Dolibarr Issue Summarization

March 23, 2025
Dolibarr users face several critical challenges including multicurrency bugs, PDF generation issues, API inconsistencies, email functionality problems, and TakePOS interface limitations. The software suffers from upgrade regressions, complicated permissions, and inadequate documentation, particularly for multi-company setups. Improving these areas would significantly enhance the platform's usability and stability for businesses.
A Breakdown of the provided Dolibarr issue data, focusing on categorization, top issues, regressions, usability, and recommendations:

**1. Issue Categorization:**

* **Bugs:** These are reports of incorrect functionality, errors, unexpected behavior, or security vulnerabilities. Common sub-categories include:

* **Multicompany issues:** Problems related to managing multiple entities within a single Dolibarr instance.
* **API issues:** Problems with the REST API, its documentation, or access control.
* **Module-specific bugs:** Errors within particular modules (e.g., Accounting, HRM, TakePOS, Email Collector, etc.)
* **Display/UI bugs:** Issues with how information is displayed to the user (e.g., truncated text, missing icons, layout problems).
* **Upgrade issues:** Problems encountered during or after upgrading Dolibarr from one version to another.
* **Permission issues:** Problems relating to user access rights and security.
* **Database related Bug**
* **Feature Requests:** Proposals for new functionality, improvements to existing features, or enhancements to the user experience.

* **API enhancements:** Requests to expand the functionality or improve the usability of the REST API.
* **UI/UX improvements:** Suggestions to make the user interface more intuitive or efficient.
* **New Module Features:** Requests to add specific features to existing modules (e.g., better reporting, more granular control).
* **Accounting**

**2. Top 5 Most Reported/Frustrating Problems:**

Based on the frequency and tone of the issues, the following problems appear most prominent:

1. **Multicurrency Issues:** Several bugs and feature requests center around multicurrency functionality, particularly in areas like payment recording, reporting, and exchange rate handling. *Problem is related to both code and feature logic*.
2. **Problems when generating pdf reports** Several issues report with long page descriptions are the most problematics with problems during the generating pdf from a template.
3. **API Inconsistencies & Gaps:** There are numerous complaints about missing API endpoints, incorrect data structures in the API, and lack of feature parity between the GUI and the API. The request are very specific and well-defined.
4. **Emailing Issues:** Authentication, spam, file attachments, or a basic mail send mechanism.
5. **TakePOS related** such terminal access, bad price and quantity issues and other UI/UX problems

**3. Major Regressions, Usability Challenges, & Confusion Points:**

* **Regressions after Upgrades:** A significant number of bug reports indicate that upgrades often introduce regressions, breaking functionality that previously worked. This points to a need for more thorough regression testing.
* **Extrafield selection and integration with other tables issues :** The integration looks like has been change on different major version.
* **Inconsistent Permission Handling:** Several reports highlight issues with user permissions, suggesting the permission system is complex and not always intuitive.
* **Lack of Documentation:** There are frequent mentions of missing or incomplete documentation, particularly for \"hidden\" settings and advanced features.
* **Multi-Company Complications:** Multi-company setups introduce complexities and inconsistencies, especially with the REST API and module-specific features.

**4. Recommended Improvements Based on Pain Areas:**

* **Focus on Multicurrency Stability:** Invest significant effort in stabilizing and improving multicurrency functionality. This should include thorough testing and addressing the specific bugs reported in the issues. Consider implementing a comprehensive suite of unit tests to cover all currency conversion and calculation scenarios.
* **Rework API Logic & Improve Documentation:** Prioritize addressing the inconsistencies and gaps in the REST API. Specifically, ensure feature parity with the GUI, use consistent data structures, and provide accurate Swagger documentation with clear examples.
* **Enhance the Testing Process:** Implement a more robust regression testing process to catch regressions before releases.
* **Improve Documentation & Onboarding:** Create clear, comprehensive documentation for all features, including \"hidden\" settings.
* **Review Module Builder for Code Quality & Consistency:** The Module Builder is generating code with inconsistencies and potential errors. Establish coding standards and update the Module Builder to enforce them. Consider update file naming and remove deprecated code from the generated modules.
* **Address User Permissions:** Simplify and clarify the user permission system. Provide more intuitive ways to grant and restrict access to specific features and data.
* Implement test plan after database scheme changed
* Translate error messages and tooltips to help understanding by a greater user base

**In Summary:**

This dataset reveals an active and engaged user base experiencing real challenges with Dolibarr. While the system offers a wide range of functionality, there's a clear need for increased focus on stability, API consistency, improved documentation, and a more intuitive user experience. By addressing these key areas, the Dolibarr project can significantly enhance its value and usability for a wider audience.

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