📌 Overview

Managing manufacturing in Odoo Community Edition (CE) often requires practical customizations that improve speed, clarity, and traceability — especially if you're not using Odoo Studio or writing custom Python code.

In this article, we’ll walk through how to:

✅ Add a custom search filter for Lot/Serial numbers in the Manufacturing Orders view
✅ Customize the list view buttons to support real-world bulk actions like "Confirm" and "Produce All"
✅ Understand the pros and cons of simplifying the manufacturing workflow

All of this is done using XML only — no custom modules, no Python, and no paid addons.

🎯 Use Case

“I want my manufacturing team to quickly search Manufacturing Orders by serial/lot number and also perform bulk actions like confirming and completing MOs on the same day — without relying on scheduled planning.”

This is a common real-world need in small to mid-sized production operations where speed and usability matter more than formal scheduling or work center routing.

🧩 Part 1: Custom Filter by Lot/Serial Number

❓ The Problem

Odoo does not include a built-in filter to search Manufacturing Orders (mrp.production) by the Lot/Serial number of the finished product.

Attempts to search via deeply nested relationships (like move_finished_ids.lot_ids.name) result in:

Unsearchable field “lot_ids” in path “move_finished_ids.lot_ids.name”

✅ The Solution

Use the lot_producing_id field — it’s a Many2one field linking directly to the finished product's Lot/Serial record.

🔧 XML Snippet

Edit the mrp.production search view:

<field name="lot_producing_id" string="Lot/Serial" filter_domain="[('lot_producing_id.name', 'ilike', self)]"/>

🧠 Bonus: Predefined Filters & Group By

<filter string="Has Lot/Serial" name="has_lot" domain="[('lot_producing_id', '!=', False)]"/>

<group expand="0" string="Group By...">
    <filter string="Lot/Serial" name="group_by_lot" domain="[]" context="{'group_by': 'lot_producing_id'}"/>
</group>

🧩 Part 2: Custom List View Buttons for Bulk Actions

By default, Odoo includes a "Plan" button, which schedules the MO for a future date — this isn't ideal if you want production to start today or want to skip unnecessary steps.

✅ The Real-World Fix

You can replace or add buttons to the list view header to allow bulk actions that better fit your workflow.

🔧 Modified List View (Header Buttons)

<list string="Manufacturing Orders" multi_edit="1" sample="1" decoration-info="state == 'done'">
    <header>
        <button name="action_confirm" type="object" string="Confirm"/>
        <button name="button_mark_done" type="object" string="Produce all"/>
        <!-- <button name="button_plan" type="object" string="Plan"/> -->
        <button name="action_assign" type="object" string="Check availability"/>
        <button name="action_cancel" type="object" string="Cancel"/>
    </header>
</list>

action_confirm — Confirms MOs instantly
button_mark_done — Completes production for all quantities
action_assign — Checks component availability
action_cancel — Cancels selected MOs
button_plan — Commented out to avoid future date scheduling

✅ Benefits (PROs)

⚡ Fast Workflow — Skip planning, go straight to production
✅ Bulk Ready — Confirm or complete multiple MOs at once
🧠 Simplified UX — Reduces confusion over planned dates
📆 Uses Today’s Date — No need to adjust scheduled dates manually
🧪 Good for Smaller Teams — Ideal where formal planning isn’t critical

⚠️ Limitations (CONs)

❌ Skips Planning — No visibility into future work center load
❌ No Work Order Tracking — button_mark_done skips routing operations
⚠️ Inventory Gaps Possible — If components are missing, auto-producing might cause inconsistencies
🚫 Bypasses Gantt Views — Won’t appear properly in planned production timelines
🔁 No Undo — Mass marking MOs as done is not easily reversible

🔁 Real-World Application Scenarios

This method is ideal for companies that:

Produce items on-demand without formal scheduling
Prefer a fast, streamlined interface
Rely on manual control or physical Kanban
Have bulk manufacturing needs (e.g., confirming or finishing 20+ MOs per day)

🧠 Pro Tips

Show lot_producing_id in the list view:

<field name="lot_producing_id"/>

Use attrs to show buttons only in certain states:

<button name="button_mark_done" type="object" string="Produce All"
        attrs="{'invisible': [('state', '!=', 'confirmed')]}"/>

Add a confirmation wizard for risky actions (future improvement)

📌 Final Summary

Feature	Status
Lot/Serial Filter in MO Search View	✔ Done (XML only)
Group by Lot/Serial	✔ Done
Custom Bulk Action Buttons	✔ Done
No Python or Studio used	✔ Confirmed
Ideal for fast-paced, simplified manufacturing	✔
Ideal for fast-paced, simplified manufacturing	✔ Absolutely

🏁 Conclusion

This approach gives you a lean, operator-friendly manufacturing dashboard inside Odoo CE — without touching Python or requiring Odoo Studio.

It’s perfect for teams that:

Need speed over complexity
Don’t use detailed routing or work centers
Rely on simple Kanban workflows and fast turnaround
Want to empower staff with bulk action buttons for the most common operations

You get the job done faster, without losing visibility — and you can always scale up with more advanced logic later if needed.

💬 Questions or Next Steps?

If you're planning to:

✅ Add custom buttons for other modules (e.g., Sales, Inventory)
✅ Extend filtering to nested related models (like components, BOMs)
✅ Set user permissions on who can see or use each button

…then stay tuned — we’ll cover more XML tips in upcoming posts!

Thanks for reading — and happy building with Odoo! 👨‍💻⚙️

Odoo CE: Filter Manufacturing Orders by Lot/Serial and Add Custom Bulk Actions (XML Only)