Simplifying Nested Data Retrieval in Odoo with a Recursive Field Path Evaluator

At SUPPLiot, we believe in sharing knowledge and empowering the Odoo developer community. In this blog post, we introduce a handy Python function designed to simplify the retrieval of nested data within the Odoo framework.

The Challenge of Nested Data Retrieval

When dealing with complex data structures in Odoo, developers often face the challenge of efficiently extracting information from nested fields. The provided Python function addresses this issue by offering a recursive approach to navigate through nested structures and retrieve the desired data.

Understanding the Code

Let's take a closer look at the code snippet:

def _evaluate_field_path(self, data, field_path):
    result = []
    item_list = field_path.split('.')
    if len(item_list) == 1:  # We are at the last element of the field_path
        return data[item_list[0]]
    else:  # We are not at the last element
        current_evaluation = item_list.pop(0)
        new_data = data[current_evaluation]
        for item in new_data:
            result.append(self._evaluate_field_path(item, '.'.join(item_list)))
    return ';'.join(result)

Key Features:

1. Recursion: The function employs recursion to navigate through nested structures, making it suitable for various levels of complexity.
2. Flexibility: Developers can easily adapt this function to their specific use cases by providing the target data and field path.
3. String Concatenation: The results are concatenated using a semicolon, providing a clear and customizable output.

How to Use:

To utilize this function, simply pass your data and the desired field path. The function will traverse the nested structures and return the extracted information.

# Example Usage
data = {...}  # Your nested data structure
field_path = "category.subcategory.field_name"
result = self._evaluate_field_path(data, field_path)

Happy Coding!