Useful tool for exploring EspoCRM codebase

[Alexis]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to EspoCRM — just getting started — and we're planning to use it for our next project.

While diving into the code, I found a tool that could be extremely helpful for anyone working with EspoCRM:

https://x.com/cognition_labs/status/1915816544480989288

Basically, you can chat with the EspoCRM repo and get instant explanations about files, structures, logic, etc.

I just added the EspoCRM repo to DeepWiki. Here's the direct link to explore and chat with it:

http://deepwiki.com/espocrm/espocrm

I thought it could be a great resource for new developers here.
Hope it helps others as much as it’s already helping me!

Cheers,
Alexis

[item]

Hi,
Thanks for the info, very cool

Now the big question is : What think Team and Yuri ? is correct what IA respond ?

[hacxx]

Thanks for the tip.

[harrytruman]

Hi Alexis, this is very interesting. Thanks so much for sharing. It says it's powered by Devin AI, Pricing | Devin. Do you have any experience with Devin AI? It doesn't appear to have a free plan so I wonder who is paying the costs when we use this tool?

By the way, I asked it to help me understand how the stream feature works and then asked it this question:

I want to add a reply button in the stream comments, allow users to reply directly to other comments and have all the comments attached to a record displayed in a nested/ collapsable format. Would it be better to edit the existing codebase or create a separate extension?


Answer

Understanding Your Request


You want to add a reply functionality to the stream comments in EspoCRM, allowing users to:

1. Reply directly to specific comments
2. Display comments in a nested/collapsable format
3. Attach these comments to records

Looking at the codebase, I can see that EspoCRM already has some reply-like functionality in the stream panel, but it doesn't support nested comments in the way you're describing. Current Stream Implementation


The stream feature in EspoCRM is built around "Note" entities that represent different types of activities. The stream panel is implemented in client/src/views/stream/panel.js, which handles displaying and creating stream entries.

I notice that there's already a quoteReply method in the stream panel that allows quoting content: panel.js:1056-1080

This method adds quoted text to a new post but doesn't create a direct reply relationship between posts. Implementation Options

Option 1: Modify Existing Codebase


Pros:

• Direct integration with the core system
• Consistent user experience
• No need to maintain separate code

Cons:

• Changes might be overwritten during updates
• More complex to implement without breaking existing functionality
• Requires deeper understanding of the core codebase

Option 2: Create an Extension


Pros:

• Isolated from core code changes
• Easier to maintain across EspoCRM updates
• Can be distributed to others
• Follows EspoCRM's recommended approach for customizations

Cons:

• May require more hooks and integration points
• Potential performance overhead
• May need to duplicate some functionality

Recommendation


I recommend creating an extension for this feature. Here's why:

1. EspoCRM is designed with extensibility in mind, and the customization wiki page indicates that extensions are the preferred way to add significant new functionality.
2. The stream feature is a core component that touches many parts of the system. Modifying it directly could lead to issues during updates.
3. The changes you want to make would require modifications to:
   • Database schema (to track reply relationships)
   • Backend controllers and services
   • Frontend views and templates
   • UI components