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Ebla Chat

Overview

Ebla Chat is an internal real-time chat system for EspoCRM users. It enables instant communication between team members with support for text messages, file attachments, voice messages, and real-time notifications.

Note

You can access chats as a standard list view from #Dialog. Add it to your menu for quick access.

Ebla Chats List

Key Features

  • Real-Time Updates: Instant message delivery via WebSocket when enabled, with polling fallback every 15 seconds when WebSocket is disabled.
  • Stream Integration: Uses EspoCRM's native stream post system for messages, ensuring full compatibility with existing features and excellent performance.
  • Popup Notifications: Automatic desktop-style popup notifications when new messages arrive, even when you're working in other areas of EspoCRM.
  • Bell Icon Notifications: Unread message count appears in the notification bell, keeping you aware of new messages without interrupting your workflow.
  • Voice Messages: Record and send voice messages directly in the chat, also enabling voice message attachments on any record's stream.
  • File Attachments: Share files, images, and documents seamlessly within conversations.
  • Permissions & Access Control: Leverages EspoCRM's role-based permissions - users can only chat with users they have permission to see.
  • Quick Chat Access: Start a chat directly from any record detail view with assigned users via the chat button field.
  • Confirmation Dialogs: Built-in confirmation when opening chat from record detail views to prevent accidental navigation.

How It Works

Real-Time Communication

Ebla Chat supports two modes of real-time communication:

With WebSocket Enabled: - Messages appear instantly (< 1 second delivery) - Popup notifications trigger immediately - Bell badge updates in real-time - No polling required, reducing server load

With WebSocket Disabled: - Automatic polling every 15 seconds (configurable) - Popup notifications check on interval - Still provides near-real-time experience - Works reliably in all network environments

Notification System

The extension provides multiple notification types:

  1. Popup Notifications: Desktop-style alerts that appear in the bottom-right corner showing:

    • Dialog name
    • Number of unread messages
    • Click to open the conversation
    • Auto-dismiss when you open the chat

  2. Bell Icon Badge: Shows total unread message count across all dialogs

  3. In-App Indicators: Unread message badges in dialog list view

Ebla Chat Popup Notifications

Voice Messages

Record and send voice messages with a single click:

  • Click the microphone icon to start recording
  • Click stop when finished
  • Voice message appears as an audio player in the chat
  • Recipients can play messages directly in the conversation
  • Voice messages can also be attached to any record stream post

Ebla Chat Voice Messages

Permissions & Security

Chat respects all EspoCRM access control settings:

  • Users can only chat with users they have permission to view
  • Team-based access control supported
  • Admin users have full visibility
  • Portal users can participate in chats (if not disabled)

Ebla Chat Permissions

Configuration

WebSocket Setup

For optimal real-time performance, enable WebSocket in EspoCRM:

  1. Navigate to Administration → Settings
  2. Enable Use WebSocket option
  3. Configure your WebSocket server settings
  4. Clear cache and refresh the page

Notification Interval

To adjust the polling interval when WebSocket is disabled:

Edit data/config.php and add:

'popupNotificationsCheckInterval' => 15, // seconds

Default is 15 seconds.

Chat Button Field

This creates a button on detail views that opens a chat with the assigned user when clicked.

Support and Feedback

For support, feature requests, or bug reports, please contact:

Change Log