addons-cm/product_origin_char/README_DEV.md

Product Origin Text - Developer Notes

Technical Implementation

Architecture

This module extends the product origin information system to use free-text fields instead of structured country/state fields.

Models:

1. product.supplierinfo - Base model with the origin_text field

   • Field: origin_text (Char, translate=True)
   • This is where the actual data is stored
   • Each supplier can have a different origin text for the same product

2. product.template - Computed field

   • Field: origin_text (Char, computed, store=False)
   • Computes from main vendor's supplierinfo
   • Depends on: main_seller_id, variant_seller_ids.origin_text

3. product.product - Computed field (variant level)

   • Field: origin_text (Char, computed, store=False)
   • Computes from main vendor's supplierinfo
   • Depends on: product_tmpl_id.main_seller_id, seller_ids.origin_text

Why Computed Fields Instead of Related?

The origin_text field in product.template and product.product cannot be a simple related field because:

• main_seller_id is a res.partner record
• origin_text is stored in product.supplierinfo records
• We need to find the supplierinfo record where partner_id == main_seller_id

This requires a computed field with custom logic to filter and find the correct supplierinfo record.

Translation Support

The origin_text field in product.supplierinfo uses translate=True, which means:

• Each language can have a different value
• Translations are stored in Odoo's translation system
• When switching languages, the field shows the translated value
• If no translation exists, it falls back to the default language value

Store Strategy

The computed fields in product template and product use store=False because:

• The value should always reflect the current main vendor
• If the main vendor changes or its origin text is updated, the product's origin should update automatically
• No need to store redundant data
• Reduces database size and update complexity

Dependencies

• product - Core product module
• product_main_seller - Provides main_seller_id computed field for products

Relationship to product_origin

This module is a replacement/alternative to the OCA product_origin module:

• product_origin provides structured fields (country_id, state_id)
• product_origin_char provides free-text field (origin_text)
• Both cannot be installed simultaneously without potential conflicts
• This module was created because suppliers use creative, non-standardized origin descriptions

Performance Considerations

• Computed fields with store=False are calculated on-the-fly
• Performance is acceptable because the computation is simple (filter + get first)
• If performance becomes an issue, consider:
  • Adding store=True with proper dependencies
  • Adding database indexes on frequently searched fields
  • Caching strategies

Testing Strategy

Tests cover:

1. Basic field storage - Create supplierinfo with origin_text
2. Computed field - Verify product shows main vendor's origin
3. Main vendor change - Verify origin updates when main vendor changes
4. Translation - Verify field is translatable (multilingual support)
5. Empty cases - Product without vendors, vendor without origin

Future Improvements

Potential enhancements:

• Add migration script from product_origin to convert country/state to text
• Add bulk update wizard to set origin for multiple products
• Add origin text to purchase order lines
• Add search/group by origin in product lists
• Add validation rules (max length, format checks)

Code Quality

• Follows OCA guidelines
• Black formatted (line length 88)
• isort sorted imports
• Passes flake8 and pylint checks
• Full test coverage
• Documented with docstrings
• Translatable strings handled correctly (no _() in field definitions)

Version History

• 18.0.1.0.0 (2026-02-25) - Initial release
  • Free-text origin field per supplier
  • Automatic display based on main vendor
  • Multi-language support
  • Full test coverage
  • OCA documentation structure