Other than being familiar with programming, no particular knowledge is expected to be able to take advantage of this book.

Odoo is built using the Python programming language, so it is a good idea to get solid knowledge of it. We also choose to run Odoo in an Ubuntu host, and will do some work on the command line, so it will help to be familiar with it.

To get the most out of this book, we recommend that you find complementary readings on the Python programming language, Ubuntu/Debian Linux operating system, and the PostgreSQL database.

While we will run Odoo in an Ubuntu host (a popular cloud hosting option), we will provide guidance on how to set up our development environment in a Windows system with the help of VirtualBox. Of course, working from an Ubuntu/Debian system is also a possible choice.

All the required software is freely available, and the instructions on where to find it will be given.

You can download the example code files for this book from your account at www.packtpub.com. If you purchased this book elsewhere, you can visit www.packtpub.com/support and register to have the files emailed directly to you.

You can download the code files by following these steps:

1. Log in or register at www.packtpub.com.
2. Select the SUPPORT tab.
3. Click on Code Downloads & Errata.
4. Enter the name of the book in the Search box and follow the onscreen instructions.

Once the file is downloaded, please make sure that you unzip or extract the folder using the latest version of:

• WinRAR/7-Zip for Windows
• Zipeg/iZip/UnRarX for Mac
• 7-Zip/PeaZip for Linux

The code bundle for the book is also hosted on GitHub at https://github.com/PacktPublishing/Odoo-11-Development-Essentials-Third-Edition. We also have other code bundles from our rich catalog of books and videos available at https://github.com/PacktPublishing/. Check them out!

There are a number of text conventions used throughout this book.

CodeInText: Indicates code words in text, database table names, folder names, filenames, file extensions, pathnames, dummy URLs, user input, and Twitter handles. Here is an example: "We will have a new /todo_app directory alongside the /odoo directory containing the modules."

A block of code is set as follows:

<?xml version="1.0"?> 
<odoo> 
  <!-- Content will go here... --> 
</odoo> 

When we wish to draw your attention to a particular part of a code block, the relevant lines or items are set in bold:

  'data': [
    'security/ir.model.access.csv',
    'views/todo_menu.xml',
    'views/todo_view.xml',
    ]

Any command-line input or output is written as follows:

$ createdb MyDB
$ createdb --template=MyDB MyDB2

Bold: Indicates a new term, an important word, or words that you see onscreen. For example, words in menus or dialog boxes appear in the text like this. Here is an example: "In the web client, access the Apps top menu and select the Update Apps List menu option."