Learning EspoCRM and Design

**tothewine** · 01-09-2020, 04:00 PM

Great idea! It could be the first step towards a proper developer manual if undocumented things get documented.

**Maximus** · 01-10-2020, 10:08 AM

Please make a topic about the desired feature in this branch https://forum.espocrm.com/forum/feature-requests. Our developers are monitoring this branch and building the plans for the EspoCRM enhancements.

**esforim** · 01-11-2020, 03:25 PM

#sms _sms <-- I add this _sms because EspoCRM forum can't search for 3 letter words, from now on whenever it is 3 letter, I advise you to add _ prefix or suffix. Thank you.

Too long didn't read (TLDR)? See Guide part to jump straight to tutorial.

Below is just my insight and learning progress.
On the 7th of July 2020 I have finally made one success attempt, I been searching for software and guide but never though of "hey why not try youtube". Decided to try today expecting another failure I have finally made progress. The full guide can be found below, this will be my useful tool until I learn a bit more to making more seamless.

As with the current gateway, it is a pay to use feature (both for the extensions and for usage per message). This gateway system is good and useful if we send mass message or frequent message. But for general use, I rather use my PC (and in a way have my SMS logged on EspoCRM), then to type on my Android phone the message on phone, not to mention I can't use Template, and formula, etc, have to retype (until the community release a Phone App).

Anyway this solution is not by any chance perfect and it quite bare minimum, further more have a few restriction and limitation but that can slowly be solve at a later stage, a SMS system has been over 2-4 years desire feature of mine (from using an older CRM system, to using Desktop software and "mirror screen").

Enjoy with the joy and here is how I did it.

--- Guide Part (note you need WiFi/network and Android phone)
1. Watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qopwd259Aas
2. Use whichever tools needed to download the GSM Modem (SMS) App. You might also need to download the GSM Helper Tool too: https://github.com/sadiqodho/GSM-Helper-Tool
3. Install and Open the App
4. Click the big red button so it "On" and Green color.
5. Create a user (for example test 123)
6. Go on to your Desktop or PC or whichever tool you want. Refer to JSON Examples for the URL link
7. For example: http://192.168.1.100:8090/SendSMS?use...e=hello%0Atest

192.168.1.100 (is my android phone IP). Note you might want to set your phone to static IP.
username and password is what you create in step 5. I used test and 123
Phone number is the number you want to send your message to;
Message here is a bit more interesting, my first test I instantly notice, "How do I get a second line, paragraph or line break in here?" Did a quick search and the secret is to use "%0A", with this unicode(?) it will create next line, making my message look like this:
hello
test

8. Next I would create a formula with these above detail, then if I want to send a message I can just click on this special URL or copy/paste it in my web browser.

END Guide.

And that the end of the tutorial. I will post back once I learn how to integrate more (such as Reading response SMS and getting it to the EspoCRM system). Looking forward to seeing how you guys use it.

I'm planning to set up a spare android phone that is always on and available, that way I don't need to use my phone. But then I won't get message response to my mobile so need to rely on CRM or find a way to "copy/paste" message over.

--- Additional Resources and Reading:
https://sindhitutorials.com/blog/sen...-free-sms-php/

------- Formula and Template (Print2PDF)
After playing with the formula for about 30 minutes now, so many error I still make when it come to do Template. Here is the code I come up with, copy/paste it in <> code view.

Code:

<p></p><a href="http://192.168.15.7:8090/SendSMS?username=user&amp;password=111&amp;phone={{#each contacts}}{{phoneNumber}}{{/each}}&amp;message=hello%0Atest" target="_blank">http://192.168.15.7:8090/SendSMS?username=user&amp;password=111&amp;phone={{#each contacts}}{{phoneNumber}}{{/each}}&amp;message=hello%0Atest</a><p><a href="http://192.168.15.7:8090/SendSMS?username=user&amp;password=111&amp;phone={{#each contacts}}{{phoneNumber}}{{/each}}&amp;message=hello%0Atest" target="_blank">test</a></p><p>http://192.168.15.7:8090/SendSMS?username=user&amp;password=111&amp;phone={{#each contacts}}{{phoneNumber}}{{/each}}&amp;message=hello%0Atest<br></p>

And an more readable format:

http://192.168.15.7:8090/SendSMS?username=user&password=111&phone={{#each contacts}}{{phoneNumber}}{{/each}}&message=hello%0Atest

test

http://192.168.15.7:8090/SendSMS?username=user&password=111&phone={{#each contacts}}{{phoneNumber}}{{/each}}&message=hello%0Atest

To explain: for Contact I pull their primary phone using {{each contacts}}{{phoneNumber}}, for message you can change this to your message field, for demo I left it as Hello Test, you can probably change it to {{{description}}} or {{name}} and these field will get filled out.

To make it "look more pretty", I also tested if it possible to do this using URL, and it work, I change the URL to display "test" but clicking on it will open the SMS link which will send SMS to your contact.

Next I need to tweak a bit more, I like using Template because it easier to modify than Formula. I might still use formula for simple thing though.

---
My old post:
All SMS I see is through some API and website portal. Any one ever tried a 'self-hosted' solution to this issue?

Currently doing research and looking for anyone who want to learn with me.

Seem like it is possible relatively (easy?) to do, this apps died but their website is still up: https://www.codeproject.com/articles...-android-phone
Without the apps, I can't turn my phone into the "gateway". This is a start, then we need to figure out how to get EspoCRM to use an API to send those request.

**telecastg** · 01-12-2020, 08:18 PM

I used an app on my Android phone that would convert an email to a text and send it, so I set a dummy email account with Google and emailed my messages to that account which was linked to the app called TextMyMail and my phone would send the messages, the app hasn't been updated since 2018 and my new phone doesn't like it but perhaps this is another alternative.

Here's the link in case it might help. https://apkpure.com/textmymail/com.makin.textmymail

**item** · 01-12-2020, 09:20 PM

Hello,
smseagle = only sms... no call !

openvox = asterisk and basic sms (http get) .. limited 160char so if someone send a sms with longText.. you receive .. first end of text and then the begin

zycoo = no sms support

the problem is .. if someone call the number ?

in belgium, spryng.be is a sms provider with a special phoneNumber in 4char.. if you send a sms to this number, the sms recome to you

i have not teste to call it.. but i imagine that i will talk to me

and restriction in belgium :
you can't hide gsm phoneNumber with sms
you can redirect call to another phoneNumber
you can't redirect sms

Regards

**telecastg** · 01-14-2020, 06:35 PM

Just adding some options: Most usb internet keys have SMS capability in their management pages. Here I can get them used for as low as 3€. Another idea is to run commands on android phones on device or over USB cable like this: adb shell service call isms 7 i32 0 s16 "com.android.mms.service" s16 "+1234567890" s16 "null" s16 "Example\ SMS\ from\ Android\ !" s16 "null" s16 "null"

Hello tothewine I am completely ignorant about usb internet keys or Android commands but would love to learn more. Could you provide some links that I can check ?

**telecastg** · 01-15-2020, 06:06 AM

Some interesting links, the first is a youtube video showing how to use and arduino card and a gsm card to make calls and send sms https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAvZ3SSQR74 and the second is an article describing how to use javascript to control an arduino board https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/contro...ng-javascript/

It seems to me at first glance that this could be one way to integrate EspoCRM with an inexpensive SMS sending hardware solution, however this implies having a local node.js server running javascript not the browser.

**esforim** · 01-15-2020, 01:42 PM

In my country router is starting to use "SimCard" as a backup solution should the wired internet goes down, but none of the admin/dashboard setting ever have SMS capability.

**Charlotte** · 01-16-2020, 07:19 AM

Extraordinary thought! It could be the initial move towards a legitimate designer manual if undocumented things get reported.

**esforim** · 01-17-2020, 02:46 AM

This post will talk about Entity & Design

I just recently create a new "module" or "entity" using Base Plus. It just the bare basic as I couldn't find any other relevant entity that can be use.

It basically call "Voucher" or "Coupon", using the Auto-number Increment a serial key is generated for voucher so we can eventually link the voucher to a customer. The issue I'm currently facing is Bulk adding, there doesn't seem to be anyway to bulk add (pretty much module), unless the feature is quite hidden and I just don't see it.

There is the Import function hidden in Admin setting but that mean I have to use Excel or Notepad to add the entry, save the document and import it, set up the field and finally get a result.

Currently I'm using "Duplicate" but not all field get duplicated, for example the "Contact" field doesn't and I can't Mass Edit the field in either. It OK to use duplicate when it only a few voucher but once it get to a certain numbers it quite tedious.

How has everyone adding mass data? Import?

PS: My Import function also showing a 403 error like when I install extensions, this is going to be a problem.

---

Official EspoCRM Tips and Guide Tutorial

**blueprint** · 01-19-2020, 02:46 PM

Originally posted by espcrm

How has everyone adding mass data? Import?

I'm going to be investigating this area soon as we are looking at using EspoCRM to track our product serial numbering.

Often, we allocate batches of serial numbers at a time for a given product therefore we are going to need the ability to generate "X" amount of new records with a unique (auto-generated sequential) number.

As soon as I've got something in place, I'll post back.

**esforim** · 01-20-2020, 04:08 PM

This post will talk about Emails

I'm starting to use the email system. It seem quite difficult to link an email to extra Contact or Account. All email seem to automated link to one if the email matched.

More importantly is the "From Email" or which email use to be send out. Currently I'm seeing a single option, does it mean that I can't send out email from another name?

For example, I can only set it up to be send from:

info@espocrm.com

But I will also need:
example@espocrm.com
john@espocrm.com
smith@help.com <--- different domain.

This may cause an issue for me to use the build in email system. How do you guys use your email?

**esforim** · 01-21-2020, 06:02 AM

This post will talk about Formula.

I recently learnt how to use Formula, currently it is still the very basic that I'm learning, however it is my first "guide", poorly taken screenshot and I think the written version should be detail enough to follow.

Please see this thread/post: https://forum.espocrm.com/forum/deve...5043#post55043

This post will talk about Search

The Search is awesome! Recently learnt about Full-text search (see first topic) and been using it. I think Email is best to not be included in Global search because at some point all your see is email result.

Issue I'm currently having trouble is. "Filter" Global Search result. Yes I can just go into contact and search for Contact only but then I have to change my current view. Is there a search filter parameter that I'm not aware of in Global Search?

For example: contact: john smith
It should show only contact result or search only in contact.

---
Old post above;

New edited and update Post below.
----
PART 3 of Learning EspoCRM

This post is obsoleted; please see: https://github.com/o-data/EspoCRM-Le...nd-Design/wiki

**esforim** · 01-22-2020, 02:34 AM

PART 2 of Learning EspoCRM

This post is obsoleted; please see: https://github.com/o-data/EspoCRM-Le...nd-Design/wiki

Learning EspoCRM and Design

Learning EspoCRM and Design

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