Ideas & Approval Workflow

The Ideas entity (CIdeas) manages content ideas, pitches, and approval workflows with custom Kanban views.

Overview

Ideas move through an approval pipeline before becoming episodes or projects:

Fields

Field	Type	Description
`name`	`varchar`	Idea title
`stage`	`enum`	Approval stage (see below)
`ideaType`	`enum`	Type: Episode, Series, Special, Guest
`description`	`text`	Idea description
`proposedBy`	`link`	User who proposed
`assignedTo`	`link`	Reviewer/approver
`proposedGuests`	`linkMultiple`	Guest suggestions
`priority`	`enum`	Low, Medium, High, Urgent
`estimatedDate`	`date`	Target production date
`rejectionReason`	`text`	Why rejected (if applicable)
`notes`	`text`	Review notes

Approval Stages

Stage	Description	Actions
Pitched	Initial submission	Assign reviewer
Under Review	Being evaluated	Approve/Reject/Request revision
Needs Revision	Changes requested	Update and resubmit
Approved	Ready for production	Create episode/project
Rejected	Not approved	Archive with reason
In Production	Episode/project created	Track in production system

Custom List View

The Ideas list view includes custom features:

Visual Elements

Priority Badges: Color-coded priority indicators
Stage Pills: Visual stage indicators
Avatar Cards: Proposer avatars
Guest Chips: Proposed guest tags
Date Badges: Target date indicators

Inline Filter Bar

Quick filtering by:

Stage (multi-select)
Priority
Idea type
Proposer
Date range

Location: espocrm/custom/client/css/modules/cideas-list.css

Custom Kanban Board

Ideas work best in Kanban view with custom styling:

┌─────────────┬──────────────┬──────────────┬───────────┬───────────┐
│   Pitched   │ Under Review │ Needs Revision│ Approved  │ Rejected  │
├─────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┼───────────┼───────────┤
│             │              │              │           │           │
│ ┌─────────┐ │ ┌──────────┐ │ ┌──────────┐ │ ┌───────┐ │ ┌───────┐ │
│ │🔥 HIGH  │ │ │ MEDIUM   │ │ │  LOW     │ │ │URGENT │ │ │ LOW   │ │
│ │New Idea │ │ │ Review   │ │ │ Revise   │ │ │Ready  │ │ │ Pass  │ │
│ │@user    │ │ │ @reviewer│ │ │ @proposer│ │ │✓      │ │ │ ✗     │ │
│ │📅 Feb 15│ │ │ 📅 Feb 12│ │ │ 📅 Feb 10│ │ │       │ │ │       │ │
│ └─────────┘ │ └──────────┘ │ └──────────┘ │ └───────┘ │ └───────┘ │
│             │              │              │           │           │
└─────────────┴──────────────┴──────────────┴───────────┴───────────┘

Enhanced Kanban View

Location: espocrm/custom/client/src/views/c-ideas/record/kanban.js

Features:

Drag-and-Drop: Move between stages
Color Coding: By priority
Quick Edit: Inline field editing
Batch Actions: Approve/reject multiple
Custom Card Template: Rich card display

javascript

define('custom:views/c-ideas/record/kanban', 
  ['views/record/kanban'], function (Dep) {
  
  return Dep.extend({
    template: 'c-ideas/record/kanban',
    
    getCardTemplate: function() {
      return 'c-ideas/record/kanban-card';
    },
    
    onDrop: function(id, status) {
      // Handle stage change
      if (status === 'Approved') {
        this.showApprovalConfirm(id);
      }
      
      return this.updateModelAttribute(id, 'stage', status);
    },
    
    showApprovalConfirm: function(id) {
      this.createView('approveDialog', 
        'custom:views/modals/idea-approve', {
        modelId: id
      }).render();
    }
  });
});

Custom Detail Panel

The Ideas detail view includes a custom panel with approval workflow:

Location: espocrm/custom/client/src/views/c-ideas/record/detail-panel.js

Panel Features

Approval Section:

Current stage indicator
Approval history timeline
Quick action buttons
Assigned reviewer info

Guest Integration:

Guest selector dropdown
Proposed guests display
Guest availability check
Quick guest creation

Related Content:

Episodes created from this idea
Projects spawned
Related ideas
Similar past content

Custom Template

Location: espocrm/custom/client/res/templates/c-ideas/record/detail-panel.tpl

handlebars

<div class="idea-detail-panel">
  <div class="approval-workflow">
    <h3>Approval Status</h3>
    <div class="stage-indicator {{stage}}">
      {{stageLabel}}
    </div>
    
    {{#if canApprove}}
      <div class="approval-actions">
        <button class="btn btn-success" data-action="approve">
          ✓ Approve
        </button>
        <button class="btn btn-warning" data-action="requestRevision">
          ↻ Request Revision
        </button>
        <button class="btn btn-danger" data-action="reject">
          ✗ Reject
        </button>
      </div>
    {{/if}}
  </div>
  
  <div class="proposed-guests">
    <h3>Proposed Guests</h3>
    {{#each guests}}
      <div class="guest-chip">
        <img src="{{avatar}}" />
        <span>{{name}}</span>
      </div>
    {{/each}}
    
    <button class="btn btn-link" data-action="addGuest">
      + Add Guest
    </button>
  </div>
</div>

Approval Workflow Automation

Controller Actions

Location: espocrm/custom/Espo/Custom/Controllers/CIdeas.php

php

<?php
namespace Espo\Custom\Controllers;

class CIdeas extends \Espo\Core\Controllers\Base
{
    public function postActionApprove($params, $data, $request)
    {
        $id = $data->id;
        $entity = $this->getRecordService()
            ->getEntity($id);
        
        // Update stage
        $entity->set('stage', 'Approved');
        $entity->set('approvedBy', $this->getUser()->getId());
        $entity->set('approvedDate', date('Y-m-d H:i:s'));
        
        $this->getEntityManager()->saveEntity($entity);
        
        // Trigger automation
        $this->triggerApprovalWorkflow($entity);
        
        return true;
    }
    
    public function postActionReject($params, $data, $request)
    {
        $id = $data->id;
        $reason = $data->reason ?? '';
        
        $entity = $this->getRecordService()
            ->getEntity($id);
        
        $entity->set('stage', 'Rejected');
        $entity->set('rejectionReason', $reason);
        $entity->set('rejectedBy', $this->getUser()->getId());
        
        $this->getEntityManager()->saveEntity($entity);
        
        return true;
    }
}

Project Integration

When an idea is approved, it can be converted to a project:

Hook: ApprovalWorkflow

Location: espocrm/custom/Espo/Custom/Hooks/CProject/ApprovalWorkflow.php

php

<?php
namespace Espo\Custom\Hooks\CProject;

class ApprovalWorkflow extends \Espo\Core\Hooks\Base
{
    public function afterSave($entity, $options)
    {
        // If idea is approved, create project
        if ($entity->get('stage') === 'Approved' 
            && !$entity->get('projectCreated')) {
            
            $this->createProjectFromIdea($entity);
        }
    }
    
    private function createProjectFromIdea($idea)
    {
        $project = $this->getEntityManager()
            ->getEntity('CProject');
        
        $project->set([
            'name' => $idea->get('name'),
            'description' => $idea->get('description'),
            'sourceIdea' => $idea->getId(),
            'assignedUser' => $idea->get('assignedTo'),
            'status' => 'Planning'
        ]);
        
        $this->getEntityManager()->saveEntity($project);
        
        // Link back to idea
        $idea->set('projectCreated', true);
        $idea->set('relatedProject', $project->getId());
        $this->getEntityManager()->saveEntity($idea);
    }
}

Notifications

Idea stage changes trigger notifications:

Event	Notification	Recipient
Idea Pitched	"New idea submitted"	Reviewers
Under Review	"Your idea is being reviewed"	Proposer
Approved	"Your idea was approved!"	Proposer
Needs Revision	"Changes requested"	Proposer
Rejected	"Idea not approved"	Proposer

Notification Config

Location: espocrm/custom/Espo/Custom/Resources/metadata/notificationDefs/CIdeas.json

json

{
  "selfAssignment": true,
  "assignment": true,
  "statusChange": true,
  "stageChange": true,
  "customEvents": {
    "approved": {
      "type": "success",
      "message": "Idea approved: {name}"
    },
    "rejected": {
      "type": "warning",
      "message": "Idea rejected: {name}"
    }
  }
}

Best Practices

1. Clear Idea Descriptions

Ensure ideas include:

Clear title
Detailed description
Target audience
Expected outcome
Resource requirements

2. Quick Review Cycle

Review ideas within 48 hours
Use "Needs Revision" for minor changes
Provide clear rejection reasons
Communicate decision to proposer

3. Approval Criteria

Define clear approval criteria:

Alignment with content strategy
Resource availability
Audience interest
Production feasibility
ROI potential

4. Track Idea Pipeline

Monitor pipeline health:

Ideas submitted per week
Average review time
Approval rate
Ideas in production

ContentProduction — Episodes created from ideas
GuestBooking — Proposed guests

Custom Styling

Ideas List CSS

Location: espocrm/custom/client/css/modules/cideas-list.css

Key styles:

css

/* Priority badges */
.priority-badge.urgent { 
  background: #dc2626; 
  color: white;
}
.priority-badge.high { 
  background: #f59e0b; 
}
.priority-badge.medium { 
  background: #3b82f6; 
}
.priority-badge.low { 
  background: #6b7280; 
}

/* Stage pills */
.stage-pill {
  padding: 4px 12px;
  border-radius: 12px;
  font-size: 12px;
  font-weight: 600;
}

.stage-pill.approved {
  background: #d1fae5;
  color: #065f46;
}

.stage-pill.rejected {
  background: #fee2e2;
  color: #991b1b;
}

Ideas & Approval Workflow ​

Overview ​

Fields ​

Approval Stages ​

Custom List View ​

Visual Elements ​

Inline Filter Bar ​

Custom Kanban Board ​

Enhanced Kanban View ​

Custom Detail Panel ​

Panel Features ​

Custom Template ​

Approval Workflow Automation ​

Controller Actions ​

Project Integration ​

Hook: ApprovalWorkflow ​

Notifications ​

Notification Config ​

Best Practices ​

1. Clear Idea Descriptions ​

2. Quick Review Cycle ​

3. Approval Criteria ​

4. Track Idea Pipeline ​

Related Entities ​

Custom Styling ​

Ideas List CSS ​