01
Problem
A construction SME in the Tours area, a direct client, works with the Dolibarr ERP. The goal of the assignment: upgrading their Dolibarr.
By default, Dolibarr only attaches the main document to an email: related files and the bank details were added by hand, every time. In the calendar, times were picked to the minute and the per-user schedule was cramped.
02
Constraints
Everything goes through external modules, plugged into the extension points Dolibarr provides: the core of the software is not modified, so Dolibarr updates remain possible.
The modules are compatible with Dolibarr 16 and later versions.
03
Successive versions
V1
Six adaptations of Dolibarr
- Sending documents: when an invoice, quote or order is emailed, all related files are attached automatically, and the message lists them for the recipient (existing module, adapted).
- Bank details: the company’s bank details (RIB) are attached automatically to invoice and quote emails.
- Calendar: quarter-hour times (00, 15, 30, 45) and a clearer, Outlook-inspired display, with a roomier per-user view.
- Highlighter: a “Highlight” button with nine colours in Dolibarr’s text editor.
- Intervention PDF template for intervention reports.
- Hidden prices for technicians.
04
Support
The team was trained on these new features, and written documentation was handed over to the client.
05
Limits
- The attached bank details are a single file, the same for every email.
- Automatic attachment of related files covers invoices, quotes and orders, not other documents.
- The 15-minute step and the new calendar style change the display, not the scheduling rules.
- The highlighter only works in Dolibarr’s rich-text fields.
06
Lesson
Small gains matter: a few discreet modules that remove a repeated action from every email make software more pleasant day to day than many big features.