Chatter¶

The Chatter feature is integrated throughout Odoo to streamline communication, maintain traceability, and provide accountability among team members. Chatter windows, known as composers, are located on almost every record within the database, and allow users to communicate with both internal users and external contacts.

Chatter composers also enable users to log notes, upload files, and schedule activities.

Chatter thread¶

A chatter thread can be found on most pages in the database, and serves as a record of the updates and edits made to a record. A note is logged in the chatter thread when a change is made to the record. The note includes details of the change, and a time stamp.

Example

A user, Mitchell Admin, needs to update the email address of a contact. After they save the changes to the contact record, a note is logged in the chatter of the contact record with the following information:

The date when the change occurred.
The email address as it was previously listed.
The updated email address.

screenshot: productivity-chatter-thread-update

menu: (any record with a chatter)
shows: A chatter thread showing a logged note and a tracked field change on a contact record.
data: Contact "Deco Addict" with one tracked change.
module: mail
notes: English UI, light theme, crop to the chatter.

If a record was created, or edited, via an imported file, or was otherwise updated through an intervention by the system, the chatter thread creates a log note, and credits the change to OdooBot.

screenshot: productivity-chatter-creation-message

menu: (any record with a chatter)
shows: The first chatter message of a newly created record, logged automatically.
data: New contact record.
module: mail
notes: English UI, light theme, crop to the chatter.

Add followers¶

A follower is a user or contact that is added to a record and is notified when the record is updated, based on specific follower subscription settings. Followers can add themselves, or can be added by another user.

Note

If a user creates, or is assigned to a record, they are automatically added as a follower.

To follow a record, navigate to any record with a chatter thread. For example, to open a CRM opportunity, navigate to CRM app ‣ Sales ‣ My Pipeline, and select an opportunity from the list to open it.

At the top-right, above the chatter composer, click Follow. Doing this changes the button to read Following. Click it again to Unfollow.

Manage followers¶

To add another user, or contact, as a follower, click the (user) icon. This opens a drop-down list of the current followers. Click Add Followers to open an Invite Follower pop-up window.

Select one or more contacts from the Recipients drop-down list. To notify the contacts, tick the Send Notification checkbox. Edit the message template as desired, then click Add Followers.

To remove followers, click the (user) icon to open the current followers list. Find the name of the follower to be removed, and click the (remove) icon.

Edit follower subscription¶

The updates a follower receives can vary based on their subscription settings. To see the type of updates a follower is subscribed to, and to edit the list, click the (user) icon. Find the appropriate follower in the list, then click the (pencil) icon. This opens the Edit Subscription pop-up window for the follower.

The list of available subscription settings varies depending on the record type. For example, a follower of a Project task may be informed when the task’s stage changes. This option would not be available for the followers of a CRM opportunity.

Tick the checkbox for any updates the follower should receive, and clear the checkbox for any updates they should not receive. Click Apply when finished.

screenshot: productivity-chatter-edit-subscription

menu: (any record with a chatter)
shows: The "Edit Subscription" window of a follower, listing the subscription types that can be checked or unchecked.
highlight: The subscription checkboxes (red frame).
data: Follower of a sales order.
module: mail
notes: English UI, light theme, crop to the chatter.

Log notes¶

The chatter function includes the ability to log internal notes on individual records. These notes are only accessible to internal users, and are available on any records that feature a chatter thread.

To log an internal note, first navigate to a record. For example, to open a CRM opportunity, navigate to CRM app ‣ Sales ‣ My Pipeline, and click on the Kanban card of an opportunity to open it. Then, at the top-right, above the chatter composer, click Log note.

Enter the note in the chatter composer. To tag an internal user, type @, and begin typing the name of the person to tag. Then, select a name from the drop-down menu. Depending on their notification settings, the user is notified by email, or through Odoo.

Important

Outside contacts can also be tagged in an internal log note. The contact then receives an email with the contents of the note they were tagged in, including any attachments added directly to the note. If they respond to the email, their response is logged in the chatter, and they are added to the record as a follower.

Outside contacts are not able to log in to view the entire chatter thread, and are only notified of specific updates, based on their follower subscription settings, or when they are tagged directly.

Send messages¶

Chatter composers can send messages to outside contacts, without having to leave the database, or open a different application. This makes it easy to communicate with potential customers in the Sales and CRM applications, or vendors in the Purchase app.

To send a message, first navigate to a record. For example, to send a message from a CRM opportunity, navigate to CRM app ‣ Sales ‣ My Pipeline, and click on the Kanban card of an opportunity to open it. Then, at the top-right, above the chatter composer, click Send message.

Tip

Press Ctrl + Enter to send a message, instead of using the Send button.

If any followers have been added to the record, they are added as recipients of the message.

Warning

Followers of a record are added as recipients of a message automatically. If a follower should not receive a message, they must be removed as a follower before the message is sent, or a note is logged.

screenshot: productivity-chatter-send-message

menu: CRM ‣ Sales ‣ My Pipeline
shows: The chatter composer of an opportunity in "Send message" mode, with the recipients (followers and the customer) listed above the composer.
highlight: The recipient list (red frame).
data: Opportunity of customer "Deco Addict".
module: mail
notes: English UI, light theme, crop to the chatter.

Expand full composer¶

The chatter composer can be expanded to a larger pop-up window, allowing for additional customizations.

To open the full composer, click the (expand) icon in the bottom-right corner of the composer window.

screenshot: productivity-chatter-expand-icon

menu: (any record with a chatter)
shows: A chatter composer with the expand icon that opens the full composer.
highlight: The expand icon (red frame).
module: mail
notes: English UI, light theme, crop to the chatter.

Doing this opens a Compose Email pop-up window. Confirm or edit the intended Recipients of the message, or add additional recipients. The Subject field auto-populates based on the title of the record, though it can be edited, if desired.

To use an email template for the message, click the (vertical ellipsis) icon, then select a template from the list. Existing templates can also be overwritten or deleted from this menu.

Note

The number and type of templates available vary, based on the record the message is created from.

Click (paperclip) icon to add any files to the message, then click Send.

screenshot: productivity-chatter-full-composer

menu: CRM ‣ Sales ‣ My Pipeline
shows: The expanded full composer with the subject, the rich-text body, the attachment button and the email template selector.
data: Opportunity of customer "Deco Addict".
module: mail
notes: English UI, light theme, crop to the chatter.

Generate text with AI¶

To generate message text using AI, click the AI icon from the expanded chatter composer. This opens a Generate Text with AI pop-up.

Enter a prompt in the Send a message field to instruct the AI on the type of content needed, then press enter, or click the (paper plane) icon.

screenshot: productivity-chatter-ai-prompt

menu: (any record with a chatter)
shows: The "Generate Text with AI" pop-up with a prompt typed in the message field.
data: Prompt asking for a short follow-up email.
module: mail
notes: English UI, light theme, crop to the chatter.

After the text is generated, click Insert to insert the text into the message composer.

Tip

Before sending the final message, be sure to edit any commentary from the AI, or any text in brackets.

screenshot: productivity-chatter-ai-draft

menu: (any record with a chatter)
shows: The composer filled with the text generated by the AI, before it is edited and sent.
module: mail
notes: English UI, light theme, crop to the chatter.

Edit sent messages¶

Messages can be edited after they are sent, to fix typos, correct mistakes, or add missing information.

Note

When messages are edited after they have been sent, an updated message is not sent to the recipient.

To edit a sent message, click the (vertical ellipsis) menu to the right of the message. Then, select Edit. Make any necessary adjustments to the message.

screenshot: productivity-chatter-edit-message

menu: (any record with a chatter)
shows: The dropdown menu of a sent chatter message with the "Edit" option.
highlight: The "Edit" option (red frame).
module: mail
notes: English UI, light theme, crop to the chatter.

To save the changes, press Ctrl + Enter. To discard the changes, press Escape.

Important

Users with Admin-level access rights can edit any sent messages. Users without Admin rights can only edit messages they created.

Search messages¶

Chatter threads can become long after a while, because of all the information they contain. To make it easier to find a specific entry, users can search the text of messages and notes for specific keywords.

First, select a record with a chatter thread. For example, to search a CRM opportunity, navigate to CRM app ‣ Sales ‣ My Pipeline, and click on the Kanban card of an opportunity to open it. Then, at the top-right, above the chatter composer, click the (search) icon to open the search bar.

Enter a keyword or phrase into the search bar, then hit Enter, or click the (search) icon to the right of the search bar. Any messages or notes containing the keyword or phrase entered are listed below the search bar, with the keyword highlighted.

To be taken directly to a particular message in the chatter thread, hover over the upper-right corner of the result to reveal a Jump button. Click this button to be directed to that message’s location in the thread.

screenshot: productivity-chatter-search

menu: (any record with a chatter)
shows: Search results in a chatter thread, with the search icon in the top bar and the "Jump" option on a hovered result.
highlight: The search icon and the "Jump" option (red frame).
module: mail
notes: English UI, light theme, crop to the chatter.

Schedule activities¶

Activities are follow-up tasks tied to a record in an Odoo database. Activities can be scheduled on any database page that contains a chatter thread, Kanban view, list view, or activities view of an application.

To schedule an activity through a chatter thread, click the Activities button, located at the top of the chatter on any record. On the Schedule Activity pop-up window that appears, select an Activity Type from the drop-down menu.

Tip

Individual applications have a list of Activity Types dedicated to that application. For example, to view and edit the activities available for the CRM application, go to CRM app ‣ Configuration ‣ Activity Types.

Enter a title for the activity in the Summary field, located in the Schedule Activity pop-up window.

Select a name from the Assigned to drop-down menu to assign the activity to a different user. Otherwise, the user creating the activity is automatically assigned.

Add any additional information in the optional Log a note… field.

Note

The Due Date field on the Schedule Activity pop-up window auto-populates based on the configuration settings for the selected Activity Type. However, this date can be changed by selecting a day on the calendar in the Due Date field.

Lastly, click one of the following buttons:

Schedule: adds the activity to the chatter under Planned activities.
Schedule & Mark as Done: adds the details of the activity to the chatter under Today. The activity is added to Today, and is automatically marked as done.
Done & Schedule Next: adds the task under Today marked as done, and opens a new activity window.
Cancel: discards any changes made on the pop-up window.

Scheduled activities are added to the chatter for the record under Planned activities, and are color-coded based on their due date.

Red icons indicate an overdue activity.
Yellow icons indicate an activity with a due date scheduled for the current date.
Green icons indicate an activity with a due date scheduled in the future.

screenshot: productivity-chatter-activity-icons

menu: CRM ‣ Sales ‣ My Pipeline
shows: A chatter thread with several planned activities, showing the colored due-date icons.
data: Three activities: overdue, due today and planned.
module: mail
notes: English UI, light theme, crop to the chatter.

Tip

Click the (info) icon next to a planned activity to see additional details.

screenshot: productivity-chatter-activity-details

menu: CRM ‣ Sales ‣ My Pipeline
shows: The detail popover of a planned activity with its type, due date, assignee and note.
data: Activity "Call" due today.
module: mail
notes: English UI, light theme, crop to the chatter.

After completing an activity, click Mark Done under the activity entry in the chatter. This opens a Mark Done pop-up window, where additional notes about the activity can be entered. After adding any comments to the pop-up window, click: Done & Schedule Next, Done, or Discard.

After the activity is marked complete, an entry with the activity type, title, and any other details that were included in the pop-up window are listed in the chatter.

screenshot: productivity-chatter-completed-activity

menu: CRM ‣ Sales ‣ My Pipeline
shows: A chatter thread with a completed activity and the feedback logged with it.
module: mail
notes: English UI, light theme, crop to the chatter.

Attach files¶

Files can be added as attachments in the chatter, either to send with messages, or to include with a record.

Note

After a file has been added to a chatter thread, it can be downloaded by any user with access to the thread. Click the (paperclip) icon to make the files header visible, if necessary. Then, click the (download) icon the file to download it.

To attach a file, click the (paperclip) icon located at the top of the chatter composer of any record that contains a chatter thread.

This opens a file explorer pop-up window. Navigate to the desired file, select it, then click Open to add it to the record. Alternatively, files can be dragged and dropped directly onto a chatter thread.

After files have been added, they are listed in the chatter thread, under a Files heading.

Note

After at least one file has been added to a chatter record, a new button labeled Attach files appears below the Files heading. To attach any additional files, this is the button that must be used, instead of the (paperclip) icon at the top of the chatter thread.

After the Files section heading appears in the thread, clicking the (paperclip) icon no longer opens a file explorer pop-up window. Instead, clicking the (paperclip) icon toggles the Files section from visible to invisible in the chatter thread.

screenshot: productivity-chatter-attach-files

menu: (any record with a chatter)
shows: A chatter thread with the "Files" section visible, one attached file and the paperclip button in the top bar.
highlight: The paperclip button and the Files section (red frame).
module: mail
notes: English UI, light theme, crop to the chatter.

Integrations¶

Beyond the standard features, the Google Translate integration can be enabled to translate the messages of the chatter.

Important

Before it can be used, the integration must be configured. Step-by-step instructions can be found in Google Translate.

Google Translate¶

Google Translate can be used to translate user-generated text in the Odoo chatter.

To enable Google Translate on a database, an API key must first be created through the Google API Console.

After creating the API key, navigate to the Settings app ‣ Discuss section and paste the key in the Message Translation field. Click Save to save the changes.

Translate a chatter message¶

To translate a user’s text from another language, click the (vertical ellipsis) menu to the right of the chatter. Then, select Translate. The content translates to the language set in the user’s preferences.

screenshot: productivity-chatter-translate

menu: (any record with a chatter)
shows: The dropdown menu of a chatter message with the "Translate" option, and the translated text below the original message.
highlight: The "Translate" option (red frame).
module: mail
notes: English UI, light theme, crop to the chatter.

Important

Using the Google Translate API requires a current billing account with Google.

Chatter extensions¶

Several modules extend the standard chatter.

Chatter position¶

Each user can choose where the chatter is displayed on form views. In Preferences, set Chatter Position to Side (next to the form) or Bottom (under the form).

Note

Requires the MuK Chatter (muk_web_chatter) module.

Email delivery tracking¶

When an email is sent from the chatter, its delivery status is tracked and displayed next to the message: Sent, Delivered, Opened, Deferred, Bounced, Soft bounced, Rejected, Spam, Unsubscribed, or Error. Click the status to see the tracking events of that email, including the reported error.

The complete list is available to administrators in Settings ‣ Technical ‣ Email ‣ Tracking emails and Tracking events. In Settings ‣ General Settings ‣ Discuss, the retention of these records can be limited with the maximum age in days.

Note

Requires the Email tracking (mail_tracking) module.

Reply to a specific message¶

Click Reply on a chatter message to open the composer with the original message quoted, so that the answer keeps its context.

Note

Requires the Mail Message Reply (mail_quoted_reply) module.

Preview email attachments¶

Emails attached to a record as .eml files open directly in the file viewer, like a PDF, instead of being downloaded: the header block and the body are displayed, with the embedded images.

Note

Requires the Mail Attachment EML Preview (mail_attachment_eml_preview) module.

Notify followers or not¶

In the full composer, the Notify Followers checkbox decides whether the message is also sent to the followers of the record, or only to the recipients explicitly listed. The same option is available when sending an invoice from the Send window of the Invoicing app.

Note

Requires the Mail Follower Notification (eyssen_mail_follower_notification) module, and, for invoices, Mail Follower Notification - Invoicing (eyssen_mail_follower_notification_account).

screenshot: productivity-chatter-notify-followers

menu: (any record with a chatter)
shows: The full composer with the "Notify Followers" checkbox next to the recipients.
highlight: The "Notify Followers" checkbox (red frame).
module: eyssen_mail_follower_notification
notes: English UI, light theme, crop to the composer.

Cc and Bcc recipients¶

In the standard full composer, all recipients are entered in a single Recipients field. With the Email CC and BCC module (mail_composer_cc_bcc), the full composer has two additional fields, Cc and Bcc, in which contacts can be selected (or created on the fly from an email address):

the Recipients and the Cc contacts appear as such, in the To and Cc headers, in the email received by every recipient;
the Bcc contacts receive a copy of the email, but their address is not disclosed to the other recipients.

The two fields are available when sending a message from the chatter of any record, and in the composers based on it (e.g., sending a quotation). They are not displayed when logging an internal note.

Default values can be prepared in two places:

on the company: go to Settings ‣ Users & Companies ‣ Companies, open the company, and select contacts in the Default Cc and Default Bcc fields, under Email. These contacts are pre-filled in every email composed for that company, e.g., to archive all outgoing emails in a dedicated mailbox with a default Bcc contact;
on an email template: in addition to the standard Cc field, a Bcc field is available in the Email Configuration tab. When the template is selected in the composer, the addresses of these two fields are matched with the existing contacts, which are then added to the Cc and Bcc fields of the composer.

screenshot: productivity-chatter-cc-bcc

menu: (any record with a chatter) ‣ Send message ‣ Expand full composer
shows: The full composer with the Recipients field followed by the "Cc" and "Bcc" tag fields, each containing one contact with its email address.
highlight: The "Cc" and "Bcc" fields (red frame).
data: Recipient "Deco Addict"; Cc "Douglas Fletcher"; Bcc "Archive mailbox <[email protected]>".
module: mail_composer_cc_bcc
notes: English UI, light theme, crop to the composer.

Archive and restore log¶

When a record is archived or restored, the standard chatter only keeps a trace if the Active field of the model is tracked, which is rarely the case. With the Chatter: Log Archive/Restore module (eyssen_chatter_log_all_state_chnage), a note such as “Deco Addict” was archived. or “Deco Addict” was restored. is logged in the chatter of every record that has one, with the user and the date of the operation. Models that already track the field are left unchanged, so that the operation is not logged twice.

Note

To install the module, go to Settings ‣ eYssen ERP, and, in the General Modules section, enable Chatter: Log Archive/Restore (no duplicate with tracking).