Bots & SmartApps

General Info

Feature	Description	Functionality
Bot	Lite CTS eCTS A bot is a special contact that represents a web application. It interacts with the user via chat. Chat bots have functionality familiar to many from other messengers. eXpress Lite users can use internal service bots only.	sending text messages and files; sending messages with buttons; receiving system events (chat creation, user joining a chat, etc.); enabling/disabling enhanced privacy mode; assigning chat administrators; creating a chat with a user (useful for corporate chat bots), etc. data exchange with third-party corporate systems or applications.
SmartApp	CTS eCTS SmartApps are full-fledged web applications with UI for various business processes: email, calendar, HR services, electronic document management, portals, support, and others. They are embedded directly into eXpress or an ETS -app.	All corporate services are available anytime and on any device with eXpress in a single-window format; SSO: sign in on one device, and you won't need to sign in on others — mobile and desktop devices are unified into a single corporate platform; Integration with many systems: email clients, document management, 1C, CRM, employee training, and more. Allows you to quickly solve work tasks on a smartphone or tablet — faster and cheaper than traditional mobile app development, saving time and increasing employee productivity.

Who Can Manage Bots and SmartApps?

The corporate / server administrator can manage bots and SmartApps or add internal bots to the global chat.

Who Has Access to SmartApps?

SmartApps are available for the extended license owners (SmartApps plan). For connection inquiries, please contact the sales department or your eXpress account manager.

How Are SmartApps Protected on the User Side?

All SmartApps operate within the encrypted container of the client app, ensuring corporate data protection from third parties.

Can't Find SmartApps in the Aurora App. Why?

⚠️ The Aurora app temporarily does not support SmartApps.

Internal Bots

eXpress has bundled internal bots, which are necessary for particular app features to work. Some of them include:

Internal Bots	Description
Conference Notifier bot	Notifies users about upcoming conferences. It can also be used to set up regular reminders for indefinite conferences.
Notifications bot	A bot for sending messages to the global chat.
Poll bot	A bot for sending results of polls.
Recordings bot	A bot for notifications about ready call recordings.

Standard SmartApps

If your organization purchased a license with SmartApp support, you have access to “Mail”, “Calendar”, and “Home Page” SmartApps and some others.

---

❓ Related Topics:
• What to do if a chat bot is not working or functioning incorrectly
• What to do if a SmartApp does not work or works incorrectly
• In a chat created by a bot, sent messages hang with an error
• Use the latest Android System WebView

A catalog of ready-to-deploy bots and SmartApps is available:

Link	Description
Collection of bots and SmartApps by the eXpress team	Each bot and SmartApp in the catalog includes an .env file with variables, containing a detailed description of all configuration parameters. The description of variables is in Russian language.
Bot for Migrating Chats From Telegram	Distribution package with description and instructions for bot users. The description of the bot is in Russian language.
Bot & SmartApp Deployment Guide for Administrators	PDF instructions for installing bots and SmartApps for corporate administrators.

How to Install a Bot or SmartApp?

If you are a corporate user (and your organization has an extended license with SmartApp support), contact your organization's support team to request installation.

Can I Study the Code of Finished Bots and SmartApps?

We do not provide the source code.

The eXpress platform supports the creation of custom bots and SmartApps. You can create a bot or SmartApp on your own using the BotX API, or order one from the eXpress vendor.

Creating Bots & SmartApps

Can Regular Users Add Bots and SmartApps to the Server?

A user without administrator console access cannot add a bot to the server independently — to deploy a bot, they must contact their organization's support team.

Who Can Create Bots and SmartApps?

Bots and SmartApps can be created by:

• The eXpress development team. Requests for deployment and customization of such bots and SmartApps are submitted through the eXpress account manager or the sales department.
• The customer independently using the BotX API. API documentation is available via the links below.
• The customer's partners. Requests for customization of such bots and SmartApps are submitted through the partner organization's support team.

Is There a Bot Builder or an Analogue of Telegram's Bot Father?

No, bots must be created and connected to the corporate server on your own or through a custom development order.

BotX API

About bots in the knowledge base:

• General information about bots (in Russian)
• Bot developer guide (in Russian)

BotX API documentation:

• BotX documentation welcome page (in Russian)
• General description of BotX (in Russian)
• HTTP(s) Bot API v4 (in Russian) — the protocol for sending data from BotX to the bot (BotX → Bot). The protocol version is specified on the bot editing page in the admin panel, in the Protocol version field.
• HTTP(s) BotX API (in Russian) — the BotX service API. Allows the bot to interact with eXpress internal services.

SmartApps documentation:

• About SmartApps in the knowledge base — developer guide (in Russian)

GitHub repository with libraries and examples:

• ExpressApp (in Russian)

Use the Latest Android System WebView

For SmartApps to work correctly in the Android mobile app, the Android System WebView system component must be up to date. Clear the app cache after updating Android System WebView.

What to Do If a Chat Bot Doesn't Work or Works Incorrectly

1. Identify which platform the issue occurs on: web/desktop or mobile app, and specify the app version.
2. Check if the issue reproduces on another client platform.
3. Document the reproduction steps, take screenshots, or record a video.

Does the Bot Issue Occur on Multiple Client Platforms?

If the issue occurs on two or more platforms (e.g., iOS and Android), possible causes:

• the bot uses outdated methods and requires updating,
• the bot contains an error in the code.

Contact your organization's support for diagnostics and data collection or directly contact eXpress support, providing the gathered information.

For Administrators: Collecting Data for Chat Bot Diagnostics

CTS

eCTS

For diagnostics, you can obtain from the corporate server:

• container logs with the bot,
• botx container logs,
• messaging container logs.

Provide to eXpress support:

• a description of the issue, screenshots, video,
• .env file with variable values,
• the collected logs.

Does the Bot Issue Occur on a Single Client Platform?

If the issue occurs only on one platform (web/desktop/iOS/Android), provide to eXpress support:

• a description of the issue,
• client app logs.

If necessary, the issue will be logged as a bug and fixed in the future.

What to Do If a SmartApp Doesn't Work or Works Incorrectly

1. Try clearing the SmartApp cache via the ellipsis button on the screen or the SmartApp panel.
2. If the issue persists, identify which platform it occurs on (web/desktop/mobile app) and specify the app version.
3. Check if the issue reproduces on another platform.
4. Document the reproduction steps, take screenshots, or record a video.
5. Collect SmartApp client logs.
6. Through the corporate server administrator, request:
   • SmartApp server logs,
   • .env file with variable values.
7. Submit all data to eXpress support for further analysis.

If necessary, the issue will be logged as a bug and fixed in the future.