Wasting $11K Annually? Use Odoo 18 fields_get() for Dynamic Fields

Developer needs to make "Salary" field readonly for everyone except HR managers. Current solution: Create 2 separate form views. View #1 (salary readonly) for regular users. View #2 (salary editable) for HR managers. Maintain access rights. Update both views whenever form changes. Takes 3 hours to implement.

Your codebase: 47 different XML views with hardcoded field properties. Product manager says: "Make 'Price' field readonly in 8 different views when invoice is confirmed." You edit 8 XML files. Next week: "Also make it readonly in quote view." Edit another view. Week after: "Actually, Sales Managers should still edit confirmed prices." Now need attrs with groups in 9 views.

Cost: Developer spends 4.7 hours monthly updating field properties across multiple XML views = $11,280/year (at $40/hour). Bug risk: Forgot to update one view, users see inconsistent behavior. Maintenance nightmare: Same field behavior duplicated in 47 places. No central control. Plus inflexibility: Can't make fields readonly based on record state without complex attrs in every view.

Odoo 18 fields_get() method fixes this: Override field properties dynamically in Python. Change label, readonly status, help text, selection options—all in one place. Apply logic based on user role, record state, context. No XML changes needed. Here's how to use fields_get() so you stop wasting $11,280/year on XML maintenance.

What fields_get() Does

Returns dictionary of field metadata for any Odoo model. Each field's properties: type, label (string), help text, required status, readonly status, selection options. Override this method to dynamically modify field properties based on:

• User role (Sales Manager vs Sales User)
• Record state (draft vs confirmed)
• Context variables
• Business logic

How fields_get() Works

When Odoo renders form view:
1. Load XML view definition
2. For each field in view, call model.fields_get()
3. Get field metadata (label, type, readonly, etc.)
4. Apply metadata to render field in browser
5. If you override fields_get(), your changes applied automatically

Result: Change field properties in Python, affects ALL views using that field.

Example 1: Change Field Label Dynamically

Scenario: Want to change "Email" field label to "Contact Email" across all partner views.

Without fields_get() (Old Way)

<field name="email" string="Contact Email"/>
<!-- Repeat in 8 different XML files -->

With fields_get() (Smart Way)

# models/res_partner.py
from odoo import models

class ResPartner(models.Model):
    _inherit = "res.partner"
    
    def fields_get(self, allfields=None, attributes=None):
        res = super().fields_get(allfields=allfields, attributes=attributes)
        
        # Change email field label
        if "email" in res:
            res["email"]["string"] = "Contact Email"
        
        return res

Example 2: Role-Based Readonly Fields

Scenario: Phone field should be readonly for Sales Users, but editable for Sales Managers.

Code Implementation

# models/res_partner.py
from odoo import models, api

class ResPartner(models.Model):
    _inherit = "res.partner"
    
    @api.model
    def fields_get(self, allfields=None, attributes=None):
        res = super().fields_get(allfields=allfields, attributes=attributes)
        
        # Check if phone field exists
        if "phone" in res:
            # Only Sales Managers can edit phone
            if not self.env.user.has_group("sales_team.group_sale_manager"):
                res["phone"]["readonly"] = True
                res["phone"]["help"] = "Only Sales Managers can edit this field."
        
        return res

How It Works

User Experience

Example 3: State-Based Readonly (Invoice)

Scenario: Once invoice is posted, lock all financial fields. Don't want accountant accidentally changing amounts.

# models/account_move.py
from odoo import models, api

class AccountMove(models.Model):
    _inherit = "account.move"
    
    @api.model
    def fields_get(self, allfields=None, attributes=None):
        res = super().fields_get(allfields=allfields, attributes=attributes)
        
        # If invoice is posted, lock financial fields
        if self and self.state == "posted":
            financial_fields = ["amount_total", "invoice_line_ids", "partner_id"]
            for field_name in financial_fields:
                if field_name in res:
                    res[field_name]["readonly"] = True
        
        return res

Testing with Server Actions

Quick way to test fields_get() changes without creating custom views.

Step-by-Step

1. Enable Developer Mode: Settings icon → Activate Developer Mode
2. Go to Settings → Technical → Actions → Server Actions
3. Click Create
4. Fill form:
   • Action Name: "Test fields_get"
   • Model: Contact (res.partner)
   • Action To Do: Execute Python Code
5. Paste test code (see below)
6. Save
7. Open any Contact record
8. Action menu → Run "Test fields_get"

Server Action Code

# Fetch metadata for email and phone fields
field_metadata = model.fields_get(allfields=['email', 'phone'])

# Log to server (check in terminal/logs)
import logging
_logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
_logger.info("Email field metadata: %s", field_metadata.get('email'))
_logger.info("Phone field metadata: %s", field_metadata.get('phone'))

# Open new contact form to see changes
action = {
    "type": "ir.actions.act_window",
    "res_model": "res.partner",
    "view_mode": "form",
    "target": "new",
}

Real-World Use Cases

Use Case 1: HR Salary Protection

def fields_get(self, allfields=None, attributes=None):
    res = super().fields_get(allfields=allfields, attributes=attributes)
    
    if "wage" in res:  # salary field in hr.employee
        if not self.env.user.has_group("hr.group_hr_manager"):
            res["wage"]["readonly"] = True
    
    return res

Use Case 2: Multi-Company Field Labels

def fields_get(self, allfields=None, attributes=None):
    res = super().fields_get(allfields=allfields, attributes=attributes)
    
    if "name" in res:
        company = self.env.company
        if company.id == 1:  # Company A
            res["name"]["string"] = "Reference Number"
        elif company.id == 2:  # Company B
            res["name"]["string"] = "Order ID"
    
    return res

Use Case 3: Dynamic Selection Options

def fields_get(self, allfields=None, attributes=None):
    res = super().fields_get(allfields=allfields, attributes=attributes)
    
    if "city_id" in res:
        # Get cities for selected country
        country_id = self.country_id.id if self else False
        if country_id:
            cities = self.env['res.city'].search([
                ('country_id', '=', country_id)
            ])
            res["city_id"]["selection"] = [
                (city.id, city.name) for city in cities
            ]
    
    return res

Advanced: Combining Multiple Conditions

def fields_get(self, allfields=None, attributes=None):
    res = super().fields_get(allfields=allfields, attributes=attributes)
    
    # Make discount field readonly if:
    # 1. User is NOT Sales Manager AND
    # 2. Order is confirmed AND
    # 3. Discount > 20%
    
    if "discount" in res:
        is_manager = self.env.user.has_group("sales_team.group_sale_manager")
        is_confirmed = self.state in ["sale", "done"]
        high_discount = self.discount > 20
        
        if not is_manager and is_confirmed and high_discount:
            res["discount"]["readonly"] = True
            res["discount"]["help"] = "Contact Sales Manager to modify discounts > 20%"
    
    return res

Common Mistakes

Real-World Impact Example

Quick Implementation Checklist