ACTION_ID: zoho_crm_search_records
NAME: Zoho CRM: Search Records
CATEGORY: CRM
CREDITS: 0

Search a Zoho CRM module by email, phone, free-text word, or a
structured criteria expression. Returns the matching records and their
IDs.

PREREQUISITE: Zoho CRM account connection — the user must create it in the Floqer UI
(Connections page); an agent cannot. Without it the action fails the row with
a connection / authentication error. Confirm it exists before configuring.

1. INPUTS

select_module (dynamicDropdown, required)
  Select Module. Select the module to search in (eg: Lead, Contact,
  Account, etc)

search_type (dropdown, required)
  Search Type. Select search type
  Values:
    - { value: "email", label: "Search by Email" }
    - { value: "phone", label: "Search by Phone" }
    - { value: "word", label: "Search by Word" }
    - { value: "criteria", label: "Search by Criteria" }

search_criteria (criteriaArray, optional)
  Search Criteria. Build search criteria with field, operator and
  value

search_value (text, optional)
  Search Value. Enter search value for email/phone/word search

2. OUTPUTS

records (raw_array) — List of records matching the search criteria

record_ids (raw_array) — record ids

3. HOW TO CONFIGURE

Resolve the module first:

  POST .../options/select_module   (body: {})

Configure Action body — simple search:

{
  "inputs": {
    "select_module": "Contacts",
    "search_type": "email",
    "search_value": "{{person_work_email_waterfall_01ab.work_email}}"
  }
}

Configure Action body — criteria search:

{
  "inputs": {
    "select_module": "Accounts",
    "search_type": "criteria",
    "search_criteria": [
      { "name": "Website", "operator": "equals", "value": "{{input.company_domain}}" }
    ]
  }
}

Field-by-field:
  - search_type      `email`, `phone` and `word` read `search_value`;
                     `criteria` reads `search_criteria` instead.
  - search_value     The lookup term for the three simple search types.
  - search_criteria  A `criteriaArray` of `{name, operator, value}`
                     entries against the module's field API names.

4. KEY NOTES

- `search_type` picks which of the two value fields is read. Filling
  `search_value` while `search_type` is `criteria` silently searches
  nothing.
- Both outputs are `raw_array`. Dotted nested references do not reach
  into them — pluck with the bracket form inside a `formula`, e.g.
  `{{zoho_crm_search_records_01ab.record_ids}}?.[0]`.
- Criteria field names are Zoho API names, same rule as the upsert
  action.
- Zoho returns an empty result rather than an error when nothing
  matches; gate downstream with `run_if` on `record_ids is empty`.

5. WHERE IT FITS IN A WORKFLOW

Pattern: zoho_crm_search_records -> filter (record_ids is empty) ->
zoho_crm_upsert_record, when you want to act only on genuinely new
records.

6. WHEN TO USE

Use zoho_crm_search_records to check Zoho for an existing record, or to
pull record IDs for a downstream update.

7. WHEN NOT TO USE

Need to create or update the record
  -> action-detail/zoho_crm_upsert_record.txt

The CRM is HubSpot
  -> action-detail/hubspot_lookup_object.txt

Last updated: 2026-08-03.