How to Properly Customize the Bitrix24 Template, and what are the consequences?

The well-known Bitrix24 CRM system has swept the market and put the competitive pressure on many competitors due to its versatility, scalability, and applicability. Today, we are going to talk about the self-hosted version of the program. Let’s see how the system looks from the inside:

As you can see, everything is located conveniently; there is nothing superfluous... BUT not all customers are satisfied with this design and layout. If a service has special exigency, things can be done at a customer’s whim. In this case, a task is set before the Bitrix24 partner to change the standard CRM template to the desired type. Let’s consider the pros and cons of this operation.

There are two ways to customize the bitrix24 template:
1) Customize the template directly in /bitrix/templates/bitrix24

2) Copy the template to the /local/templates/ folder and customize it there

Now you should wipe the first option from your memory forever because it is incorrect and can do a lot of harm to a first-time developer! When the Bitrix24 system is updated, the bitrix24 template will update automatically, overwriting all the changes made to new ones.  As a result, after the update, we will end up with the standard original design.

In the second case, the customizations will not be affected by updates, since we relocated our template in the /local/ folder. Now, you can use this option to safely change everything you need, without risking losing it all.

Earlier, when the bitrix24 template was copied, various system bugs would follow immediately.  We can compare how it was and should have been:

The menu is duplicated in the CRM block

How it was:

How it should have been:

Icons disappear

How it was:

How it should have been:

The menu is duplicated, incorrect layout, and lack of projects in groups

How it was:

How it should have been:

The menu is duplicated in tasks

How it was:

How it should have been:

The “dead” “live feed,” no pun intended

How it was:

How it should have been:

The filter in the calendar

How it was:

How it should have been:

Over the years of its existence and diligent work, the Bitrix Company has fixed many bugs in the product. Now, you can safely change the template as you like.

But I take full responsibility not to recommend changing the template when you don’t really need to or otherwise you should entrust this task to professionals. Bitrix24 is dynamically developing, and every new update contains many goodies that make the system more and more perfect.

If the bitrix24 template has already undergone customization (or if it was badly customized), it is very likely to work incorrectly and not to read official updates. In this case, we recommend that you contact the specialists. The Avivi Company has a rich experience in developing and solving template problems. We will be happy to consider the bugs of your template.