Odoo Insider: Unveiling Hidden Features and Answering Community Questions

Odoo Insider hidden features – Welcome to our latest Odoo Insider session! Today, we’ll explore some hidden gems within Odoo and address pressing questions from our community. Let’s dive right in and uncover the secrets that will enhance your Odoo experience.

Registering Your Own App on the Odoo Apps Platform

Odoo Insider hidden features – First and foremost, we’ll tackle a common query: How can you register your own app on the Odoo Apps Platform? The process is straightforward, yet it requires attention to detail.

Creating Your App’s HTML Description

To begin with, you need to create an HTML page that will serve as your app’s description. This page should be located in the static/description/ folder of your module. Here’s a simple example:

<!-- static/description/index.html -->
<section class="oe_container">
    <div class="oe_row oe_spaced">
        <h2 class="oe_slogan" style="color:#875A7B;">Your App Name</h2>
        <h3 class="oe_slogan">A brief, catchy description</h3>
        <div class="oe_span12">
            <div class="oe_demo oe_picture oe_screenshot">
                <img src="screenshot.png">
            </div>
        </div>
    </div>
</section>

Subsequently, you’ll need to add details about your app in the manifest file. This includes information such as the price, icon, and images.

Setting Up Your Manifest File

Your manifest file (__manifest__.py) should contain the following information:

{
    'name': 'Your App Name',
    'version': '1.0',
    'category': 'Category',
    'summary': 'A brief summary',
    'description': """
        A more detailed description of your app.
        You can use multiple lines here.
    """,
    'author': 'Your Name',
    'website': 'https://www.yourwebsite.com',
    'license': 'LGPL-3',
    'depends': ['base'],
    'data': [
        'views/view.xml',
    ],
    'images': ['static/description/banner.png'],
    'price': 99.99,
    'currency': 'EUR',
}

After that, you can submit your application through the Odoo Apps Platform. For more detailed information, check out the official Odoo documentation.

Understanding Odoo’s Multi-Company and Branch Concept

Moving on, let’s address a question about Odoo’s treatment of different branches as independent companies. This approach stems from Odoo’s robust multi-company architecture.

The Multi-Company Structure

In Odoo, each company is treated as a separate entity with its own:

• Chart of Accounts
• VAT Numbers
• Legal Structure

Consequently, this design enables clear financial separation and reporting. However, it can create challenges when you want to share certain data across branches.

Branches: A New Feature

Recently, Odoo introduced the concept of branches. These are sub-entities of a company that share the same chart of accounts but can have separate operations. To use branches, you need to enable the feature in the Settings.

Nevertheless, if you need to share data like discount codes or gift cards across branches, you may need to customize the existing record rules. Here’s an example of how you might modify a record rule:

class CustomSaleOrder(models.Model):
    _inherit = 'sale.order'

    @api.model
    def _search(self, args, offset=0, limit=None, order=None, count=False, access_rights_uid=None):
        if self.env.user.has_group('base.group_multi_company'):
            args += [('company_id', 'in', self.env.user.company_ids.ids)]
        return super(CustomSaleOrder, self)._search(args, offset, limit, order, count, access_rights_uid)

This code allows a user to see sale orders from all companies they have access to, rather than just their current company.

Testing Modules Before Purchase

Lastly, we’ll address how to test modules before buying them. This is crucial for ensuring the module meets your specific needs.

Utilizing the Live Preview

Many modules offer a “Live Preview” option. This feature allows you to test the module’s functionality in a demo environment. Always look for this option before making a purchase.

Contacting the Developer

If a live preview isn’t available, don’t hesitate to contact the developer. Most are willing to provide a demo or additional information about their module’s capabilities.

Exploring Free and Open Source Options

For free modules, you can easily deploy them to your Odoo.sh project for testing. This gives you a hands-on experience with the module before integrating it into your production environment.

To conclude, understanding these aspects of Odoo will significantly enhance your experience with the platform. Remember, the Odoo community is always here to help, so don’t hesitate to ask questions and explore further. Happy Odoo-ing!