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Odoo 20 Timesheets Release Notes

All 5 Timesheets changes from the official Odoo 20 release notes, explained in plain words with a screenshot from a live Odoo 20 database, plus where to find each one and what it means for your upgrade.

Planning the move? See our Odoo upgrade services, the Odoo 20 upgrade guide or get a number from the migration cost calculator.

New feature 2Enhancement 3In Community 0Enterprise only 5
Type

Change 1 of 5

ActivityWatch integration

New featureEnterprise only

Automatically track your device activity and turn it into timesheets while keeping your data private.

Official Odoo 20 release note

In plain words

Timesheets has an Assistant page that reads your computer activity from ActivityWatch (a local activity tracker running on your machine) and turns it into timesheet suggestions. The raw activity stays on your device: the browser reads it from the local ActivityWatch server and only the timesheets you accept are saved in Odoo.

Timesheets > AssistantThe Assistant page with its banner to install the ActivityWatch tracker. No tracker runs on this server, so no suggestions are listed.

Where to find it

  1. Timesheets > Configuration > Settings, enable Timesheets Assistant.
  2. Timesheets > Assistant; install ActivityWatch from the banner.

For users

Timesheets > Assistant lists what you worked on and lets you log it with one click; a banner helps installing the tracker.

For developers

Client action hr_timesheet_activitywatch_action fetches http://localhost:5600/api/0 buckets in the browser and matches events against aw.rule records (regex, template, project, task).

Upgrading from Odoo 19

Optional feature behind the Timesheets Assistant setting (group timesheet_grid.group_timesheet_assistant).

  • The live suggestion list needs ActivityWatch running on the user's machine; only the page and the install banner could be captured.

Change 2 of 5

Log timesheets from anywhere

New featureEnterprise only

Use the timer in the top menu to track your time and log timesheets from anywhere.

Official Odoo 20 release note

In plain words

The top bar has a timesheet timer: open it from any app to start a timer, pick a project and task and create the timesheet without leaving the page. When Attendances is installed the timer lives in the Attendance menu as a Timesheets tab, shown once you are checked in.

Top bar > attendance icon > Timesheets tabThe Timesheets tab of the top bar menu with the running timer and the quick create form. A short check in was done for this shot and closed afterwards.

Where to find it

  1. Click the timer icon in the top bar (the attendance circle when Attendances is installed, after Check in).
  2. Fill in the description, project and task, then Create.

For users

Log time from Sales, Helpdesk or Discuss without opening the Timesheets app.

For developers

New systray item timesheet_grid.timesheet_systray, enabled when lazy_session_info returns display_timesheets_systray (hours encoding, timesheet user with an employee); timesheet_grid_hr_attendance merges it into the attendance menu.

Upgrading from Odoo 19

None.

Change 3 of 5

Timesheet assistant: sharing rules

EnhancementEnterprise only

Share timesheet assistant rules with everyone, selected users or user groups, or keep them private.

Official Odoo 20 release note

In plain words

Each assistant rule has an Applies To setting: Everyone, Departments (with a list of departments) or Private (only its author). Timesheet managers share company rules, while users keep their own private rules.

Timesheets > Configuration > Assistant Rules > ruleThe Applicability group of an assistant rule: Everyone, Departments or Private. Demo rule created for this shot.

Where to find it

  1. Timesheets > Configuration > Timesheets Assistant > Assistant Rules, open a rule.
  2. Applicability > Applies To.

For users

Managers can push standard rules to a department; personal rules do not pollute other users' assistants.

For developers

aw.rule.applies_to (everyone, departments, private) with department_ids and the is_my_department_rule search field; the list has My Rules, My Departments and Everyone filters.

Upgrading from Odoo 19

None.

  • The source offers Everyone, Departments and Private; a choice of individual users or user groups was not found in the supplied source code.

Change 4 of 5

Timesheet assistant: side activities

EnhancementEnterprise only

Configure a timesheet assistant rule as a "Side Activity" to track quick interruptions, such as checking messages or notifications, without affecting your main timeline.

Official Odoo 20 release note

In plain words

An assistant rule can be flagged as Side Activity. Activities matched by such a rule (checking chat or email) are logged as short interruptions and do not change the project and task suggested for the work you were doing before.

Timesheets > Configuration > Assistant Rules > ruleSide Activity is enabled on the Google Chat demo rule.

Where to find it

  1. Timesheets > Configuration > Assistant Rules, open a rule.
  2. Tracking Behavior > Side Activity.

For users

Quick checks of messages no longer split or re-label the main task in the suggestions.

For developers

aw.rule.side_activity (computed default True for messaging rules, editable); the assistant model keeps the previous project and task for events flagged side_activity.

Upgrading from Odoo 19

None.

Change 5 of 5

Timesheet assistant: time thresholds

EnhancementEnterprise only

Set a threshold for each timesheet assistant rule so activities only appear in suggestions after reaching this duration.

Official Odoo 20 release note

In plain words

Each assistant rule has a Threshold in minutes: an activity only shows up in the suggestions once it has lasted at least that long.

Timesheets > Configuration > Assistant Rules > ruleThe Threshold of the Google Meet rule set to 5 minutes for this shot (reset to 1 afterwards).

Where to find it

  1. Timesheets > Configuration > Assistant Rules, open a rule.
  2. Tracking Behavior > Threshold.

For users

Filter out short visits to a site or app from the suggestion list.

For developers

aw.rule.threshold (float, minutes, default 1) is copied on each matched event; events shorter than threshold * 60 seconds are dropped by the assistant model.

Upgrading from Odoo 19

None.

See all 585 Odoo 20 changes across 52 apps

Odoo 20 Timesheets: common questions

What is new in Odoo 20 Timesheets?

The official Odoo 20 release notes list 5 Timesheets changes (2 new features, 3 enhancements). They include ActivityWatch integration, Log timesheets from anywhere, Timesheet assistant: sharing rules, Timesheet assistant: side activities and more.

Are the Odoo 20 Timesheets changes available in Community edition?

No. The Timesheets changes are all Enterprise only in Odoo 20.

Do Odoo 20 Timesheets changes affect my customizations when upgrading from Odoo 19?

1 of the 5 changes have something to check when upgrading from Odoo 19, for example ActivityWatch integration. Each change on this page has an "Upgrading from Odoo 19" note. Test custom modules on a copy of your database before moving production.

How do I upgrade Timesheets to Odoo 20?

Restore a copy of your database, run the Odoo 20 upgrade on the copy, fix any custom modules that extend Timesheets, then test your main Timesheets flows with real users before switching production. iVentureTeam runs Odoo upgrades end to end, including custom module migration and user testing.

Going further with Odoo 20 Timesheets

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Planning your Odoo 20 move

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