive, click the dropdown to the right, and select **Mark as Inactive**.

### Configure Notification Preferences for Workflow Rules

**Insights:**

*   You can trigger a workflow alert up to 500 times a day.
*   Admins will also receive in-app notifications when any workflow action crosses the specified threshold.

You can set daily limits for workflow alert triggers and add email recipients to get notified when the daily threshold is reached. You can also configure how you receive failure log notifications when a workflow rule fails. To configure:

*   Go to **Settings**.
*   Select **Workflow Rules** under _Automation_.
*   Click **Configure Notification Preferences** in the top right corner.
*   In the _Configure Notification Preferences_ popup, fill in the following fields:
    *   **Usage Limit Notifications:** Choose a threshold for sending notifications for workflow actions like email alerts, webhooks, and custom functions.
    *   **Failure Log Notifications:** Select the frequency and time for notifications, and specify the email recipients who will receive the failure log updates if needed.
*   Click **Save**.

### Delete a Workflow Rule

*   Go to **Settings**.
*   Select **Workflow Rules** under _Automation_.
*   Hover over the workflow rule you want to delete, click the dropdown to the right, and select **Delete Workflow Rule**.
*   In the popup that follows, click **Yes** to confirm.

* * *

## Workflow Actions

### Email Alerts

The following steps will explain how to set up an email alert for any module in Zoho Books.

**Creating a new Email Alert:** To set up an email alert, navigate to ![ ](/books/help/images/gear-icon.png) **\> Automation > Email Alerts** and click on **\+ New Email Alert**.

![New Email Alert](/books/help/images/settings/Automation-NewEmailAlert.png)

**Field**

**Description**

**Name**

Give a unique name for the email alert.

**Module**

Select the module for which you wish to create an email alert.

**Email Template**

You can pick a template from the drop down or click on **\+ Add New Email Template** if you wish to create a new one.  
![email temp drop](/books/help/images/settings/Automation-EmailTemplateDropdown.png)

**Email Recipients**

Pick contacts from the drop down, to whom you wish to send the email alerts.

**Additional Recipients**

If you wish to send out email alerts to more people, enter their email addresses separated by a comma. Please note that you can add a maximum of 10 additional recipients.

Click on **Save** to create a new email alert. You can now select one of the many email alerts created, from the drop down, to notify you when a workflow is triggered.

#### Other Actions in Email Alerts

**Delete an email alert:**  
To delete an email alert, hover the cursor next to an email alert on the list and click on the **Delete** icon.

![Delete email alert](/books/help/images/settings/Automation-DeleteEmailalert.png)

**Filter email alerts:**  
To filter the email alerts list, follow these steps:

*   Navigate to ![ ](/books/help/images/gear-icon.png) **\> Automation > Email Alerts**.
*   Under **Module**, select a module from the drop down for which the email alert has been created.

Based on your selection, the corresponding email alerts will be displayed as a list.

![Filter Email Alert](/books/help/images/settings/Automation-FilterEmailAlert.png)

**Notes:**

*   You can create a maximum of 5 email alerts for each workflow rule.
*   A maximum of 500 email alerts can be triggered per day.

##### In-app Notifications

Zoho Books lets you create in-app notifications to notify your users of an event or a significant activity that has taken place in your organization. You will be able to set this for all the modules and also choose when to trigger the notification.

**Scenario:** Let’s say the sales team has made a sale worth 100000 in your organization. All the admins and users of the organization may not be aware of the sale. Triggering an in-app notification for invoices whose total is above the organization’s average sale value would have notified all the users of the organization.

Similarly, you will be able to set up a workflow rule to trigger in-app notifications for your organization. Here’s how:

*   Go to **Settings** on the top right corner of the page.
    
*   Select **Workflow Actions** under _Automation_.
    
*   In the _Workflow Actions_ pane, select **In-app Notifications**.
    
*   Click **\+ New In-app Notification** in the top right corner.
    
*   On the _New In-app Notification_ page:
    
    *   Create a [new workflow rule](/en-sg/books/help/settings/automation.html#new-workflow-rule) by entering a **Name** and selecting the **Module**.
    *   Choose [when](/en-sg/books/help/settings/automation.html#workflow-type) you want to trigger the notification – **Event Based** or **Date Based.**
    *   Set up [**filters** and **criteria**](/en-sg/books/help/settings/automation.html#filter-the-triggers) for the workflow and click **Next**.
    
    ![Workflow](/books/help/images/settings/notification-workflow.png)
    
    *   Select the **Action Type** as **In-app Notifications**.
    *   Create a new notification by clicking **\+ New In-app Notification** under **Sale**.
    
    ![New Notification](/books/help/images/settings/notification-new.png)
    
    *   Enable the option to **add time based actions** and choose when you would like to execute the action.
    *   Set the criteria and click **Save**.

![Set Criteria](/books/help/images/settings/notification-actions.png)

The next time the action occurs, selected recipients will be notified in the **Bell** icon. Click it to view the details.

![Notification](/books/help/images/settings/notification-icon.png)

* * *

### Field Updates

The option of **Field Updates** allows you to automatically make changes to a field of a particular module for which the workflow has been triggered. For example, you can choose to automatically extend the expiry date to 30th June 2015 of a quote if the total amount is greater than or equal to $500. In this case, the **Expiry Date** field is changed to the above date if the **Total** field is “>=“500.

To set up a field update:

*   Go to **Settings** on the top right corner of the page.
*   Select **Workflow Actions** under _Automation_.
*   In the _Workflow Actions_ pane, select **Field Updates**.
*   Click **\+ New Field Update** in the top right corner.
*   On the _New Field Update_ page, enter the following details:

![New Field Update](/books/help/images/settings/Automation-NewFieldUpdate.png)

**Field**

**Description**

**Name**

Give a unique name for the field update.

**Module**

Select a module for which you wish to create a field update.

**Update**

Select the field in which you wish to make changes upon triggering a workflow from the drop down.  
\-Reference #  
\-Expiry Date  
\-Sales Person  
\-Notes  
\-Terms & Conditions  
\-Adjustment Description  
Enter the value of the field in the corresponding box. If you wish to update the field with an empty value, check the box **Update with empty value?**.  
![Update Empty Value](/books/help/images/settings/Automation-FieldUpdateValue.png)

*   Click on **Save** to create a new field update. You can now select one of the many field updates created to implement changes when the workflow is triggered.

#### Other Actions in Field Updates

##### Delete a Field Update

To delete a field update:

*   Go to **Settings** on the top right corner of the page.
*   Select **Workflow Actions** under _Automation_.
*   In the _Workflow Actions_ pane, select **Field Updates**.
*   Hover the cursor over the field update that you want to delete and click the **Delete** icon.

![Delete Field Update](/books/help/images/settings/Automation-FieldUpdateDelete.png)

##### Filter Field Updates

To filter the field updates:

*   Go to **Settings** on the top right corner of the page.
*   Select **Workflow Actions** under _Automation_.
*   In the _Workflow Actions_ pane, select **Field Updates**.
*   Under **Module**, select a module from the dropdown for which the field update has been created.

Based on your selection, the corresponding field updates will be displayed as a list.

![Filter Field Update](/books/help/images/settings/Automation-FieldUpdateFilter.png)

**Note:** You can create a maximum of 3 field updates for each workflow rule.

* * *

### Webhooks

Webhooks facilitate communication with third-party applications by sending instant web notifications every time an event occurs in Zoho Books. With Webhooks, you can configure HTTP & HTTPS URLs and associate them with workflow rules to automate the notification process. Read our help document on [webhook examples](/en-sg/books/help/settings/using-webhook.html) to know more about when and how you can use webhooks.

For general information about webhooks, visit [webhooks.org](http://webhooks.org).

#### Create a Webhook

To set up a webhook:

*   Go to **Settings** on the top right corner of the page.
*   Select **Workflow Actions** under _Automation_.
*   In the _Workflow Actions_ pane, select **Webhooks**.
*   Click **\+ New Webhook** in the top right corner.

![Click + New Webhook](/books/help/images/settings/webhooks/plus-new-webhook.png)

*   On the _New Webhook_ page, enter the following details:
    *   Enter a name for the webhook in the **Name** field.
    *   Select the module for which you want to create the webhook from the dropdown next to the **Module** field.
    *   Add a description about the webhook in the **Description** field, if required.

![New Webhook page](/books/help/images/settings/webhooks/new-webhook-page.png)

*   In the **URL & Parameters** field, select the HTTP method and enter the URL of the third-party application. The HTTP methods available in Zoho Books are listed below:
    
    *   **Post**: Requests that the data sent must be considered as new
    *   **Put**: Requests that the data sent should be considered as a modified version of the one already present
    *   **Delete**: Requests that the data must be deleted.

**Note:**If you want to specify a port number in the **URL and Parameters** field, note that Zoho Books only supports port numbers **80** and **443**.

You can also add additional query parameters by clicking **Add Parameters** and entering the required values in the **Key** and **Value** fields. You can add custom parameters like Auth Token, Security Token, API Key, etc.

![URL and Parameters ](/books/help/images/settings/webhooks/url-and-parameters.png)

*   Check the **I want to secure this webhook** option if you want to secure your webhook. Enter the secret key in the **Secret Token** field. This will help to verify whether the webhook was sent from Zoho Books. It should be alphanumeric and range between 12-50 characters.

**Note**: You cannot edit or view the secret token later.

![Secret Token](/books/help/images/settings/webhooks/secret-token.png)

**Note:** The secret token will be used to compute a hash value, so, you will have to ensure that the same token is available on your server to compute a similar hash value.

*   In the Headers section, you can include any additional information that you want to be included in the HTTP request. Click **\+ Add New Headers** if you want to add additional headers.

![Headers](/books/help/images/settings/webhooks/headers.png)

*   In the **Authorization Type** section, choose how you want to authorize the webhook.
    
    *   **Self-Authorization**: Select this option to set up your webhook by providing the authorization details manually.
    *   **Connections**: Select this option to set up your webhook using a connection. Read our help document on Connections to learn [how to create connections](/en-sg/books/help/settings/connections.html).

![Authorization Type](/books/help/images/settings/webhooks/authorization-type.png)

*   In the **Body** section, choose how you want to send the data. You can choose from the following body parameters:
    
    *   **Default Payload**: In the default payload format, all the parameters associated with the module will be sent to the request body in the application/json format content type.
    *   **form-data**: Send data as text or files. If you select **File**, the custom fields for the attachment type created in the module for which you are creating this webhook will be listed in the dropdown.
    *   **x-www-form-urlencoded**: In the x-www-urlencoded format, the data will be encoded and sent to the server.
    *   **Raw**: In the raw format, you can choose the parameters sent to the request body. The content type will be application/json.

![Body](/books/help/images/settings/webhooks/body.png)

*   Click **Save and Execute** to check if the webhook works properly, or click **Save** if you want to execute it later.

**Note**: When you set up webhooks, all your contacts’ details in your Zoho Books organization (name, phone number, address, and email address) will be shared with the URL you want to notify.

#### Webhook Examples

To help you understand how webhooks work in Zoho Books, we’ve outlined a few [examples](/en-sg/books/help/settings/using-webhook.html). These will give you a clear idea of how webhooks can be applied to meet your business needs.

#### Secure Your Webhooks

Securing your webhooks can help verify that the webhooks were sent from Zoho Books. To do this, you have to set up your server so that it listens for webhooks from Zoho Books. When your server receives a webhook from Zoho Books, a hash value must be generated based on the payload and your secret token. Once done, check if it matches the hash value from Zoho Books and thereby validate the source of the webhook. This can add a layer of security by enabling your server to disregard third-party webhooks pretending to originate from Zoho Books.

#### Validate Webhooks

When your server receives the webhook, a hash value will have to be generated for the payload in the same way that Zoho Books generated it. This is necessary to produce the same hash value to validate the webhook.

The following parameters (if available) are used to generate the hash value:

*   Query string parameters.
*   Default payload or customized raw JSON payload.
*   x-www-form-urlencoded payload (key-value pairs).

Construct a string by sorting the payload’s key-value pairs in alphabetical order. The pairs must be sorted in alphabetical order with respect to their keys.

**Note**

*   If your webhook contains **query string parameters**, ensure that those key-value pairs are sorted along with the payload’s key-value pairs.
*   There cannot be any spaces between the key-value pairs.

Once you’ve sorted the key-value pairs and constructed the string, append the raw JSON to the end of the string.

**Examples**

1\. **Default Payload**

Query string parameters’ key-value pairs:

```
subscription\_id=90343, name=basic
```

Default payload/raw JSON:

```
{"created\_date":"2019-03-06","event\_id":"5675"}
```

The constructed string would be:

```
namebasicsubscription\_id90343{"created\_date":"2019-03-06","event\_id":"5675"}
```

2\. **x-www-form-urlencoded**

Query string parameters’ key-value pairs:

```
customer\_name=Brandon, status=active
```

x-www-form-urlencoded payload’s key-value pairs:

```
addon\_description=Monthly addon, quantity=1
```

The constructed string would be:

```
addon\_descriptionMonthly addoncustomer\_nameBrandonquantity1statusactive
```

**Pro Tip**

*   If your payload is in the x-www-form-urlencoded format, the entire string must be decoded before generating the hash value.
*   If one of the key value pairs contains spaces, the spaces must also be included in the constructed string.

The hash value can be computed by applying the HMAC-SHA256 algorithm on this string, along with the secret token that was used in Zoho Books.

You can then validate the webhook by checking if the hash value computed from your side matches the one in the header (X-Zoho-Webhook-Signature) of the webhook from Zoho Books.

#### Configuring SMS Gateways 

You can set up webhooks to send and receive message alerts through SMS gateways. All you have to do is configure the SMS gateways using the URL and follow the steps provided below. 

##### Bulk SMS

Bulk SMS is a popular SMS Gateway and is compatible with over 800 mobile network providers, worldwide.

**URL: https://bulksms.vsms.net/eapi/submission/send\_sms/2/2.0?username=`%username%`&password=`%password%`&msisdn=${CONTACT.CONTACT\_MOBILE\_PHONE}&message=%message\_content%**

To configure the URL for Bulk SMS:

*   Click the **Gear** icon on the top right and select Automation.
*   Navigate to the\*\* Webhooks\*\* tab and click **\+ New Webhook**.
*   Copy the above URL into the **URL to notify** field.
*   Replace the **%username%** and **%password%** placeholders in the URL with the username and password of your Bulk SMS account.
*   Type your message at the end of the URL, i.e. after “**message=**". 
*   Replace all the blank spaces in your message content by **%20** and all the commas by **%2C**.

![Configure Bulk SMS](/books/help/images/settings/bulk-sms.png)

**Note:** If there are other punctuations in your message content, you can check how to replace them with modifiers from [this](https://meyerweb.com/eric/tools/dencoder/) website. However, ensure that you do not replace punctuations that are essential to the message’s syntax.

After formatting your message with %20 for blank spaces and %2C for commas, it should look like this:

> **URL: https://bulksms.vsms.net/eapi/submission/send\_sms/2/2.0?username=`%username%`&password=`%password%`&msisdn=${CONTACT.CONTACT\_MOBILE\_PHONE}&message=Hello%20${CONTACT.CONTACT\_NAME}.Thank%20you%20for%20the%20purchase%20of%20${INVOICE.INVOICE\_TOTAL}**

**Similarly, other SMS gateways can be configured, with only the URL being different.** 

##### SMS-Magic

SMS gateways such as SMS-Magic requires you to enter additional entity parameters to configure the webhook. 

To configure SMS-Magic:

*   Enter the URL **https://sms-magic.in/smapi/post** in the **URL** to notify field.
*   Click **+Add Entity Paramter**.
*   Enter the following text in the parameter field:

![Configure SMS Magic](/books/help/images/settings/sms-magic.png)  

  

```
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<m:Library xmlns:m="http://screen-magic.com" xmlns="http://www.defns.com">
<userid>**User_ID**</userid>
<senderid>**%Sender_ID**</senderid>
<accountid>**%Account_ID**</accountid>
<hashkey>**%hashkey%**</hashkey>
<message mobilenumber="${CONTACT.CONTACT_MOBILE_PHONE}" >
<![CDATA[${INVOICE.INVOICE_TOTAL}]]>
</message>
</m:Library>
```

Replace the placeholders in the URL with the User ID, Sender ID and Account ID of your SMS-Magic account. The hashkey refers to a standard hashed md5 value of a string that is a concatenation of your User ID, Password, Account ID and Sender ID.

**Note:** To generate the hashed md5 value, you can visit [this](https://www.md5hashgenerator.com/) site. 

##### Text Local

Text Local requires an entity parameter and a custom parameter to function.

To configure Text Local:

![Configure Text Local](/books/help/images/settings/text-local.png)

*   Enter the URL **http://api.textlocal.in/send/** in the **URL to notify** field.  
*   Click **\+ Add Custom Parameter**.
*   Add the **sender** and **apikey** parameter and replace the placeholders in the URL with the relevant information from Text Local.
*   Click **\+ Add Entity Parameter**.
*   Give a name for the parameter and select the required conditions from the dropdown menu. Example: numbers = ${CONTACT.CONTACT\_MOBILE\_PHONE} 
*   Select the **Add User Defined Parameters** box and enter the message to be sent along with all the necessary place holders. 
*   Click **Save**.

#### Other Actions in Webhooks

##### Delete Webhooks

To delete a webhook:

*   Go to **Settings** on the top right corner of the page.
*   Select **Workflow Actions** under _Automation_.
*   In the _Workflow Actions_ pane, select **Webhooks**.
*   Hover over the webhook that you want to delete and click the **Delete** icon.

![Click the Delete icon](/books/help/images/settings/webhooks/delete-webhook.png)

*   In the pop up that appears, click **Yes**.

The webhook will be deleted. If you’ve used in the webhook in a workflow rule, ensure that you update the workflow rule as the workflow rule might not get triggered.

##### Filter Webhooks

To filer the webhooks list, follow these steps:

*   Go to **Settings** on the top right corner of the page.
*   Select **Workflow Actions** under _Automation_.
*   In the _Workflow Actions_ pane, select **Webhooks**.
*   Under Module, select a module from the drop down for which the webhook been created.

Based on your selection, the corresponding webhook will be displayed as a list.

![Filter Webhook](/books/help/images/settings/Automation-FilterWebhook.png)

**Note**

*   You can create only 1 webhook for each workflow rule.
*   A maximum of 500 webhooks can be triggered per day.

* * *

### Custom Functions

Custom functions in Zoho Books allows you to write small pieces of code to automate your business processes. Be it providing a special discount on your customers’ invoice, or adding a late fee when an invoice becomes overdue, all you have to do is write a piece of code using Deluge script and link it to a workflow rule and automation of the process will be taken care of.

#### What is Deluge?

**Deluge(Data Enriched Language for the Universal Grid Environment)** is an online scripting language integrated with Zoho Creator. It enables users to add logic to the application, incrementally, making it more powerful and robust.

To know about Deluge, refer the [Deluge Reference Guide](https://www.zoho.com/deluge/help/).

If you wish to learn Deluge by writing code samples, click [here](https://creator.zoho.com/learndeluge/#Welcome!).

#### Creating and Executing a Custom function

To setup a custom function,

*   Go to **Settings** on the top right corner of the page.
*   Select **Workflow Actions** under _Automation_.
*   In the _Workflow Actions_ pane, select **Custom Functions**.
*   Click **\+ New Custom Function** in the top right corner.

![New Custom function button](/books/help/images/settings/custom-function-button.png)

*   On the _New Custom Function_ page:
    *   Enter a **Name** for your custom function and provide a small **Description**.
    *   Choose the **Module** for which you want to create the custom function.
    *   Choose the **Programming Language** in which you want to write the custom function’s code.
        *   If you chose _Deluge_ as the programming language, click **Proceed** and type in or drag the parameters into the **Deluge editor**.
        *   If you chose a programming language other than Deluge, you need to enter the custom function’s code using the **Zoho Finance CLI**. [Learn more](/en-sg/books/help/settings/custom-functions-using-zoho-finance-cli.html).

![New predefined connection](/books/help/images/settings/custom-function-form.png)

*   Once done, click **Save**.

Now, the next step is to create a workflow rule using the newly created custom function.

*   Head back to the _Automation_ pane and select **Workflow Rules**.
*   Create a new workflow and set the triggers.
*   Now, under the **Actions** tab, choose **Custom Functions** and select your newly created custom function.
*   Click **Save.**

Now, whenever the criteria is met, the workflow rule will be triggered, which in turn will trigger the custom function.

##### Default fields

As of now, custom functions support Users, Organization, Quotes, Invoices, Sales Orders, Purchase Orders, Customers, Recurring Invoices, Expenses, Bills, Recurring Bills, and Items modules.

These modules will have the following fields from which you can get the necessary parameters for your custom function.

###### User

The user field supports the following parameters:

Key Fields

Description

name

Name of the user

zuid

ZUID of the user

##### Organization

The organization map supports the following fields:

Key Fields

Description

organization\_id

Your organization ID

name

Organization name

time\_zone

Time zone of your organization

language\_code

Organization’s language

date\_format

Your organization’s date format

currency\_id

Currency ID

currency\_code

Currency code

currency\_symbol

Currency symbol

address

Organization address

phone

Organization’s contact number

fax

Fax number

website

Organization URL

email

Email address

portal\_name

Portal name of your organization

**Sample map:**

```
{
	"time_zone": "Asia/Calcutta",
	"language_code": "en",
	"currency_id": "7605000000000099",
	"phone": "99999999999",
	"fax": "check",
	"website": "",
	"email": "charles@zylker.com",
	"address": {
		"zip": "624001",
		"country": "India",
		"city": "New Delhi",
		"street_address2": "Block 15",
		"street_address1": "6/35 Garden Lane,",
		"state": "Delhi"
	},
	"organization_id": "12345678",
	"name": "Zlyker Industries",
	"date_format": "dd MMM yyyy",
	"currency_symbol": "Rs.",
	"portal_name": "zylkerindustry",
	"currency_code": "INR"
}
```

##### Quote

The quote map supports the following fields:

Key Fields

Description

quote\_id

Quote ID

quote\_number

Your quote number

date

Quote date

reference\_number

Reference number of your quote

status

Status of your quote

customer\_id

ID of the customer who is assigned to the quote

customer\_name

Your customer’s name

currency\_id

Currency ID

currency\_code

Currency code

currency\_symbol

Currency symbol

exchange\_rate

Exchange rate involved in the quote

expiry\_date

Expiry date of the quote

discount\_amount

Discount amount

discount

Discount

shipping\_charge

Shipping charge entered in the quote

adjustment

Adjustments

sub\_total

Sub total of the quote

total

Quote total

tax\_total

Total tax amount in the quote

billing\_address

Billing address of the customer

shipping\_address

Shipping address of the customer

notes

Notes

terms

Terms and conditions

custom\_fields

Quote custom fields

salesperson\_id

ID of the salesperson

salesperson\_name

Name of the salesperson

**Sample map:**

```
{
	"total": "12000.0",
	"terms": “checking",
	"quote_id": "7605000000320001",
	"date": "2016-06-03",
	"quote_number": "EST-000026",
	"shipping_address": {
		"zip": "94588",
		"country": "USA",
		"address": "4910 Hopyard Rd",
		"city": "Pleasanton",
		"state": "CA",
		"fax": “Fax Number”
	},
	"salesperson_name": “Salesperson”,
	"adjustment": "0.0",
	"currency_symbol": "Rs.",
	"salesperson_id": "7605000000336089",
	"currency_code": "INR",
	"shipping_charge": "0.0",
	"custom_fields": [
		{
			"customfield_id": "7605000000190011",
			"is_active": true,
			"show_in_all_pdf": false,
			"value_formatted": "Check-6",
			"data_type": "autonumber",
			"index": 1,
			"label": "auto number",
			"show_on_pdf": false,
			"value": "Check-6"
		}
	],
	"currency_id": "7605000000000099",
	"exchange_rate": "1.0",
	"status": "invoiced",
	"sub_total": "12000.0",
	"customer_name": “Customer”,
	"discount_amount": "0.0",
	"discount": "0.0",
	"tax_total": "0.0",
	"reference_number": “Ref number”,
	"notes": "Looking forward for your business.",
	"expiry_date": "2016-06-03",
	"customer_id": "7605000000258011",
	"billing_address": {
		"zip": "94588",
		"country": "USA",
		"address": "4910 Hopyard Rd",
		"city": "Pleasanton",
		"state": "CA",
		"fax": "Fax Number"
	}
}
```

##### Invoice

The invoice map supports the following fields:

Key Fields

Description

due\_date

Invoice due date

payment\_expected\_date

Expected payment date for the invoice

reference\_number

Reference number of the invoice

customer\_id

Customer ID

customer\_name

Name of the customer who is assigned to the invoice

currency\_id

Currency ID

currency\_code

Currency code

currency\_symbol

Currency symbol

exchange\_rate

Exchange rate involved in the invoice

discount\_amount

Discount amount involved in the invoice

discount

Discount involved in the invoice

shipping\_charge

Shipping charge entered in the invoice

adjustment

Adjustments

sub\_total

Sub total of the invoice

tax\_total

Total tax amount in the invoice

total

Total amount

balance

Balance

price\_precision

Number of Decimal places

billing\_address

Billing address of the customer

shipping\_address

Shipping address of the customer

notes

Notes

terms

Terms and conditions

custom\_fields

Invoice custom fields

salesperson\_id

ID of the salesperson

**Sample map:**

```
{
	"total": "0.0",
	"payment_terms": "0",
	"terms": “Checking”,
	"price_precision": "2",
	"payment_expected_date": "2016-06-31”,
	"date": "2016-06-30",
	"shipping_address": {
		"zip": "94588",
		"country": "USA",
		"address": "4910 Hopyard Rd",
		"city": "Pleasanton",
		"state": "CA",
		"fax": "Fax Number"
	},
	"balance": "0.0",
	"adjustment": "0.0",
	"currency_symbol": "Rs.",
	"salesperson_id": “7605000000336089”,
	"currency_code": "INR",
	"shipping_charge": "0.0",
	"custom_fields": [
		{
			"customfield_id": "7605000000336081",
			"is_active": true,
			"show_in_all_pdf": false,
			"value_formatted": "INV-8",
			"data_type": "autonumber",
			"index": 1,
			"label": "AutoNumber",
			"show_on_pdf": false,
			"value": "INV-8"
		},
		{
			"customfield_id": "7605000000351027",
			"is_active": true,
			"show_in_all_pdf": true,
			"value_formatted": "01 Aug 2016",
			"data_type": "date",
			"index": 2,
			"label": "Date",
			"show_on_pdf": true,
			"value": "2016-08-01"
		}
	],
	"currency_id": "7605000000000099",
	"exchange_rate": "1.0",
	"status": "draft",
	"sub_total": "12000.0",
	"customer_name": “Customer”,
	"invoice_number": "INV-000087",
	"discount_amount": "12000.0",
	"discount": "100.00%",
	"tax_total": "0.0",
	"reference_number": “checking”,
	"due_date": "2016-06-30",
	"invoice_id": "7605000000369043",
	"notes": "Thanks for your business.",
	"customer_id": "7605000000258011",
	"billing_address": {
		"zip": "94588",
		"country": "USA",
		"address": "4910 Hopyard Rd",
		"city": "Pleasanton",
		"state": "CA",
		"fax": "Fax Number"
	}
}
```

##### Sales Order

Key Fields

Description

date

Sales Order date

tax\_total

Total tax amount in the sales order

zcrm\_potential\_id

ID of the potential in Zoho CRM

discount\_amount

Discount amount involved in the sales order

salesorder\_id

Sales order ID

discount

Discount

shipment\_date

Date on which shipment is made

billing\_address

Billing address of the customer

line\_items

Line items

currency\_code

Currency code

total

Total amount

delivery\_method\_id

Delivery method ID

terms

Terms and conditions

delivery\_method

Method of delivery

shipping\_address

Shipping address of the customer

exchange\_rate

Exchange rate involved in the sales order

currency\_symbol

Currency symbol

custom\_fields

Sales order custom fields

quote\_id

Quote ID

reference\_number

Reference number of the sales order

salesperson\_name

Name of the salesperson involved

salesperson\_id

ID of the salesperson involved

shipping\_charge

Shipping charge entered in the sales order

salesorder\_number

Your sales order number

sub\_total

Sub total of the sales order

zcrm\_potential\_name

Name of the potential in Zoho CRM

adjustment

Adjustments made

customer\_name

Name of the customer who is assigned to the sales order

customer\_id

ID of the customer who is assigned to the sales order

currency\_id

Currency ID

status

Status of your sales order

**Sample map:**

```
{
	"date": "2016-05-23",
	"tax_total": "0.0",
	"zcrm_potential_id": "",
	"discount_amount": "1200.0",
	"salesorder_id": "7605000000295003",
	"discount": "10.00%",
	"shipment_date": "2016-05-23",
	"billing_address": {
		"zip": "94588",
		"country": "USA",
		"address": "4910 Hopyard Rd",
		"city": "Pleasanton",
		"state": "CA",
		"fax": "Fax Number"
	},
	"line_items": [
		{
			"bcy_rate": 12000,
			"line_item_id": "7605000000295011",
			"quantity": 1,
			"item_id": "7605000000259147",
			"tax_name": "",
			"description": "",
			"discount": 0,
			"item_total": 12000,
			"item_custom_fields": [
			],
			"tax_id": "",
			"is_invoiced": true,
			"item_order": 0,
			"tags": [
			],
			"stock_on_hand": "",
			"unit": "",
			"rate": 12000,
			"tax_type": "tax",
			"name": "Moto",
			"tax_percentage": 0
		}
	],
	"currency_code": "INR",
	"total": "10820.0",
	"delivery_method_id": "7605000000461053",
	"terms": "Terms & Conditions",
	"delivery_method": "Door Delivery",
	"shipping_address": {
		"zip": "",
		"country": "",
		"address": "",
		"city": "",
		"state": "",
		"fax": ""
	},
	"exchange_rate": "1.0",
	"currency_symbol": "Rs.",
	"custom_fields": [
		{
			"customfield_id": "7605000000321009",
			"is_active": true,
			"show_in_all_pdf": true,
			"value_formatted": "Text",
			"data_type": "string",
			"index": 1,
			"label": "Text",
			"show_on_pdf": true,
			"value": "Text"
		}
	],
	"quote_id": "7605000000405047",
	"reference_number": "Reference",
	"salesperson_name": "Arun",
	"salesperson_id": "7605000000135003",
	"shipping_charge": "10.0",
	"salesorder_number": "SO-00002",
	"sub_total": "12000.0",
	"zcrm_potential_name": "",
	"adjustment": "10.0",
	"customer_name": "Arun",
	"customer_id": "7605000000101007",
	"currency_id": "7605000000000099",
	"status": "invoiced"
}
```

##### Purchase Order

The purchase order map supports the following fields:

Key Fields

Description

date

Date of the purchase order

delivery\_address

Delivery address

tax\_total

Total tax amount in the purchase order

delivery\_org\_address\_id

ID of delivery org address

purchaseorder\_id

Purchase order ID

expected\_delivery\_date

Expected delivery date

billing\_address

Billing address of purchase order

line\_items

Line items in the purchase order

currency\_code

Currency code

total

Total of the purchase order

delivery\_customer\_id

Delivery customer ID

exchange\_rate

Exchange rate involved in the purchase order

currency\_symbol

Currency symbol

custom\_fields

Purchase order custom fields

ship\_via\_id

ID of mode of shipping

vendor\_name

Name of the vendor

reference\_number

Reference number of your purchase order

purchaseorder\_number

Purchase order number

delivery\_date

Delivery date

vendor\_id

Vendor ID

sub\_total

Sub-total of the purchase order

ship\_via

Means of shipping

attention

Attention

crm\_owner\_id

ID of Zoho CRM owner

currency\_id

Currency ID

status

Status

**Sample map:**

```
{
	"date": "2016-07-11",
	"delivery_address": {
		"zip": "94588",
		"country": "USA",
		"address": "4910 Hopyard Rd",
		"city": "Pleasanton",
		"state": "CA",
		"fax": "Fax Number"
	},
	"tax_total": "0.0",
	"delivery_org_address_id": "7605000000054013",
	"purchaseorder_id": "7605000000378500",
	"expected_delivery_date": "",
	"billing_address": {
		"zip": "94588",
		"country": "USA",
		"address": "4910 Hopyard Rd",
		"city": "Pleasanton",
		"state": "CA",
		"fax": "Fax Number"
	},
	"line_items": [
		{
			"bcy_rate": 1000,
			"line_item_id": "7605000000378504",
			"quantity": 1,
			"item_id": "7605000000298021",
			"tax_name": "",
			"description": "",
			"item_total": 1000,
			"tax_id": "",
			"item_order": 0,
			"tags": [

			],
			"unit": "No",
			"account_id": "7605000000000403",
			"rate": 1000,
			"tax_type": "tax",
			"account_name": "Advertising And Marketing",
			"name": "Moto G Turbo Edition",
			"tax_percentage": 0
		}
	],
	"currency_code": "INR",
	"total": "1000.0",
	"delivery_customer_id": "",
	"exchange_rate": "1.0",
	"currency_symbol": "Rs.",
	"custom_fields": "[]",
	"ship_via_id": "7605000000461053",
	"vendor_name": "Mr. Vendor",
	"reference_number": "Reference",
	"purchaseorder_number": "PO-00006",
	"delivery_date": "2016-07-11",
	"vendor_id": "7605000000112009",
	"sub_total": "1000.0",
	"ship_via": "Door Delivery",
	"attention": "Arun",
	"crm_owner_id": "",
	"currency_id": "7605000000000099",
	"status": "billed"
}
```

##### Customer

The customer map supports the following fields:

Key Fields

Description

owner\_id

ID of associated owner

billing\_address

Billing address associated to customer

source

Source of the customer

contact\_id

Contact ID

payment\_terms

Payments terms associated to customer

currency\_code

Currency code

language\_code

Language code

contact\_type

Type of the contact

twitter

Twitter info

zcrm\_contact\_id

ID of the contact in Zoho CRM

shipping\_address

Shipping address associated to customer

pricebook\_id

ID of pricebook associated

contact\_name

Name of contact

website

Website of contact

owner\_name

Name of contact owner

currency\_symbol

Currency symbol

zcrm\_account\_id

ID of Zoho CRM account

custom\_fields

Custom fields associated with customer

facebook

Facebook info

pricebook\_name

Name of pricebook associated

primary\_contact\_id

ID of primary contact

company\_name

Name of the company

contact\_salutation

Contact salutation

crm\_owner\_id

ID of CRM owner

currency\_id

Currency ID

payment\_terms\_label

Payment terms label

status

Status

**Sample map:**

```
{
	"owner_id": "",
	"shipping_address": {
		"zip": "94588",
		"country": "USA",
		"address": "4910 Hopyard Rd",
		"city": "Pleasanton",
		"state": "CA",
		"fax": "Fax Number"
	},
	"source": "user",
	"contact_id": "7605000000197147",
	"payment_terms": "0",
	"currency_code": "INR",
	"language_code": "en",
	"contact_type": "customer",
	"twitter": "",
	"zcrm_contact_id": "",
	"billing_address": {
		"zip": "94588",
		"country": "USA",
		"address": "4910 Hopyard Rd",
		"city": "Pleasanton",
		"state": "CA",
		"fax": "Fax Number"
	},
	"pricebook_id": "",
	"contact_name": "Arun",
	"website": "www.zoho.com",
	"owner_name": "",
	"currency_symbol": "Rs.",
	"zcrm_account_id": "418070000000135001",
	"custom_fields": [
		{
			"customfield_id": "7605000000063049",
			"is_active": true,
			"show_in_all_pdf": false,
			"value_formatted": "1234",
			"data_type": "number",
			"index": 1,
			"label": "Unpaid Invoices",
			"show_on_pdf": false,
			"value": "1234"
		}
	],
	"facebook": "",
	"pricebook_name": "",
	"primary_contact_id": "7605000000197149",
	"company_name": "Zoho",
	"contact_salutation": "",
	"crm_owner_id": "",
	"currency_id": "7605000000000099",
	"payment_terms_label": "Due on Receipt",
	"status": "active"
}
```

##### Recurring Invoice

The recurring invoice map supports the following fields:

Key Fields

Description

end\_date

End date of the recurring invoice profile

tax\_total

Total tax amount in the recurring invoice

discount\_amount

Discount amount involved in the recurring invoice

repeat\_every

Repetition period of recurring invoice profile

discount

Discount involved in the recurring invoice

taxes

Taxes associated with the recurring invoice

billing\_address

Billing address of the customer

line\_items

Line items in the recurring invoice

payment\_terms

Payments terms associated to customer

currency\_code

Currency code

last\_sent\_date

Date of the last sent invoice

total

Total amount

recurrence\_name

Name of the recurring invoice profile

shipping\_address

Shipping address of the customer

next\_invoice\_date

Date of the next invoice to be sent

recurrence\_frequency

Frequency of the recurring invoice profile

recurring\_invoice\_id

ID of the recurring invoice profile

contact\_persons

Contact persons involved in recurring invoice

start\_date

Starting date of the recurring invoice profile

exchange\_rate

Exchange rate involved in the recurring invoice

currency\_symbol

Currency symbol

custom\_fields

Recurring invoice custom fields

salesperson\_name

Name of the sales person involved

salesperson\_id

ID of the sales person involved

shipping\_charge

Shipping charge entered in the recurring invoice

sub\_total

Sub-total of the recurring invoice

adjustment

Adjustments made

customer\_name

Name of the customer involved

customer\_id

ID of the customer involved

status

Status of the recurring invoice profile

**Sample map:**

```

{
	"end_date": "2016-10-15",
	"tax_total": "0.0",
	"discount_amount": "1.0",
	"repeat_every": "2",
	"discount": "1.00%",
	"taxes": "[]",
	"billing_address": {"zip":"","fax":"","address":"","state":"","country":"","city":""},
	"line_items": [{"tags":[],"tax_name":"","tax_type":"tax","item_custom_fields":[],"product_type":"service","line_item_id":"348960000000103013","discount":0,"unit":"","item_order":0,"rate":100,"item_id":"","description":"%(d)%-%(m-2)%-%(y)%","name":"","quantity":1,"tax_id":"","tax_percentage":0,"item_total":100}],
	"payment_terms": "0",
	"currency_code": "GBP",
	"last_sent_date": "",
	"total": "200.0",
	"recurrence_name": "1",
	"shipping_address": {"zip":"","fax":"","address":"","state":"","country":"","city":""},
	"next_invoice_date": "",
	"recurrence_frequency": "months",
	"recurring_invoice_id": "348960000000103005",
	"contact_persons": "[]",
	"start_date": "2016-01-07",
	"exchange_rate": "1.0",
	"currency_symbol": "£",
	"custom_fields": [{"value_formatted":"EST-001","index":1,"is_active":true,"data_type":"string","show_on_pdf":false,"value":"EST-001","show_in_all_pdf":false,"label":"Quote Number","customfield_id":"348960000000056001"},{"value_formatted":"15 Oct 2016","index":2,"is_active":true,"data_type":"date","show_on_pdf":false,"value":"2016-10-15","show_in_all_pdf":false,"label":"Date","customfield_id":"348960000000056003"},{"value_formatted":"true","index":3,"is_active":true,"data_type":"check_box","show_on_pdf":false,"value":true,"show_in_all_pdf":false,"label":"Invoice Factoring","customfield_id":"348960000000056079"},{"value_formatted":"£100.00","index":4,"is_active":true,"data_type":"amount","show_on_pdf":true,"value":100,"show_in_all_pdf":true,"label":"Amount","customfield_id":"348960000000060003"},{"value_formatted":"10%","index":5,"is_active":true,"data_type":"percent","show_on_pdf":true,"value":10,"show_in_all_pdf":true,"label":"Percentage","customfield_id":"348960000000060005"}],
	"salesperson_name": "Arun N",
	"salesperson_id": "348960000000111001",
	"shipping_charge": "100.0",
	"sub_total": "100.0",
	"adjustment": "1.0",
	"customer_name": "iArun",
	"customer_id": "348960000000051041",
	"status": "expired"
}
```

##### Expense

The expense map supports the following fields:

Key Fields

Description

date

Date

payment\_mode

Mode of payment

custom\_fields

Expense custom fields

vendor\_name

Name of the vendor involved

is\_billable

Billability of the expense

line\_items

Line items in the expense

project\_name

Name of the project involved

reference\_number

Reference number of the expense

currency\_code

Currency code

total

Total

project\_id

ID of the project involved

vendor\_id

ID of the vendor involved

sub\_total

Sub-total on the expense

customer\_name

Name if the customer involved

customer\_id

ID of the customer involved

expense\_id

Expense ID

currency\_id

Currency ID

**Sample map:**

```
{
	"date": "2016-10-08",
	"payment_mode": "Cash",
	"custom_fields": "[]",
	"vendor_name": "Vendor",
	"is_billable": "true",
	"line_items": [{"tags":[],"tax_name":"Standard Rate","item_order":1,"tax_type":"tax","account_id":"348960000000000400","description":"Notes","tax_amount":16.67,"product_type":"goods","tax_id":"348960000000044037","line_item_id":"348960000000184015","tax_percentage":20,"item_total":83.33,"account_name":"Office Supplies"}],
	"project_name": "",
	"reference_number": "12345",
	"currency_code": "GBP",
	"total": "100.0",
	"project_id": "",
	"vendor_id": "348960000000051033",
	"sub_total": "83.33",
	"customer_name": "Accounts",
	"customer_id": "348960000000111017",
	"expense_id": "348960000000184003",
	"currency_id": "348960000000000103"
}
```

##### Bill

The bill map supports the following fields:

Key Fields

Description

date

Date on the bill

bill\_id

ID of the bill

purchaseorder\_ids

ID of the purchase order involved

tax\_total

Total tax amount in the bill

exchange\_rate

Exchange rate involved in the bill

currency\_symbol

Currency symbol

custom\_fields

Bill custom fields

due\_date

Due date of the bill

vendor\_name

Name of the vendor involved

billing\_address

Billing adress

line\_items

Line items in the bill

payment\_terms

Payments terms associated to vendor

payment\_expected\_date

Expected payment date

reference\_number

Reference number of the bill

currency\_code

Currency code

total

Total on the bill

bill\_number

Bill number

payment\_made

Payment made for the bill

balance

Balance amount

recurring\_bill\_id

ID of the recurring bill profile

vendor\_id

ID of the vendor involved

sub\_total

Sub-total on the bill

status

Bill status

**Sample map:**

```
{
	"date": "2016-10-12",
	"bill_id": "348960000000193039",
	"purchaseorder_ids": "[]",
	"tax_total": "0.0",
	"exchange_rate": "1.0",
	"currency_symbol": "£",
	"custom_fields": "[]",
	"due_date": "2016-10-15",
	"vendor_name": "Vendor",
	"billing_address": {"zip":"","fax":"","address":"","state":"","country":"","city":""},
	"line_items": [{"tags":[],"tax_name":"","project_name":"","tax_type":"tax","account_id":"348960000000000412","customer_name":"","is_billable":false,"product_type":"goods","line_item_id":"348960000000193047","invoice_number":"","sku":"","purchaseorder_item_id":"","account_name":"Credit Card Charges","unit":"1","item_order":0,"rate":33000,"bcy_rate":33000,"item_id":"348960000000087031","description":"","project_id":"","name":"refrigerator","tax_id":"","quantity":1,"invoice_id":"","tax_percentage":0,"customer_id":"","item_total":33000}],
	"payment_terms": "3",
	"payment_expected_date": "",
	"reference_number": "1",
	"currency_code": "GBP",
	"total": "33000.0",
	"bill_number": "Bill-001",
	"payment_made": "0.0",
	"balance": "33000.0",
	"recurring_bill_id": "",
	"vendor_id": "348960000000051033",
	"sub_total": "33000.0",
	"status": "open"
}
```

##### Recurring Bill

The recurring bill map supports the following fields:

Key Fields

Description

end\_date

End date of the recurring bill profile

tax\_total

Total tax amount in the recurring bill

exchange\_rate

Exchange rate involved in the recurring bill

custom\_fields

Recurring bill custom fields

repeat\_every

Repetition period of recurring bill profile

taxes

Taxes involved in the recurring bill

vendor\_name

Name of the vendor involved

line\_items

Line items in the recurring bill

payment\_terms

Payments terms associated to vendor

currency\_code

Currency code

last\_sent\_date

Date of the last sent bill

total

Recurring bill total

next\_bill\_date

Date of the next bill

recurring\_bill\_id

ID of the recurring bill

recurrence\_name

Name of the recurring bill profile

vendor\_id

ID of the vendor involved

sub\_total

Sub-total on the recurring bill

recurrence\_frequency

Frequency of the recurring invoice profile

payment\_terms\_label

Payment terms label

status

Status of the recurring bill profile

start\_date

Starting date of the recurring bill profile

**Sample map:**

```
{
	"end_date": "2016-10-15",
	"tax_total": "0.0",
	"exchange_rate": "1.0",
	"custom_fields": "[]",
	"repeat_every": "1",
	"taxes": "[]",
	"vendor_name": "Vendor",
	"line_items": [{"tags":[],"tax_name":"","account_id":"348960000000000403","tax_type":"tax","product_type":"goods","line_item_id":"348960000000193067","account_name":"Advertising And Marketing","unit":"","item_order":0,"rate":900,"bcy_rate":900,"item_id":"348960000000051011","description":"","name":"Item","quantity":1,"tax_id":"","tax_percentage":0,"item_total":900}],
	"payment_terms": "0",
	"currency_code": "GBP",
	"last_sent_date": "2016-10-12",
	"total": "900.0",
	"next_bill_date": "",
	"recurring_bill_id": "348960000000193061",
	"recurrence_name": "RB-001",
	"vendor_id": "348960000000051033",
	"sub_total": "900.0",
	"recurrence_frequency": "weeks",
	"payment_terms_label": "Due on Receipt",
	"status": "expired",
	"start_date": "2016-10-12"
}
```

##### Item

The item map supports the following fields:

Key Fields

Description

item\_id

Item ID

custom\_fields

Item custom fields

item\_type

Type of the item

tax\_name

Name of the tax involved

purchase\_rate

Purchase rate of the item

zcrm\_product\_id

ID of the product in Zoho CRM

tax\_id

ID of the tax involved

unit

Unit of the item

account\_id

Sales account ID

purchase\_account\_name

Name of the purchase account

purchase\_account\_id

Purchase account ID

tax\_type

Type of the tax involved

rate

Sales rate of the item

account\_name

Name of the sales account involved

name

Name of the item

tax\_percentage

Percentage of tax involved

pricebook\_rate

Pricebook rate

sku

SKU of the item

status

Status of the item

**Sample map:**

```
{
	"item_id": "348960000000051011",
	"custom_fields": [{"value_formatted":"100","index":1,"is_active":true,"data_type":"decimal","show_on_pdf":true,"value":100,"show_in_all_pdf":true,"label":"Profit","customfield_id":"348960000000134003"}],
	"item_type": "sales_and_purchases",
	"tax_name": "",
	"purchase_rate": "900.0",
	"zcrm_product_id": "1665395000000205001",
	"tax_id": "",
	"unit": "1",
	"account_id": "348960000000000388",
	"purchase_account_name": "Advertising And Marketing",
	"purchase_account_id": "348960000000000403",
	"tax_type": "",
	"rate": "1000.0",
	"account_name": "Sales",
	"name": "Item",
	"tax_percentage": "0",
	"pricebook_rate": "1000.0",
	"sku": "SKU",
	"status": "active"
}
```

A few example explaining how these fields would help in fetching the necessary parameters:

**Example 1:**

To fetch quote id, use:

```
quoteid = quote.get("quote_id");
```

**Example 2:**

To fetch your organization name, use:

```
orgid = organization.get("name");
```

**Example 3:**

To fetch a user’s name and ZUID, use:

```
username = user.get("name");
zuid = user.get("zuid");
```

To know more about how to use Deluge scripts for writing custom functions, refer the [Deluge Reference Guide](https://creator.zoho.com/learndeluge/#Welcome!).

To know more about different scenarios where custom functions could be useful, refer our **[Custom Function Scenarios](/en-sg/books/help/settings/automation-scenarios.html#custom-function-scenarios)** page.

* * *

## Schedules

Zoho Books lets you create and run predefined tasks at the specified time intervals using schedules. You can create your tasks using a deluge script and schedule this task to be executed at a particular time or on a recurring basis.

**Note:** This feature is available only for certain plans of Zoho Books. Visit the [pricing page](https://www.zoho.com/books/pricing/) to check if it’s available in your current plan.

### Scenarios

Here are a few scenarios where schedules can be created to execute custom actions. However, you can create custom schedules based on your firm’s requirements.

**Scenario 1:** Peter runs a supermarket. At the end of every month, he wants to give a 10% off on the Next Purchase to customers whose total purchase for the month exceeds a certain amount, let’s say 1000. Peter creates a schedule to email this to selective customers on the last day of the month.

**Scenario 2:** Peter uses a third party application for maintaining customer and employee database internally. He would like to sync all data from Zoho Books to the other application periodically. To do so, he creates a custom schedule to sync the data at 6 pm every day.

**Scenario 3:** Peter sets a quarterly sales target for his territorial managers. Every four months, he has to send them their Profit and Loss reports and a congratulatory email when they have achieved their target or a motivating email for them to perform better. He writes a function and schedules it to be sent to his staff once every 4 months.

### Creating New Schedules

To create a custom schedule:

*   Go to **Settings** on the top right corner of the page.
*   Select **Workflow Actions** under _Automation_.
*   In the _Workflow Actions_ pane, select **Schedules**.
*   Click **\+ New Schedule** in the top right corner.

![Create New Scheduler](/books/help/images/settings/scheduler-new.png)

*   On the _New Schedule_ page:
    *   Enter a **Name** for your schedule.
    *   Set the **Frequency** and recurrence pattern for the schedule to be executed. This can be daily, weekly, monthly or yearly.

**Insight:** The recurrence pattern lets you decide when the custom schedule should be executed. You can choose to execute it on the set frequency.

*   Select how frequently the task should be executed.
    *   **Daily**: The task will be executed every day (or based on your recurrence pattern). You can choose to exclude the weekends.

![Execute Daily](/books/help/images/settings/scheduler-daily.png)

*   **Weekly**: The task will be executed once a week. Select the day of the week on which the task should be executed.

![Execute Weekly](/books/help/images/settings/scheduler-weekly.png)

*   **Monthly**: Task will be executed once a month. This can be a specific date or a day in a month. For example, you can choose to execute it on the 5th of every month or the Second Saturday of every month.

![Execute Monthly](/books/help/images/settings/scheduler-monthly.png)

*   **Yearly**: Task will be executed once a year. You can select the month and specify the date of execution or specify the day. For example, the task can be executed on the first Sunday in January or just January 5.

![Execute Yearly](/books/help/images/settings/scheduler-yearly.png)

*   Set the **Start Date and Time**.

**Warning:** The start date of a schedule cannot be more than one year from the creation date.

*   Select when the schedule should expire. It can expire after a number of executions or on a set date or not expire at all.

![Set Expiry](/books/help/images/settings/scheduler-expiry.png)

*   Drag and drop options to create a [****Deluge function****](https://www.zoho.com/deluge/help/) that will help to create your function.

**Insight:** Deluge (Data Enriched Language for the Universal Grid Environment) is an online scripting language integrated with Zoho Services. It enables you to write your own functions that lets you modify the application to suit your needs, incrementally, making it more powerful and robust.

*   Click **Save** or **Save and Execute** to run it.

![Save Scheduler](/books/help/images/settings/scheduler-save.png)

**Insight:** You can create a maximum of 10 custom schedules.

### Sample Function

Here’s a sample function for [Scenario 1](/en-sg/books/help/settings/automation.html#scenario):

```
organizationID = organization.get("organization_id");
name = organization.get("name");
orgEmail = organization.get("email");
salesResponse = invokeUrl
 [
 url: "https://books.zoho.com/api/v3/reports/salesbycustomer?organization_id=" + organizationID + "&from_date=" + toStartOfMonth(today).toString("YYYY-MM-dd") + "&to_date=" + eomonth(today,0).toString("YYYY-MM-dd")
 type: GET
 connection: "books_api_connection"
 ];
salesDetails = salesResponse.get("sales").toList();
for each  sales in salesDetails
{
	amount = sales.get("sales_with_tax");
	if(amount > "<ENTER AMOUNT>")
	{
		customerName = sales.get("customer_name");
    customerResponse = invokeUrl
     [
     url: "https://books.zoho.com/api/v3/contacts/" + sales.get("customer_id") + "?organization_id=" + organizationID
     type: GET
     connection: "books_api_connection"
     ];
    customerDetails = customerResponse.get("contact");
		customerEmail = customerDetails.get("email");
		sendmail
		[
			from :zoho.adminuserid
			to :customerEmail
			subject :"Thank you for shopping! Here's a 10% discount!"
			message :"<div>Dear&nbsp;" + customerName + ",<br></div><div><br></div><div>We just wanted to take a moment of our time to thank you for your continuous support.<br></div><div><br></div><div> Based on your recent purchases, we'd like to offer you a 10% off on your next purchase with us.&nbsp;<br></div><div><br></div><div>Please show this email during billing to avail this discount!<br></div><div><br></div><div>Regards,<br></div><div>" + name + "<br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div>"
		]
	}
}
```

## Workflow Scenarios

Workflows help you automate tasks in Zoho Books. [Read more](/en-sg/books/help/settings/automation-scenarios.html) to explore some common scenarios in detail.

Learn more from the [Connections](https://www.zoho.com/en-sg/books/help/settings/connections.html) help document.

Automate your business workflow with Zoho Books’ [accounting automation.](https://www.zoho.com/books/accounting-automation/)

* * *