Vtiger CRM Developer Newsletter

Three years ago, we launched Vtiger’s Application Platform (VTAP), a low-code automation framework, to help businesses further customize their Vtiger CRM instance. With VTAP, developers can write client-side code that runs within the user’s browser to enable client-side customization.

However, there are many scenarios where the custom code must run on the server end.

With the Server Scripts & Jobs, customers and partners can directly run custom code written in JavaScript on Vtiger servers. This feature paves the way for unlimited automation.

Here are a few examples:

Enrich your lead data by fetching information from other sources.
Periodically import data from external sources to CRM.
Adjust data in parent records according to child records or vice versa (update outstanding invoice balance in each org).
Integrate AI-powered custom analysis.

This feature triggers these server-side scripts in two ways:

Server Scripts: These are server-side scripts that execute when a certain action happens. For example, a record is saved or approved/rejected.
Server Jobs: These are server-side scripts that execute automatically at fixed intervals like hourly, daily, weekly, etc.

Use Case

Lets understand how server-side scripting works with a simple example of updating overdue invoice amounts in an Organization record.

Requirement: At any point of time, you should be able to see overdue invoice amounts of any organization.

Solution: Using Server Scripts, this can be achieved easily.

Whenever an invoice is updated (amount or status change), you trigger a script.
Using Vtiger’s REST method, you can link all invoices to the invoice’s organization in the script.
Sum the balance of each invoice.
Again, using Vtiger’s REST method, update the balance in the Organization’s field.
This will ensure that the overdue invoice amounts will always be visible in an organization record.


  async function main(record, user) {
    var orgId = record.account_id;
    try {
        var response = await vtap.macro.ws.api('GET', 'retrieve_related', {
            id: '3x'+orgId,
            relatedLabel: 'Invoice',
            relatedType: 'Invoice'
        });
        if(response && response.success) {
            var overdueAmount = 0;
            for(var index in response.result) {
                var invoice = response.result[index];
                var balance = parseFloat(invoice.balance);
                if(balance && !isNaN(balance)) {
                    overdueAmount = overdueAmount + balance;
                }
            }
            await vtap.macro.ws.revise({
                id: '3x'+orgId,
                cf_outstanding_invoice_amount: overdueAmount
            });
        }
    } catch(error) {
    }
}


  async function main(record, user) {
    var orgId = record.account_id;
    try {
        var response = await vtap.macro.ws.api('GET', 'retrieve_related', {
            id: '3x'+orgId,
            relatedLabel: 'Invoice',
            relatedType: 'Invoice'
        });
        if(response && response.success) {
            var overdueAmount = 0;
            for(var index in response.result) {
                var invoice = response.result[index];
                var balance = parseFloat(invoice.balance);
                if(balance && !isNaN(balance)) {
                    overdueAmount = overdueAmount + balance;
                }
            }
            await vtap.macro.ws.revise({
                id: '3x'+orgId,
                cf_outstanding_invoice_amount: overdueAmount
            });
        }
    } catch(error) {
    }
}

To learn more, please refer to our help documentation.

Coming Soon - Update Extension

The Update Extension!

Currently, we do not have a way of updating extensions from the Marketplace.

With the upcoming release, we will provide a core update where the user will be able to update the extensions that are published from the Add-on Publisher.

Any changes made to the extensions like workflows, API Designer, Module Designer, etc., will be updated to the customer instance.

The Update Extension!

Currently, we do not have a way of updating extensions from the Marketplace.

With the upcoming release, we will provide a core update where the user will be able to update the extensions that are published from the Add-on Publisher.

Any changes made to the extensions like workflows, API Designer, Module Designer, etc., will be updated to the customer instance.

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