odoo-xml-views-builder

Odoo XML Views Builder

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

These examples target Odoo 17 and require the custom model, fields and methods. For v14–16, convert dynamic modifiers to attrs domains. View visibility is not access control: enforce ACLs, record rules and method authorization separately.

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>
            <div class="oe_chatter">
                <field name="message_follower_ids"/>
                <field name="activity_ids"/>
                <field name="message_ids"/>
            </div>
        </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-box">
                    <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 no longer supported in v17.
• ✅ Do: Set the ir.ui.view record's name field; use supported string attributes on the architecture elements that accept them.
• ✅ Do: For Odoo 17, use the oe_chatter block and ensure the model inherits the required mail mixins; verify syntax against the exact target version.
• ❌ Don't: Use attrs in Odoo 17 — it is unsupported and can prevent view loading.
• ❌ 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.

Reference: Odoo 17 view architectures.

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.