Laatst bijgewerkt: 6 september 2024
The expectations are high as Odoo 18 is set to roll out in October 2024. This upcoming release, extensively previewed by Odoo experts, promises a range of enhancements and new features specifically designed to significantly refine business operations. As the landscape of enterprise resource planning (ERP) continues to evolve, Odoo 18 is ready to introduce advanced functionalities that are expected to increase efficiency and productivity across various sectors.
In this blog, we will explore the specific features that Odoo 18 has to offer. Join us as we examine how these advancements in Odoo 18 can streamline your business processes ahead of the official release. Ready to discover what lies on the horizon with Odoo 18? Let's get started!
Odoo 18 - General Improvements
New authentication method: Passkey
Odoo 18 introduces passkeys, a new authentication method that replaces the traditional username and password combination. Instead, it uses the WebAuthn protocol to authenticate users. This method is phishing-resistant and offers higher security.
Upload your own fonts now
You could already use a standard set of fonts and also connect to Google for other fonts. But now you can upload the fonts to the Odoo server. This will have a positive impact on the loading speed of your website and therefore also on SEO!
Grouping by Fields
It is now possible to group, aggregate, and sort by an unsaved related field.
Product types clarified
The latest update to Odoo 18 clarifies terminology around consumables and product types to avoid confusion. The product type 'consumables' is renamed to 'goods', and the 'Track inventory' property is moved to a separate field specifically for goods. Here you set whether the stock is maintained per piece, per lot or per unique serial number.
Odoo 18 - Adding Products via the Catalog
It was already possible with purchase and sales orders, but now you can also add products via the product catalog in supplier invoices and customer invoices.
Complete Overview of All Your Activities
A new overview menu and activity views have been added to see at a glance all activities (own or others), regardless of purpose, which can be useful as a to-do list. A shortcut in the 'Activities' drop-down menu allows you to view all activities in a list, where clicking on a row opens the corresponding record and you can quickly mark activities as done or cancel them, with the ability for bulk editing, such as reallocation of tasks.
Send WhatsApp messages via automation rules
Odoo 18 introduces the ability to send WhatsApp messages via automation rules. Users can configure these rules to send messages automatically based on specific triggers within the system, such as order status updates or event reminders. This functionality increases efficiency and improves communication with customers or team members directly from Odoo.
Cloud Storage Integration in Odoo
Odoo now supports storage in Google and Azure cloud. This cloud storage integration makes it possible to store attachments from emails, for example, in the cloud. This makes file management simpler and more efficient.
Key features:
- Directly upload files to the cloud: Save your email attachments directly to Google or Azure cloud without any intermediate steps.
- Directly download files from the cloud: Download your files directly from the cloud to your local device whenever you need them.
This integration optimizes your workflow and allows you to manage files securely and easily in the cloud.
3 new document layouts
Odoo 18 has 3 new document layouts that you can use. You can now choose from 7 different layout layouts.
Compose E-mails
This update brings a major overhaul to the email creation process in Odoo, including the introduction of a new toolbar that makes working with emails easier and more efficient. The new toolbar offers four key features:
1. Attach File: Users can now easily add attachments to their emails.
2. Manage email templates: It becomes possible to use, create, overwrite or delete email templates. This makes it easier to reuse standard email formats or create new ones.
3. Insert Text via ChatGPT: This integration allows users to insert AI-generated text directly into their emails using ChatGPT.
4. Improved user experience: By placing these new features centrally in the toolbar, they become more accessible and easier to use for every user.
Drag and drop support for importing
In Odoo 18, importing records is greatly simplified by transforming the import view into a drag-and-drop drop zone. Users can now drag files directly from their computer into the import view, making the process more user-friendly and faster.
An added benefit is that even after a file has been imported, the drag and drop functionality remains active. This allows users to easily drag new files and reload records without having to navigate through additional steps.
New security group for product management
In Odoo 18, a new security measure is introduced for product management. By default, internal users cannot create products. To provide more control and flexibility, a separate security group is now created for product creation, just like before for contacts. This allows administrators to fine-tune which users have access to create and manage products, without having to rely on other modules such as POS.
This change will tighten security and give companies more control over who can create or modify product data.
Odoo 18 - Analytical Accounting
Odoo 18 brings a significant restructuring of the analytical accounts. The most important change is the removal of the analytical account field in several modules, such as projects, tasks, sales orders, production orders and BOMs. Instead, a new project field is introduced, linked to an analytical notebook, where multiple analytical accounts can be defined per project. This gives companies the possibility to flexibly allocate costs over different analytical accounts.
Some important changes:
- Projects: The analytical notebook allows users to link multiple accounts to a project. This replaces the old system where only one analytical account per project was possible.
- Tasks: The Analytical Account field has been removed and tasks are now linked to the Project field.
- Sales: In sales orders, the analytical accounts field has been replaced by a project field. This means that users can now link projects directly to sales orders for a better cost overview.
- Production and BOMs: In production orders and BOMs, the old analytic_distribution functionality has been replaced by the project field. Analytic distributions are now managed via projects.
- Inventory Management: A new field has been added to the inventory transfer operational types, indicating whether the type should generate an analytical line and perform re-invoicing upon validation.
- Purchasing: As in the other modules, a project field has also been added to purchase orders, which ensures a uniform way of cost management throughout the entire workflow.
These changes not only improve control over analytical accounting, but also ensure that costs are automatically and accurately distributed across different projects and accounts, making financial reporting in Odoo simpler and more transparent.
Quickly retrieve product images via barcodes
Odoo 18 introduces a handy new feature that allows users to retrieve product images based on their barcode. This feature makes it much faster and more efficient to manage product information, especially for companies with large inventories.
Odoo 18 - New - Marketing Cards
Odoo 18 introduces the marketing card app, which allows users to create dynamic and shareable URLs. Affiliates can share these links with a custom cover image on social media, ensuring consistent branding and increased reach.
Key benefits:
- Event promotion: Speakers can promote their own sessions with personalized links.
- Relationship Rewards: Relationships who share can receive a reward, such as a coupon.
The marketing card add-on is a powerful tool to drive word of mouth and effectively promote events.
Odoo 18 - Sales
Order of Quotation Templates
Arrange quotation templates based on importance.
Documents of Products in Email Templates
The email templates for “Send Quotation” and “Order Confirmation” have been updated to reference product documents available to the customer in the portal.
PDF Quotation Builder - All Fields Available
Odoo 18 introduces a major enhancement to the PDF quotation builder. Previously, users could only use approved fields in PDFs, whereas XML reports allowed any field. With this update, the quotation builder now permits the use of any field in PDFs. However, these fields must first be approved by an administrator. If not approved, they will remain empty in the PDF.
Change in percentage discounts in price lists
In the latest update of Odoo 18, some minor but important changes have been made regarding price lists and discounts. Here is an overview of the changes:
Before the update:
- No discount policy: Discounts were only shown if the rule's calculation price was a percentage.
- Automatic display of discount values: The discounted value was automatically displayed on the website.
- Advanced settings for “multiple prices per product”: These were enabled by default.
After the update:
- Show discounts based on percentage: Discounts are only shown to customers if the discount function on order lines is activated (sales setting).
- Price lists as the basis for discount rules: It is now possible to select a price list as the base price for discount rules.
- Do not show discounts: If a user does not want to show the discount to a customer, he can use a formula to calculate the price or not activate the discount feature.
Odoo 18 - Projects, Scheduling, and Timesheets
History of Changes
You can track changes in the task description and revert to previous versions.
Hide Weekends
We can now toggle the visibility of weekends in the timesheet grid view.
Assigned Time Based on Schedule
The assigned hours are now automatically set on tasks based on their scheduled dates.
Restore Automatic Scheduling
Users can now undo their action if they accidentally click the 'auto schedule' button.
Improved Time in Gantt View
The progress bar in the Gantt view now displays the time assigned to tasks instead of the duration between scheduled dates. This means that multiple tasks can be scheduled simultaneously without causing a conflict.
Embedded Actions
In Odoo 18, the first step for integrated actions is taken for the projects app. It adds an embedded action for tasks and for project updates, and are available when a user opens a project's tasks.
Sharing projects improved
In Odoo 18 it is possible to define roles and access per project employee.
Curious about the power of Odoo? Why not try the demo now: Free, Flexible, and Efficient?
Unfortunately, Odoo 18 isn't available yet, but you can try Odoo 17!
Odoo 18 - Website Builder
Save Web Page as Template
Enjoy effortless template customization! Utilize the new wizard to set up any web page as a new template.
Lots of new building blocks
Odoo 18 introduces a set of new website building blocks, giving users even more flexibility in designing attractive and functional web pages. These new blocks make it easier to create dynamic and professional-looking websites without any technical knowledge.
Additional Fields for Web Form
You can now create property fields and integrate them directly into website forms!
For example, if you want to know which product category your lead is interested in, add the product category as a field to your lead form and then to your contact form on your website. This allows you to gather more specific information from potential customers directly through your web forms, enhancing your data collection and customer insights.
Support for YouTube Shorts Video
Before this update, it was not possible to embed a YouTube Shorts video or a livestream on a website. When you attempted this, you would receive an error message stating that the specified URL was invalid.
This update now makes it possible to integrate YouTube Shorts videos and livestreams into the content of websites.
Improved SEO Workflow in Odoo 18
In Odoo 18, the SEO workflow has been enhanced by displaying a notification when a page is published or saved without essential SEO details. The notification alerts users if the SEO title is not set, or if the SEO title is set but the SEO description is missing. This ensures that all published pages contain complete SEO metadata.
Odoo 18 - eCommerce
Webshop Accessible Only to Logged-in Users
Odoo has introduced a new setting that restricts the visibility of the webshop to only logged-in users. When this option is enabled, non-logged-in users cannot see products, the shop page, shopping cart, or wishlist buttons. They are automatically redirected to the login page if they attempt to access these features via a direct link.
Odoo 18 - Accounting
Supplier on Expense Report
You can now further streamline financial management with supplier-specific expense recording for easier reconciliation and transaction identification 👀 (Note: currently only for company-paid expenses.)
Balance in T-account Form
You can now also display the balance sheet in T-account form. This is a horizontal balance layout, with the debit side and credit side next to each other.
Receive PEPPOL Documents in Documents App
When using multiple purchase journals, or having specific processes in the Documents app for processing incoming supplier invoices, Odoo 18 makes it possible to receive your PEPPOL documents directly in the Documents app for processing. In addition, it offers the option to assign specific tags to the document.
Manage your budgets on analytical accounts
For this update, budgets were calculated using both budget positions and analytical accounts. Now the budget is only calculated using analytical accounts. Furthermore, a new field called "mandatory amount" has been added to the budget line, which is calculated from the analytical distribution of the purchase order line. This change simplifies budget management and improves financial tracking. A new budget report overview has also been created to improve financial supervision.
The budget has also been added to many reports. From the report you can see the status compared to your budget and you can also directly view and adjust a budget.
Assets, non-depreciable value in percentage
You can now set the non-depreciable value in percentage on your asset model. This allows you to accelerate the activation of an asset from the posting of the supplier invoice. You now no longer have to enter the residual value manually.
Blocking your accounting
Odoo 18 brings a major overhaul of the accounting lock system, bringing more flexibility and control. One of the most important changes is the introduction of new types of lock dates, including Sale Lock Date, Purchase Lock Date, and the immutable Hard Lock Date, which permanently locks all accounting activities.
Additionally, a new model for lock date exceptions has been added, allowing for exceptions to lock dates for specific users or periods. This gives companies the freedom to make exceptional changes without compromising the integrity of their accounting.
The changes in Odoo 18 make managing financial periods easier and more robust, while at the same time giving companies more control over who can change what, and when. These improvements contribute to more efficient and secure financial management.
Odoo 18 - Purchase
Create a Purchase Order Based on a Template
A new type of purchase agreement has been added to Odoo, specifically for easily creating requests for quotations with fixed quantities.
Just like the quotation-sales order template, you can now also use a template for purchase quotation requests in Odoo.
Save time in procurement processes with Odoo 18
When a request for quotation (RFQ) or a purchase order (PO) is sent to a supplier, the supplier needs to create the quotation or sales order (SO) in their own ERP system. Then, when they send this quotation or SO back, you need to update your RFQ or PO with the prices. This process is time consuming, does not add value, and can lead to many user errors during data entry.
In Odoo 18, there is a more efficient solution to this problem. If both the customer and the supplier use Odoo, they do not need to perform these updates manually. The customer can send a purchase order to the supplier, either as a PDF with an embedded UBL BIS 3 XML file, or the supplier can download the XML file directly via a URL. From the Odoo portal, it is also possible to download the UBL.
In addition, suppliers now have dedicated buttons in the portal for ‘View Order’, ‘Accept’ and ‘Reject’. This makes it easier to respond to orders and minimise errors, while making the process much faster.
Odoo 18 - Spreadsheets
Odoo 18 provides the ability to comment directly within spreadsheets and tag colleagues. This enhances the Odoo platform's position as a powerful tool for business management. This functionality makes it easier than ever to quickly request and provide feedback, allowing teams to work more efficiently and with greater focus.
Change layout
You can now automatically format tables, making it easier to sort, style, and filter data. New data is automatically included in the table, eliminating the need to manually apply styles to new rows or columns
Create a pivot table from a spreadsheet
Odoo introduces a new feature: the spreadsheet pivot table. This pivot table is based directly on data from the spreadsheet itself. Users select a range of cells to create the pivot table, where the first row defines the fields and the subsequent rows act as data. The data type is automatically recognized and can consist of dates, Boolean values, numbers or characters. Users can use these fields as dimensions or measures in the pivot table, and apply various aggregation functions such as sum, average, or count to improve data analysis.
Odoo 18 - Field Service
Display Which Products to Bring
The products that the field service worker needs to bring are now visible via a button.
Schedule Field Service Tasks by Location
Field service tasks can now be grouped by postal code and location to assign tasks in the same region to a field service worker.
Warranty on Fieldservice Tasks
In Odoo 18, functionality has been added to include products under warranty in field service tasks. When this feature is activated for a task, the sale price of the associated item is automatically set to zero, reflecting its warranty status. This simplifies the management of warranty services directly through the module, improving service delivery and customer satisfaction.
Odoo 18 - Knowledge
Breadcrumb Trail for Easier Navigation
Odoo 18 introduces a breadcrumb trail for quick and easy navigation. This feature enables users to effortlessly track their path within the document structure, enhancing usability and access to information.
Integration excalidraw
Discover the power of visual communication with our latest feature: effortlessly integrate drawings from Excalidraw directly on our platform. Whether it's sharing complex processes, creative brainstorming sessions, or fun sketches, bring your ideas to life and make them understandable for everyone. Let your creativity run wild and change the way you work and communicate!
Open Graph metadata for better link previews and SEO
In Odoo 18, the link preview of articles on social media is improved by adding manual Open Graph metadata in the Knowledge module. This ensures that when an article is shared on platforms like Facebook or WhatsApp, an informative and attractive preview is displayed based on the content of the article. This will encourage people to click on the link and also improve the SEO of the articles.
Odoo 18 - Inventory
New inventory dashboard
Push- and Pullregels
Push and pull rules are now activated when a transfer is validated. Since movements are not pre-created, there is more flexibility possible. Movements waiting for a new transfer no longer clutter up the space. All standard multi-step routes have been redesigned to support this change
Create Backorders in Advance
You can now create a backorder before marking the delivery as complete. This gives you the flexibility to deliver from different locations or on different delivery dates.
Use Batches/Serial Numbers Across Multiple Companies
Batch and serial numbers remain fully traceable across multiple companies. When transferring between companies, serial and batch numbers are retained, ensuring uninterrupted traceability.
Generate Batch or Serial Numbers upon Receipt
Automatically create batch numbers when products that need to be tracked are received. This ensures structured recording and tracking from the moment of receipt.
Putaway strategies
Odoo has implemented new putaway strategies to enhance warehouse management. The update includes a new "sublocation" column that allows users to specify if and how a sublocation should be selected. The options are: no sublocation (default), last used (the last location used for this product), and closest location (used with storage categories, and requires a storage category to be specified). Additionally, the system now supports putaway rules without the need for specifying a product, product category, or packaging, simplifying the setup process.
Dispatch management
Odoo 18 introduces a new feature for dispatch management in transport. The system automates dispatch processes, improves the efficiency of transport activities, and allows businesses to optimize transport costs and reduce delivery times. These features seamlessly integrate with other Odoo modules such as inventory management and sales, providing a fully integrated solution for transport management.
Odoo 18 - Inventory - Barcode App
Sign Deliveries Now via Barcode App
With the update to Odoo 18, new features have been added that allow users to obtain signatures for deliveries on the go using the barcode app.
Scanner sounds when scan is successful
Previously, when a barcode was successfully scanned, the screen would flash to indicate a successful scan, but there was no sound. This lack of auditory feedback sometimes made it difficult for users to confirm a successful scan. With this update, a sound now plays when a barcode is successfully scanned, providing clear and immediate feedback to users and ensuring they are aware of the successful scan.
Instantly remove barcode lines
In previous versions, you had to open a barcode line in the form view to be able to delete it. In Odoo 18, this process has been simplified: you can now delete barcode lines directly from the barcode lines page. This saves time and makes managing barcode lines a lot easier.
Product images immediately visible
Previously, you had to open the form view to see the image of a product. In Odoo 18, the image is directly visible on the line itself. Clicking on the image will display it in full screen, which is especially useful for users who want to quickly see more details.
Odoo 18 - Email Marketing
Optional Splitting of the Contact Name
For more personalized emails, you can now split the first and last names of recipients in the mailing lists.
Odoo 18 - Point of Sale Retail
New login screen
Odoo 18 comes with a new login screen for the cash register, where employees can identify themselves by scanning a batch, a PIN code or manually.
Create and Modify Products from the Cash Register
It is no longer necessary to go to the 'backend' of Odoo to create or modify a product. This can now be done directly from the point of sale screen
You can also scan the international product barcode and Odoo will create the product, with all the information that can be found online.
SMS Integration
Odoo has added a new feature that enables SMS integration for order confirmations. Users can now effortlessly send confirmation messages to customers with just one click, improving customer communication and increasing their satisfaction. This streamlined process makes it easier to keep customers informed and involved in their purchases.
Product Details in Closing Accounting
Previously, closing a session created a single journal entry with the total sales. In Odoo 18, a new configuration option, ‘closing entry with product lines,’ has been introduced in the POS module. When enabled, the system generates a journal entry with one line per product upon session closure. This change enhances the accuracy and granularity of financial reporting in the POS system.
Order management at cash register improves
With the latest update in Odoo 18, the Odoo cash register has been given a useful function for order management. This new addition allows managers to check whether cashiers have made changes to an order.
Once an order is saved in the backend, the system marks any changes made afterward. If the quantity of a product line is reduced or a line is deleted, the order is marked as “edited”. In addition, a message is logged in the chatter of the order, so that it is clear that an adjustment has taken place.
Change in employee rights
In the latest update of Odoo 18, important changes have been made to the rights of employees who work on an Odoo cash register. Previously, employees had the following rights:
Permissions for the update:
- No cash in or cash out transactions: Employees could not perform cash in or cash out transactions.
- Adjust prices: Employees could adjust the prices of product lines.
- Edit products from POS: Employees could edit products from the PoS, although they could not create new products.
Permissions after the update:
- Cash in and cash out transactions allowed: Employees can now perform cash in and cash out transactions, providing more flexibility in cash management.
- Price adjustments not allowed: Employees can no longer adjust the prices of product lines, which helps ensure consistent pricing policies.
- Editing Products Not Allowed: Employees can no longer edit products from the POS, creating a clearer separation between sales and product management.
Open session directly
The latest update to the Point of Sale (POS) module in Odoo 18 further simplifies the user experience. When opening the POS URL, the session is now automatically opened as soon as the user visits the POS URL, without any intermediate step. This saves time and makes working with the POS module even more efficient. This change ensures that users can get started right away, without any additional steps or navigation through the dashboard.
Odoo 18 - POS Restaurant
Orders without table
In the latest update of Odoo's restaurant cash register module, it is now possible to create "floating" orders that are not linked to a specific table. This is especially useful for orders such as delivery and takeaway. By default, a "shadow table" is created on each restaurant floor to which these floating orders are linked, without having to modify the entire codebase.
Drag and Drop your restaurant layout
Added new functionality that allows you to drag and drop tables directly onto the floor screen once entering edit mode. This improves flexibility and speed when setting up the restaurant layout.
A grid for the floor in edit mode has been added, making it easier to align tables and organize the floor plan and make it more user-friendly. The default background color for each floor is now set to white, which ensures a uniform and clear appearance.
Manage your bookings in the Restaurant Cashier
You can now book tables directly from the restaurant cash register. With this new feature, you can easily open the Gantt view of appointments in a dialog box, so managing reservations has never been easier.
This means that from now on you no longer have to navigate to the back office to manage appointments. Everything you need is now directly available in the POS interface. This improvement ensures a more efficient workflow and faster service for your customers.
Odoo 18 - Online Appointments
Select the Time and Then Available Person/Resource
A third option has been added. Previously, you could automatically assign people to a meeting request, or first select a person and then a time. In Odoo 18, the process is complete, allowing you to first select a time and then choose the available person.
As the launch of Odoo 18 approaches, we've explored some promising new features and improvements this version will bring. From enhanced business processes and more user-friendly interfaces to new project management capabilities and efficiency boosts, Odoo 18 seems set to make a significant impact. Don't wait, try the current version and prepare for the innovations Odoo continues to deliver to transform your business. Don't miss out, stay tuned for the official release!
Odoo 18 - Manufacturing
Separate Valuation Journal Entries for Labor Costs in Production Orders
In Odoo 18, the MRP accounting process has been improved. When marking a production order as complete, the valuation of the final product may be higher than that of the individual components due to labor costs from workcenters and employees..
Previously, these costs were added to the production cost account. After the update, labor costs are recorded in the expense account linked to the relevant workcenters. If no expense account is set, the final product’s expense account is used.
Finally, all labor costs are posted back from the expense account to the production cost account in a separate “labor” journal entry upon completion of the production order.
Save manufacturing orders in draft
Odoo 18 introduces new and useful features that increase flexibility and control in production and purchasing processes. One of the most important improvements is the option to save manufacturing orders as drafts. This allows users to confirm the location and possibly change the picking type before committing the order. In addition, there is now a direct link between sales and purchase order lines, ensuring seamless integration and up-to-date information upon delivery. These changes make processes more efficient and less prone to errors.
Odoo 18 - Quality Control
Quality Control on Request
Odoo now supports on-demand quality controls for inventory and production processes. This new feature enables users to set quality points on-demand for any action in a stock movement (picking) or production order. By clicking a specific action in these forms, a wizard opens where users can specify the product, the quality point, and, if applicable, the batch or serial number.
Quality Control on Repairs
Odoo has added quality controls to repair processes. This enhancement ensures that quality control is applicable to repairs, providing a systematic way to maintain standards.
Create a quality control in a spreadsheet
With the latest update in Odoo 18, it becomes possible to perform quality checks using spreadsheets. This new way of working offers a flexible alternative to the existing worksheets and does not require the use of Odoo Studio. This makes configuring quality controls a lot easier and more accessible.
Instead of static worksheets, the spreadsheet method provides the ability to use the value of a cell as the result of a quality control point. If the value is “true” (TRUE or a number other than 0), the check passes. If the value is false (FALSE or 0), the check fails.
What makes this feature special is the ability to use custom formulas, which can calculate the value of a cell based on other cells. This allows for complex logic and interactions between multiple input fields – a significant improvement over static worksheets.
Odoo 18 - E-sign
Request Signatures from Any Module
Using the standard action menu, you can now request a document signature from any module within Odoo. This feature adds convenience and streamlines the process of obtaining necessary signatures.
Odoo 18 - Events
Sell Event Tickets via Odoo POS
In Odoo 18, a new feature has been added to the POS module that allows you to manage events. This module enables the creation of events and the sale of tickets for these events. The tickets are linked to a product and can be sold directly through the POS system.
Odoo 18 R&D Sneak Peak Preview
During the Odoo partner day on May 24, 2024, Odoo gave a presentation about what we can expect from Odoo 18. Can't you wait? Download the Odoo 18 R&D Sneak Peak Preview here.
What do we know about Odoo 18?