This page introduces the coding guidelines for projects hosted under OCA. These guidelines aim to improve the quality of the code: better readability of source, better maintainability, better stability and fewer regressions.
These are loosely based on the Odoo Guidelines with adaptations to improve their guidelines and make them more suitable for this project's own needs. Readers used to the Odoo Guidelines can skip to the Differences With Odoo Guidelines section.
- Use of the singular form in module name (or use "multi"), except when compound of module name or object Odoo that is already in the plural (i.e. mrp_operations_....).
- Use the description template but remove sections with no meaningful content.
- In the
__openerp__.py
manifest file:- Avoid empty keys
- Make sure it has the
license
key - Make sure the text
,Odoo Community Association (OCA)
is appended to theauthor
text.
The version number in the module manifest should be the Odoo major
version (e.g. 8.0
) followed by the module x.y.z
version numbers.
For example: 8.0.1.0.0
is expected for the first release of an 8.0
module.
The x.y.z
version numbers follow the semantics breaking.feature.fix
:
x
increments when the data model or the views had significant changes. Data migration might be needed, or depending modules might be affected.y
increments when non-breaking new features are added. A module upgrade will probably be needed.z
increments when bugfixes were made. Usually a server restart is needed for the fixes to be made available.
If applicable, breaking changes are expected to include instructions or scripts to perform migration on current installations.
A module is organised in a few directory:
controllers/
: contains controllers (http routes)data/
: data xmldemo/
: demo xmlmodels/
: models definitionreport/
: reporting models (BI/analysis), Webkit/RML print report templatesstatic/
: contains the web assets, separated intocss/
,js/
,img/
,lib/
, ...views/
: contains the views and templates, and QWeb report print templateswizards/
: wizard model and views
For models
, views
and data
declarations, split files by the model
involved, either created or inherited. These files should be named after the
model. For example, demo data for res.partner should go in a file named
demo/res_partner.xml and a view for partner should go in a file named
views/res_partner.xml.
For model named <main_model>
the following files may be created:
models/<main_model>.py
data/<main_model>.xml
demo/<main_model>.xml
templates/<main_model>.xml
views/<main_model>.xml
For controller
, the only file should be named main.py
.
For static files
, the name pattern is <module_name>.ext
(i.e.
static/js/im_chat.js
, static/css/im_chat.css
, static/xml/im_chat.xml
,
...). Don't link data (image, libraries) outside Odoo: don't use an url to an
image but copy it in our codebase instead.
The complete tree should looks like
addons/<my_module_name>/
|-- __init__.py
|-- __openerp__.py
|-- controllers/
| |-- __init__.py
| `-- main.py
|-- data/
| `-- <main_model>.xml
|-- demo/
| `-- <inherited_model>.xml
|-- models/
| |-- __init__.py
| |-- <main_model>.py
| `-- <inherited_model>.py
|-- report/
| |-- __init__.py
| |-- report.xml
| |-- <bi_reporting_model>.py
| |-- report_<rml_report_name>.rml
| |-- report_<rml_report_name>.py
| |-- <webkit_report_name>.mako
|-- security/
| |-- ir.model.access.csv
| `-- <main_model>_security.xml
|-- static/
| |-- img/
| | |-- my_little_kitten.png
| | `-- troll.jpg
| |-- lib/
| | `-- external_lib/
| `-- src/
| |-- js/
| | `-- <my_module_name>.js
| |-- css/
| | `-- <my_module_name>.css
| |-- less/
| | `-- <my_module_name>.less
| `-- xml/
| `-- <my_module_name>.xml
|-- views/
| |-- <main_model>.xml
| `-- <inherited_main_model>_views.xml
| |-- report_<qweb_report>.xml
|-- templates/
| |-- <main_model>.xml
| `-- <inherited_main_model>.xml
`-- wizards/
|-- __init__.py
|-- <wizard_model>.py
`-- <wizard_model>.xml
Filename should only use only [a-z0-9_]
Use correct file permissions: folder 755 and file 644.
When declaring a record in XML,
-
Place
id
attribute beforemodel
-
For field declaration,
name
attribute is first. Then place thevalue
either in thefield
tag, either in theeval
attribute, and finally other attributes (widget, options, ...) ordered by importance. -
Try to group the record by model. In case of dependencies between action/menu/views, the convention may not be applicable.
-
Use naming convention defined at the next point
-
The tag
<data>
is only used to set not-updatable data withnoupdate=1
-
Do not prefix the xmlid by the current module's name (
<record id="view_id"...
, not<record id="current_module.view_id"...
)
<record id="view_id" model="ir.ui.view">
<field name="name">view.name</field>
<field name="model">object_name</field>
<field name="priority" eval="16"/>
<field name="arch" type="xml">
<tree>
<field name="my_field_1"/>
<field name="my_field_2" string="My Label" widget="statusbar" statusbar_visible="draft,sent,progress,done" statusbar_colors='{"invoice_except":"red","waiting_date":"blue"}' />
</tree>
</field>
</record>
- For records of model
ir.filters
use explicituser_id
field.
<record id="filter_id" model="ir.filters">
<field name="name">Filter name</field>
<field name="model_id">filter.model</field>
<field name="user_id" eval="False"/>
</record>
More info here
Use the following pattern:
- For a menu:
<model_name>_menu
- For a view:
<model_name>_view_<view_type>
, whereview_type
is kanban, form, tree, search, ... - For an action: the main action respects
<model_name>_action
. Others are suffixed with_<detail>
, wheredetail
is a underscore lowercase string explaining a little bit the action (Should not be long). This is used only if multiple action are declared for the model. - For a group:
<model_name>_group_<group_name>
wheregroup_name
is the name of the group, genrally 'user', 'manager', ... - For a rule:
<model_name>_rule_<concerned_group>
whereconcerned_group
is the short name of the concerned group ('user' for the 'model_name_group_user', 'public' for public user, 'company' for multi-company rules, ...).
<!-- views and menus -->
<record id="model_name_menu" model="ir.ui.menu">
...
</record>
<record id="model_name_view_form" model="ir.ui.view">
...
</record>
<record id="model_name_view_kanban" model="ir.ui.view">
...
</record>
<!-- actions -->
<record id="model_name_action" model="ir.actions.act_window">
...
</record>
<record id="model_name_action_child_list" model="ir.actions.act_window">
...
</record>
<!-- security -->
<record id="model_name_group_user" model="res.groups">
...
</record>
<record id="model_name_rule_public" model="ir.rule">
...
</record>
<record id="model_name_rule_company" model="ir.rule">
...
</record>
A module can extend a view only one time.
The naming rules should be followed even when a view is inherited, the module name prevents xid conflicts. In the case where a view inherited has a name which does not follow the guidelines set above, prefer naming the inherited view after the original over using a name which follows the guidelines. This eases looking up the original view and other inheritance if they all have the same name.
<record id="original_id" model="ir.ui.view">
<field name="inherit_id" ref="original_module.original_id"/>
...
</record>
If your module use extras dependencies of python or binaries you should add to __openerp__py
file the section external_dependencies
.
{
'name': 'Example Module',
...
'external_dependencies': {
'bin': [
'external_dependency_binary_1',
'external_dependency_binary_2',
...
'external_dependency_binary_N',
],
'python': [
'external_dependency_python_1',
'external_dependency_python_2',
...
'external_dependency_python_N',
],
},
...
'installable': True,
}
An entry in bin
needs to be in PATH
identify with which external_dependency_binary_N
command.
An entry in python
needs to be in PYTHONPATH
identify with python -c "import external_dependency_python_N"
command.
In python files where you use a import external_dependency_python_N
you will need to add a try-except
with a debug log.
try:
import external_dependency_python_N
except ImportError:
_logger.debug('Can not `import external_dependency_python_N`.')
If your module use extras dependencies of python or binaries, please explain how to install them in the README.rst
file in the section Installation
.
Using the linter flake8 can help to see syntax and semantic warning or error. Project Source Code should adhere to PEP8 and PyFlakes standards with a few exceptions:
- In
__init__.py
only- F401:
module
imported but unused
- F401:
The imports are ordered as
- Standard library imports
- Known third party imports (One per line sorted and splitted in python stdlib)
- Odoo imports (
openerp
) - Imports from Odoo modules (rarely, and only if necessary)
- Local imports in the relative form
- Unknown third party imports (One per line sorted and splitted in python stdlib)
Inside these 6 groups, the imported lines are alphabetically sorted.
# 1: imports of python lib
import base64
import logging
import re
import time
# 2: import of known third party lib
import lxml
# 3: imports of openerp
import openerp
from openerp import api, fields, models # alphabetically ordered
from openerp.tools.safe_eval import safe_eval
from openerp.tools.translate import _
# 4: imports from odoo modules
from openerp.addons.website.models.website import slug
from openerp.addons.web.controllers.main import login_redirect
# 5: local imports
from . import utils
# 6: Import of unknown third party lib
_logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
try:
import external_dependency_python_N
except ImportError:
_logger.debug('Can not `import external_dependency_python_N`.')
- Note:
- You can use isort to auto sort import's.
- Install with
pip install isort
and use withisort myfile.py
.
- Each python file should have
# coding: utf-8
or# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
as first line - Prefer
%
over.format()
, prefer%(varname)
instead of positional. This is better for translation and clarity. - Always favor Readability over conciseness or using the language features or idioms.
- Use list comprehension, dict comprehension, and basic manipulation using
map
,filter
,sum
, ... They make the code more pythonic, easier to read and are generally more efficient - The same applies for recordset methods: use
filtered
,mapped
,sorted
, ... - Exceptions: Use
from openerp.exceptions import Warning as UserError
(v8) orfrom openerp.exceptions import UserError
(v9) or find a more appropriate exception inopenerp.exceptions.py
- Document your code
- Docstring on methods should explain the purpose of a function, not a summary of the code
- Simple comments for parts of code which do things which are not immediately obvious
- Too many comments are usually a sign that the code is unreadable needs to be refactored
- Use meaningful variable/class/method names
- If a function is too long or too indented due to loops, this is a sign that it needs to be refactored into smaller functions
- If a function call, dictionary, list or tuple is broken into two lines,
break it at the opening symbol. This adds a four space indent to the next
line instead of starting the next line at the opening symbol.
Example:
partner_id = fields.Many2one( "res.partner", "Partner", "Required", )
- When making a comma separated list, dict, tuple, ... with one element per line, append a comma to the last element. This makes it so the next element added only changes one line in the changeset instead of changing the last element to simply add a comma.
- If an argument to a function call is not immediately obvious, prefer using named parameter.
- Use English variable names and write comments in english. Strings which need to be displayed in other languages should be translated using the translation system
Use camelcase for code in api v8, underscore lowercase notation for old api.
class AccountInvoice(models.Model):
...
class account_invoice(orm.Model):
...
- use underscore lowercase notation for common variable (snake_case)
- since new API works with record or recordset instead of id list, don't suffix
variable name with
_id
or_ids
if they do not contain an id or a list of ids.
...
res_partner = self.env['res.partner']
partners = res_partner.browse(ids)
partner_id = partners[0].id
- Use underscore uppercase notation for global variables or constants
...
CONSTANT_VAR1 = 'Value'
...
class...
...
-
One2Many
andMany2Many
fields should always have_ids
as suffix (example: sale_order_line_ids) -
Many2One
fields should have_id
as suffix (example: partner_id, user_id, ...) -
If the technical name of the field (the variable name) is the same to the string of the label, don't put
string
parameter for new API fields, because it's automatically taken. If your variable name contains "_" in the name, they are converted to spaces when creating the automatic string and each word is capitalized. (example: old api'name': fields.char('Name', ...)
new api'name': fields.Char(...)
) -
Method conventions
- Compute Field: the compute method pattern is
_compute_<field_name>
- Search method: the search method pattern is
_search_<field_name>
- Default method: the default method pattern is
_default_<field_name>
- Onchange method: the onchange method pattern is
_onchange_<field_name>
- Constraint method: the constraint method pattern is
_check_<constraint_name>
- Action method: an object action method is prefix with
action_
. Its decorator is@api.multi
, but since it use only one record, addself.ensure_one()
at the beginning of the method. @api.one
method: For v8 is recommended use@api.multi
and avoid use@api.one
, for compatibility with v9 where is deprecated@api.one
.
- Compute Field: the compute method pattern is
-
Default functions should be declared with a lambda call on self. The reason for this is so a default function can be inherited. Assigning a function pointer directly to the
default
parameter does not allow for inheritance.a_field(..., default=lambda self: self._default_get())
-
In a Model attribute order should be
- Private attributes (
_name
,_description
,_inherit
, ...) - Fields declarations
- Default method and
_default_get
- Compute and search methods in the same order than field declaration
- Constrains methods (
@api.constrains
) and onchange methods (@api.onchange
) - CRUD methods (ORM overrides)
- Action methods
- And finally, other business methods.
- Private attributes (
class Event(models.Model):
# Private attributes
_name = 'event.event'
_description = 'Event'
# Fields declaration
name = fields.Char(string='Name', default=_default_name)
seats_reserved = fields.Integer(
oldname='register_current',
string='Reserved Seats',
store=True,
readonly=True,
compute='_compute_seats',
)
seats_available = fields.Integer(
oldname='register_avail',
string='Available Seats',
store=True,
readonly=True,
compute='_compute_seats',
)
price = fields.Integer(string='Price')
# Default methods
def _default_name(self):
...
# compute and search fields, in the same order that fields declaration
@api.multi
@api.depends('seats_max', 'registration_ids.state')
def _compute_seats(self):
...
# Constraints and onchanges
@api.constrains('seats_max', 'seats_available')
def _check_seats_limit(self):
...
@api.onchange('date_begin')
def _onchange_date_begin(self):
...
# CRUD methods
def create(self):
...
# Action methods
@api.multi
def action_validate(self):
self.ensure_one()
...
# Business methods
def mail_user_confirm(self):
...
use strict;
is recommended for all javascript files- Use a linter (jshint, ...)
- Never add minified Javascript Libraries
- Use camelcase for class declaration
- Prefix all your class with
o_<module_name>
wheremodule_name
is the technical name of the module (sale
,im_chat
, ...) or the main route reserved by the module (for website module mainly, i.e.o_forum
for website_forum module). The only exception for this rule is the webclient: it simply useo_
prefix. - Avoid using id
- Use bootstrap native class
- Use underscore lowercase notation to name class
As a general rule, a bug fix should come with a unittest which would fail without the fix itself. This is to assure that regression will not happen in the future. It also is a good way to show that the fix works in all cases.
New modules or addtions should ideally test all the functions defined. The coveralls utility will comment on pull requests indicating if coverage increased or decreased. If it has decreased, this is usually a sign that a test should be added. The coveralls web interface can also show which lines need test cases.
Write a short commit summary without prefixing it. It should not be longer than
50 characters: This is a commit message
Then, in the message itself, specify the part of the code impacted by your changes (module name, lib, transversal object, ...) and a description of the changes. This part should be multiple lines no longer than 80 characters.
- Commit messages are in English
- Merge proposals should follow the same rules as the title of the propsal is the first line of the merge commit and the description corresponds to commit description.
- Always put meaning full commit message: commit message should be self explanatory (long enough) including the name of the module that has been changed and the reason behind that change. Do not use single words like "bugfix" or "improvements".
- Avoid commits which simultaneously impacts lots of modules. Try to splits into different commits where impacted modules are different (It will be helpful when we are going to revert that module separately).
- Only make a single commit per logical change set. Do not add commits such as "Fix pep8", "Code review" or "Add unittest" if they fix commits which are being proposed
- Use present imperative (Fix formating, Remove unused field) avoid appending 's' to verbs: Fixes, Removes
website: remove unused alert div
Fix look of input-group-btn
Bootstrap's CSS depends on the input-group-btn element being the first/last
child of its parent.
This was not the case because of the invisible and useless alert.
web: add module system to the web client
This commit introduces a new module system for the javascript code.
Instead of using global ...
Peer review is the only way to ensure good quality of the code and to be able to rely on the others devs. The peer review in this project will be made by making Merge Proposal. It will serve the following main purposes:
- Having a second look on his work to avoid unintended problems / bugs
- Avoid technical or business design flaws
- Allow the coordination and convergence of the devs by informing community of what has been done
- Allow the responsibles to look at every devs and keep the interested people informed of what has been done
- Prevent addons incompatibilities when/if possible
- The rationale for peer review has its equivalent in Linus's law, often phrased: "Given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow"
Meaning "If there are enough reviewers, all problems are easy to solve". Eric S. Raymond has written influentially about peer review in software development: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_peer_review.
Please respect a few basic rules:
- Two reviewers must approve a merge proposal in order to be able to merge it
- 5 calendar days must be given to be able to merge it
- A MP can be merged in less that 5 calendar days if and only if it is approved by 3 reviewers. If you are in a hurry just send a mail at openerp-community-reviewer@lists.launchpad.net or ask by IRC (FreeNode server, openobject channel).
- Is the module generic enough to be part of community addons?
- Is the module duplicating features with other community addons?
- Does the documentation allow to understand what it does and how to use it?
- Is the problem it tries to resolve adressed the good way, using good concepts?
- Are there some use cases?
- Is there any setup in code? Should not!
- Are there demo data?
Most reference can be found here:
There are the following important part in a review:
- Start by thanking the contributor / developer for his work. No matter the issue of the MP, someone make work for you here, so be thankful for that.
- Be cordial and polite. Nothing is obvious in a MP.
- The description of the changes should be clear enough for you to understand his purpose and if apply, contain the reference feature instance in order to allow people to run and test the review
- Choose the review tag (comment, approve, rejected, needs information,...)
and don't forget to add a type of review to let people know:
- Code review: means you look at the code
- Test: means you tested it functionally speaking
While making the merge, please respect the author using the --author
option
when committing. The author is found using the bzr log command. Use the commit
message provided by the contributor if any.
It makes sense to be picky in the following cases:
- The origin/reason for the patch/dev is not documented very well
- No adapted / convenient description written in the
__openerp__.py
file for the module - Tests or scenario are not all green and/or not adapted
- Having tests is very much encouraged
- Issues with license, copyright, authorship
- Respect of Odoo/community conventions
- Code design and best practices
The long description try to explain the why not the what, the what can be seen in the diff.
Pull requests can be closed if:
- there is no activity for 6 months
- Team name must not contain odoo or openerp
- Team name for localization is "Belgium Maintainers" for Belgium
- Project name must not contain odoo or openerp
- Project name for localization is "l10n_belgium" for Belgium
- Project name for connectors is "connector-magento" for Magento connector
- Issues are used for blueprints and bugs.
Not the entire Odoo guidelines fit OCA modules needs. In many cases rules need to be more stringent. In other cases, conventions are improved for better maintainability in an ecosystem of many smaller modules.
The differences include:
- Module Structure
- Using one file per model
- Separating data and demo data xml folders
- Not changing xml_ids while inheriting
- Add guideline to use external dependencies
- XML
- Avoid use current module in xml_id
- Use explicit
user_id
field for records of modelir.filters
- Python
Use Python standards
- Fuller PEP8 compliance
- Use
# coding: utf-8
or# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
in first line - Using relative import for local files
- More python idioms
- A way to deal with long comma-separated lines
- Hints on documentation
- Don't use CamelCase for model variable
- Use underscore uppercase notation for global variables or constants
- Field
- A hint for function defaults
- Use default label string if is posible.
- Tests Section Added
- Git
- No prefixing of commits
- Default git commit message standards
- Squashing changes in pull requests when necessary
- Use of present imperative
- Github Section
- Review Section