status_with_color

status_with_color renders a selection field as a colored bubble followed by the value's label. It ships in the project module and exists for one field: last_update_status, the project health status fed by project updates (On Track, At Risk, Off Track, On Hold, Done).

The bubble colors are not configurable. The widget imports a fixed map from project_utils.js that assigns Odoo color indexes to the five value keys: on_track gets 20, on_hold 21, at_risk 22, off_track 23 and done 24, rendered through the CSS class chain o_status_bubble o_color_bubble_<n>. A selection with any other keys renders bubbles with no color class at all.

Two more source facts: when the field is empty the widget shows the first selection value rather than a blank, and the bubble layout only applies in readonly. In edit mode the inherited template falls back to the standard selection dropdown.

This widget is why a project manager can scan thirty project cards and spot the two in trouble in seconds. Color plus text beats text alone, and because the palette matches the project update dialog, the kanban, the form and the update history all speak the same visual language.

If you customize project dashboards, the practical value is reusing it: any selection field whose keys mirror the five standard health values can borrow the widget and inherit the exact same green to red scale, keeping custom KPI views consistent with core Odoo.

The standard project form usage, plain status with a colored bubble:

<field name="last_update_status" string="Status" widget="status_with_color"
       invisible="last_update_status == 'to_define'"/>

The dashboard variant Odoo ships in project_project_views.xml, with a caption and the update count instead of the status name. Note the invisible update_count field, which the widget reads directly:

<field name="update_count" invisible="1"/>
<field name="last_update_status" readonly="1" widget="status_with_color"
       status_label="Dashboard" hideStatusName="True"/>

The readonly template (project.ProjectStatusWithColorSelectionField) explains both attributes better than any description:

status_label renders as a small o_stat_text caption above the main line, the same typography as smart button labels. Odoo uses it on the project top bar where the caption reads Dashboard.

hideStatusName does not simply hide text. When true, the template replaces the status name with record.data['update_count'] followed by the word Status, turning the widget into a mini stat block (bubble, caption, 4 Status). Because it reads update_count straight from record data, that field must be present in the view arch or the number silently renders empty. This hardcoded field name also means the mode only makes sense on project.project.

The empty value fallback is worth knowing too: currentValue returns the first selection entry when the field is unset, so a project that never had an update still shows an On Track bubble rather than nothing. Filter with invisible="last_update_status == 'to_define'" as core does if that reads too optimistic.

Odoo 20 is expected at Odoo Experience in Brussels, 24 to 26 September 2026. The changes below are read from the public development branch and are not final until release.

Both attributes are replaced. On master, statusLabel and hideStatusName disappear from the widget entirely. Three new attributes take over: hide_icon (hide the bubble), hide_value (hide the text) and initial_padding (spacing, default 2). Existing XML using status_label or hideStatusName will keep rendering but the attributes become dead settings after an upgrade.

The five color map in project_utils.js is unchanged on master. We will re verify this page against the released branch after the launch.