ArbresAI - AI-Powered Q&A

Overview

ArbresAI is a Joomla 5+ component that provides AI-powered question-and-answer functionality based on your database content. Users can ask natural language questions, and the AI will generate SQL queries, execute them safely, and provide natural language answers. The standard component will process data from Remository and from Joomla articles. Other data can be added by installing simple plugins.

Features

• Multiple AI Provider Support: OpenAI, Claude (Anthropic), Gemini (Google), DeepSeek, and Grok (xAI)
• Natural Language to SQL: Automatically converts user questions into SQL queries
• Query Validation: Security-first approach with query validation and table access controls
• Conversation History: Maintains context across multiple questions
• Query Logging: Audit trail of all generated and executed queries
• Schema Caching: Optimized performance with database schema caching
• Modern Chat Interface: Clean, responsive UI for asking questions

Requirements

• Joomla: 5.0 or later
• PHP: 8.1 or later
• Composer: For installing dependencies

Installation

1. Download the component package
2. Install via Joomla Extensions Manager
3. Configure the component (see Configuration section)

Configuration

AI Provider Setup

1. Go to Components → ArbresAI → Options
2. Select the AI Provider Settings tab
3. Choose your default AI provider
4. Enter your API key for the selected provider
5. Select the model to use
6. If desired, add your own text strings for the user prompts
7. Tune the system by choosing the maximum number of database records per table

Supported Providers and Models

OpenAI

• API Key: Get from https://platform.openai.com/api-keys
• Models: GPT-4o, GPT-4o Mini, GPT-4 Turbo

Claude (Anthropic)

• API Key: Get from https://console.anthropic.com/
• Models: Claude 3.5 Sonnet, Claude 3 Opus, Claude 3 Haiku

Gemini (Google)

• API Key: Get from https://makersuite.google.com/app/apikey
• Models: Gemini 2.0 Flash, Gemini 1.5 Pro, Gemini 1.5 Flash

DeepSeek

• API Key: Get from https://platform.deepseek.com/
• Models: DeepSeek Chat, DeepSeek Reasoner

Grok (xAI)

• API Key: Get from https://x.ai/
• Models: Grok Beta, Grok Vision Beta

Please note: Gemini and Grok are untested at present.

Database Settings

1. Query Timeout: Maximum execution time for queries (default: 30 seconds)

2. Enable Query Logging: Log all generated queries for auditing (recommended)

Chat Settings

1. Max Conversation Length: Number of messages to keep in history (default: 10)
2. Enable Conversation History: Store conversations for logged-in users

Usage

Creating a Menu Item

1. Go to Menus → Main Menu → New
2. Select ArbresAI → AI Chat as the menu item type
3. Configure the menu item settings
4. Save and publish

Using the Chat Interface

1. Navigate to the menu item you created
2. Type your question in natural language
3. Click Send or press Enter
4. View the AI-generated answer
5. Optionally view the generated SQL query

Ask Questions

• What can be asked depends on the data available in your database tables

Security

Query Validation

• Only SELECT queries are allowed
• Dangerous SQL keywords (DROP, DELETE, INSERT, UPDATE, etc.) are blocked
• Table access is restricted to the configured tables
• All queries are validated before execution

Best Practices

1. Limit Table Access: Only allow access to tables that should be queryable
2. Enable Query Logging: Keep an audit trail of all queries
3. Set Appropriate Timeouts: Prevent long-running queries
4. Secure API Keys: Never share your AI provider API keys
5. Review Logs Regularly: Monitor the query log for unusual activity

Troubleshooting

"AI service is not configured"

• Ensure you've entered an API key for your selected provider
• Verify the provider selection matches the configured API key

Query Execution Errors

• Check the Query Log for detailed error messages
• Verify database permissions
• Ensure queries don't exceed timeout limits

Support

• Author: Martin Brampton
• Email: martin@remository.com
• Website: https://remository.com

License

GNU General Public License version 2 or later

Credits

Built with:

• Joomla CMS Framework
• Multiple AI provider APIs