Set up Advance Search Bar

Always start from a trusted source: your Odoo partner, your company’s internal file share, or the official Odoo Apps store if you purchased there. Use the version that matches your Odoo server so you avoid errors after installation.

The add-on usually arrives as a ZIP file. Save it somewhere easy to find on your computer (for example your Desktop or a “Downloads” folder). Do not unzip yet if your process is to upload the ZIP through a control panel-some hosts accept the ZIP directly. If you will copy files by hand, unzip once and check that you see a single main folder (for this product, the folder name is normally advance_search_bar).

If you receive several versions, pick the one whose number matches your Odoo version in the simplest way your vendor explains (for example “17” for Odoo 17). When in doubt, ask the person who sold or built the add-on-they would rather answer once than fix a wrong version later.

Odoo does not read add-ons from random places on your laptop. It only loads modules from folders that your server is configured to scan. Those folders are often named addons or custom_addons, but the exact path depends on how Odoo was installed (Windows service, Linux service, Docker, Odoo.sh, and so on).

What you typically do: copy the whole advance_search_bar folder (the one that sits next to other module folders and contains files like __manifest__.py) into your company’s custom add-ons directory. Many teams use a folder called custom_addons on purpose, so official Odoo code stays separate from purchased or custom modules. If your server only has one add-ons path, place it there-but follow your administrator’s rule book first.

Common beginner mistake: copying only some files inside the folder, or nesting the folder twice (advance_search_bar/advance_search_bar/...). Odoo expects one clean folder with the correct name at the top level of the add-ons path.

If you use managed hosting (Odoo Online, Odoo.sh, or a provider’s panel), you may upload through their UI instead of using Windows Explorer or Linux commands. The idea is the same: the module must end up in an allowed add-ons directory.

After new files appear on the server, Odoo often needs a fresh start to notice them. That means restarting the Odoo application process the way your environment requires. On a small Windows server, that might be restarting a Windows service; on Linux, a systemctl restart; in Docker, recreating or restarting the container.

Why this matters: until Odoo restarts (or until your host refreshes the workers), the “Update Apps List” step may not see your new folder, and you can waste time thinking the copy failed when it simply was not picked up yet.

If you are not allowed to restart the server yourself, send a short request to IT: “Please restart Odoo after adding the advance_search_bar module to custom_addons.” Include the path you used so they can verify quickly.

Odoo hides some technical buttons from everyday users to keep the screen calm. For installing apps from the file system, it is very common to switch on Developer mode (sometimes called “developer mode” or “debug mode”). This does not break your database; it mainly shows extra options and technical names that administrators use.

How to turn it on (typical paths): open Settings, scroll to the bottom of the page, and look for a link such as Activate the developer mode. In some versions you may use the small “bug” icon in the top menu, or your partner may have given you a special link that adds ?debug=1 to your browser address. Any of these is fine if your Odoo version supports it.

If you cannot find Developer mode, continue anyway-some sites still allow updating the app list and installing. If a button you need is missing, Developer mode is the first thing to try.

Odoo keeps an internal catalog of which modules exist on disk. After you add a new folder, you must tell Odoo to scan again. In the Apps menu, look for Update Apps List (wording can vary slightly by version or translation). Confirm the dialog. Wait until it finishes without errors.

What you should expect: after a successful update, searching in Apps for “Advance Search” or the technical name should show the new module as installable. If nothing appears, go back to Steps 2 and 3: wrong folder, wrong path, or Odoo not restarted yet are the usual causes.

Open the Apps menu. Remove the “Apps” filter if your screen only shows main applications-there is often a filter chip that hides extra modules. Then use the search box and type part of the name, for example Advance Search or advance search bar.

Open the module card and click Install or Activate (Odoo sometimes uses either word for the same idea). Wait until the progress completes. You should not need to install many dependencies for this add-on in a normal database, because it is built on Odoo’s standard web layer-but if Odoo asks to install something else, accept if your administrator agrees.

When installation succeeds, you will usually return to the Apps screen or see a success state. There is often no new “app icon” on the home dashboard for this product, because the feature appears as a bar under the main menu in the back office, not as a separate application tile.

Some add-ons ship optional demonstration data (sample customers, sample orders, and so on) so you can click around in a training database. Others-including many small tools-do not include demo data at all. That is normal and does not mean the installation failed.

If your vendor gave you a demo database or a special “demo” ZIP, follow their document instead of guessing. If Odoo offers a checkbox when creating a database such as “Load demonstration data,” that choice happens at database creation time, not specifically because of this module.

Practical advice: on a live company database, teams usually install without demo data to avoid fake records mixed with real work. Use a separate test database if you want to experiment safely.

Installing the module turns the feature on for the server, but Odoo still decides which people may see it. For Advance Search Bar, there is a security group with a clear meaning, such as Use Advance Search Bar (the exact label may match your language pack).

Typical path for an administrator: go to Settings → Users & Companies → Users. Open a user who should see the bar. Open the Access Rights tab (name can vary). Find the section for Advance Search Bar and tick the option that grants use of the bar. Save the user form. Repeat for each colleague who needs the tool.

Tip for larger companies: instead of editing users one by one, admins often attach the same right to a role group (for example “Internal User – Sales”) so everyone in that role receives the bar automatically. That is an administrator preference; as an end user you only need to know that “someone must tick the right box for my login.”

Full administrators in Odoo are often given every technical access by default; do not be surprised if the administrator sees the bar immediately while you do not-your account still needs the checkbox in Step 8.

After permissions change, ask each user to refresh the browser page (for example press F5, or close the tab and open Odoo again). Some companies also ask users to log out and log in once so every permission reloads cleanly.

What “success” looks like: on the main Odoo back office screen, you should see a search strip directly under the top purple bar (the main menu). You may also see a small toggle icon near the top-right of the screen that shows or hides that strip. If the strip is hidden, click the toggle once to expand it.

If you still see nothing, work through this short list calmly: Am I on the right user? Did an administrator enable the access right? Did I refresh the page? Is the module installed on this database (some companies have test and production databases)? When stuck, a screenshot sent to your administrator speeds everything up.

three everyday words for the same idea. Do not worry if your screen says “App” while this guide says “module.”

think of it as the company’s software shop inside Odoo-only people with permission may install from it.

like pressing “refresh” on the list of software Odoo knows about after you drop a new folder on the server.

not dangerous by itself; it mainly reveals extra buttons and labels meant for people who maintain the system.

even the best module stays invisible until your user profile is allowed to use it.