Editorial

The good, the bad and the ugly about web page customization

Published on:

March 12, 2013

snom ONE allows extensive customization of web pages, emails, and device configurations, making it easy for customers to adjust content through the web interface. This feature is particularly useful for multi-tenant setups, as content can be tailored for different users based on their role. However, customization comes with challenges, especially during software upgrades. Changes made to templates, provisioning files, or translations can be overwritten by new updates, causing issues in the system. To avoid problems, users must review and adjust their customizations after each upgrade, ensuring that any unnecessary changes are removed and that everything works seamlessly.

The PBX comes with a number of built-in templates for the web pages, email and configuration of devices. In the old days, those pages were hard coded and we offered a couple of settings for minimal adjustments of the view, for example different header images.

For debugging it was very useful to get the content just out of a directory. We found that this was also very useful for installations, and have made the “html” directory accessible in the release mode.

Because file system access can be problematic especially for the embedded devices, we made the content accessible through the web interface. Now customers could make their changes right from the web browser.The next step was to make that customization dependent on the content. A web page was now being rendered in the context of the extension, the domain and the system. Depending on who is logged in, it was now possible to present different content to different users. This was very useful for multi-tenant deployments.

Along that, the translations were also made customizable. Although that file was available only on a system level, it added additional flexibility regarding customization.

So far, so good. Now to the bad and the ugly part.

The main problem is software upgrades. The web content is far from being static. Every upgrade brings changes in the content area as well. If someone made changes in a file, that file still overlays the changed content. For example, customers who spent a lot of time in customizing templates for version 5 will not be pleasantly surprised with the changes that we have made for version 5.

The other problem zone is the provisioning area. We have made numerous changes in the pnp.xml file, and also changes in other provisioning files. When manual changes were made, this could create quite a mess with the automatic provisioning. At the end of the day, nothing could be working any more in the provisioning area.

The same applies for changes in the translations. Usually upgrades introduce new texts, and those texts are not visible after an upgrade.

Because of this, when you make changes in the templates, you must double check if you still need those changes after an upgrade. Revision management tools have a “merging” function that patches the changes in; however for the PBX that is not available. Essentially you have to perform that function manually after an upgrade.

Many of the manual changes of the templates are to fix problems. When an upgrade is available, those fixes should become unnecessary and should be removed.

Anyway, there is one clear action item when upgrading: Check if you still need the changes in the templates. If not, remove them.

Derniers articles

Voir tous

The Vodia PBX On-Premise Whisper AI Deployment​

Whisper, OpenAI’s Automatic Speech Recognition system, delivers multilingual, noise-tolerant, and technical-language-ready transcription through a streamlined encoder-decoder architecture. With Vodia PBX’s integration, organizations can choose between using OpenAI’s service or hosting Whisper AI locally for complete data sovereignty and control. This on-premise option ensures that sensitive call data stays within your infrastructure while still benefiting from powerful transcription capabilities. To explore deployment options, see our Whisper AI on-premise setup documentation, review a self-hosted integration example, or follow our cloud-based call transcription guide.

March 27, 2025

Vodia Will Attend Seatrade Cruise Global 2025

Vodia is excited to attend Seatrade Cruise Global 2025, marking the event’s 40th anniversary, taking place in Miami from April 7-10. In partnership with Lufthansa Industry Solutions, Vodia will showcase the Vodia Maritime Communication Server (Vodia MCS)—a next-generation solution designed to seamlessly integrate voice, video, and messaging within cruise ship communications. Engineered for both new vessels and retrofits, the Vodia MCS enhances onboard connectivity, passenger experience, and operational efficiency, while supporting essential maritime safety and security systems. Join us at booth #3608 to discover how Vodia MCS is reshaping onboard communication in the cruise industry.

March 24, 2025

The Vodia PBX Gives Hotels a Peerless Suite of Hospitality Features

Vodia PBX delivers a comprehensive hospitality communication system that enhances guest experience and streamlines hotel operations. With support for multiple device types, seamless PMS integration, in-house call center functionality, and Microsoft Teams connectivity, hotels can optimize efficiency while maintaining high-quality service. Guests can easily access hotel services, communicate with staff, and integrate their personal devices for a seamless and convenient stay. Advanced automation, multilingual support, AI-driven call management, and building automation features further enhance functionality, making Vodia PBX a powerful, scalable solution for modern hospitality environments.

March 20, 2025