How to add an AI chatbot to PrestaShop
On PrestaShop, a chat widget is installed through The theme's templates/_partials/footer.tpl. Smarty templates are compiled and cached; clearing the cache is required. Self-hosted, so no plan gate.
Where it goes
The theme's templates/_partials/footer.tpl
Availability: Self-hosted, so no plan gate.
Adding the chatbot to PrestaShop
- 1
Connect to your hosting by FTP or the file manager.
- 2
Open themes/<your-theme>/templates/_partials/footer.tpl.
- 3
Paste the snippet before the closing </body> tag.
- 4
Save, then clear the cache from Advanced Parameters → Performance.
- 5
Smarty templates are compiled and cached; clearing the cache is required.
The snippet you paste
<script src="https://rubyrep.com/rubyrep.js" data-rubyrep="rr_your_public_key" defer></script>Your own key replaces rr_your_public_key — you get it after training RubyRep on your site.
Worth knowing on PrestaShop
Editing the default theme directly means a PrestaShop upgrade will overwrite it — copy the theme first.
Smarty caching and the CCC (combine, compress, cache) settings both need clearing.
Debug mode must be off in production or the storefront will leak errors.
PrestaShop questions
- Where does the code go on PrestaShop?
- The theme's templates/_partials/footer.tpl. Smarty templates are compiled and cached; clearing the cache is required.
- Do I need a paid PrestaShop plan?
- Self-hosted, so no plan gate.
- Will a PrestaShop update remove it?
- Editing the default theme directly means a PrestaShop upgrade will overwrite it — copy the theme first.
- Does it slow PrestaShop down?
- No measurable effect. The snippet is deferred, so it loads after your page has rendered, and the chat interface itself is only fetched when a visitor opens it.
Related
term
What is a website chatbot?
The term covers two very different things. Older chatbots follow scripts and break the moment a visitor phrases something unexpectedly. Modern ones retrieve from a business's own content and generate an answer, which handles arbitrary phrasing.
term
What is AI customer service?
AI customer service means answering customer questions with a language model rather than a person. The useful implementations are grounded in a specific business's own content; the poor ones let a general model improvise, which produces confident answers that are wrong.
guide
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Get your snippet.
Enter your PrestaShop site and RubyRep reads it, builds your representative, and hands you the exact line to paste.
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