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URL Manipulation in ZHERO

Master efficient URL management with ZHERO's powerful manipulation features that transform tedious manual tasks into streamlined bulk operations.

Video Tutorial​

Overview​

ZHERO enhances the standard Zscaler ZIA URL category interface with powerful manipulation capabilities that enable:

  • Smart Filtering: Find URLs by standard categories, cloud applications, or text search
  • Bulk Operations: Select, copy, move, or delete hundreds of URLs at once
  • Category Management: Move or copy URLs between categories with on-the-fly category creation
  • External Processing: Export URLs to external tools and reimport selections seamlessly
  • Safety Net: All changes queue in pending changes for review before applying

These features transform hours of manual clicking into minutes of efficient bulk operations.

Opening URL Categories​

When you open a URL category in ZHERO:

  1. Navigate to Policy → URL & Cloud App Control (but also in any other place where you can find URL categories)
  2. Click on any URL category to open the enhanced side drawer
  3. The drawer displays all URLs and keywords in the category
  4. If OneAPIs are configured, each URL shows automatic URL lookup information
ONEAPI Integration

Configure ONEAPI credentials to unlock automatic URL lookup, showing which standard Zscaler categories and cloud applications each custom URL belongs to. See the ONEAPI Setup Guide for configuration instructions.

Enhanced View Features​

The ZHERO-enhanced drawer provides:

  • URL Type Indicators: Shows category configuration (e.g., "Retaining parent category")
  • Standard Categories: Zscaler's categorization for each URL (via ONEAPI lookup)
  • Cloud Applications: Identified SaaS/cloud services
  • Policy Impact Badges: Number of policies referencing each URL
  • Related URLs: Shows wildcard patterns covering specific URLs (and vice versa)

Filtering URLs​

Search by Text​

Use the search bar to filter URLs by any text pattern:

Filter by Standard Categories​

One of ZHERO's most powerful features for optimization: filter custom URLs by their standard Zscaler categories.

Common use case: Identify redundant URLs already covered by standard category blocks.

Example workflow:

  1. Open a custom block category (e.g., "Big Block List" with 1,500 URLs)
  2. Click the filter dropdown in the url lookup column
  3. Search for categories you already block (e.g., "pornography")
  4. ZHERO shows only URLs matching that category
  5. These URLs are redundant - already blocked by your other URL filtering policy based on the category
  6. Select and delete them to clean up and optimize readability of your configuration

Real-world example: One customer with hundreds of URLs in their block category discovered:

  • 63 URLs categorized as "pornography" (already blocked)
  • 47 URLs categorized as "anonymizer" (already blocked)
  • Total of 110+ redundant URLs safely removed

Filter by Cloud Applications​

Filter URLs by recognized cloud applications:

  1. Open the Cloud Application filter
  2. Select apps like "Microsoft 365", "Salesforce", "Zoom"
  3. View all URLs belonging to that cloud service

Use case: Instead of maintaining individual URL exceptions for a cloud app, consider using Zscaler's cloud app exclusion feature for cleaner policy management.

Selecting URLs​

Select All​

Click the Select All checkbox to select every URL in the current view (respecting active filters).

Select Filtered Results​

Combine filtering with selection for powerful workflows:

  1. Apply filters (e.g., standard category = "pornography")
  2. Click Select All
  3. Only filtered URLs are selected
  4. Perform bulk operations on just those URLs

Select from Paste​

The Select from Paste feature enables external processing workflows:

How it works:

  1. Click Select from Paste button
  2. Paste a list of URLs (one per line, or comma-separated)
  3. ZHERO automatically selects only matching URLs from the current category

Workflow example:

  1. Export 1,500 URLs to clipboard
  2. Paste into Excel or text editor
  3. Perform external analysis (scripting, formulas, etc.)
  4. Identify 200 URLs to remove
  5. Copy those 200 URLs
  6. Use "Select from Paste" to select them in ZHERO
  7. Delete selected URLs in one operation

This bidirectional workflow combines ZHERO's bulk operations with the flexibility of external tools.

Bulk Operations​

Copy to Clipboard​

Export selected URLs for external analysis:

  1. Select URLs (all, filtered, or from paste)
  2. Click Copy to Clipboard
  3. Choose which columns to export
  4. Paste into Excel, text editors, scripts, or other tools

Use cases:

  • Backup before major changes
  • Share URL lists with team members
  • Perform external analysis or validation
  • Generate documentation or reports

Delete Selected URLs​

Remove multiple URLs in one operation:

  1. Select URLs using any selection method
  2. Click Delete Selected
  3. Changes queue in pending changes
  4. Review and apply when ready
Important

Deletions are queued in pending changes but not applied immediately. Always review pending changes before applying to your ZIA tenant.

Add New URLs​

Add URLs directly in the enhanced drawer:

  1. Click Add URL button
  2. Enter the URL or FQDN
  3. Click the manual Lookup button for immediate categorization data

Tip: Add multiple URLs by repeating the process. All additions queue in pending changes together.

Edit URLs​

Modify existing URLs with inline editing:

  1. Click the Edit icon next to any URL
  2. Modify the URL value
  3. Save changes

Behind the scenes: Zscaler doesn't support direct URL renaming, so ZHERO handles this by queuing both a delete (old URL) and add (new URL) operation. This abstraction makes "renaming" feel like a single operation while maintaining API compatibility.

Moving and Copying URLs​

Moving URLs Between Categories​

Reorganize URLs efficiently with ZHERO's move functionality:

Example: Split generic SSL exceptions by vendor

Starting point: One large "SSL Exclude" category with mixed vendors

Goal: Separate categories like "SSL Exclude Microsoft", "SSL Exclude Apple", etc.

Process:

  1. Open the "SSL Exclude" category
  2. Search for "microsoft" or "windows" in the search bar
  3. Select all matching URLs
  4. Click Move to Category
  5. Choose existing category or click Create New Category
  6. Enter details:
    • Name: "SSL Exclude Microsoft"
    • Description: "Microsoft services requiring SSL bypass"
    • URL Type: (select appropriate type)
  7. Choose Move (removes from source) or Copy (keeps in both)
  8. Click Apply
  9. All changes queue in pending changes

Result: URLs are removed from "SSL Exclude" and added to "SSL Exclude Microsoft" (when you apply pending changes).

Copying URLs​

Use Copy instead of Move when you want URLs to remain in both categories:

Use case: Create a subset category for specific policy requirements while maintaining the original comprehensive category.

Creating Categories On-the-Fly​

The move/copy dialog allows instant category creation:

  1. During move/copy operation, click Create New Category
  2. Specify:
    • Category Name: Descriptive name
    • Description: Purpose and scope
    • URL Type:
      • Standard (blocks/allows only this category)
      • Retaining parent category (inherits parent category behavior)
  3. ZHERO queues the category creation along with URL moves

This eliminates the need to pre-create categories before reorganization, streamlining the workflow significantly.

Pending Changes Queue​

All manipulation operations flow through ZHERO's pending changes system:

How It Works​

  1. Queue Operations: Every add, delete, move, or edit queues a change
  2. Review: Open pending changes to see all queued modifications
  3. Preview: See exactly what will change in each category
  4. Apply Selectively: Apply all changes or specific categories only
  5. Rollback: Discard pending changes before applying

Pending Changes View​

The interface shows:

  • Category Name: Which categories will be modified
  • Operations: "Add 15 URLs", "Remove 8 URLs", "Create new category"
  • Details: Specific URLs affected by each operation

Benefits​

  • Safety: Review before committing to production
  • Batching: Accumulate multiple operations before applying
  • Flexibility: Apply some changes while leaving others queued
  • Audit Trail: Clear record of what changed and when

Tips & Best Practices​

Test Filters Before Deleting​

Before deleting URLs based on filters:

  1. Apply the filter
  2. Review the filtered results carefully
  3. Verify they match your expectations
  4. If unsure, copy to clipboard and review externally
  5. Only then select and delete

Reorganization Before Deletion​

When cleaning up large categories:

  1. First, move URLs into purpose-specific categories
  2. Review the new organizational structure
  3. Only then delete truly redundant URLs

This two-step approach maintains better audit trails and makes it easier to rollback if needed.

Backup Before Bulk Operations​

For major reorganizations:

  1. Select all URLs in critical categories
  2. Copy to clipboard
  3. Save to a dated backup file
  4. Proceed with bulk operations

If something goes wrong, you have a complete backup to restore from.

Incremental Application​

Instead of applying hundreds of changes at once:

  1. Apply changes category by category
  2. Verify each application succeeded
  3. Test functionality after each batch
  4. Proceed incrementally

This approach makes troubleshooting easier if issues arise.

Coordinate with URL Export​

Use URL manipulation in combination with URL Export for maximum efficiency:

  1. Export URLs to Excel for comprehensive analysis
  2. Identify optimization opportunities in Excel
  3. Use manipulation features to implement changes
  4. Export again to verify results

See URL Export to Excel for export capabilities.

Next Steps​

  1. Configure ONEAPI for automatic URL lookup capabilities
  2. Review your custom URL categories for redundant entries
  3. Reorganize SSL exceptions by vendor or purpose
  4. Export URLs to Excel for comprehensive documentation
  5. Establish regular cleanup workflows using filtering and bulk operations