📄 How to Use the Search Bar in Odoo (Filters, Grouping & Saved Views)
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🔍 How to Use the Search Bar in Odoo (Filters, Grouping & Saved Views)


The search bar in Odoo is a powerful tool that lets you find and organise information quickly in any module — whether you're working with Sales Orders, Purchase Orders, Projects, or Contacts.

Here’s how to get the most out of it:

🔎 1. Using Filters

Filters help you narrow down records to only what’s relevant to you.

✅ How to Apply a Filter:

  • Click the "Filters" dropdown at the top of the screen.

  • Choose a pre-defined filter (e.g. My Orders, Draft, Approved).

  • Or click "Add Custom Filter" to create your own.

🧩 Create a Custom Filter:

  1. Click "Add Custom Filter"

  2. Choose:

    • Field (e.g. Status, Buyer, Date)

    • Operator (e.g. is, contains, is after)

    • Value (what you're filtering for)

  3. Click Apply

Example:

To view only archived purchase orders, use:

Active → is → False

🧠 Tip: Combine Multiple Filters

You can stack multiple filters to narrow down your view even more (e.g. Orders assigned to you, in Draft, from last 30 days).

📁 2. Using Group By

Grouping allows you to organise data by categories (e.g. Buyer, Status, Vendor) to make patterns and ownership clearer.

✅ How to Group:

  • Click the "Group By" dropdown.

  • Choose an existing field (like Buyer or Department).

  • Or click "Add Custom Group" to select another field.

Example:

Group Purchase Orders by Status to see how many are Draft, To Approve, Approved, etc.

🧠 Tip: Nested Grouping

You can apply multiple levels of grouping:

  • Group by Buyer

  • Then by Status

    This helps visualise ownership and current stage.

💾 3. Saving a Favourite View

If you’ve applied filters and groupings you use regularly, you can save that view so you don’t have to set it up every time.

✅ How to Save a View:

  1. Click the star icon (⭐) to the right of the search bar.

  2. Select "Save current search".

  3. Give it a name (e.g. My Draft POs This Week)

  4. Tick options:

    • ✔️ Use by default (if you want this view to load automatically)

    • ✔️ Shared (if others in your team should see it)

  5. Click Save

👁️‍🗨️ Recap Example:

Want to see only draft POs assigned to you, grouped by Vendor, and save it for daily use?

  1. Filter → Status is Draft

  2. Filter → Responsible is Me

  3. Group By → Vendor

  4. Save with the star → Name it My Draft POs by Vendor

  5. Tick Use by default (optional)

🔐 Admin Notes (for advanced users):

  • Fields available for filter/group depend on what's visible in the model's search view.

  • You can add more fields to filters via Studio or XML (if required).

  • Saved views can be shared across teams for consistent working.

Would you like this formatted for a PDF guide, added to your Odoo helpdesk, or linked into the S Jones Containers onboarding for specific modules like CRM, PO or Projects?