Theme Creation Skill
Critical Rules
- NEVER modify core Odoo in
odoo/orodoo/addons/ - NEVER use
map-merge()with core Odoo variables in theme SCSS — they're undefined at load time - NEVER use
ir.assetrecords for Google Fonts — use$o-theme-font-configs - ALWAYS use
('prepend', ...)for primary_variables.scss in asset bundles - H6 is ALWAYS 16px (1rem) — the fixed base reference
- All manifests must include
author: 'TaqaTechno',website,support,license: 'LGPL-3'
Generated Theme Structure (v8.0)
theme_<name>/ ├── __init__.py # Imports models ├── __manifest__.py # With proper asset bundles ├── models/ │ ├── __init__.py # Imports theme_<name> │ └── theme_<name>.py # theme.utils implementation (REQUIRED!) ├── security/ │ └── ir.model.access.csv ├── data/ │ ├── assets.xml # Minimal (fonts via SCSS, not ir.asset!) │ ├── menu.xml │ └── pages/ # Individual page files (best practice) │ ├── home_page.xml # Inherits website.homepage │ ├── aboutus_page.xml # theme.website.page │ ├── contactus_page.xml # Inherits website.contactus │ └── services_page.xml # theme.website.page ├── views/ │ ├── layout/ │ │ └── templates.xml # Base layout templates │ └── snippets/ │ └── custom_snippets.xml └── static/src/ ├── scss/ │ ├── primary_variables.scss # Theme variables + font configs │ └── theme.scss # Additional custom styles ├── js/ │ └── theme.js # publicWidget implementations └── img/
Manifest Template
python{ 'name': 'Theme <Name>', 'version': '<odoo_version>.0.1.0.0', 'category': 'Theme/Creative', 'summary': 'Custom theme for <client>', 'author': 'TaqaTechno', 'website': 'https://www.taqatechno.com/', 'support': 'info@taqatechno.com', 'license': 'LGPL-3', 'depends': ['website'], 'data': [ 'security/ir.model.access.csv', 'views/layout/templates.xml', 'views/snippets/custom_snippets.xml', 'data/menu.xml', 'data/pages/home_page.xml', 'data/pages/aboutus_page.xml', 'data/pages/contactus_page.xml', ], 'assets': { 'web._assets_primary_variables': [ ('prepend', 'theme_<name>/static/src/scss/primary_variables.scss'), ], 'web.assets_frontend': [ 'theme_<name>/static/src/scss/theme.scss', 'theme_<name>/static/src/js/theme.js', ], }, 'installable': True, 'auto_install': False, 'application': False, }
SCSS Load Order (Critical)
1. YOUR theme's primary_variables.scss (via 'prepend') ← FIRST 2. Odoo core primary_variables.scss ← SECOND 3. Other SCSS files CONSEQUENCE: - CANNOT use map-merge() with core variables (they don't exist yet!) - MUST define standalone variables - Use 'color-palettes-name': 'default-1' to reference existing palettes WRONG: $o-color-palettes: map-merge($o-color-palettes, (...)); RIGHT: $o-website-values-palettes: ( ( 'color-palettes-name': 'default-1' ) );
primary_variables.scss Template
scss// =================================================================== // Theme: <Name> — Generated by TaqaTechno // PREPENDED before Odoo core — DO NOT use map-merge()! // =================================================================== // === Font Configuration (STANDALONE) === $o-theme-font-configs: ( 'Inter': ( 'family': ('Inter', sans-serif), 'url': 'Inter:300,300i,400,400i,500,500i,600,600i,700,700i', ), ); // === Website Values Palette (MASTER CONFIGURATION) === $o-website-values-palettes: ( ( 'color-palettes-name': 'default-1', // Typography 'font': 'Inter', 'headings-font': 'Inter', 'navbar-font': 'Inter', 'buttons-font': 'Inter', // Header (NO custom header.xml needed!) 'header-template': 'default', 'header-links-style': 'default', 'logo-height': 3rem, 'fixed-logo-height': 2rem, // Buttons 'btn-padding-y': 0.45rem, 'btn-padding-x': 1.35rem, 'btn-border-radius': 0.25rem, // Footer (NO custom footer.xml needed!) 'footer-template': 'default', 'footer-scrolltop': true, // Links & Layout 'link-underline': 'hover', 'layout': 'full', ) ); // === Typography Multipliers === $o-theme-h1-font-size-multiplier: (64 / 16); // 64px $o-theme-h2-font-size-multiplier: (48 / 16); // 48px $o-theme-h3-font-size-multiplier: (32 / 16); // 32px $o-theme-h4-font-size-multiplier: (24 / 16); // 24px $o-theme-h5-font-size-multiplier: (20 / 16); // 20px $o-theme-h6-font-size-multiplier: (16 / 16); // 16px (FIXED)
Page Creation Patterns
Homepage (inherits website.homepage)
xml<template id="view_home" inherit_id="website.homepage" name="Home"> <xpath expr="//div[@id='wrap']" position="replace"> <div id="wrap" class="oe_structure"> <!-- Homepage content --> </div> </xpath> </template>
Contact (inherits website.contactus)
xml<template id="view_contact" inherit_id="website.contactus" name="Contact"> <xpath expr="//h1" position="replace"> <h1>Get in Touch</h1> </xpath> </template>
Custom Pages (theme.website.page)
xml<template id="view_about" name="About"> <t t-call="website.layout"> <div id="wrap" class="oe_structure"> <section class="s_title pt96 pb48"> <div class="container"><h1>About Us</h1></div> </section> </div> </t> </template> <record id="page_about" model="theme.website.page"> <field name="view_id" ref="view_about"/> <field name="is_published" eval="True"/> <field name="url">/about</field> </record>
Theme Mirror Model Architecture
theme.ir.ui.view (Template) → ir.ui.view (Actual, with website_id) theme.website.page (Template) → website.page (Actual, with website_id)
Each website gets independent copies, enabling theme reuse across multiple sites.
theme.utils Activation (REQUIRED)
Every theme MUST include models/theme_<name>.py:
pythonfrom odoo import models class Theme<Name>(models.AbstractModel): _inherit = 'theme.utils' def _theme_<name>_post_copy(self, mod): """Called automatically when theme is installed on a website.""" # Enable header template self.enable_view('website.template_header_default') # Enable footer template self.enable_view('website.template_footer_contact') # Show logo, not brand name self.enable_view('website.option_header_brand_logo') self.disable_view('website.option_header_brand_name')
Method name MUST be _theme_{technical_name}_post_copy where technical_name matches the folder name.
Available methods: enable_view(xml_id), disable_view(xml_id), enable_asset(xml_id), disable_asset(xml_id)
Installation & Testing
bash# 1. Update module list python -m odoo -c conf/<PROJECT>.conf -d <DB> --update-list # 2. Install theme python -m odoo -c conf/<PROJECT>.conf -d <DB> -i theme_<name> --stop-after-init # 3. If errors, auto-fix and retry (up to 3 attempts)
Common Auto-Fix Patterns
| Error | Fix |
|---|---|
Undefined variable "$o-color-palettes" | Remove map-merge, use standalone |
Undefined variable "$o-theme-font-configs" | Define standalone (no map-merge) |
SyntaxError in SCSS | Parse error location, fix syntax |
Module not found | Add dependency to manifest |
Malformed Google Fonts @import | Remove ir.asset, use $o-theme-font-configs |
Testing Checklist
- Theme installs without errors
- CSS compilation succeeds
- No SCSS/JS errors in browser console
- Header and footer styling apply correctly
- Responsive layout works on mobile/tablet/desktop
- Website builder (edit mode) functions without errors
Version-Specific Notes
| Odoo | Bootstrap | Snippet Registration | Key Differences |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14-15 | 4.x | Simple XPath | ml-*/mr-* classes |
| 16-17 | 5.1.3 | Simple XPath | ms-*/me-* classes |
| 18-19 | 5.1.3 | Groups required | snippet-group attribute needed |
For the complete 115+ SCSS variable reference, see the theme-scss skill. For Figma-to-Odoo workflow and page template matching, see the theme-design skill.

