Easy Helpdesk 1.0.29 is a Joomla component package from JoomlaX that turns your site into a support desk with tickets, a knowledge base, email intake, and a frontend staff console.

Install pkg_easyhelpdesk once and you receive the administrator workspace, customer portal menu layouts, and the Task plugin for scheduled mail fetch and SLA sweeps.

What you get

• Customer portal: home dashboard, submit ticket form, My Tickets list, single ticket view, and optional knowledge base
• Staff console: work the queue from the site without opening the administrator
• Administrator desk: dashboard, tickets, departments, agents, setup screens, mail routing, reports, and in-component configuration
• Email: outbound notification templates, optional IMAP fetch from one or more mailboxes, routing rules, blocklist, and delivery log
• SLA: policies by department and priority, business hours, breach indicators, escalation, and a scheduled sweep task

Built for modern Joomla

• Joomla 5.x and Joomla 6.x
• PHP 8.1 or newer
• Native JavaScript, Web Asset Manager CSS/JS, no jQuery dependency
• English language packs included

Where to start

After installation, open Components > Easy Helpdesk > Dashboard. The first-time notice helps you install optional sample data or start with an empty desk. Then add frontend menu items for the portal, submit form, and staff console.

Joomla and PHP

• Joomla: 5.x or 6.x only
• PHP: 8.1.0 or newer (matches the component manifest)
• Database: MySQL or MariaDB with utf8 support

Mail

• Working outbound mail from Joomla (Global Configuration mail settings) for notifications, auto replies, and portal access links
• For inbound tickets: an IMAP mailbox your host can reach. The PHP imap extension is not required; Easy Helpdesk uses its own socket client

Users and permissions

• Joomla user accounts for each support agent
• At least one administrator or manager who can open Components > Easy Helpdesk

Optional

• Cloudflare Turnstile site and secret keys if you choose Turnstile instead of the built-in CAPTCHA
• A cron job or Joomla Scheduled Tasks for regular mail fetch and SLA sweeps
• Frontend menu positions in your template for portal and staff pages

Not required

• Joomla 4 (not supported by this package version)
• Third party editor plugins (inherit the Joomla default unless you pick one in Configuration)
• Separate ticket SaaS or external API accounts

Install the package

1. Download and unzip the Easy Helpdesk package from JoomlaX.
2. Log in to the Joomla administrator.
3. Open System > Install > Extensions.
4. Upload pkg_easyhelpdesk_1.0.29.zip (version number may differ on your download).
5. Wait for success messages for the component and Task - Easy Helpdesk plugin.
6. Open Components > Easy Helpdesk to confirm the dashboard loads.
7. Clear Joomla cache and your browser cache.

What the package installs

• com_easyhelpdesk component (administrator and site)
• plg_task_easyhelpdesk for scheduled mail fetch and SLA sweep routines
• Default email templates (component defaults, not live sample tickets)
• Nested administrator sidebar menu items synced on install and update

Uninstall note

Remove Easy Helpdesk Package from System > Manage > Extensions. Uninstalling the component or Task plugin alone is blocked when they belong to the package.

Updates

Updates arrive through the JoomlaX update server on the package. Install newer pkg_easyhelpdesk zip files the same way as the first install.

Use this checklist the first time you configure a live desk. Work top to bottom so customers and agents see a complete experience.

1. Open the dashboard

1. Go to Components > Easy Helpdesk > Dashboard.
2. If the desk is empty, choose Install sample data to explore, or Start with an empty desk for production.

2. Create departments

1. Open Departments.
2. Add at least one published department (for example Sales, Technical Support).
3. Set an optional department email and auto assignment mode: manual, round robin, or least open tickets.

3. Add agents

1. Open Agents.
2. Link each agent to a Joomla user and a department.
3. Flag department managers where someone should see the wider desk.

4. Review configuration

1. Open Configuration.
2. Set ticket prefix, guest access, default status and priority, mail sender details, and portal theme.
3. Confirm CAPTCHA settings on the Security tab.

5. Check email templates

1. Open Mail and routing > Email Templates.
2. Read the nine default templates. Send a test from any template edit screen.

6. Add frontend menu items

1. Open Menus and create items for Portal, Submit Ticket, My Tickets, optional Knowledge Base, and Staff console.
2. Publish each item in a visible menu.

7. Set permissions

1. Open Configuration > Permissions or Users > Groups > [group] > Component permissions.
2. Grant Work with tickets, Reply, and related actions to your agent group.

8. Enable scheduled tasks

1. Open System > Scheduled Tasks.
2. Enable Easy Helpdesk: fetch mail and Easy Helpdesk: SLA sweep on a sensible interval.

9. Test end to end

1. Submit a ticket on the site as a guest.
2. Reply from the administrator or staff console.
3. Confirm the customer email arrives and the ticket updates in My Tickets.

Everything lives under Components > Easy Helpdesk. The sidebar is nested into workspace screens and three setup groups.

Top level

• Dashboard: queue overview, workload, satisfaction, desk tools accordion, optional sample data actions
• Tickets: full ticket list with filters, batch actions, and ticket edit
• Departments: support queues with email and auto assignment
• Agents: map Joomla users to departments and manager flag
• Reports: volume, SLA breaches, ratings, aging, and per agent stats
• Configuration: all component options in left rail tabs

Ticket setup group

• Canned Replies: saved answers with optional macro side effects
• Custom Fields: extra questions on the submit form per department
• Tags: coloured labels for filtering and macros
• Types: ticket classification list shown on submit
• Statuses: custom statuses in open, pending, or closed groups
• SLA Policies: first response and resolve targets with escalation

Knowledge base group

• Knowledge Base: help articles with SEO, media, and feedback tabs
• KB Categories: category chips and landing pages on the site

Mail and routing group

• Mailboxes: multiple published IMAP mailboxes
• Email Templates: one editable template per notification event
• Mail Rules: route inbound mail by subject, from, or body
• Blocklist: block email, domain, subject, or body matches
• Mail Log: delivery success and failure history

Dashboard desk tools

The dashboard accordion repeats the setup links above plus a Workspace section for Departments, Agents, Reports, and Configuration. Each panel previews up to 10 rows.

The dashboard is your morning overview. Cards link straight into filtered ticket lists.

Queue cards

• Active: open tickets across the desk
• Awaiting reply: customer is waiting on staff
• Unassigned: no owner yet
• Assigned to me: your personal queue
• High priority: high and urgent work
• Opened today: tickets created today
• Resolved and closed: finished work

List panels

• Waiting on staff: tickets needing a reply
• Nobody assigned: unassigned open tickets
• Latest activity: recent ticket movement
• Team workload: open tickets per agent
• Departments: ticket counts per department
• Knowledge base: published articles, categories, reads, featured count (when KB is enabled)
• Satisfaction: rating summary when customers have scored tickets

Desk tools accordion

Quick links to canned replies, custom fields, tags, mail rules, mailboxes, templates, and the other setup screens without hunting the sidebar.

Sample data toolbar

• Install sample data: adds packaged demo rows without deleting yours
• Reset all data: typed RESET confirmation; optional reseed afterwards

Tickets-only mode

When the knowledge base is switched off in Configuration, the dashboard shows path cards and how-support-works steps instead of KB panels.

The ticket list is the main triage screen. Use filters to narrow the queue, then batch update or open a ticket.

Search and queue filters

• Search: subject, ticket number, or requester email
• Queue: Any, Open tickets, Awaiting reply, Unassigned, Assigned to me, High priority, SLA breached, Opened today, Spam, Trash
• Status, assignee, tag, type, priority, department: each narrows the list

Sorting and paging

• Sort by created date, last reply, subject, status, or ticket number
• Change list limit with the standard Joomla limit box

List indicators

• SLA state: due, paused, breached, or complete
• Spam flag on junk tickets
• Tags and ticket type when set

Batch toolbar actions

Select several tickets, then use the batch bar to:

• Change status, priority, department, or owner
• Assign to me
• Close selected tickets

Single ticket actions from the list

Open a row to edit the full ticket. Soft-delete moves tickets to Trash (queue filter); Restore brings them back, or Delete permanently removes them when your ACL allows.

Department scoping

Agents only see tickets in their departments. Managers and administrators see the wider desk according to permissions.

The ticket edit screen holds the conversation, requester details, assignment, SLA clocks, and advanced actions.

Conversation

• Public reply: rich text answer the customer receives when Notify customers is on and Email this reply is checked
• Private staff note: internal only, never emailed
• Canned replies: insert saved HTML and optional macro side effects
• Attachments: upload files with replies when attachments are enabled. Image files show thumbnails in the timeline with a lightbox viewer and download link (same pattern as the portal)

Ticket fields

• Status, priority, department, assignee, type, and tags
• Requester name and email (editable with Requester permission)
• Custom field answers shown on the ticket

Side panels

• Previous tickets: earlier tickets from the same email
• Activity trail: status, owner, priority, and requester changes
• Watchers: CC emails copied on public replies
• Time log: minutes and notes with running total
• SLA: first response and resolve clocks with breach state

Advanced actions

• Merge: fold this ticket into another; messages and attachments move across
• Split: lift one message into a new ticket (when Allow splitting messages is on)
• Mark spam: closes ticket and can blocklist the requester email

Checkout

Joomla checkout prevents two editors overwriting the same ticket. Save or cancel to release the lock. Read-only demo accounts can open tickets without checking them out.

Departments split your desk into teams such as Billing, Sales, or Technical Support.

Department fields

• Title and alias: name shown on forms and tickets. Aliases must be unique; saving a duplicate appends a numeric suffix
• Description: optional rich text for internal reference
• Email: optional department address
• Auto assignment: Manual (default), Round robin, or Least open tickets among agents in that department
• Published and access: control visibility on the submit form

Why departments matter

• Customers pick a department when submitting a ticket
• Agents are scoped to their department unless they are managers
• SLA policies and canned replies can target a department
• Mailboxes and mail rules can route inbound mail to a department

List tools

Search and filter by published state. Use ordering to control dropdown sequence on the submit form.

An agent is a Joomla user linked to the helpdesk. Without an agent row, a user cannot be assigned tickets even if they have permissions.

Agent fields

• Joomla user: required; pick the account that will own tickets
• Department: primary queue, or All departments for wide access
• Department manager: when Yes, the user can manage wider desk settings and lists gated to managers
• Published: unpublish to remove from assignee dropdowns without deleting the user

Permissions work together

Grant component ACL actions (Agent, Reply, Assign, and others) on the user group and create an agent record. Frontend staff console access needs both.

Auto assignment

When a department uses round robin or least open, only published agents in that department are considered.

List tools

Search and filter by published state to find agent rows quickly on larger teams.

Canned replies store polished HTML answers agents insert while replying.

Canned reply fields

• Title: label in the picker
• Body: rich text inserted into the reply editor
• Department: All departments or one department only
• Published: hide without deleting

Macro side effects

Optionally set these when the canned reply is inserted:

• Status: move ticket to a chosen status, or leave unchanged
• Priority: low, normal, high, urgent, or unchanged
• Assign to agent id: numeric agent row id (0 leaves owner unchanged)
• Add tags: comma separated tag names to apply

Where agents use them

• Administrator ticket edit reply box
• Frontend staff console ticket screen

Knowledge base shortcut

Staff can mark a ticket solved against a suggested knowledge base article so self-service wins are recorded on the ticket.

Custom fields ask extra questions on the submit form and show answers on the ticket.

Field types

• Text, Textarea, Number, Email, URL
• List (dropdown), Radio, Checkbox

Field settings

• Question: label customers see
• Name: internal identifier (optional; built from title if empty)
• Department: All departments or one department
• Options: one per line for list and radio fields
• Help text and placeholder
• Required: must be answered on submit
• Show to customer: when No, staff only field hidden from the portal ticket view
• Ordering and published state

On the ticket

Staff and customers (when visible) can edit answers where the field allows. The staff console side panel lists all answers when Show the custom field answers is enabled in Configuration.

Tags

• Title, alias, colour, ordering, published
• Filter ticket lists and staff queues by tag
• Add from canned reply macros or mail rules

Types

• Title, alias, ordering, published
• Optional dropdown on the submit form (customers can leave None)
• Filter administrator and staff lists by type

Statuses

• Code: internal key (for example open, pending, resolved)
• Title: label shown in lists and emails
• Group: Open, Pending, or Closed (controls whether the ticket counts as open work)
• Pauses SLA: when Yes, SLA clocks stop while the ticket sits in this status
• Ordering and published state

Default status on new tickets

New tickets use the Default status from Configuration General (open, pending, or waiting). Custom statuses extend what you can assign after creation.

SLA policies set first response and resolve targets. Business hours come from Configuration (see the Business hours tab).

Policy fields

• Title: name in the administrator list
• Department: All departments or one department
• Priority: Any, Low, Normal, High, or Urgent
• First response (minutes): time until the first staff reply
• Resolve (minutes): time until the ticket should be closed or resolved
• Use business hours: count only inside configured working days and hours
• Escalate priority to: optional automatic priority raise on breach
• Escalate assign to: optional Joomla user to reassign on breach
• Ordering and published state

On tickets and queues

• Indicators: SLA due, paused, breached, complete
• Staff and administrator queues include an SLA breached view

Scheduled sweep

The Task plugin SLA sweep routine flags breaches and applies escalation even when nobody is logged in.

Articles

• Title, alias, category, intro and full text, image, alt text, video URL (YouTube, Vimeo, or media file)
• Featured flag, ordering, access level
• SEO tab: meta title, description, keywords, robots
• Feedback tab: helpful yes/no counts and written notes after No votes

Categories

• Title, alias, description, ordering, published, access
• Category chips and landing meta on the frontend knowledge base layout

Frontend features (when Enable knowledge base is on)

• Search, category filter, pagination, featured articles
• Live suggestions on the submit form while typing
• Staff ticket panel article suggestions

Configuration switches (Knowledge base tab)

• Enable knowledge base (master switch for portal KB, suggestions, and staff KB panel)
• KB intro image and alt for the index page
• Show updated date, reading time, view count on articles
• Table of contents from headings, related articles, aside help blocks
• Still stuck CTA, share buttons, Was this helpful voting
• Run content plugins, JSON-LD structured data, Open Graph tags

Administrator KB screens stay available when the frontend KB is off so you can draft articles before go live.

Easy Helpdesk can create tickets and replies from email using IMAP over a plain socket (no PHP imap extension).

Multiple mailboxes (recommended)

1. Open Mail and routing > Mailboxes.
2. Create a published mailbox with host, port, encryption (none, SSL, TLS), username, password, folder (default INBOX), and department. Use Mail service presets on the edit screen to apply IMAP defaults for Gmail, Microsoft 365, Zoho, and other common hosts.
3. Set Delete after reading carefully: No marks messages read (safer while testing).
4. Repeat for each support address.

Legacy single mailbox (Configuration)

The Email fetching tab still supports one mailbox in component options:

• Read tickets from a mailbox switch
• Host, port, encryption, username, password, folder
• Department for mailed in tickets (or first published department)
• Delete messages after reading
• Cron key: call index.php?option=com_easyhelpdesk&task=mail.fetch&key=YOUR_KEY on the site without logging in. Use Generate for a random key, or leave empty to allow administrator Fetch email only.
• Mail service presets: accordion under Email fetching with one-click IMAP defaults for popular providers

Fetch runs all published mailboxes plus the configured legacy mailbox when enabled.

How replies attach to tickets

Inbound mail that quotes the ticket number in the subject lands on the existing ticket. Other messages open new tickets. Routing rules can adjust department, priority, type, tags, or mark spam.

Manual fetch

Use the Fetch email button in the administrator when testing. The report shows new tickets, replies, and skipped messages.

Each notification moment has one editable template. Unpublish a template to silence that event without affecting others.

Nine events

• ticket.created.customer: ticket opened, to requester
• ticket.created.staff: ticket opened, to staff
• ticket.reply.customer: staff reply, to requester
• ticket.reply.staff: customer reply, to staff
• ticket.status.customer: status change, to requester
• ticket.assigned.staff: assignment, to new owner
• ticket.reopened.staff: reopen, to staff
• ticket.rated.staff: rating, to staff
• portal.access.customer: passwordless My Tickets link, to requester

Template fields

• Event (one template per event; New is hidden when all events exist)
• Subject and body with placeholders
• Format: HTML or plain text
• Published switch

Common placeholders

{name}, {email}, {ticket_number}, {ticket_subject}, {ticket_url}, {staff_url}, {portal_url}, {message}, {signature}, and others listed on the template edit screen.

Global notification options (Configuration)

• Notify customers and Notify staff master switches
• HTML mail, auto reply on new tickets, from name and email
• Global CC and BCC on every notification
• Header colour, header content (text, logo, or both), header text, logo, and signature ({signature} in templates)
• Attachment download links in email via {attachments} when enabled
• Rating invite note for resolved/closed templates via {rating_invite}

Test send

Send test from the template editor uses sample ticket values including unsaved changes on screen.

Mail rules run during inbound fetch before a ticket is created or updated.

Match side

• Field: Subject, From, or Body
• Match type: Contains, Equals, Starts with, or Regex
• Match value: text to find. Contains, Equals, and Starts with accept comma separated alternatives. Regex is a single pattern.

Action side

• Set department, priority, or ticket type
• Add tags: comma separated tag names
• Mark spam: route to spam handling

Ordering

Rules run in ordering sequence. Publish or unpublish to enable or disable without deleting.

Blocklist

Block inbound or portal submissions before they create open tickets.

• Kind: Email, Domain, Subject, or Body
• Value: address, domain, or text to match
• Note: optional internal reminder

Mark spam on a ticket can add the requester email to the blocklist. Blocked submit attempts create closed tickets instead of open work.

Mail log

• Lists outbound delivery attempts with recipient, subject, event, and error text when sending fails
• Filter by status, event, and date range; delete selected rows; purge entries older than 30 days; or clear the whole log
• Use this first when customers report missing email
• Check Joomla Global Configuration mail and the From address in Configuration notifications

Reports summarise desk health over the last 30 days (label shows Last N days).

Headline metrics

• Tickets created and closed volume
• SLA breaches count
• Average rating and rating count

Open ticket age

Three cards show how long open tickets have waited:

• Under 24 hours: still fresh
• 24 to 72 hours: needs attention
• Over 72 hours: at risk of stalling

Agent workload table

• Open and closed tickets per agent
• Average rating per agent
• Average first response time in minutes

Sample data installs tickets with staggered ages so aging buckets look meaningful on demo sites.

Open Components > Easy Helpdesk > Configuration > General.

• Allow guest tickets: visitors can submit without a Joomla account
• Default status: open, pending, or waiting on new tickets
• Default priority: low, normal, high, or urgent on new tickets when not chosen on the form
• Show ticket type on submit: hide the type field on the customer form when off
• Enable attachments: master switch for uploads
• Attachments folder: relative to the site root or an absolute path (default media/com_easyhelpdesk/attachments)
• Maximum files per message: 1 to 20 when attachments are on
• Maximum attachment size in KB: per file limit
• Allowed extensions: comma list such as pdf,jpg,jpeg,png,txt,zip
• Ticket prefix: letters before the number (default EHD)
• Let customers reopen tickets: Reopen button on resolved or closed tickets
• Ask for a rating: 1 to 5 stars after resolve or close
• Allow splitting messages: staff can split a thread message into a new ticket
• Editor on the site: reply editor in staff console (inherit Joomla default or pick a plugin)
• Editor in the administrator: ticket replies, canned replies, KB, templates
• Read-only demo usernames: comma list (default demo) for try-before-buy browsing without saves

Configuration > Portal controls frontend appearance.

• Portal theme: Minimal, Classic, Soft, or Ink
• Accent colour: buttons, links, tabs; shades and contrast calculated automatically
• Corners: Theme default, Sharp, Soft, or Round
• Portal width: Full, Narrow, Normal, Wide, or Custom (CSS length such as 1120px)
• Ticket form width: Inherit portal, Full, Narrow, or Custom
• Submit form columns: one or two columns for the ticket form layout
• Offer a password sign in: alongside the always available emailed My Tickets link
• Font: Inherit template, System, Serif, or Mono
• Row height: Cosy or Compact default for portal lists
• Header style: Gradient, Flat, or Plain on portal home
• Custom CSS: scoped with .ehd-portal prefix recommended

Configuration > Staff ticket screen toggles side panels on the frontend staff ticket view.

• Show the time log: minutes logged and add form
• Show suggested articles: KB search beside the ticket (when KB enabled)
• Show the custom field answers: submit form answers
• Show previous tickets: requester history
• Show the activity trail: audit of changes
• Show watchers: CC list and add form

Ticket details, requester card, and advanced actions always stay visible.

Configuration > Knowledge base

• Enable knowledge base: portal KB layout, submit suggestions, staff KB panel
• KB intro image and alt: hero on the knowledge base index
• Show updated date, reading time, view count on article pages
• Table of contents from headings
• Related articles, Need more help aside, Still stuck CTA
• Share buttons and Was this helpful voting
• Run content plugins, JSON-LD, Open Graph

Turn off Enable knowledge base for a tickets-only portal. Administrator article screens remain for drafting.

Configuration > Notification email

• Notify customers: master switch for requester emails
• Notify staff: master switch for agent emails
• Send HTML email: styled layout plus plain text alternative
• Send an auto reply: confirmation when a ticket opens (uses ticket.created.customer template)
• From name and From address: empty inherits Global Configuration
• Copy every notification to (CC) and Blind copy (BCC): optional archive addresses
• Header colour: HTML mail band colour
• Header content: text only, logo only, or logo and text
• Header text: optional label; empty uses the site name
• Header logo and alt: media image for the band when logo or both is selected
• Signature: available as {signature} in templates
• Attachment download links in email: fills {attachments} with public file links (not MIME attachments)

Wording for each event lives under Email Templates. A note on this tab links there.

Configuration > Security protects the public submit form.

• Enable CAPTCHA on ticket submit
• Ask visitors only: skip CAPTCHA for signed in users when Yes
• CAPTCHA provider: Built-in image CAPTCHA or Cloudflare Turnstile
• Turnstile site key and secret key when using Turnstile
• CAPTCHA label, help text, reload button text for built-in CAPTCHA

Built-in CAPTCHA is session bound with a reload option. Turnstile needs valid keys from Cloudflare.

Configuration > Business hours defines the SLA clock window.

• Day starts: 24 hour time such as 09:00
• Day ends: such as 17:00
• Working days: multi select Monday through Sunday (default Mon to Fri)

SLA policies with Use business hours only count minutes inside this window on selected days. Time outside the window pauses the clock.

Set permissions under Configuration > Permissions or per user group in Joomla.

Core Joomla actions

• Admin, Options, Manage, Create, Delete, Edit, Edit state

Easy Helpdesk actions

• Work with tickets (Agent): view and reply to tickets
• Manage helpdesk (Manager): manage settings and content lists gated to managers
• Reply to a customer: send answers the requester receives
• Write a private note: internal notes only
• Change status and priority
• Assign and move tickets: owner and department changes
• Merge and split tickets
• Edit requester details: name and email corrections

Department scoping

Agents see and assign only inside their departments. Managers run the wider desk. Staff intake respects department scope.

Suggested groups

• Registered customers: portal access only via menu assignment
• Support agents: Agent, Reply, Note, Status, Assign on their group plus agent records
• Team leads: add Manager and Merge where needed

Create menu items under Menus > [Your menu] > New. Choose Easy Helpdesk as the menu item type.

Available layouts

• Portal: support home with stats, popular articles, notification bell, and CTAs
• Submit Ticket: guided ticket form with department, type, priority, custom fields, attachments, CAPTCHA
• My Tickets: signed in list, guest access tabs, find ticket, and passwordless email link
• Knowledge Base: articles, categories, search (when KB enabled)
• Staff console: agent queue and ticket work screen on the site

Setup tips

1. Publish Portal and Submit in the main navigation.
2. Point My Tickets at the same menu or a customer account menu.
3. Restrict Staff console to a menu visible only to agent groups.
4. Use SEF URLs and clear cache after adding items.

The customer portal helps visitors help themselves before opening a ticket.

Portal home

• Submit ticket and My Tickets calls to action
• Open and total ticket stats for signed in customers
• Popular knowledge base articles when KB is on
• Notification bell with unread count

Submit ticket

• Department, type, priority, message, custom fields, attachments
• CAPTCHA or Turnstile when enabled
• Live knowledge base suggestions while typing (when KB on)

My Tickets

• Search and filter by status and priority
• Single ticket conversation, attachments, watchers, editable visible custom fields
• Reply with draft autosave
• Reopen and rate when allowed in Configuration

Guest paths

• Submit as guest when Allow guest tickets is on
• Email me a link for passwordless ticket list access
• Find a ticket by number and email
• Private ticket link from confirmation email still works

The staff console lets agents work tickets on the frontend without administrator login.

Queue tabs

Saved views with live counts: Any, Still open, Awaiting reply, Unassigned, Mine, High/urgent, SLA breached, Spam.

Filters and export

• Search subject, ticket number, or email
• Status, priority, department, assignee, tag, type, attachment filters
• CSV export of the current filtered queue
• Roomy or compact row spacing remembered per agent

Batch bar

Multi select tickets to change status, priority, department, owner, assign to me, or close selected.

Ticket screen

• Reply, private note, canned replies, attachments, notify customer toggle
• Status, priority, department, owner, tags, type, SLA clock
• Time log, KB suggestions, custom fields, history, activity, watchers (panel toggles in Configuration)
• Merge, split, spam, mark solved by article, create ticket on behalf of customer (phone intake)

Requires Agent permission, agent record, and a published Staff console menu item.

Guest ticket create

When Allow guest tickets is on, visitors submit with name and email only. When off, require Joomla login before submit.

Ticket access token

Each guest ticket carries a secure token in notification mail and confirmation links so the customer can reopen the thread without an account.

Passwordless My Tickets link

1. Customer opens My Tickets and chooses Email me a link.
2. They enter the address used on tickets.
3. Easy Helpdesk sends the portal.access.customer template with a one time link.
4. Link works once and expires after the minutes shown in the hint (placeholder {portal_expiry}).

Find a ticket

Enter ticket number and email on My Tickets to open one ticket without signing in. Rate limiting applies after too many attempts.

Password sign in

When Offer a password sign in is on, registered users can also log in with Joomla credentials to see ticket history.

Policy (Configuration General)

• Enable attachments master switch
• Attachments folder path (relative or absolute)
• Maximum files per message (1 to 20)
• Maximum size in KB per file
• Allowed extensions comma list

Previews

• Image attachments show thumbnails in the portal and administrator ticket timelines
• Lightbox viewer with download on both sides

Security

• Files stored outside public web root with direct access denied
• MIME checks and sanitized download filenames
• Private note attachments are not reachable from customer ticket links

Usage

• Customers attach on submit and reply when enabled
• Staff attach on replies and notes in administrator and staff console
• A reply message is required to send attachments with a reply

PHP upload_max_filesize and post_max_size still cap uploads below the configured KB limit.

List usernames in Configuration > General > Read-only demo usernames (default: demo).

Behaviour

• Can browse portal and administrator lists and forms
• Save, Apply, reply, delete, and configuration changes are blocked with a clear notice
• Does not check out records when opening forms, so real staff are not locked out
• Configuration screen is viewable in read-only mode with the same save block

Try-before-buy setup

1. Create a Joomla user named demo (or another listed username).
2. Grant Manage or Agent access so menus appear.
3. Add the username to the read-only list if not using default demo.
4. Optionally install sample data for a populated tour.

The package installs Task - Easy Helpdesk. Enable routines under System > Scheduled Tasks.

Easy Helpdesk: fetch mail

• Pulls unread messages from all configured mailboxes
• Schedule every few minutes for active email support
• Alternative: external cron hitting the keyed mail.fetch URL

Easy Helpdesk: SLA sweep

• Flags SLA breaches and applies escalation rules from policies
• Keeps clocks honest without someone opening the administrator

Tips

• Ensure the plugin is enabled after install
• Use Joomla scheduler logging if a routine fails silently
• Manual Fetch email in the administrator still works for tests

Fresh installs

New sites start empty. The dashboard shows a first-time notice with Install sample data or Start with an empty desk.

Install sample data

Adds packaged demo rows only when missing: departments, agents, canned replies, custom fields, tags, types, statuses, SLA policies, mailboxes, mail rules, blocklist entries, mail log rows, KB articles, and tickets with staggered ages for reports.

Reset all data

1. Dashboard toolbar Reset all data.
2. Read the warning: deletes all Easy Helpdesk tickets, messages, attachments, KB, departments, agents, mailbox logs, and related records.
3. Type RESET in capitals to confirm.
4. Optionally tick Install sample data afterwards.

Joomla users, menus, and Global Configuration are not changed.

• I installed the zip but I do not see Easy Helpdesk

  Confirm you installed pkg_easyhelpdesk, not a random folder. Open Components in the sidebar. Clear cache. Log out and back in so the menu refreshes.

• Submit ticket page is blank or 404

  Create a menu item of type Easy Helpdesk > Submit Ticket (or open Portal and use its CTA). Publish the menu. Clear SEF and Joomla cache.

• Guest submit says captcha is wrong

  Reload the security code and try again. Do not open the form in two tabs. For Turnstile, check keys and that your domain is allowed in Cloudflare.

• Customers receive no email

  Check System > Global Configuration > Server mail settings first. Then Configuration from name/email, Mail log errors, and that the template for that event is published. Use Test send on a template.

• Inbound mail does not create tickets

  Publish a mailbox (or fill Email fetching). Click Fetch email. Confirm Scheduled Task or cron key. Check host, port 993/SSL, username, and password. Review Mail log and blocklist.

• Staff console shows access denied

  Grant Agent (and Reply) on the user group, create an Agents row for that user, publish the Staff console menu item, and assign the menu to a viewable access level.

• Agent cannot see a ticket

  The ticket department may be outside the agent scope. Put the agent in that department, or mark them All departments / manager as needed.

• Assign dropdown is empty

  Publish at least one agent in that department. Unpublish agents do not appear.

• Attachments rejected

  Check allowed extensions and max KB in Configuration. Also raise PHP upload_max_filesize and post_max_size. When replying, type a message before attaching.

• SLA never shows breached

  Publish an SLA policy that matches department and priority. Enable the SLA sweep Scheduled Task. Confirm business hours if the policy uses them.

• Knowledge base empty on the site

  Turn on Offer the knowledge base, publish articles and categories, add a Knowledge Base menu item, clear cache.

• Article suggestions never appear on submit

  KB must be enabled, articles published, and the subject/body must share words with an article title.

• Ticket locked by another user

  Someone else opened the ticket for edit. Ask them to Save or Cancel. Read-only demo users do not hold locks.

• Guest cannot find ticket

  Use the exact ticket number and the same email used when creating it. Prefer Email me a link or the mailed access token.

• Configuration Save does nothing

  You need Options permission. Read-only demo users cannot save. After a successful save, clear cache and hard-refresh.

• New email template button is missing

  Every notification event already has a template. Edit an existing one, or unpublish one event if you want to recreate it.

• Portal colours look wrong after a theme change

  Save Configuration, clear Joomla and browser cache (Ctrl+F5). Custom CSS may override the accent.

• Package uninstall warnings

  Uninstall Easy Helpdesk Package from System > Manage > Extensions. Do not uninstall the component or Task plugin alone.

• Does Easy Helpdesk support Joomla 4?

  No. This package targets Joomla 5 and 6 with PHP 8.1+.

• Does it need jQuery?

  No. Frontend scripts use native JavaScript and Web Asset Manager.

• Where do I click after install?

  Components > Easy Helpdesk > Dashboard. That is your home base.

• Do I have to install sample data?

  No. Fresh installs stay empty until you choose Install sample data or start empty.

• What menus do I need on the site?

  At minimum: Portal (or Submit + My Tickets), and Staff console for agents. Add Knowledge Base if you use help articles.

• Why can nobody be assigned to a ticket?

  Create an Agent row that links a Joomla user to a department. Permissions alone are not enough.

• What is the difference between Agent and Manager?

  Agents work tickets in their department. Managers can manage wider desk screens and see beyond a single department when scoped that way.

• Can I disable the knowledge base?

  Yes. Switch off Offer the knowledge base in Configuration for a tickets-only portal. Admin KB screens stay available so you can draft articles first.

• How many email templates can I have?

  One template per notification event. When every event already has a template, New is hidden. Unpublish a template to silence that event.

• Can I fetch multiple mailboxes?

  Yes. Publish multiple rows under Mailboxes. The Email fetching tab in Configuration is the older single-mailbox setup and still works.

• Do I need the PHP imap extension?

  No. Easy Helpdesk talks to IMAP over a plain socket.

• Do customers need Joomla accounts?

  Not when Allow guest tickets is on. They get a ticket link by email. Offer password sign in only if your customers already have site accounts.

• How does a guest open My Tickets later?

  Use Email me a link on the portal, or Find ticket with number + email, or the token link from the original mail.

• Where do agents work tickets?

  Administrator ticket edit, or the frontend Staff console menu item (no admin login needed).

• How do I stop one email notification?

  Unpublish that event under Email Templates, or turn off Notify customers / Notify staff globally.

• What does a ticket number look like?

  Your ticket prefix (default EHD) plus a generated code, for example EHD26080274A1CA.

• Can I change the ticket prefix?

  Yes, under Configuration > General > Ticket prefix. Existing numbers keep their old prefix.

• What priorities exist?

  Low, Normal, High, Urgent.

• What are default statuses?

  Open, Pending, Waiting on customer, On hold, Resolved, Closed. You can add custom statuses under Ticket setup > Statuses.

• Can agents merge duplicates?

  Yes, with Merge permission. Split lifts one message into a new ticket when Allow splitting messages is on.

• What is a private staff note?

  An internal message the customer never sees and is never emailed.

• What are watchers?

  Extra CC email addresses that receive public reply copies.

• What is a canned reply macro?

  A saved answer that can also set status, priority, assignee, and tags when inserted.

• How do SLA clocks work?

  Policies set first-response and resolve minutes. Business hours in Configuration limit counting when enabled on the policy. The SLA sweep task flags breaches and can escalate.

• Is there a demo mode?

  Yes. Put usernames in Read-only demo usernames. They can browse but cannot save.

• Will a demo user lock my tickets?

  No. Read-only demo accounts open forms without checkout.

• Where do I turn CAPTCHA off for logged-in users?

  Configuration > Security > Ask visitors only = Yes.

• Can I use Cloudflare Turnstile?

  Yes. Set CAPTCHA provider to Turnstile and enter site and secret keys.

• How do I brand the portal?

  Configuration > Portal: theme (Minimal, Classic, Soft, Ink), accent colour, corners, widths, font, density, header style, and custom CSS.

• How do I hide a staff side panel?

  Configuration > Staff ticket screen: switch off time log, KB suggestions, custom fields, history, activity, or watchers.

• Does uninstall remove everything?

  Uninstall Easy Helpdesk Package from System > Manage. Child component and Task plugin uninstall alone is blocked when they belong to the package.

• Where is support?

  support.joomlax.com. Include Joomla version, PHP version, page URL, and steps to reproduce.

Every setting on Components > Easy Helpdesk > Configuration, explained in plain language.

General

• Allow guest tickets: visitors can open tickets without a site account
• Default status / priority: starting values on new tickets
• Show ticket type on submit: optional type field on the customer form
• Enable attachments, folder path, max files, max KB, allowed extensions: upload policy
• Ticket prefix: letters at the start of ticket numbers (default EHD)
• Let customers reopen tickets: Reopen button on resolved/closed tickets
• Ask for a rating: 1 to 5 stars after resolve/close
• Allow splitting messages: staff can split a reply into a new ticket
• Site / admin editor: which Joomla editor plugin to use, or inherit
• Read-only demo usernames: comma list that can browse but not save

Portal

• Portal theme: Minimal, Classic, Soft, or Ink
• Accent colour, corners, portal width, form width: layout and brand
• Offer a password sign in: show username/password in addition to magic links
• Font, row height, header style, custom CSS: polish and overrides

Staff ticket screen

• Show or hide: time log, suggested articles, custom field answers, previous tickets, activity trail, watchers

Knowledge base

• Offer the knowledge base: master switch for site KB, suggestions, and staff KB panel
• Intro image and alt text for the KB index
• Show/hide: updated date, reading time, views, on-this-page TOC, related articles, aside, still-stuck CTA, share, helpful votes
• Run content plugins inside articles
• JSON-LD and Open Graph switches

Notification email

• Notify customers / notify staff master switches
• HTML mail, auto reply on open, from name/email, global CC/BCC
• Mail accent colour, header mode (text/logo/both), header text, logo, and signature
• Attachment download links switch for the {attachments} placeholder
• Templates are edited under Mail and routing > Email Templates

Email fetching

• Legacy single mailbox: host, port, encryption, username, password, folder, department, delete after read, cron key with Generate
• Mail service presets for common IMAP providers
• Prefer published Mailboxes rows for multi-inbox setups (same presets on mailbox edit)

Security

• Enable CAPTCHA, guests only, built-in or Turnstile, Turnstile keys, label/help/reload text

Business hours

• SLA day start and end times, and which weekdays count

Permissions

• Joomla ACL matrix for core rights plus Agent, Manager, Reply, Private note, Status, Assign, Merge, Requester