# Attachment Preview All in One for Documents

> Preview Microsoft Office and LibreOffice files, images and PDFs inside the Documents app, without downloading the attachment first.

- **What it is:** Preview Microsoft Office and LibreOffice files, images and PDFs inside the Documents app, without downloading the attachment first.
- **For:** Document Management
- **Odoo versions:** 16.0, 17.0, 18.0, 19.0, 20.0 - Community and Enterprise
- **Runs on:** Odoo.sh or Odoo you host yourself - not Odoo Online, which accepts no third-party apps
- **Price:** 118 EUR, one-time, on the Odoo Apps Store
- **Technical name:** bambooforge_office_preview_documents
- **Not for:** This module stores no data and adds no models, fields or scheduled actions. It only changes how the Documents views decide whether a file is previewable.; Rendered locally (no upload): PDFs and images use Odoo's native viewer; ODF template files (.ott .ots .otp) render with the bundled ViewerJS/WebODF engine in your browser.; Rendered via Microsoft (file leaves your server): Microsoft Office files and ODF document bodies (.odt .ods .odp) are shown through the Microsoft Office Online viewer. To do that, the base module exposes a short-lived, access-checked link that Microsoft fetches over the public internet. If you cannot allow that for confidential documents, download those files instead — PDFs, images and ODF templates still preview locally.; In scope: inline preview of the listed formats in the Documents kanban, list and activity views.; Out of scope: editing files in place, converting between formats, and previewing formats outside the supported list (those keep Odoo's default behaviour).
- **Manual:** https://docs.bambooforge.dev/bambooforge_office_preview_documents/
- **Live demo:** https://demo20.bambooforge.dev/odoo/action-base.action_attachment
- **Store page:** https://apps.odoo.com/apps/modules/20.0/bambooforge_office_preview_documents
- **Manual last updated:** 2026-10-15

---
# Attachment Preview All in One for Documents

Preview Microsoft Office files, LibreOffice files, images and PDFs **inline**,
right inside the Odoo Enterprise **Documents** app — no download, no external
desktop application. This module is the Documents companion to *BambooForge
Office & PDF Preview*: it teaches the Documents kanban, list and activity views
to open the same inline viewer you already get on chatter attachments.

This page is the complete manual. Follow it top to bottom and you can install,
verify and fix the common issues **without contacting support**.

## Overview

The Enterprise **Documents** app lists every file you store in Odoo, but its
built-in preview only opens a handful of formats inline; Office and most
LibreOffice files fall back to a plain download. This module closes that gap.

It patches the Documents **kanban**, **list** and **activity** views so that a
file is treated as viewable whenever the underlying *BambooForge Office & PDF
Preview* engine can render it. When you open such a file in Documents, the file
viewer shows it inline instead of forcing a download.

Formats recognised (inherited from the base preview engine):

| Family | Extensions |
|---|---|
| Word | `.doc` `.docx` `.docm` `.dot` `.dotx` `.dotm` |
| Excel | `.xls` `.xlsx` `.xlsm` `.xlt` `.xltx` `.xltm` |
| PowerPoint | `.ppt` `.pptx` `.pptm` `.pot` `.potx` `.potm` |
| LibreOffice / ODF documents | `.odt` `.ods` `.odp` |
| LibreOffice / ODF templates | `.ott` `.ots` `.otp` |
| Text | `.rtf` `.txt` |
| PDF and images | `.pdf` plus the image formats Odoo already previews |

The module adds **no new menus, models or settings** of its own. It only extends
the existing Documents views. Folders are never treated as previewable.

![Inline Office document preview inside the Odoo Documents app](bambooforge_office_preview_1.png)

![Inline spreadsheet/presentation preview inside the Documents app](bambooforge_office_preview_2.png)

## Requirements

- **Odoo**: 20.0 **Enterprise** only. The **Documents** app ships only with
  Odoo Enterprise, so this module cannot install on Community.
- **Base module**: *BambooForge Office & PDF Preview: Inline Attachment Viewer*
  (technical name `bambooforge_office_preview`). This module **depends on it**
  and reuses its preview engine — install it too (it is the module that actually
  renders the files).
- **Documents app**: technical name `documents`. This is a hard dependency and
  is installed automatically when you install this module.
- **Python**: no extra libraries beyond a standard Odoo 20 Enterprise install.
- **Odoo access**: any internal user who can open the Documents app sees the
  inline previews — there is nothing extra to grant.
- **Network**: most formats render in the browser, but **Microsoft Office and
  ODF document files are rendered through the Microsoft Office Online viewer**,
  which requires the file to be reachable over the public internet. See
  *Data, privacy & limits* for exactly what leaves your server.

The exact dependency line from the manifest is:

```
'depends': ['bambooforge_office_preview', 'documents']
```

## Installation

1. Copy both `bambooforge_office_preview` and
   `bambooforge_office_preview_documents` into your Odoo addons path.
2. Restart the Odoo service.
3. Open **Apps**, click **Update Apps List**, search for *Office Preview for
   Documents*, and press **Activate / Install**.

The **Documents** app and the base *Office & PDF Preview* module install
automatically as dependencies.

Because this module is marked **auto_install**, it also installs itself
automatically the moment *both* `bambooforge_office_preview` and `documents`
are present in the same database — so if you already run the base preview module
and the Documents app, this companion comes along on the next Apps update.

After installation, hard-refresh your browser (Ctrl/Cmd-Shift-R) once so the new
JavaScript assets load.

## Configuration

There is **nothing to configure**. The module ships zero settings, zero menus
and zero scheduled actions. It only patches the Documents views to recognise the
extra formats. Installing it is the whole setup.

If your organisation restricts which file formats the Microsoft Office Online
viewer may reach (for example via a firewall), see *Data, privacy & limits* —
that is the only network consideration, and it is inherited from the base
module, not configured here.

## Usage

1. Open the **Documents** app from the main Odoo menu.
2. Upload (or locate) an Office, LibreOffice, PDF or image file — for example a
   `.docx` or `.xlsx`.
3. Click the file to open it, exactly as you already do for PDFs.
4. The file opens **inline in the viewer** instead of downloading: Word/Excel/
   PowerPoint and ODF documents render in the embedded viewer, ODF templates
   render with the bundled local ViewerJS engine, and PDFs/images use Odoo's
   native viewer.

This works in all three Documents layouts — the **Kanban** (card) view, the
**List** view, and the **Activity** view — because the module patches each one.
Folders are never opened as previews; only files are.

### Excel files and Odoo Spreadsheet

Documents comes with Odoo Spreadsheet (`documents_spreadsheet`), and on its
own a click on an Excel file does not preview it: it offers to import the file
as an Odoo spreadsheet. With this module the click previews the workbook like
any other Office file, and the import is still one click away — **Open as
spreadsheet**, in the action bar of the preview (and of the selection), runs
Spreadsheet's own import, unchanged. CSV files, Odoo spreadsheets and files in
the trash still open the way Spreadsheet opens them.

If a format is *not* in the supported list above, the file behaves exactly as it
did before installing the module (Odoo's default download/preview), so nothing
you relied on breaks.

## Customization

The set of previewable formats lives in the base module
(`bambooforge_office_preview`), in
`static/src/core/preview_utils.js` — the `isOfficePreviewable` helper that
this module calls. To add or remove a format, edit the MIME-type / extension
tables there; this Documents companion automatically follows whatever the base
module recognises, with no change needed here.

This module itself contains only three small view patches
(`documents_view/kanban`, `.../list`, `.../activity`), each overriding the
record's `isViewable()` method. If you maintain your own Documents view
overrides, be aware these patches stack on top of the standard ones via Odoo's
`patch` utility.

## Troubleshooting

| Symptom | Cause and fix |
|---|---|
| Install fails: "Documents app not found" | The `documents` module is Enterprise-only. This module cannot run on Odoo Community — you need Odoo 20 **Enterprise**. |
| Install fails: missing `bambooforge_office_preview` | The base preview module is a hard dependency. Copy it into the addons path too, then Update Apps List and install again. |
| Files still download instead of previewing in Documents | The browser is serving cached JavaScript. Hard-refresh (Ctrl/Cmd-Shift-R); if you run a multi-worker server, also restart Odoo so the asset bundle is regenerated. |
| One specific format does not preview | Confirm its extension is in the supported list above. Formats outside that list fall back to Odoo's default behaviour by design. A file with a wrong or missing MIME type is matched by its filename extension instead. |
| A large Office/ODF document is slow or blank | Office and ODF *document* files render through the Microsoft Office Online viewer, which has its own file-size and time limits. Very large files may render slowly or not at all — download such files instead. |
| Office files preview on chatter attachments but not in Documents | The Documents companion is not installed or not active. Check **Apps** and confirm *Office Preview for Documents* shows **Installed**. |
| Preview opens but the document area is empty / shows a viewer error | For Office and ODF documents the file must be reachable from the public internet by the Microsoft viewer. On an air-gapped or internal-only server these formats cannot render; PDFs, images and ODF templates still work because they render locally. |
| Nothing changed after install | You opened Documents in a tab loaded before the upgrade. Reload the page so the patched views load. |

## Frequently asked questions

**Does this work on Odoo Community?**
No. It depends on the Enterprise **Documents** app, which does not exist in
Community. You need Odoo 20 Enterprise.

**Do I need the other BambooForge preview module too?**
Yes. This module is the Documents companion to *BambooForge Office & PDF
Preview*; it reuses that module's rendering engine and lists it as a hard
dependency. Both are installed automatically as dependencies when you install
this one.

**Will it install by itself?**
Yes — it is an auto-install module. Once both the base preview module and the
Documents app are in the database, this companion installs on the next Apps
update without you selecting it.

**Which file formats are supported?**
Word, Excel, PowerPoint, the common LibreOffice/ODF documents and templates,
RTF, plain text, PDF and images — see the table under *What this app does*.

**Does my document leave the server?**
For PDFs, images and ODF *templates*, no — they render locally in the browser.
Microsoft Office files and ODF *documents* are rendered by the Microsoft Office
Online viewer, so those files are fetched over the public internet by Microsoft.
See *Data, privacy & limits*.

**Does it add any settings or menus?**
No. There is nothing to configure; installing it is the whole setup.

**What support and refund policy do I get?**
Every request is answered within 24 hours, setup help included. If you report a
bug within 2 months of purchase and it is not resolved within 15 days, you are
entitled to a full money-back refund.

## Data, privacy & limits

- This module stores **no data** and adds **no models, fields or scheduled
  actions**. It only changes how the Documents views decide whether a file is
  previewable.
- **Rendered locally (no upload):** PDFs and images use Odoo's native viewer;
  ODF *template* files (`.ott` `.ots` `.otp`) render with the bundled
  ViewerJS/WebODF engine in your browser.
- **Rendered via Microsoft (file leaves your server):** Microsoft Office files
  and ODF *document* bodies (`.odt` `.ods` `.odp`) are shown through the
  Microsoft Office Online viewer. To do that, the base module exposes a
  short-lived, access-checked link that Microsoft fetches over the public
  internet. If you cannot allow that for confidential documents, download those
  files instead — PDFs, images and ODF templates still preview locally.
- **In scope:** inline preview of the listed formats in the Documents kanban,
  list and activity views.
- **Out of scope:** editing files in place, converting between formats, and
  previewing formats outside the supported list (those keep Odoo's default
  behaviour).

## Support & updates

- Support: [support@bambooforge.dev](mailto:support@bambooforge.dev) — answered within 24 hours, setup help
  included.
- Refund: report a bug within 2 months of purchase; if unresolved within 15
  days, full refund.
- Full source is included. Updates track the supported Odoo 20 Enterprise line
  and the base *BambooForge Office & PDF Preview* module.

## Upgrading & version compatibility

This build targets **Odoo 20.0**. Each Odoo major series (16.0, 17.0, 18.0, 19.0, 20.0) has its
own dedicated build of this module — always install the build that matches your Odoo
version. Mixing a build with a different Odoo series is not supported.

### Patch upgrades (same series, e.g. 20.0.1.0.0 → later)

1. **Back up** your database and filestore first.
2. Replace the module folder with the newer build.
3. Restart Odoo with the module updated:
   
   ```
   ./odoo-bin -c your.conf -u bambooforge_office_preview_documents -d your_db
   ```
4. Odoo applies any schema/data changes automatically. Your existing records and
   configuration are preserved.

### Cross-version migration (moving to a newer Odoo)

Upgrading Odoo itself is a database migration handled by Odoo's standard upgrade
tooling. When you migrate the database to the next Odoo series, install the matching
build of this module for that series. Data created by this module carries over with
the database migration.

## Uninstallation

You can remove this module at any time from **Apps → (this module) → Uninstall**,
or from the command line. Uninstalling is clean and reversible by reinstalling —
but note what is and is not deleted.

### What is removed

- The fields, views and analysis definitions this module added.
- The menus, actions, views and reports this module installed.

### What is preserved

- Your standard Odoo data (partners, products, sales, invoices, inventory moves) is
  **not** deleted — this module only reads and annotates it; the underlying records stay.
- Attachments and chatter messages on standard records are kept.

As always, take a database backup before uninstalling in production.

## Changelog

### 20.0.2.0.2

- The patch for the Documents activity view now loads from the bundle Odoo
  moved that view into. Loaded from the wrong one it referenced a file that
  bundle does not carry, and the whole web client failed to start.
- The Office viewer is pointed at the attachment behind the document. Odoo 20
  hands the previewer the document id with a minus in front of it, which
  addresses no file at all, and Word and OpenDocument files opened on an
  empty frame.

### 20.0.2.0.1

- Built for Odoo 20: record rules and access rights rewritten onto Odoo 20's single ir.access model, the screens rebuilt on Owl 3, and every icon moved to the icon set Odoo 20 ships.

### 20.0.2.0.0

Current release for Odoo 20.0. This build includes:

- Allows users to preview Microsoft Office files, LibreOffice files, images, and PDFs in Documents App.

Feature additions and fixes ship as new builds on the Odoo Apps store; this page and
the module's `version` reflect the current published release. Always keep the build
matched to your Odoo series (see *Upgrading & version compatibility*).

## How we make sure it works

Before every release, **11 automated checks** run against this app on Odoo 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20.
Among them:

- It appears only when both sides are installed.
- It adds no records of its own.
- An excel file previews and still opens as a spreadsheet.
- A word file opens in the office viewer.
- The listing offers somewhere to try it.

The complete list is in the source you receive.