Zoho recently added the multi-lookup type field to Zoho CRM, which allows you to create an N to N relationship between two modules by adding just one field.
Previously, users had to use a custom module. On the surface this seems great; however, if your users prefer the Zoho mobile app, be warned that this field type is not supported in the Zoho mobile app.
A multi-lookup field in the desktop app has a lookup icon that opens a search box. In the screenshot below, a custom module, Touch Events, has a multi-lookup field called Event Participants that links to the Contacts module.
You can see the lookup icon to the right of the field. When the icon is clicked, a multi-select search box opens, where users can then select multiple contacts to connect to the record.
This same field when viewed in the Zoho mobile app presents as a text field with no option to search and link other records:
Future Zoho mobile app updates
As of this publishing, Zoho has said that supporting the multi-lookup field in the mobile app is on the roadmap, but no date has been given for when this update will occur. In the meantime, we would advise you to continue to use the ‘custom module’ method for creating this N to N relationship between modules if your users rely on the Zoho mobile app.
Using the use case above, the custom module method would be to create another custom module, called Participants, that contains two lookup fields: one into the Touch Event module and another into the Contacts module. Then, to add multiple ‘Event Participants’ to a Touch Event record, you would create multiple Participant records – one for each participant. This will work the same for both the desktop app and the Zoho mobile app.
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