Where to store graphics (for PDF templates etc.) in an upgrade safe location?

💬 General Discussion
1

We’re using a few graphics / logos in our PDF templates (and later Email templates).
If I just place them in the /public/ folder, they are being deleted by the Suite8 upgrade.
Where do you usually place those “manual” graphics? In the uploads folder?

2

You can create images folder under custom and store your images.

public/legacy/custom

It is upgrade safe.

3

Hi @Chris138

  1. PDF Template Graphics - Upgrade Safe Storage Solution

  2. Problem Statement

When storing graphics/images for PDF templates in SuiteCRM’s default directories (like `themes/default/images/`), they get overwritten during system upgrades, causing broken PDF templates and missing images.

  1. Root Cause

SuiteCRM upgrades replace core theme directories, removing any custom graphics stored in:

  • `themes/default/images/`
  • `themes/suite8/images/`
  • Other core theme locations
  1. Solution

Store PDF template graphics in the upgrade-safe `custom/` directory.

  1. Step 1: Create Custom Images Directory

```bash
mkdir -p public/legacy/custom/images
mkdir -p public/legacy/custom/images/logos
mkdir -p public/legacy/custom/images/headers
mkdir -p public/legacy/custom/images/footers
```

  1. Step 2: Directory Structure

```
public/legacy/custom/images/
├── logos/
│ └── company_logo.png
├── headers/
│ └── header_image.png
├── footers/
│ └── footer_logo.png
└── signatures/
└── signature.png
```

  1. Step 3: Update PDF Template Code

Before (upgrade-unsafe):
```php
$image_path = ‘themes/default/images/company_logo.png’;
```

After (upgrade-safe):
```php
$image_path = ‘custom/images/logos/company_logo.png’;
```

  1. Step 4: Implementation Checklist

- Create `custom/images/` directory structure

  • Move existing graphics from theme directories
  • Update PDF template code paths
  • Test PDF generation
  • Verify web accessibility
  1. Benefits

- Upgrade-safe: Custom directory never overwritten

  • Web accessible: Images available via URL
  • Organized: Structured subdirectories
  • Maintainable: Clear separation from core files
  1. File Paths Reference
Type Path
------ ------
undefined ----
Logos `custom/images/logos/`
undefined ----
Headers `custom/images/headers/`
undefined ----
Footers `custom/images/footers/`
undefined ----
Signatures `custom/images/signatures/`
undefined ----
  1. Testing

Verify images load correctly:

4

Hello Chris,

one more idea:
There are new field types from 8.9 onwards:

You can choose the:

public-images

in order to upload things to the standard folder.
It’s upgrade safe and can even be accessed by PDF templates / external systems (with the information about the path).

I like this approach, since it has got a modern UI and users can upload and use files by themselves.