Odoo 18: How to Trigger JS Functions from Menu Items

Standard Odoo menu items typically load a List View, Form View, or Dashboard. But what if you want a menu item to trigger an immediate action, like cleaning the cache, running a diagnostic script, or popping up a custom wizard?

In this guide, we will build a "System Health Check" menu item. When clicked, it won't open a page; instead, it will execute a JavaScript function that simulates a system scan and displays a toast notification to the user.

Step 1: Define the Client Action

First, we create the ir.actions.client record in XML. This action tells Odoo, "When triggered, look for a JavaScript component registered with the tag system_health_check."

    System Health Check
    system_health_check

Step 2: Create the Menu Item

Next, we create the menu item and link it to the action we just created.

Step 3: The JavaScript Logic (OWL)

Now for the fun part. We create a JavaScript file that registers the action. We'll use the notification service to show feedback.

/** @odoo-module **/
import { registry } from "@web/core/registry";
import { useService } from "@web/core/utils/hooks";
import { Component, onWillStart } from "@odoo/owl";

class SystemHealthCheck extends Component {
    setup() {
        super.setup();
        this.notification = useService("notification");
        this.action = useService("action");
        
        // Run logic immediately upon component mount
        this.runCheck();
    }

    async runCheck() {
        this.notification.add("Initiating Diagnostics...", { type: "info" });
        
        // Simulate a delay (e.g., API call)
        await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 2000));
        
        this.notification.add("System Healthy! All services operational.", { 
            type: "success",
            sticky: false 
        });

        // Optional: Redirect back to dashboard after running
        this.action.doAction({
            type: 'ir.actions.act_window_close'
        });
    }
}

SystemHealthCheck.template = "base.EmptyTemplate"; // No UI needed

// Register the action with the tag name from XML
registry.category("actions").add("system_health_check", SystemHealthCheck);

Notice we use base.EmptyTemplate. Since this action is purely functional (a script runner), we don't need to render HTML.

Conclusion

By decoupling the menu item from a specific view, Odoo allows you to build powerful, app-like experiences. Whether it's a quick toggle, a background sync, or an interactive wizard, ir.actions.client is your gateway to full frontend control.