OD Help

Documentation 6 minutes read

OD Help 2.0 is a self-hosted support and knowledge workflow for Joomla 6. It uses a frontend portal for support operations, with Joomla Administrator retained for configuration, catalog management, and read-only oversight.

OD Help is a self-hosted support and knowledge management system for Joomla. It helps teams manage support requests, document solutions, and build a searchable knowledge base without relying on external services.

All data remains on your own server, making OD Help a GDPR/DSGVO-compliant alternative to third-party support platforms.

Support data is stored on your own Joomla site. Your site's configuration and data-handling practices determine GDPR/DSGVO compliance.

What's Included

Component: Frontend support portal and administrator configuration
Commons Plugin: System plugin used for licensing and shared OD functionality

OD Help 2.0 does not include separate support modules. The Forum and Staff Queue render their overview and personal-entry cards directly.

Installation

Step 1: Download the Package
Download the latest installation package from your octi Suite account or purchase confirmation.

Step 2: Install via Joomla
Navigate to System → Extensions → Install in your Joomla backend and upload the package file.

Step 3: Access the Component
After installation, use Components → OD Help for settings, products, categories, licensing, and read-only support counts. Support requests and replies are handled in the frontend Forum and Staff Queue.

Requirements

Software	Version	Notes
Joomla	6	Latest stable version recommended
PHP	8.3+	As required by Joomla 6
MySQL	8.0+	Or MariaDB 10.6+

Quick Start Guide

Step 1: Create Products
Go to Components → OD Help → Products and create at least one product. OD Help ships without predefined products, categories, or entries. Create at least one product before allowing users to submit requests.

Step 2: Configure Settings
Open Options and configure your default visibility, entries per page, and optional notification settings.

Step 3: Add a Menu Link
Create a frontend menu item pointing to the OD Help entry list so users can submit, browse, and manage support requests.

Entries are the core of OD Help. Every support request, question, issue, or documented solution is stored as an entry.

Entry Types

question: general inquiries or how-to questions
issue: bug reports or technical problems
solution: documented answers

Note: Users can submit questions and issues. Solutions can only be created by staff members.

Status Workflow

open: Unresolved entry; a requester reply means staff is expected to respond
answered: Unresolved entry whose latest visible reply is from staff; the requester is expected to respond
solved: Entry has an accepted solution and is complete
closed: Entry is closed and complete; it may also retain an accepted solution

Status transitions happen automatically where possible:

New entries start Open. A requester follow-up on an active entry returns it to Open.
A staff reply to an active entry makes it Answered; the latest visible reply determines who is expected to respond next.
Accepting a solution makes the entry complete and Solved.
Closing makes the entry Closed without clearing an accepted-solution marker. Reopening restores Solved when that marker remains, otherwise Open.

Visibility

public: everyone (including guests if guest view is enabled)
restricted: logged-in user only
private: staff only

Visibility can be configured per entry and may be adjusted by staff members depending on permissions.

Replies are displayed beneath each entry and provide the primary communication channel between customers and staff.

Users can create public replies, while staff members can create both public and internal replies.

Reply Visibility

public: Visible to everyone who has access to the entry
internal: Internal replies are never displayed in the frontend for regular users.

Marking a Solution

Staff can mark any reply as the accepted solution.

This action:

Marks the entry as solved and complete
Highlights the selected reply
Creates a direct reference between the entry and the accepted solution

The accepted-solution marker is independent of the Closed status and is cleared only when the solution is explicitly unaccepted or removed.

Delete Handling

If a solution reply is removed, OD Help automatically recalculates the entry status based on the remaining replies.

The following workflow represents a typical support process in OD Help:

Step 1: User Creates an Entry

A user submits a new question or issue through the frontend portal.

Status: open (unresolved)

Step 2: Staff Reviews the Entry

A staff member reviews the request in the Staff Queue and posts a public reply.

The latest visible reply determines who is expected to respond next. A staff reply makes the entry Answered; a later requester reply returns it to Open.

Step 3: Solution is Identified

Once the issue is resolved, a staff member can mark the most helpful reply as the accepted solution.

The entry is complete and displays Solved.

Step 4: Entry is Closed

If no further action is required, an authorized author or staff member can close the entry. Closing is independent of the accepted-solution marker: an entry with an accepted solution remains Solved as well as Closed. Reopening restores Solved when the accepted solution is still marked; only explicitly unaccepting the solution clears that marker.

Closed-only entries are complete too. Open counts all unresolved entries, Answered is the unresolved subset whose latest visible reply is from staff, and Completed includes solved, accepted-solution, and closed entries.

Internal Replies

Staff members may create internal replies that are visible only to other staff members. Internal replies do not affect the public discussion and are never visible to users.

Products and categories help organize support requests and improve navigation throughout the support system.

Products

Required: Every entry must be assigned to a product
Slug: Auto-generated from the product name and manually editable
Unpublishing a product prevents new submissions while preserving existing entries
Unpublished products remain available for existing entries but cannot receive new submissions.