Tricks for Efficient Odoo Development

Developing custom modules, widgets, or features in Odoo can be streamlined with the right tools and techniques. Here are some proven tricks that can make your development process more efficient and insightful:

Use the Search Feature in VSCode

When working on Odoo development, the search functionality in VSCode or Other IDE can be invaluable for exploring the source code and understanding how things work under the hood.

Tips:

1. Activate Debug Mode
   • Use Odoo's debug mode to identify key information such as IDs, record names, or registry keys.
2. Search the Source Code
   • Search for relevant keywords in the source code to locate models, view IDs, or registry names.
   • For instance, if you're working on a custom widget, you can refer to existing widgets as examples.

Example:
Suppose you're developing a custom widget. To learn from the color widget, you can search for the following code in VSCode:

category("fields").add("color"

This search will reveal the implementation of the color widget, allowing you to understand its structure and apply similar techniques to your widget.

Use ChatGPT or Other Large Language Models (LLMs)

LLMs like ChatGPT are powerful tools for Odoo developers, offering quick guidance and examples to solve problems or implement new features.

How to Leverage LLMs:

• Ask for sample code snippets or explanations for a feature you're trying to build.
• Use the responses as a reference or starting point for your implementation.

Example:
When building a feature to search for customers by phone number, you might receive a snippet like this:

from odoo import models, fields, api

class ResPartner(models.Model):
    _inherit = 'res.partner'

    @api.model
    def name_search(self, name, args=None, operator='ilike', limit=100):
        args = args or []
        if name:
            partners = self.search([
                '|', '|',
                ('name', operator, name),
                ('phone', operator, name),
                ('mobile', operator, name)
            ] + args, limit=limit)
        else:
            partners = self.search(args, limit=limit)
        return partners.name_get()

Then while exploring, you might realize that Odoo uses _name_search instead of name_search. This insight, combined with LLM guidance, significantly speeds up development.

Learn from Webs and Forums

Online resources like the Odoo forums or dedicated blogs (e.g., Cybrosys) are treasure troves of knowledge. These platforms provide:

• Real-world solutions to common problems.
• Tutorials for building a strong foundation in custom module development.
• Insights into debugging and performance optimization.

Read Logs for Debugging

Logs are a developer’s best friend when identifying and fixing issues in custom modules. Odoo provides logs for the user, the logs path can be seen from the odoo.conf.

Tips for Reading Logs:

• QWeb and JavaScript Issues
  • Errors in QWeb templates or JavaScript will typically appear in the browser’s developer console.
• Python Errors
  • Check the logs file to identify backend issues like missing fields or incorrect method calls.

By analyzing logs, you can pinpoint errors quickly, reducing debugging time and effort.

Explore and Replicate Existing Features

Rather than starting from scratch, study how similar features are implemented in the Odoo source code.

• Search for widget implementations, controllers, or method overrides.
• Modify existing patterns to suit your custom requirements.

By combining these techniques, you can navigate Odoo’s complexities with ease, build robust customizations, and enhance your development workflow.