Odoo XML Views Builder

Odoo XML Views Builder

Selective Reading Rule

Start with:

• references/senior-master-standard.md
• references/usage-routing.md
• references/quality-checklist.md

Then load only the inherited docs, scripts, assets, or examples that match the user's actual task.

Overview

This skill generates and reviews Odoo XML view definitions for Kanban, Form, List, Search, Calendar, and Graph views. It understands visibility modifiers, groups, domain, context, and widget usage across Odoo versions 14–17, including the migration from attrs (v14–16) to inline expressions (v17+).

When to Use This Skill

• Creating a new form or list view for a custom model.
• Adding fields, tabs, or smart buttons to an existing view.
• Building a Kanban view with color coding or progress bars.
• Creating a search view with filters and group-by options.

How It Works

1. Activate: Mention @odoo-xml-views-builder and describe the view you want.
2. Generate: Get complete, ready-to-paste XML view definitions.
3. Review: Paste existing XML and get fixes for common mistakes.

Examples

Example 1: Form View with Tabs

<record id="view_hospital_patient_form" model="ir.ui.view">
    <field name="name">hospital.patient.form</field>
    <field name="model">hospital.patient</field>
    <field name="arch" type="xml">
        <form string="Patient">
            <header>
                <button name="action_confirm" string="Confirm"
                    type="object" class="btn-primary"
                    invisible="state != 'draft'"/>
                <field name="state" widget="statusbar"
                    statusbar_visible="draft,confirmed,done"/>
            </header>
            <sheet>
                <div class="oe_title">
                    <h1><field name="name" placeholder="Patient Name"/></h1>
                </div>
                <notebook>
                    <page string="General Info">
                        <group>
                            <field name="birth_date"/>
                            <field name="doctor_id"/>
                        </group>
                    </page>
                </notebook>
            </sheet>
            <chatter/>
        </form>
    </field>
</record>

Example 2: Kanban View

<record id="view_hospital_patient_kanban" model="ir.ui.view">
    <field name="name">hospital.patient.kanban</field>
    <field name="model">hospital.patient</field>
    <field name="arch" type="xml">
        <kanban default_group_by="state" class="o_kanban_small_column">
            <field name="name"/>
            <field name="state"/>
            <field name="doctor_id"/>
            <templates>
                <t t-name="kanban-card">
                    <div class="oe_kanban_content">
                        <strong><field name="name"/></strong>
                        <div>Doctor: <field name="doctor_id"/></div>
                    </div>
                </t>
            </templates>
        </kanban>
    </field>
</record>

Best Practices

• ✅ Do: Use inline invisible="condition" (Odoo 17+) instead of attrs for show/hide logic.
• ✅ Do: Use attrs="{'invisible': [...]}" only if you are targeting Odoo 14–16 — it is deprecated in v17.
• ✅ Do: Always set a string attribute on your view record for debugging clarity.
• ✅ Do: Use <chatter/> (v17) or <div class="oe_chatter"> + field tags (v16 and below) for activity tracking.
• ❌ Don't: Use attrs in Odoo 17 — it is fully deprecated and raises warnings in logs.
• ❌ Don't: Put business logic in view XML — keep it in Python model methods.
• ❌ Don't: Use hardcoded domain strings in views when a domain field on the model can be used dynamically.

Limitations

• Does not cover OWL JavaScript widgets or client-side component development.
• Search panel views (<searchpanel>) are not fully covered — those require frontend knowledge.
• Does not address website QWeb views — use @odoo-qweb-templates for those.
• Cohort and Map views (Enterprise-only) are not covered by this skill.