WHAT IS IT?

Zoho Creator is an online platform that allows you to build custom

applications for any business need, all by yourself.
Zoho Creator ofers an easy-to-use interface that lets you put
together - just the application you need. To make it work the way
you want, you just need to drag and drop the required elements,
specify what tasks the modules should per form, and when. Te
intuitive drag-&-drop interface is a boon to all those without any
prior experience in app-building. In addition to all this, workfow
and business rules too can be specifed in the same drag-&-drop
way. Tis customized workfow adds great deal of automation to
your custom application, making it ideal for all your business needs.
WHO IS IT FOR?
Everyone. Seriously. Who wouldnt want a way to automate
their tasks with custom applications? Regardless of the
role you play in your organization, from the front-ofce to
CEO, you can simplify your work with custom applications
that automate monotonous processes. Zoho Creator has
something for everyone.
WHY?
Accessible - whenever and wherever you need it
Afordable - for small businesses and even bootstrappers
Collaborative - as it is all online
Customizable - to suit your need
Easy - as you need no technical expertise
Efcient - in automating tasks
Empowering - you to build applications yourself
Integrated - with Google Apps, Paypal, Zoho CRM, Zoho Invoice,
and Zoho Reports
Scalable - grows with your business
Secure - against breaches
1. No tEChNICAl ExpErtISE NEEdEd
With Zoho Creator, just about anyone can build custom applications for their
unique needs. You need neither technical expertise, nor previous experience
with programming languages.
2. drAg-drop INtErfACE
Zoho Creator demands no experience with programming languages. Not only
building forms, but also defning workfow can be done using the drag-drop
interface. Without having to depend on a developer, you can have the pride
of building custom applica tions all by yourself.
3. fAStEr dEploymENt
Unlike in conventional software applications, there is no maintenance
downtime involved. You dont have to install patches or updates manually.
We do updates so that all users are on the latest version, without experiencing
any outages. Plus, any modifcation you make to your application is resulted
instantly, real-time.
4. SCAlAblE
Youd like your business to grow. And when it does, your software application
too has to meet new demands. With Zoho Creator, you can add new modules
to expand your application as your business grows, without disrupting access
to your application.
WHY?
CONTD...
5. AffordAblE
Even for all that it ofers, Zoho Creator doesnt burn a hole in your pocket.
Plans begin at $15 per month. Depending upon your usage, you can switch
between plans as you wish, no questions asked. Our fexible pay-as-you-go
scheme ensures you pay only for the services you use. We also ofer a 10%
discount on all annual subscriptions.
formS
Form is the area into
which users enter data.
You can share it with
individuals or groups,
and even embed it on
websites for a larger
audience to enter data
into.
VIEwS
All the data entered into
the forms will be listed on
Views for analysis. You
can search for a particular
speck of data, sort them
and also apply flters to
restrict the displayed
data to a criteria.
rEportS
Graphical interpretation of
raw data helps in analyzing
information and arriving
at a conclusion. Reports
not only make your data
visually appealing to
share, but also easier to
analyze trends. Instead of
sharing the raw data which
is monotonous, you can
generate and share reports
that are easier to interpret.
workflow ANd
buSINESS rulES:
Workfow is how your collected
data should be handled and
processed. You can defne your
own workfow that are unique
to your business requirement.
It can be done easily using
the drag-drop script builder.
Tese business rules help you
automate redundant tasks,
eliminating your manual
involvement.
Creating an application is easy, whether you build it from scratch, or you already have been
using MS Excel or MS Access database.
from SCrAtCh
You can begin from a clean slate, and build your application
from the very start. Tat way, you can customize it to suit your
requirements. Drag and drop the required felds to get started
Import xlS / CSV
Just import the spreadsheet or csv fle that contains your
collected data. Views and Forms with the corresponding felds
will automatically be created on Zoho Creator. If you wish to
expand the functionality of the application, you can add more
felds and forms to it. Tis created application will also have your
data in it, ready to be viewed, fltered and sorted conveniently.
You can also add new records to it through the forms.
Import from googlE doCS
Should your fles reside on Google Docs rather than on your
computer, you can use this option to import them directly,
instead of having to download them frst. Just authenticate
yourself on Google Docs, and pick the fle you want to import
into Zoho Creator.
Import mdb
Just as the spreadsheet, you can also import a Microsoft Access
database (.mdb fle) to create an application on Zoho Creator. You
just need to run a utility that uploads your MS Access database,
and creates an application out of it. Te forms containing the
corresponding felds will be created automatically, and will
include the data already present on the MS Access database. Tis
application can be altered and expanded with newer modules.
Zoho Creator is incredibly
ambitious. If there was ever a poster
child for the Web 2.0 world, this is it!
Zoho Creator supports 18 feld (data) types and 5 advanced felds. Depending upon what
your application should do, you can include felds simply by dragging and dropping them on
the builder. Specify the feld properties if needed, and you are ready to enter data into your
application.
Tere are some basic felds which are commonly used, like text, number and email address
felds. Ten there are advanced felds like the fle upload and CRM felds. Here is more about
the advanced felds:
fIEldS (AdVANCEd)
1. formulA
Formula feld automatically calculates a value based on the
input of other felds. Comes in handy on applications such as
commission calculation and other monetary applications.
2. lookup
Lookup felds are for creating a relationship between two
forms. Te lookup feld on one form can fetch the data entered
into a feld on another form.
3. Subform
Users will be able to add data into the child form just by
accessing the parent form. Te entire child form will act like a
single feld on the parent form.
4. fIlE uploAd
Tis feld allows users to attach documents and fles
supporting the data they enter into forms. Tese fles will be
listed alongside the records on your custom tab, and can be
downloaded whenever needed.
5. Zoho Crm modulES
In Zoho CRM, your data will be categorized into several modules;
Contacts, Leads, Potentials, Vendors, Users, Invoices and more.
Using the Zoho CRM feld, you can fetch data of any module from
Zoho CRM, into your custom application. Te value of a Zoho CRM
module can be one of the felds on your application.
Forms are self-contained. Tey can function alone, and need no other forms aid to collect
data. But an application is a collection of forms that are closely associated with one another.
Two felds help to establish this closeness among forms.
oNE-to-oNE
Data entered into one form might also
be used on another form. Tat is what
the look up feld achieves. A look up feld
on one form fetches data entered into a
feld that resides on another form. Tis
relationship can be achieved between
forms in the same application, or in two
diferent applications.
Single-select Lookup feld
mANy-to-mANy
If we use multi-select lookup felds on
both the forms, to lookup the list of courses
and names of students, then we have
established a many-to-many relationship.
It denotes that a course can be followed by
many students. And, a student can follow
many courses.
Multi-select lookup felds on both the forms.
Subform
When we place the ofered courses as a
single-select feld on the contact form,
and place a multi-select lookup feld on the
courses form, then we have a one-to-many
relationship between the two forms. A
student can follow only one course. A course
can be followed by multiple students.
Single-select lookup feld on one form, and a
multi-select lookup feld on another form.
oNE-to-mANy
Tis is more of a Parent-Child relationship.
One feld on a main form (Parent form) can
point to another entire sub form (Child
form). Tis one-to-many relationship is
achieved using Subform feld. Te child
form is built frst, and then the parent
form. Te subform feld is added to the
Parent form, and the Child form to be
displayed as the subform is selected. You
can choose a child form within the same
application or from another application.
bIdIrECtIoNAl lookup
One-to-many relationship can be established using two types of felds; A subform feld or
bi-directional lookup feld.
Workfow is the set of rules that you defne, based on which of your data should be managed.
You can add very unique conditions and rules that are unique to your business. Zoho Creator
supports Workfow which ranges from simple if-else scenarios to user-role based sharing and
approval modules, and these too can be inserted by dragging and dropping. Best thing about
it is that you need not be a programmer to build the right custom application for you
ACtIoNS:
You can confgure more than 40 tasks to be performed at diferent stages of your application.
For instance, When new records are submitted into a form, when a form is being loaded,
when a user enters data into a feld and so on. Two broad classifcation of these custom ac-
tions are,
on Add:
Tasks defned within this case are
executed when a user adds data into
a form. As and when they click on the
submit button, these tasks are carried
out.
on Edit:
When editing a record, tasks within case
are executed. For instance, in a travel
request form, when a user edits his
request, the approval modules can be
hidden.
on delete:
Tasks in this case are performed upon deletion of a record. Te owner of the application
might want to be notifed whenever a record is deleted by users. Ten he can confgure
an automatic email notifcation within the On Delete case.
form ACtIoNS
Any task that needs to be performed at the form level, has to be specifed within
these cases. For example, the email address feld in a form can be automatically flled
with the email address of the person accessing it. Tese scenarios are form-specifc,
and are carried out whenever an action is done on a form (Adding, editing or deleting
a record in a form.)
1. form ACtIoNS 2. fIEld ACtIoNS
typE of ACtIoNS:
fIEld ACtIoNS
Te other scenario is performing custom actions whenever an action is done on a
feld. For example, based on which of the two options he selects on a radio button,
the next feld can be displayed or remain hidden.
on user Input:
When a user enters data into a feld, it
can be analyzed and based on predefned
conditions, and the specifed custom
tasks can be carried out.
on update:
Te value of a feld can be set to any
default value, initially. And, it can be
modifed later - or updated to a new
value. When it is updated, set of tasks
defned under this case can be performed.
For example, when a travel request is
raised by an employee, the approval
status would initially be Pending. But
once the manager makes a decision, the
value is changed to either Approved or
Rejected. In either case, the value has
been updated, and the requester needs
to be notifed via an email notifcation.
CrItErIA ANd VArIAblES
Whenever you are checking a condition, you need to
defne some criteria based on which condition can be
checked. Criteria is a condition, based on which tasks
are executed. To defne a criteria, you just select the
feld whose value you want to check, specify what
value should be checked against it, and the operator
to compare the two.
For example, if you want to let users see only the data
which they have entered into the database, then the
criteria you set is:
input.Added_User == zoho.loginuser
CoNdItIoNAl StAtEmENtS
Conditional statements mostly are the if-else
statements. You defne a condition, and two sets of
tasks; one to be executed if the condition holds good,
and the other if the condition fails. Te second set of
actions is optional.
For example, you check if it is Christmas Eve today.
If it is, then you trigger a Christmas greeting to all
your contacts. If it isnt Christmas Eve, then you do
nothing. Tis condition is checked everyday, but holds
good only on one day of the year, and the email is sent
on Christmas Eve only.
hIdE/Show & ENAblE/dISAblE fIEldS
At times, some felds might have to be hidden to users. As in a questionnaire, based on the
option users pick to the gender question, you can display two diferent sets of questions.
Another instance is, approval modules, which should only be visible to managers.
To prevent users from modifying default values of a feld, it should be disabled. For example,
in an event registration form, the user should be able to see the date, but not alter it.
morE ACtIoNS...
EmAIl NotIfICAtIoN
Apps can be shared to any number of
users. To see the data entered by them, you
need not access the App every time. Stay
updated on what data is entered into the
forms, by confguring email notifcations.
Whenever a user submits data, you will
instantly receive it as a notifcation email,
in your preferred inbox. It can be sent to
multiple recipients too.
CuStom ACtIoN buttoN
When clicked on, the custom action button
performs any action that you specify. Just
like the add and delete buttons, this too is
displayed on the View. Select the records
that you want to operate on, and click on
this button.
If you want to thank customers who have
made this months payment, defne a
custom button to trigger an email. You
then select the records, and click on this
button. Te email will be sent to all those
contacts you selected.
fEtCh rECordS from oNE
form ANd dISplAy IN ANothEr
If you have multiple forms to manage your
customer contacts, their purchases and
payments, not every form needs to have
all the felds. Te contact form alone can
have the name and email address. Te other
forms can fetch data from the contact form,
and display it on their View. By this, there
will be no duplication of data in a database.
dyNAmIC pICklISt
Of two picklists, one lists categories, and
another lists subcategories. When a category
is picked, only those subcategories of that
main category should be displayed in the
second.
Te frst picklist has list of countries, and
you select U.S. Ten only those states in the
U.S. should be listed in the second picklist.
If the user cannot fnd his country or state,
he should be able to add it to the list frst, and
then select it. New values can be dynamically
added by clicking on the + button beside the
picklist.
Schedules are the automatic execution of those redundant tasks, whenever they should be,
with the set of data that it needs to be executed upon. To confgure schedules, you just need
to tell it what to do, and when to do. It will be periodically executed, without your manual
intervention.
form SChEdulES:
Form Schedules depend on the date feld
on your form. Tey are executed based
on what its value is. Te condition has a
date, which is compared with the values
of the date feld on every record of a
form. Whenever the condition is met, the
defned tasks are executed. Te same can
be executed if the form has a date-time
feld instead of the date feld.
rEport SChEdulES:
Report Schedules are based on a View of
your application. When a confgured report
schedule for a particular View is executed,
an email will be triggered to all the specifed
email addresses. Tis email will have the
reports of all the data stored in that View.
With Report schedule, no custom actions
can be defned. It is exclusive for emailing
reports.
CuStom SChEdulES:
Custom Schedules is immensely fexible and powerful,
because you can perform any validation using scripts,
on any form or view. In short, you can do anything you
would normally be able to do with the script-builder.
All user-defned actions fall under custom schedules.
Making smart decisions is the purpose of collecting data. To analyze data and predict trends,
Zoho Creator provides options to drill down as you want. By default, a View lists all the data
entered into it, in the order it was entered. Te following Data analysis options makes it
easier to order and categorize data in the desired order.
SortINg
With sort functionality, you can rearrange
data in either ascending or descending
order, by any one or multiple columns. Tat
way, you can ensure that the most relevant
data is arranged at the top of the view.
SEArChINg
Data in Zoho Creator is easily searchable.
You can search for, and fnd that tidbit of
information from an entire warehouse of
data, in no time. Search by value of any one
or multiple felds on your form, so that you
can narrow down accurately.
fIltErINg
When a View is accessed, it displays the entire
list of data in the database. Filters are used to
restrict the records displayed on the View. For
example, you can display only those records
entered between a time frame. Filters will
be automatically created for dropdown lists,
multi select felds, look-up felds and Date-
Time felds. You can create your own ones as
well.
groupINg
Grouping makes large volumes of records easily manageable. Records can be categorized
based on the value of any feld. For instance, if your records are the details of students in a
college, you could group the records based on the feld of study, so that all Science grads are
grouped together and listed consecutively. Likewise, the other streams too, making it more
organized.
rEportINg
Reports graphically display data that is otherwise-monotonous. Visually appealing data is
easier to interpret, and helps you arrive at better conclusions, faster. With Zoho Reports, you
can plot pivot charts and tables based on the data you have collected, and share the reports
with people. Reports are customizable to suit the color scheme of your websites which you
embed them on.
Forms are always private to begin with. To enable
others to enter data into your forms, youll need to
grant them access to the form. Tat is what sharing is
about. Options are, you can share it with individuals
by specifying their email addresses, or with a group
by specifying the group email alias, or make it public
so that anyone around the globe can enter data
into it. Public forms can be embedded on blogs and
websites too.

Zoho Creator ofers a range of options and access
permissions, enabling you to selectively share even
modules of an application, like a particular form or
view, instead of the entire application.
Were with you all the way!
A warehouse full of
materials to help you
get to the bottom of
Zoho Creator.
Gallery of videos that walk
you through the basics of
Zoho Creator.
Get your concerns
addressed by a team of
experts who share app-
building experiences and
expertise.
For questions on App Building , please contact:
Ruben, Community Manager.
ruben@zohocorp.com
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