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Overview

Deluge, or Data Enriched Language for the Universal Grid Environment, is an online scripting language integrated with Zoho services. It enables users to add logic to their applications incrementally, making it more powerful and robust. 

UI-based actions like point-and-click are limited in their scope. After a certain point, if we want something to be very complex, we need custom scripts to perform custom actions. Deluge can make that possible. For example, if you only need to collect data in an app like Zoho Creator, which is straightforward, you can do it using drag-and-drop. However, if you want to do more than that, say send an email on form submission, fetch data or update data, or any other similar action, then you would need Deluge.

Deluge is Zoho's proprietary language, and is built by Zoho. 

Is Deluge a programming language or a scripting language?

Deluge is a scripting language.

A programming language, in a nutshell, is a sequence of instructions to enable the computer to do something. It's like writing down the steps it takes to do something. These instructions are written in a programming language, and the stuff that these instructions manipulate is different types of data, like numbers or words.

A scripting language, on the other hand, is a form of programming language that is used to create scripts or bits of code. Most commonly, scripting languages are written to facilitate enhanced features of websites. For example, when you search something on Google, the results are dynamic. This is because of scripts. The Google search itself is processed on the server (or, in other words, done using a programming language) but it's enhanced with features like dynamic auto-suggest using scripts that run on the user's browser. 

When compared to programming languages, scripting languages are easy to learn and use, and do not require much programming knowledge or experience. Complex tasks can be performed in relatively few steps using scripts, unlike programming languages, which are generally lengthy. Apart from these basic differences, there are a few technical differences as well, but what makes a programming language or a scripting language has nothing to do with technicalities. A scripting language is available to the user at runtime, and allows the user to direct the behavior of the main program. And that is precisely what Deluge is, to Zoho Services.

In a programming language, you write a large number other things apart from the custom action you are trying to achieve. Basically, there are a lot of dependencies you need to work out to trigger your custom action. In a scripting language like Deluge, you simply write the script for the action that you want to achieve. This is because we have already taken care of the dependencies.

Deluge is our own scripting language, which you can use to write logic and automate actions across multiple Zoho applications.

Where can you use Deluge?

Over forty Zoho Products currently support Deluge, which are listed in the image below. When an action happens in one of these Zoho applications, it can trigger a Deluge script that does some workflow action for us.
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Generally, you'll be using Deluge to manipulate data in some way, such as creating or updating a record, or deleting a record that exists in other Zoho or external applications. You can also choose when that action happens. We have already defined all the events across Zoho applications in which you can trigger Deluge scripts. The following image displays a few sample events in which Deluge functions can be triggered.
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Unique features of Deluge Scripting

  • Automation​: Perform automated tasks, like sending automated text messages to employees when visitors arrive to meet them, or an automated email notification when your stock is running low. You can also perform calculations. For example, If the total cart value exceeds a particular amount, you can automatically apply a discount and calculate the total cost. This is one of the most common use cases.
     
  • Integration: Perform seamless integration between Zoho services, or between your Zoho service and any other third party service. For example, when a new candidate is short-listed in Zoho Recruit, data can be automatically pushed to the Zoho Calendar account of the HR representative who is going to interview the candidate. Alternatively, take the example of Zoho Bug tracker, which is a product used to track issues and bugs. All the bugs found can be pushed to Zoho Desk, which is another Zoho product to track customer tickets. This integration is not only limited to Zoho Products. Using Deluge, you can make API calls to any other applicable external service.
     
  • User-friendly Syntax: The Deluge Script syntax is easy to read and understand. The process of creating powerful application is fun, easy, and quick.
     
  • Code is Data: Deluge Script has no concrete syntax. The syntax you see is just a "skin". The actual code is stored as abstract syntax (i.e. a whole bunch of tables) in the database. In future, users will be able to generate the same code in their own favorable syntax. For example, Sam can edit the code in the standard Deluge syntax, while Lucy can edit the same code in her preferred Perl syntax.
     
  • Query Integrated Language: Deluge Script bridges the gap between the program logic written in a high-level programming language and the data that it operates upon. It brings the expressiveness of SQL closer to the core application logic. This means the query is integrated at the language levels.
  • Built-in functions: Execute pre-built functions to perform common actions with different functions available exclusively for different data-types.

Use cases of Deluge in various Zoho Services

The following table lists a few popular use cases across various Zoho services. Additionally, there are endless Deluge tasks and functions you can perform depending on your requirement.

Note: Learn about integration tasks for various Zoho services.

Zoho ServiceUse Cases
Zoho People: ‌An online Human Resource Management System to manage all your employee data from one place.
  • HR updates status of candidates in Candidates Form. Details of selected candidates are pushed to a form called Confirmation Form.
  • Details submitted in Travel Form can be used to insert records into Manage Travel Forms. For example, details of employees traveling to the US will be pushed to Manage US Travel Form.
  • Employees update travel expenses of different cities in Travel form. When the employee ends the trip, the total cost is calculated and updated in the reimbursement form, which they can use to claim the reimbursement.‌
  • Use schedulers to send reports such as attendance reports or leave reports at the end of every month to managers.
  • Trigger emails to selected candidates when the status is changed to Selected.‌
  • Update assets count update as and when assets are provided to employees.
  • Update the leave balance of employees when they apply for leave.
  • Update Available Leave at the end of every month, after adding the required number of leaves.‌
  • Integration with Zoho Recruit to push job openings.
Zoho Cliq: ‌A team communication app which enables workplace conversations and workflows in one single place.

In Zoho Cliq's developer platform, users can build low-code apps or extensions with minimal programming knowledge using Deluge (a scripting language) to centralize and bring all data right where users collaborate. 

Widgets allow you to build interactive modular interfaces directly within the Cliq app. They can display lists of data and images, enabling users to act on that data. Widgets can be pinned as primary modules on the Cliq mobile home screen. By building workflows into widgets, you can automate processes like shift and knowledge management, as well as cafeteria, parking, and visitor management for your users within Cliq.

Bots offer a conversational interface to address inquiries from your employees, clients, and field workers. They can also serve as an interface for receiving alerts and notifications from your tool.

You can quickly pull up some information or open a form using slash commands and make messages in any chat actionable using message actions powered by functions and connections that help your tool integrate with third party applications as well.

Schedulers automate various daily tasks, including retrieving your to-do list from your note-taking app and sharing it in your bot, or fetching recent marketing campaign reports and posting them in the #marketing channel.

And to top it all off, your tools are powered by databases that securely store, update, and sync your data.

  • Weekend Books : Notify the book to read for the weekend, based on reading habits and gamify it.
  • Image Converter : Convert images to a specified format.‌
  • Analytic Products (Survey Monkey, Marketo, Tableau, SAP Analytics, Ruler Analytics): Pull up reports of past surveys conducted, or create a brand new survey, right from Cliq. Funnel insights and data reports into a Cliq channel. Get your traffic sources and conversions, and track your website's leads.
  • GoToWebinar : Setup webinars, send emails, and manage attendees list from within Cliq.
  • JIRA ServiceDesk : Assign and reassign tickets, add comments on a ticket in Cliq, and update it in Jira.
  • Groove: Improve your team's performance by getting ticket updates in Cliq and resolving them.
Zoho CRM: ‌A unified platform that helps you juggle multiple business activities efficiently. It's designed to help you sell, market, analyze, manage better and collaborate with customers and employees.
  • When a record (a lead, for example) is created, tasks can be assigned to sales reps based on the user's region.
  • In appointment scenarios, trigger rules based on date-time fields. Example - Trigger notifications.
  • When product quantity falls below a certain limit, a mail can be triggered to the admin.
  • Trigger SMS reminders to people who registered for an event.
  • Configure functions that trigger according to a schedule. For example, send monthly reports on deals closed, deals lost, potentials, and more.
Zoho Billing: ‌Zoho Billing is a subscription billing platform that manages complex billing cycles, oversee customer subscriptions, automate invoicing and payment collection, manage failed payment retries and analyzes your business growth
  • Charge late fee for subscribers.
  • Send reports like lost opportunities, churned subscriptions, under risk, and about to expire trial subscriptions.
  • Schedule subscriptions to get cancelled on a particular date.
  • Prevent contact duplication with existing leads in Zoho CRM.
  • Send SMS reminders for your subscription business.
  • Cancel subscriptions on non payment after an expected payment date (date based workflow).
  • Use scripting in Approval workflows. For example, set billing date from the date of approval, instead of the date of subscription.
Zoho SalesIQ: ‌An advanced tool for tracking website visitors and providing live chat support to customers.
  • Widgets: Deluge can be used to create custom Widgets in SalesIQ. Widgets are user interfaces that display information from third-party applications related to a conversation, a Visitor, or any other app data that the user wishes to bring inside SalesIQ.
  • Plugs: Plugs can be created in SalesIQ using Deluge. Plugs are reusable custom function snippets that can be used in SalesIQ's codeless bot. These plugs provide flexibility to the user by offering access to endless functionalities and use cases, such as OTP verification, external third-party integration, custom logic implementation, and more.
  • Forms: Using Deluge, SalesIQ users can create forms that can be displayed inside widgets. These forms allow users to create, update, or manipulate customer-related data in real-time. Additionally, forms can trigger custom actions or automate workflows based on user input, making them powerful tools for customer interaction.
  • Scripting Bot: Zoho SalesIQ allows you to create automated chat interactions tailored to your business needs. You can customize responses, collect data, trigger workflows, and guide customers through predefined processes—all without human intervention.
Zoho Orchestly: ‌Orchestly is business process workflow management software that helps automate, orchestrate, and manage your business processes.
  • ‌Update your company’s website automatically with the number of open job positions after a candidate is selected in the recruitment process.
     
  • Calculate the total time spent by a user on each stage, and email a detailed summary to the client for billing.
     
  • Integrate Orchestly with a calendar application, and send interview invites to the shortlisted candidates. 
     
  • Integrate Orchestly with Jira to add a job in Orchestly for every project created in Jira.  
Zoho Survey: ‌Zoho Survey provides a user-friendly interface for creating customized surveys to help you start gathering customer feedback right away.
  • ‌Set a trigger to create a support ticket in Zoho Desk when a bad review comes in.
     
  • Send a thank you email every time a response is submitted.
  • Create a lead in Zoho CRM, if survey results indicate customer interest.
  • Update data in integrated Zoho services. For example, update Status to Interested after a customer survey is complete. Update contact details in Zoho Campaigns after a survey is complete.
Zoho Projects: ‌‌Zoho Projects is a cloud-based project management solution designed for small and midsize companies.
  • ‌‌When an issue is escalated, its project manager can be notified via an SMS, an email, or a Zoho Chat using custom functions.
     
  • When an issue's severity is updated, a relevant comment can be added to it via a custom function.
     
  • Zoho apps can be integrated with third party apps in a custom function.
Zoho Invoice: ‌Invoicing software built for small businesses and freelancers, made to help you send invoices, track the status of each invoice, automatically send payment reminders to customers, and receive payments online.e.
  • Apply a 10% discount if invoice total exceeds a certain amount.
  • Add a 5% late fee when an invoice becomes overdue.
  • Provide a discount on the next invoice if payment of current invoice is made before the due date.
  • Automatically set due date for an invoice as 10 days before the event date (that is entered via a custom field).
  • Automatically cancel an estimate if it's not accepted within 10 days from the date of creation.
  • Extend due date by 7 days if the customer pays 50% of the invoice amount on or before the initial due date.
Zoho Desk: ‌Help desk software that gives you the ability to manage your customer support activities efficiently.
  • Send an automatic reply when a ticket gets created in non-business hours.
  • Assign tickets to agents or stamp a timezone based on the ticket creation time.
  • Dynamically add followers to tickets based on the ticket properties.
  • Dynamically associate a ticket with an account based on the domain in email of contact.
  • Prioritize tickets based on sales probability.
  • Integrations:
  • Add a new contact or update an existing one in Zoho CRM, when a contact or a ticket is created in Zoho Desk. This way you can keep the contacts database in perfect sync between tapps. This also allows your sales team to stay abreast of the support requirements of their leads, contacts, and accounts from within the Zoho CRM account.
     
  • Add a new account or update an existing one in Zoho CRM, when an account is created or modified in Zoho Desk, or when a new ticket is created in Zoho Desk. This way you can keep the accounts database in perfect sync between the apps.
     
  • Push tasks from Desk to Projects.
Zoho Bug Tracker: ‌An online bug tracker and issue tracking software that helps you track and fix bugs efficiently.
  • ‌When a bug is escalated, its project manager can be notified via an SMS, email, or Zoho Chat using custom functions.
    When a bug's severity is updated, a relevant comment can be added to the bug via a custom function.
  • Trigger email to a non-project user when a bug is closed. (Bugs submitted by external users via Web to Bug form reporter emails are stored in a custom field). Custom function can be used to retrieve specified field value and place it as the To address in an email when bug is closed.
  • Send reports on the timeline of bug status changes (on hold, ready to ship, etc.). Custom function can be used to get the current time when specified status change occurs, and store it in a custom date field. Later on those, date fields can be used in the report.
  • Bugs information to be pushed to Analytics Database, in which some fields are configured with limits (bug title to not exceed 100 characters). In such cases, custom functions can be used to retrieve bug details and do the required processing (truncate bug title to 100 characters, in this case) and push them to Analytics database via web hooks.
Zoho Mail: ‌A collaborative business communication platform that is a blend of the classic email and modern collaborative tools such as comments, likes, and sharing.
  • ‌Create a lead in Zoho CRM if the TO address is the sales mail ID.
  • Fetch email content and post it in a chat, channel, or bot of Zoho Cliq.‌
  • Automatically send a reply to an email based on its subject using sendmail task.
  • Filter mail based on DELIVEREDTO.
  • Set tags. If the mail subject is "Build update", set tag as Notification.
  • Move emails to a folder.
  • Create a new folder.
Zoho Books: ‌A cloud-based smart accounting software which takes care of all your accounting needs.
  • Convert a sales order to invoice\
  • Record payment automatically on an invoice.
  • Automatically mark a draft invoice as sent.‌
  • Apply discount if a sales order exceeds a certain limit
  • Charge an invoice when it is created from a recurring invoice.
  • Extend the due date of the invoice if they pay 50% before due date.
  • Add a 10% late fee when an invoice becomes overdue.
  • Bring contact level custom field values to transactions.
Zoho Inventory: ‌‌An online cloud-based application to meet all your order management needs.
  • ‌Create package and shipment records for offline sales orders.
     
  • Convert a sales order to invoice.
  • ‌Send mail to vendors whenever you receive goods, or regarding the remaining goods you are yet to receive.
  • Notify team through Cliq channel whenever a sales order is created.‌
  • Calculate total item weight for sales orders.
  • Apply a preset credit card charge to a sales order.
  • Apply discounts to sales orders based on various factors.
Zoho Sheet: ‌‌An application that can be used to create, edit, and share spreadsheets online.
  • ‌Find simple interest based on the values recorded in the spreadsheet.
     
  • Populate the spreadsheet with the lead data fetched from Zoho CRM based on email address recorded in a cell.
     
  • Fetch and populate task lists from Zoho projects, and apply conditional formatting to highlight the cells that have the value 'High' in priority column. 
Zoho Recruit: ‌‌An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and recruitment software built to manage recruiting processes across staffing agencies and corporate companies in an efficient manner.
  • Periodically send notifications about idle candidates or job openings.
  • Send notifications to all candidates regarding the interview on the next day.
  • Screen resumes based on custom criteria. For example, automatically categorize the candidates as unqualified if phone number or email field is left empty, or categorize the candidates as rejected if the skill set field is left empty.
Zoho Connect: ‌Zoho Connect is a team collaboration application that allows you to keep your workplace communication organized.
  • Notify in Cliq or Slack whenever an event is created.‌
  • Format the data that needs to posted into the format specified by Zoho Connect.
  • Whenever a post is made from Trello, for example, a new task can be created in both Zoho Connect and Zoho Projects.
Zoho Flow: ‌Zoho Flow is an integration platform that connects cloud applications. It helps you set up workflows to automate information exchange among the apps you use.
  • Fetch a deal with multiple items from Zoho CRM and calculate estimate.
  • Get purchase order from Zoho books and create tasks in Zoho Project.
  • Fetch all the tasks from one of the previous task list from Zoho Projects and create a new task.

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