Meet the Makers: Mageshwari | Rays & Reach

Celebrating Catalyst-powered innovations and the developers behind them.

Meet the Makers is a Q&A series that shines a spotlight on the brilliant developers within our community. We aim to showcase the diverse range of innovative solutions our community members have built using Catalyst. Join us in celebrating their achievements, learning from their journeys, and exploring how they leveraged Catalyst's capabilities to bring their visions to life.

So, grab your favorite coding beverage, put on your coolest developer cap, and join us as we meet the makers who are reshaping the digital landscape with Catalyst!

Now, let's kick off our Meet the Makers interview! Today, we have the pleasure of chatting with Mageshwari from Rays & Reach, a coding maverick who has built an exceptional application using Catalyst. Let us jump right into the conversation and learn from his incredible journey.

Q 1. Alright, Mageshwari, spill the beans! Tell us, how did you stumble upon Catalyst, and why did you choose it for your project?

Mageshwari: Sure thing! First off, thanks for having me. I am a Zoho Extension Developer. Our manager pointed us to a case study on Extensions hosted with Zoho Catalyst. We discovered the magic of connecting three Zoho products simultaneously—creating a lead in Zoho CRM, a ticket in Zoho Desk, and a project in Zoho Project. The Catalyst output sealed the deal for us.

Q 2. Give us the lowdown on your project built on Catalyst. What problem were you solving?

Mageshwari: Our Catalyst project involved integrating Zoho Books with a third-party application. We wanted to post Zoho Books invoices to the third-party app using Catalyst's Advanced I/O function. We've used Datastore to maintain the posting status of multiple Zoho Books customers, and we show the reports to customer using web client hosting URL. To prevent unknown users from accessing our client page, we have developed a login form using the Authentication component. Developed Cron functions and send the email notification.

UNCLEAR ----- We have faced issue and resolved while multiple user access same catalyst function from different Zoho Books account the invoice were posting to other third-party applications.

Q 3. What role did the various Catalyst features or tools play in your development?

Mageshwari: Catalyst's diverse set of features and tools were integral to our development process. We leveraged ZCQL with Offset Value to display extensive data on web client pages and CLI Command to download Excel reports with a JSON config file structure. Additionally, we relied on console Logs to manage instances where multiple users accessed the same Catalyst function. The creation of Circuits was pivotal, allowing us to build workflows, implement various flow controls, and handle error messages. The auto-retry feature proved invaluable when dealing with failures.

Q 4. What challenges did you face, and how did Catalyst help you overcome them?

Mageshwari: Oh, it was a wild ride, but the Catalyst support team was always there to save the day. We dove into code analysis, issue identification, and modifying the code. For example, when dealing with multiple users calling the same function from Zoho Books accounts, proper variable declaration (local or global) is the key.

Q 5. Overall, how was the developer experience with Catalyst? Any standout features that wowed you?

Mageshwari: Oh, it was extraordinary. Using Catalyst truly streamlines things. The ability to invoke the Catalyst function as a RestAPI without authentication fuss is a standout feature for me. And let's not forget code deployment—it's super easy with Zoho Catalyst CLI Command, making our whole development process much smoother.

Q 6. Now, let's talk about the impact your project had on your target audience or users. Have there been any notable successes or feedback you've received?

Mageshwari: We hit the jackpot! Our users loved our first project, and the feedback kept pouring in. We've been getting requests for more features ever since, and Catalyst makes it possible for us to deliver and keep our users happy.

Q 7. How do you engage with the Catalyst community when seeking solutions and suggestions for your development challenges?

Mageshwari: I dig into the community for solutions and suggestions from the developers out there. To hunt down related questions, snag different developer suggestions, and sprinkle that goodness into our code. Also, I recently checked out the video resources, such as  Catalyst 101 for feature discussions in the community forums. Good stuff!

Q 8. When you need a breather from coding, what's your go-to break activity?

Mageshwari: My favorite ways to unwind for those precious 10–15 minutes involve listening to relaxing music and taking a short walk. It's essential to hit refresh!

Q9. Lastly, any advice for devs exploring Catalyst for their projects?

Mageshwari: Dive into the tutorials, experiment with example codes, and tackle different scenarios. Catalyst has a lot to offer, so take it one step at a time. Master each component thoroughly, and remember it’s not just about understanding the platform—so make it a practical journey with hands-on coding.

Stay tuned for our upcoming interviews, where we delve into the journeys of exceptional developers who have made their mark with Catalyst.

Note: If you're a developer and have used Catalyst to create an exceptional app, website, microservice, or solution, we'd love to feature you in our Meet the Makers series. Reach out to us and share your story of innovation and inspiration with the Catalyst community. 

Happy coding!