Odoo Fields And Orm

Odoo Fields and ORM

Goal

Define robust models and fields, leveraging advanced ORM features for performance, multi-company support, and dynamic customization.

1. Functional Requirements Checklist

Before defining a field, answer these questions to determine the correct attributes:

• Search/Group: Does it need to be searchable or groupable? -> store=True (default for non-computed), index=True
• Performance: Is it a large text field requiring fuzzy search? -> index='trigram'
• Multi-Company: Does the value vary per company (e.g., Cost Price)? -> company_dependent=True
• Consistency: Should it strictly respect company boundaries? -> check_company=True
• Pre-calculation: Should it be computed before the record is created (e.g., for default values)? -> precompute=True (Odoo 17+)
• Dynamic Data: Do users need to define custom fields per record without schema changes? -> Properties field.

2. Defining a Model

Models inherit from models.Model, models.TransientModel (temporary), or models.AbstractModel (mixins).

Model Types

1. Model (models.Model):
   • Regular database-persisted models.
   • Most common type.
2. TransientModel (models.TransientModel):
   • Temporary records, periodically cleaned up by a scheduled action.
   • Used for Wizards (pop-ups to ask user input).
   • No access rights required (usually).
   • Example: class EstateOfferWizard(models.TransientModel): ...
3. AbstractModel (models.AbstractModel):
   • No database table created.
   • Used as a "Mixin" or Interface to be inherited by other models.
   • Example: mail.thread (Chatter), image.mixin.

from odoo import api, fields, models

class EstateProperty(models.Model):
    _name = "estate.property"
    _description = "Real Estate Property"
    _order = "id desc"
    _rec_name = "name"  # Field to use for display name

    # Robust: Prevent access by malicious users
    _allow_sudo_commands = False 

3. Basic & Advanced Fields

Defined in odoo/odoo/orm/fields.py.

Common Attributes

• string="Label": UI Label.
• required=True: NOT NULL constraint.
• readonly=True: UI only (unless compute is used).
• copy=False: Don't copy this value when duplicating the record.
• default=...: Static value or callable (lambda self: ...).
• groups="base.group_user": Restrict access to specific security groups.

Robust Attributes

• index=True / 'btree' / 'btree_not_null' / 'trigram':
  • 'btree_not_null': Better performance if many values are NULL.
  • 'trigram': Enables partial matching (ilike) acceleration (requires pg_trgm).
• company_dependent=True: Stores values as JSONB {'company_id': value}.
• aggregator='sum'/'avg'/'max': Default aggregation function for Group By.

4. Computed Fields

Fields whose values are calculated via Python.

@api.depends("living_area", "garden_area")
def _compute_total_area(self):
    for record in self:
        record.total_area = record.living_area + record.garden_area

5. Relational Fields

Link models together.

Many2one

Link to a parents.

partner_id = fields.Many2one("res.partner", string="Partner", index=True)

• ondelete: set null (default), restrict (prevent deletion), cascade (delete child).
• domain: Filter selectable records (e.g., [('is_company', '=', True)]).

One2many

Link to children (inverse of Many2one).

offer_ids = fields.One2many("estate.offer", "property_id", string="Offers")

Many2many

Link to multiple records (M<->M table).

tag_ids = fields.Many2many("estate.tag", string="Tags")

Robust Relational Features

• check_company=True: Ensures partner_id.company_id == self.company_id. Critical for multi-company security.
• context={'active_test': False}: Include archived records in the relation.

6. Onchanges (@api.onchange)

Client-side UI logic. Not for data consistency (use computed fields for that).

@api.onchange("partner_id")
def _onchange_partner_id(self):
    if self.partner_id:
        self.phone = self.partner_id.phone

7. The Properties Field (Advanced)

Allows defining fields dynamically per record, based on a "definition" from a container record.

• Use Case: A "Product" has different specifications depending on the "Category".
• Defined in odoo/odoo/orm/fields_properties.py.

# Definition on Container (e.g., Category)
properties_definition = fields.PropertiesDefinition('Properties')

# Value on Child (e.g., Product)
properties = fields.Properties(
    string='Properties',
    definition='category_id.properties_definition',
)

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