Report Designer
Visual, model-aware report design for Odoo 19. Build precise PDFs, business documents and label sheets without rewriting QWeb templates for every layout change.
This manual is structured as a publishable knowledge base. It documents the features implemented in the Report Designer codebase and uses only control-focused screenshots without customer or document data.
Start here
| Guide | What you will learn |
|---|---|
| 01 Getting Started | Architecture, modules, concepts and the first end-to-end workflow. |
| 02 Report Configuration | Target model, companies, paper size, typography, regions, formatting and output defaults. |
| 03 Designer Workspace & Precision Tools | Toolbar, toolbox, canvas, inspector, grid, guides, alignment, transforms, regions and layers. |
| 04 Elements, Fields & Expressions | Text, text paths, lines, shapes, images, cliparts, barcodes, Odoo fields and computed values. |
| 05 Tables & Repeating Lines | Static tables and repeating Sales, Invoice, Purchase and Stock Picking line tables. |
| 06 Installation & PDF Rendering Requirements | WKHTMLTOPDF versus Pango/WeasyPrint, Python and system packages, CMYK and Ghostscript. |
| 07 Preview, PDF & Printing | Preview, report actions, Pro-Forma output, company restrictions and print-server routing. |
| 08 Administration, Reuse & Labels | Import/export, backup, paper formats, groups, clipart libraries, sheet layouts and label jobs. |
| 09 Shortcuts, QA & Troubleshooting | Keyboard reference, release checklist and diagnosis of common Designer/PDF problems. |
Quick start with “Blackfield | Sales Order - Demo”
- Open Reports → Reports and select Blackfield | Sales Order - Demo.
- Verify the Target Model, company scope, A4 paper size, header/footer heights, typography and number/date formatting.
- Choose the PDF renderer. Use WKHTMLTOPDF by default; select Pango + WeasyPrint only after its server dependencies have been installed.
- Open the Designer and select a representative Sales Order sample record.
- Switch on Show data, then test fields, tables, images, descriptions, totals and barcodes.
- Save the layout, generate Print Preview and inspect every page at 100%.
- Add the Print button to the model only after the report passes the production QA checklist.
Feature map
- Millimetre-based positioning with custom paper sizes, margins, grid, snap, guides, ruler and area overlays.
- Body, Header, Footer, Watermark and additional overlay layers with independent visibility and locking.
- Text, linked text paths, lines, advanced shapes, images, SVG cliparts, barcodes, static tables and computed fields.
- Model-aware field browsing, related paths, company bank selectors, formatting widgets and representative sample data.
- Static table merge/split and row/column editing; data-driven line tables with computed columns, attributes, images and descriptions.
- Advanced palettes and dynamic colours with RGB, HSL, HSV, CMYK, Lab and LCH entry modes.
- Preview, cached form preview, model print actions, Sales Order Pro-Forma actions and optional print-server delivery.
- JSON import/export, cross-report clipboard, paper-size exchange, complete backups and clipart administration.
- Optional sheet/label layout generation for rectangular, rounded, circular and ring-shaped labels.
Supported module set
| Module | Role |
|---|---|
| mg_report_hub | Core templates, paper sizes, Designer, preview, QWeb PDF, assets and administration. |
| mg_report_render | Optional Pango/WeasyPrint alternative renderer and CMYK-oriented workflow. |
| mg_report_print | Optional print-server output and routing. |
| mg_report_layout | Optional sheet layouts and label jobs. |
Documentation basis: code and bundled documentation reviewed for mg_report_hub 19.0.7.1.64 and the included optional extensions.