Building a Living User Guide for Your 1C-Bitrix Project

Building a Living User Guide for Your 1C-Bitrix Project

Most guides for Bitrix projects are created once and instantly become outdated: screenshots show menus that no longer exist, instructions lead to missing buttons. We solve this by creating a living document with a clear structure, specific steps, and an update mechanism. With over 5 years of Bitrix project experience and 30+ implemented guides, our specialists ensure the guide is accurate at the time of handover. Our process is guaranteed to keep your documentation up-to-date.

5+ years experience | 30+ completed guides | 2-day free assessment

Contact us to evaluate your project in 2 days. We'll analyze your current documentation for free. Typical savings from implementing a living guide: $2,000–$5,000 per year in reduced support calls.

Problems We Solve

• Different audiences require different depths. A content manager needs step-by-step instructions with button names; a store manager needs order processing scenarios; a developer needs technical documentation. Mixing them into one document is a mistake.
• Instructions without screenshots don't work for beginners, but screenshots become outdated with every update. Balance: illustrate only non-obvious elements. Screenshot-aided instructions are 2–3 times better than text-only instructions for onboarding. A task-based guide speeds up onboarding by 3–5 times compared to traditional menu-based documentation.
• Documentation without an update plan is useless. After a month, half the steps no longer match reality.

According to Wikipedia, technical documentation should be task-oriented to be effective.

Why a User Guide Needs Regular Updates

Any active Bitrix project changes: modules are added, UI updates, business processes evolve. If documentation doesn't keep pace, it becomes misinformation. We recommend adding a checkbox "Update guide" to every development task. This reduces update time from 2 days to 2 hours — a 24x improvement.

How We Do It

We build the guide around tasks, not menu items. Example structure for a content manager:

1. Login and navigation
2. Working with news
   2.1. Add a news item
   2.2. Edit a published item
   2.3. Schedule publication
   2.4. Unpublish
3. Working with pages (visual editor, images, SEO)
4. Working with product catalog
   4.1. Add a product
   4.2. Change price
   4.3. Update stock manually

Each instruction is specific: "Click the Add element button in the upper right corner" — with the element name and position. We provide field filling examples. We use screenshots only for hidden options — for example, selecting a section in a deep submenu. This approach reduces maintenance costs by 2–3 times — better than static guides, as our practice shows.

Deliverables Included in Our Work

Our work includes the following deliverables:

Cost ranges from $1,500 to $5,000 depending on scope.

Why Text-Only Instructions Are Inefficient

Screenshots make learning 2–3 times faster than text-only, but create obsolescence problems. Our rule: a screenshot is needed only if the button is in a non-obvious place (third-level submenu or hidden under an icon). For basic actions, a precise description suffices — "Save button in the upper right corner of the form". This reduces maintenance costs by 2–3 times compared to screenshot-heavy guides.

How to Update the Guide Without Headaches

We recommend three checkpoints:

1. Every interface change task includes a checkbox "Update user guide".
2. After a Bitrix update — review the changed sections of the administrative panel.
3. Quarterly review: walk through all scenarios and verify accuracy.

Example review checklist:

• Check all links in the guide.
• Update screenshots for changed screens.
• Clarify steps for new features.
• Remove outdated sections.

Stages and Timeline

Total: from 2 to 4 weeks. Cost: $1,500–$5,000. With 5+ years of proven experience, we deliver accurately.

For complex operations (e.g., exchange with 1C), we use CommerceML — a proven data exchange standard.

1C-Bitrix Module Development and Setup

The main trap of Bitrix is init.php. You add an OnBeforeIBlockElementUpdate handler there, then another one — a year later the file is 2000 lines, and on every hit all that code executes. We move business logic into full-fledged modules with D7 ORM, custom tables, and administrative interface. The module can be disabled, transferred to another project, covered with tests — none of that is possible with init.php. Our team has 10+ years of Bitrix experience, certified specialists, and a 6-month code guarantee. Request a consultation — we'll explain how to migrate legacy code to a modular architecture.

Why is init.php the worst place for business logic?

Init.php does not support class autoloading, lacks an isolated namespace, cannot be unit tested, and cannot be disabled without editing the file itself. Every handler written there runs on every request, even if not needed. In a module, you register handlers through EventManager, and they only execute when the event occurs. Performance difference: up to 3x with 10+ handlers.

Standard Modules: Typical Problems and Solutions

Information blocks. IBlock architecture is the first thing we review on any project. A classic mistake: one catalog infoblock with 80 properties, 30 of which are multiple. The b_iblock_element_property table swells to millions of rows, and CIBlockElement::GetList with filtering on three properties does a full scan. We move reference data to Highload-blocks, eliminate multiple properties where possible, and design the structure for 5x growth.

e-Store (sale). Cart business rules are a separate story. We set discount priorities to prevent two campaigns from giving 60% instead of 30%, connect payment handlers, and write custom validation via OnSaleOrderBeforeSaved.

Search. The built-in search module with morphology works up to 10–15 thousand elements. Beyond that — Elasticsearch. We configure it via the Bitrix search module API, indexing through CSearchFullText or custom indexers.

Highload-blocks for dictionaries, logs, user data — instead of bloated IBlocks. Direct queries via Bitrix\Highloadblock\HighloadBlockTable, custom tables instead of the EAV structure of standard infoblocks. A million records — no degradation.

Mail events. Configuration is not just templates in b_event_message. The key is SPF, DKIM, DMARC on the DNS, otherwise transactional emails go to spam. We check deliverability and set up bounce handling.

How to Design Infoblocks for Performance?

We use Highload-blocks for reference data (colors, sizes, manufacturers) that are not involved in complex queries. For SKUs — a separate infoblock with linking via IBLOCK_ELEMENT_PROPERTY. Enable INDEX_PROPERTY for frequently filtered properties. Tagged caching: when an element changes, only the related cache is cleared. Highload-blocks process up to 10x faster than infoblocks with multiple properties on volumes of 100,000 records.

Custom Module Development

Each module follows the structure /local/modules/vendor.modulename/:

• install/index.php — setup class, create tables via $DB->RunSQLBatch()
• lib/ — D7 ORM classes, extending Bitrix\Main\ORM\Data\DataManager
• admin/ — administrative pages using CAdminList, CAdminForm
• include.php — autoloading, event handler registration via EventManager::getInstance()->registerEventHandler()
• REST API endpoints via \Bitrix\Rest\RestManager

The module registers in the system, appears in the "Installed Solutions" list, and has its own settings at /bitrix/admin/settings.php?mid=vendor.modulename. It can be enabled, disabled, and updated through UpdateSystem or custom migration mechanics.

Examples of implemented tasks:

• Campaign management — visual condition builder via CAdminCalendar, timers via agents (CAgent::AddAgent), analytics linked to the sale module
• Cost calculator — React widget on the frontend, REST API in the module, formulas stored in a Highload-block
• Booking system — real-time calendar, locking via $DB->StartTransaction() / $DB->Commit() on concurrent requests, integration with channel manager via webhook

Components and Composite Cache

Component customization via result_modifier.php and component_epilog.php, not by editing template.php of the standard template. This way core updates are painless.

Composite cache ("Composite Site" technology) — the server sends ready HTML, bypassing PHP routing. Dynamic areas (cart, authorization) are loaded via CBitrixComponent::setFrameMode(true) and AJAX. TTFB drops to 30–50 ms. But there are caveats: not all components are compatible, $APPLICATION->ShowPanel() breaks composite, and careful markup of <div id="bx-composite-..."> is required.

What to Check Before Installing a Marketplace Module?

Before installing a module from the marketplace, an audit is mandatory. We check: SQL queries without prepared statements (hello SQL injection), direct use of $_REQUEST without filtering, use of outdated kernel API instead of D7, conflicts with the composite cache module. A module with no updates for over a year and a few dozen installations is likely a problem on the next PHP update. A typical case: a module calls CIBlockElement::GetList with no cache reset — the site crashes with 5000 elements.

Migration to D7

When upgrading PHP or switching to a new edition — refactor outdated calls:

• CIBlockElement::GetList() → Bitrix\Iblock\Elements\ElementTable::getList()
• CSaleOrder::GetList() → Bitrix\Sale\Order::getList()
• CModule::IncludeModule() → Bitrix\Main\Loader::includeModule() Testing on staging, rollback via git on issues.

According to official 1C-Bitrix documentation, D7 ORM is the recommended tool for working with data, providing type safety and automatic query generation.

Comparison: Init.php vs Module

Module Development Scope and Cost

What is included in module development?

• Technical specification and architectural plan
• Code following PSR-4 and Bitrix code style
• Unit tests (PHPUnit) for business logic
• Integration tests for events and REST API
• Installation, configuration, and API documentation
• Repository and documentation access
• Administrator training for module usage
• 6-month warranty support

Estimated timelines and complexity:

Cost is calculated individually — contact us for a project estimate.

Module Testing

Unit tests via PHPUnit cover business logic: discount calculation, validation, document generation. Mocks for Bitrix\Main\Application::getConnection() allow tests to be DB-independent. Integration tests verify event handlers on a real database — OnAfterIBlockElementAdd, OnSaleOrderSaved, etc. REST API endpoints are tested via curl or PHPUnit HTTP client. Critical for modules working with b_sale_order, b_catalog_price — where errors cost money.

Compatibility is checked on PHP 7.4, 8.0, 8.1, 8.2 and editions: Standard, Small Business, Business. We check conflicts with popular marketplace modules — they often intercept the same events. Load testing: measurements on 10K, 100K, 1M records, profiling via Xdebug for memory leaks and N+1 queries.

Practical Examples

Campaign module for an electronics chain. The built-in sale module discounts did not cover scenarios like "2+1", a gift with purchase over a certain amount, or combined conditions. We built a visual builder: marketers create rules via drag-and-drop without development tickets. Campaign calendar, auto-deactivation via agents, analytics linked to b_sale_order — conversion, average check, usage count. Time to launch a new campaign dropped from two days to half an hour.

Calculator for builders. Parameters (area, materials, number of floors) → formula → preliminary estimate → lead to CRM via CRest::call('crm.lead.add'). Regional coefficients and seasonal markups from a Highload-block, material prices from 1C exchange. The number of target leads increased by a third: clients see a breakdown before calling a manager.

Booking for a hotel chain. Real-time availability via AJAX requests to a custom table vendor_booking_slots, seasonal tariff calculation, synchronization with Booking.com via channel manager API. Room locking on concurrent booking via SELECT ... FOR UPDATE in transactions. Timezones handled via \DateTimeZone — a guest from Vladivostok and a manager from Moscow see the same picture.

We will evaluate your project within one day. Write to us — we'll tell you what is included in turnkey development. Contact us for a consultation on your project. Order a custom module development — get a ready solution with documentation and support.