Contacts in CRM: Overview of Methods

A contact is a CRM object that stores data about clients—individuals. The contact card contains phone numbers, email addresses, and messenger identifiers in a special format that allows communication with the client directly through Bitrix24.

Quick navigation: all methods and events

User documentation: contacts in Bitrix24

Current API VersionCurrent API Version

A contact is one of the CRM object types, so it is managed by the universal methods crm.item.* with entityTypeId = 3. The crm.contact.* methods continue to work — retain them only in existing integrations.

Method with Discontinued Development	Replacement
crm.contact.add	crm.item.add
crm.contact.update	crm.item.update
crm.contact.get	crm.item.get
crm.contact.list	crm.item.list
crm.contact.delete	crm.item.delete
crm.contact.fields	crm.item.fields
crm.contact.details.configuration.*	crm.item.details.configuration.*

The crm.contact.company.* and crm.contact.userfield.* method groups have no replacement — they are current.

Field names differ between the two method groups: crm.contact.* accepts and returns fields in UPPER_CASE format, for example LAST_NAME, while crm.item.* uses camelCase format, for example lastName. The exact set of fields is returned by the method crm.item.fields with entityTypeId = 3.

How to Get StartedHow to Get Started

1. Retrieve the description of contact fields with the crm.contact.fields method — it returns system and custom fields with their types.
2. Create a contact with the crm.contact.add method. Fill in NAME or LAST_NAME: if both fields are empty, the method returns an error. Pass phone numbers and e-mail in the multiple fields PHONE and EMAIL — these are arrays of objects with the VALUE and VALUE_TYPE keys.
3. Link the contact to companies with the crm.contact.company.* methods if the client represents several companies.
4. Find the contacts you need with the crm.contact.list method: it accepts filter, order, and select, and returns the result in pages of 50 records.
5. Communicate with the client in the contact card — with activities crm.activity.* and timeline records crm.timeline.*.
6. Subscribe to contact events to receive notifications about changes in your application.

Relationships with Other CRM ObjectsRelationships with Other CRM Objects

Deal, lead, SPA. Any CRM object that has the standard field Client is connected to contacts. The connection is managed through groups of methods for deals, leads, and SPAs.

Company. A single contact can be linked to multiple companies. This connection is managed using the group of methods crm.contact.company.*. When you select a company in the Client field in deals or SPAs, all associated contacts are automatically pulled into the field.

Requisites. The requisites themselves are a separate object, and methods from the group crm.requisite.* and crm.address.* are used to create or modify them. They are displayed in the Requisites field of the contact card.

Contact CardContact Card

The main workspace in a contact is the General tab of its card. It consists of two parts:

• The left part contains fields with information. If the system fields are insufficient, you can create your own custom fields. They allow you to store information in various data formats: string, number, link, address, and others. The group of methods crm.contact.userfield.* is used to create, modify, retrieve, or delete custom contact fields.

• The right part contains the contact's timeline. In it, you can create, edit, filter, and delete CRM activities using the group of methods crm.activity.*, and timeline records using the group of methods crm.timeline.*.

The parameters of the contact card can be managed through the group of methods crm.contact.details.configuration.*.

WidgetsWidgets

You can embed an application into the contact card and work with it without leaving the card.

There are two embedding scenarios:

• use special embedding locations, for example, create your own tab
• create a custom field that loads the interface of your application

Overview of Methods and EventsOverview of Methods and Events

Scope: crm

Who can execute the method: depending on the method — the contact methods and the company linking methods check the access permissions for contacts, while creating, modifying, and deleting custom fields is available only to a CRM administrator. Any user can subscribe to the events

BasicBasic

CompaniesCompanies

Method	Description
crm.contact.company.add	Adds a company to the specified contact
crm.contact.company.delete	Removes a company from the specified contact
crm.contact.company.items.get	Returns the set of companies associated with the specified contact
crm.contact.company.items.set	Sets the set of companies associated with the specified contact
crm.contact.company.items.delete	Clears the set of companies associated with the specified contact
crm.contact.company.fields	Returns the description of fields for contact-company connection

Custom FieldsCustom Fields

Managing Contact CardsManaging Contact Cards

Method	Description
crm.contact.details.configuration.get	Returns the settings of the contact card
crm.contact.details.configuration.set	Sets the settings of the contact card
crm.contact.details.configuration.reset	Resets the settings of the contact card
crm.contact.details.configuration.forceCommonScopeForAll	Forcefully sets a common contact card for all users