Automation plays a crucial role in optimizing business processes. It reduces manual effort, minimizes errors, and allows employees to focus on strategic tasks instead of repetitive ones.

Odoo provides powerful automation tools that let you streamline workflows, often without writing a single line of code. With a basic understanding of the system's structure, you can start creating effective automations.

Types of Automation in Odoo

There are two primary types of automation in Odoo:

1. Automation Rules
   These are trigger-based rules. They run when a specific event happens (e.g., when a sales order is confirmed, a record’s status is changed, etc.).
   
   They can be configured entirely through the user interface without any coding, making them perfect for non-technical users.
2. Scheduled Actions
   These are time-based actions that run at predefined intervals (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.).
   
   Scheduled actions typically execute Python code and are usually defined in the codebase.
   
   They are used for recurring tasks like fetching incoming emails, cleaning up data, or sending periodic reports.

In this post, we'll focus on Automation Rules.

How to Configure Automation Rules

To access automation options, activate Developer Mode and navigate to: Settings > Technical > Automation​

If the Automation Rules​ menu is not visible, check whether the module is installed. You can find and install it via the Apps menu by searching for Automation Rules.

Step 1: Create a New Automation Rule

To create new automation rules, the following steps are required:

1. Go to Settings > Technical > Automation > Automation Rules​
2. Click New and add a name for your rule.
3. Select the model the rule applies to, e.g., Sales Order, Purchase Order, etc.

Tip: If you're unsure of the model name:

• Open a record from the model you want to automate (e.g., Invoices).
• Click on the Developer Tools​ icon at the top right (Developer Mode enabled).
• Under the Interface​ section, you’ll see the model name (e.g., account.move for Invoices).

Step 2: Define Rule Conditions

Once you’ve selected the model, a few fields will appear that need configuration:

• Trigger
  Define when the rule should run (e.g., when a sales order’s status changes to "Sales Order").

• Before Update Domain
  Specify conditions based on the record's values before the trigger occurs.

  For example, consider only orders that had the state "Quotation" before changing to "Sales Order," and exclude those that moved from "Quotation Sent" to "Sales Order."

  This option is not available when the trigger is Time Condition​.

• Apply On
  Specify conditions applied after the trigger occurs. For example, filter records where the state is "Sales Order."

If the trigger doesn’t influence the value checked in the condition, it makes no difference whether you place the condition in Before Update Domain​ or Apply On​.
For instance, if the Sales Team is "Website" both before and after the status change, it can be added in either condition group, the result will be the same.

Step 3: Set Up Actions

The next step is to define what the system should do when the conditions are met. This is configured under the Actions To Do​ tab. It is possible to configure multiple actions for a single rule. Available options include:

• Update Record
• Create Activity
• Send Email
• Send SMS
• Add/Remove Followers
• Create Records
• Execute Code
• Send Webhook Notification
• Multi Actions

Depending on the action selected, different configuration fields will appear for each of them.

Practical Use Case

Scenario

An e-commerce company has an internal rule that all website orders with a value over $10,000 must be reviewed by the sales manager. Orders previously sent as quotations to customers don’t require review.

To support this rule, the system needs to automatically create an activity for the sales manager listing the necessary tasks for review.

Automation Rule Configuration

The configuration for the required rules that support the company's requirements is shown in the images below.

Result

Every time a qualifying sales order is confirmed, an activity will be automatically created for the assigned sales manager to review.

Final Thoughts

Odoo’s built-in automation features offer a practical and accessible solution without the need for advanced technical knowledge.

By setting clear conditions and actions, you can significantly reduce manual work, improve accuracy, and ensure process consistency.

In Odoo, you can attach multiple documents to a product and configure their visibility based on different settings, making them accessible across various applications.

The Documents view is available via the Document smart button on the product page. The visibility of each document can be adjusted using the following settings:

Company:

• None selected: The document is visible to all companies.
• Specific company: The document is available only for the selected company.

MRP Visibility:

• Hidden: The document is invisible in the BoM view. It is the default value unless uploaded from the BoM view (Components section).
• Bill of Materials: The document is available in the BoM when the product is used as a component.

Sale Visibility:

• Hidden: Not available in sales.
• On Quote: Included in the quotation.
• On Confirmed Order: Available once the order is confirmed.
• Inside Quote PDF: Included within the quote PDF when selected in the Quote Builder tab.

Publish on Website:

• When enabled, the document becomes available for download on the website. This option is available only when documents are uploaded in the Product Template

Documents accessibility when using variants

If you use product variants, document availability depends on where it was initially uploaded:

• Specific variant: The document is accessible only for that variant.
• Product template: The document is accessible for all variants.

Final Thoughts

Document visibility and accessibility depend on both the upload location and the configured visibility settings. To ensure proper availability, upload the document to the appropriate location, such as:

• Product Template: For general documents that should be accessible across all related variants.
• Product Variant: For variant-specific documents that should be available only for a specific product variant.
• BoM Components: For documents that should be accessible only in the Bill of Materials section.

In Odoo’s Manufacturing module, Work Order (WO) statuses within a Manufacturing Order (MO) can sometimes be unexpected.

The statuses primarily depend on component availability and the dependencies between Work Orders. The two key settings that influence them are:

• Manufacturing Readiness
• Operation Dependencies

Manufacturing Readiness

It primarily affects the Manufacturing Order Readiness Status in the Manufacturing Order. The two available options are:

• When all components are available: Manufacturing Order is ready when all components are in stock.
• When components for 1st operation are available: The Manufacturing Order is ready when the components for the first operation are available.

Odoo uses the MO Readiness status value to determine Work Order statuses. As a result, a Work Order can be marked as "Ready" even if not all components are available, only because the first required component is in stock.

Operation Dependencies

Operation Dependencies is the second setting that affects Work Order statuses. Depending on its value, Odoo applies different logic for dependencies between Work Orders:

• Disabled: Dependencies between Work Orders are determined by their sorting order.
• Enabled: The dependencies set on the operations are enforced.

What Does This Mean in Practice?

Let’s review the four possible cases based on the Manufacturing Readiness and Operation Dependencies settings.

In all cases, we start from a scenario where components are initially unavailable. Therefore, the first status represents the Work Order’s status before any components become available.

Case 1: Manufacturing Readiness is set to "When All Components Are Available," and Operation Dependency is not enabled.

In this case, the system will enforce operation dependency based on the order of operations. The first Work Order will have the status "Waiting for Components," while the other Work Orders will be "Waiting for Another WO."

Once all components are available, the first WO will change to "Ready," while the others will remain in "Waiting for Another WO."

The statuses will update sequentially to "Ready" as each preceding WO is completed.

Case 2: Manufacturing Readiness is set to "When All Components Are Available," and Operation Dependency is enabled.

In this case, all Work Orders that do not depend on another order will have the status "Waiting for Components," while dependent orders will have the status "Waiting for Another WO."

The status of independent WOs will change to "Ready" once all components are available. However, dependent WOs will remain in "Waiting for Another WO" until the Work Order they depend on is completed.

Case 3: Manufacturing Readiness is set to "When Components for the 1st Operation Are Available," and Operation Dependency is not enabled.

In this case, the first WO will have the status "Waiting for Components," while all other WOs will be in "Waiting for Another Operation."

Once the components for the first operation are available, its status will change to "Ready," while all other WOs will remain "Waiting for Another WO."

When the first WO is completed, the next WO will change to "Ready" even if its components are not available.

In this setup, Odoo does not check if the components for each individual WO are available. Instead, it relies on the Manufacturing Order Readiness Status, which is set to "Ready" once the components for the first WO are available.

Case 4: Manufacturing Readiness is set to "When Components for the 1st Operation Are Available," and Operation Dependency is enabled.

In this case all WOs without dependencies will have the status "Waiting for Components." While WOs with dependencies will have the status "Waiting for Another WO."

Once the components for the first operation are available, the status of independent WOs will change to "Ready", even if some components for certain operations are still missing.

However, WOs that depend on another WO will remain in "Waiting for Another WO" until the dependent operation is completed. Once completed, those WOs will also change to “Ready” or “Waiting for Components,” depending on whether the components for the first unfinished WO are available.

Final Thoughts

When determining Work Order statuses, Odoo does not take actual component availability into account. Instead, it relies on the general Manufacturing Order Readiness Status.

It would be beneficial if Odoo refined this logic in the future by considering component availability at the Work Order level rather than relying solely on the overall Manufacturing Order Readiness Status. This would result in more accurate and reliable Work Order statuses.

The Gantt view in Odoo’s Project app is a powerful tool for planning, but without a clear legend, the meaning behind different task colors can be unclear and confusing.

The color of each task depends on the view being used:

• Project’s Tasks View: Colors represent the stage of the task within the project.
• All Tasks View: Colors differentiate tasks based on their project (assigned randomly).
• My Tasks View: Colors indicate the project of each task, similar to the All Tasks View.

Possible Improvements:

1. The project’s color could be used for tasks in the All Tasks View and My Tasks View instead of assigning random colors. This way, users could predefine project colors and easily recognize tasks.
2. Introducing a color field for stages would allow users to associate specific colors with task stages, making project overviews clearer and easier to work with.

Odoo’s checkout process includes several predefined options that allow businesses to tailor the process based on their needs. By navigating to the checkout page and clicking the Edit​ button, you will find the following customization options under the Customize​ tab:

• Extra Step – Adds an extra step in the checkout process, which can be used for different purposes based on your business needs.
• Suggested Accessories – When enabled, this feature displays related accessories for products in the cart overview. To use this option, at least one product must have suggested accessories configured.
• Promo Code – Adds a promo code field in the Order Summary, below the Total. This option only makes the field available; you will still need to set up discount codes using Odoo’s pricelist feature.
• Accept Terms and Conditions – If this option is activated, customers must select the "Accept Terms and Conditions" checkbox before proceeding with payment. The Pay button remains disabled until this requirement is met.
• Show B2B Fields – Adds Company and VAT fields to the checkout form, making it useful for B2B transactions. If your business serves both B2B and B2C customers, you may prefer to display only the Company field by default and reveal the VAT field when a company name is entered. However, this option is not yet available in Odoo’s settings.

By using these options, you can customize Odoo’s checkout process to better suit your business requirements.

If you are using Odoo’s Manufacturing module, you may have noticed the Plan​ button on manufacturing orders. This button appears on confirmed manufacturing orders, when the related Bills of Materials have predefined operations. But what does this button do?

When you click the Plan​ button, Odoo tries to find the first available time slot for each work order based on the work center’s schedule, the manufacturing order's scheduled date, and each work order’s estimated duration. If the Work Order Dependency​ option is enabled, dependencies between work orders are considered. Otherwise, the system plans work orders based on their sorting. During this process, a time slot is created in the Resource Time Off calendar to indicate that the work center is reserved. If the primary work center isn't available, Odoo will check for alternatives.

Once an order is planned, you can unplan it, removing the time slots from the calendar. However, this action isn’t allowed if any work order is already in progress.

Planned work orders are visible in the Planning​ menu and can be viewed by Manufacturing Order or Work Center, using the submenus: Planning by Production​ and Planning by Workcenter​, respectively.

Creating an extra step in your checkout process may be essential for your business, whether to collect additional customer details, verify specific information, or meet compliance requirements.

Odoo provides the flexibility to add a fully customizable extra step to the checkout process, without requiring any technical expertise. You can enable and configure this feature by following the steps:

1. Go to Website > Configuration > Shop - Checkout Process​.
2. Enable the setting Extra Step During Checkout​.
3. Save the changes and click on Configure Form​ (which appears just below the setting) to customize the form.

In the customizable extra step, you can add any additional fields needed for your process. If a field is already part of the Sales Order model, you can reference it directly. Otherwise, all custom fields will be saved as chatter messages in the order.

This functionality could benefit from a few improvements:

• If users navigate back and forth during checkout, their form data is not retained, which may result in duplicate entries. For example, if an image upload is required, users may need to upload the same image multiple times, leading to multiple attachments in the order.
• Finding specific data in the chatter of an order can be challenging, especially when the order has a long chat history. Odoo could enhance this feature by storing custom field data in a “Description” field, similar to how it is done in Tasks.

In manufacturing, actual component consumption may sometimes exceed the planned quantity. Odoo provides a setting to help manage this, ensuring proper control over manufacturing orders.

You can find the Flexible Consumption​ setting in each Bill of Materials under the Miscellaneous tab. It determines whether users can close manufacturing orders when more components are consumed than originally planned.

There are three configuration options:

• Allowed: Users can close manufacturing orders even when additional components are used beyond the planned quantity.
• Allowed with Warning: Users can still close orders, but if the consumed quantity differs, the system will:
  • Highlight the quantity in the Components section of the view.
  • Display a warning message listing components with consumption variations before closing production.
• Blocked: Only managers can close orders where consumption exceeds the planned amount. They will receive the same warning message as in the previous option and must either force the override or adjust the quantities to match the original plan.

Tip: If you manually update component quantities in the Manufacturing Order form view, make sure to select the “Consumed” checkbox in the Components tab. Otherwise, Odoo will ignore the updated quantity.

If you need to subcontract the production of a product or just part of it, Odoo provides a complete configuration to manage the process efficiently.

Start by enabling Subcontracting​ in Manufacturing > Configuration > Settings > Subcontracting​. Then, create a Bill of Materials (BoM) for your product and set it up with the following:

1. ​BoM Type​: Select Subcontracting.
2. ​Subcontractors​: Choose the subcontractors responsible for production.
3. ​Manufacturing Lead Time​: Set this for accurate production timelines.

The next steps of the configuration are influenced by two main factors:

1. How components are supplied to the subcontractor.
2. Where the final product needs to be delivered.

Based on how components are sourced, Odoo supports three subcontracting options:

• Base Subcontracting: The subcontractor provides the components. In this case, there is no need to list the components in the BoM.
• Resupply Subcontractor: Components are sent from your warehouse to the subcontractor. This requires the following routes on each of the components:
  • The Buy​ route for component procurement. Additionally, if you want to automate procurement, use MTO​ route or Reordering Rules.
  • The Resupply Subcontractor on Order​ route to send the components to the subcontractor.
• Dropship to Subcontractor: Components are purchased and shipped directly to the subcontractor. To set this up:
  • Enable Dropshipping​ in Inventory > Configuration > Settings > Logistics​.
  • Apply the Dropship Subcontractor on Order​ route to the components.

The routes set on the final product mainly depend on its delivery location:

1. If it is received at your warehouse, enable the Buy​ route on it. Additionally, to automate purchase order (PO) creation, apply the MTO​ route or use Reordering Rules, depending on the company's needs.
2. If it is sent directly to the customer, use the Dropshipping​ route only.

It is very important that both the final product and components (if applicable) have a Vendor with pricing set so that Odoo can generate POs automatically. Also, ensure that the subcontractor added as a Vendor on the final product is set as a subcontractor in the BoM; otherwise, Odoo will initiate only a purchasing flow instead of subcontracting.

Now, with a few steps, you can automate your subcontracting process in Odoo.

Need to limit email template editing to specific users? The Restrict Template Rendering​ option in General Settings can help.

When enabled, it removes the Mail Template Editor​ group from users, allowing only the admin to modify existing templates. Users without this group can still:

• View templates but not edit existing ones
• Create own templates and modify them

If you need additional users to edit templates, you can manually grant them the Mail Template Editor​ group via the User form view.

This setting does not affect access to templates. Users must have at least Administrator: Access Rights​ group and Developer Mode​ activated to view the list of email templates.

When validating a picking in Odoo, do you always need to create a backorder if the quantity is less than the demand? Or does your workflow require skipping backorders for certain operations? If so, the confirmation popup asking whether to create a backorder might be unnecessary.

Odoo allows you to configure this behaviour per Operation Type using the Create Backorder​ setting. It offers three options:

1. Ask: If the demand quantity is greater than the validated quantity, a popup appears during validation to confirm backorder creation.
2. Always: Automatically creates a backorder if the validated quantity is less than the planned.
3. Never: Prevents backorder creation, regardless of quantity.

By default, Odoo uses the Ask option, but you can change it by following the steps:

1. Go to Inventory > Configuration > Warehouse Management > Operation Types​.
2. Select the relevant Operation Type (e.g., Delivery Orders).
3. Update the Create Backorder​ setting to match your business needs.

Once updated, all future deliveries will follow the new backorder rule.