Development Book V18: Email Alias

In today's fast-moving business environment, automating data entry can significantly improve productivity. One of Odoo’s lesser-known but incredibly useful features is the Email Alias, which lets you convert incoming emails into actionable records in your Odoo database — automatically.

What Is an Email Alias?

In simple terms, an email alias is a connection between an email address (like jobs@mycompany.com) and an Odoo model (such as hr.applicant). When someone sends an email to that alias, Odoo interprets the message and either:

• Appends it to an existing record (if it’s a reply), or
• Creates a new record (if it’s a new message).

This feature is especially handy in modules like CRM, Helpdesk, Projects, Recruitment, and even Custom Modules that support threaded communication.

How Does Email Alias Work?

At the core, Odoo uses a Mail Gateway system that processes emails received through a configured incoming mail server. If an email’s To address matches a defined alias, Odoo reads its content, identifies the associated model, and processes it accordingly.

There are two main parts:

Alias Domain: The email domain used for routing (e.g., mycompany.com)

Mail Alias Record: A backend record (in model mail.alias) that defines the alias name and target model

This system also works hand-in-hand with catch-all email rules on your mail server. Any unmatched incoming email (like support@mycompany.com, jobs@mycompany.com, etc.) gets routed to a generic mailbox like catchall@mycompany.com, and from there, Odoo takes over.

Setting Up Email Aliases in Odoo 18

Let’s walk through the steps to configure this in Odoo 18.

Step 1: Enable Alias Domain

• Go to Settings > General Settings

• In the Email section, enable:

  • Custom Email Servers
  • Alias Domain
• Enter your domain name (e.g., mycompany.com) in the Alias Domain field

Step 2: Create a Mail Alias

• You can create an alias via the UI or in XML (for modules).
• Using XML (common in custom development):

                    <record id="mail_alias_jobs" model="mail.alias">
    <field name="alias_name">jobs</field>
    <field name="alias_model_id" ref="model_hr_applicant"/>
    <field name="alias_user_id" ref="base.user_admin"/>
    <field name="alias_parent_model_id" ref="model_hr_job"/>
</record>
                    

Explanation:

• alias_name: The alias used in the email address (jobs@mycompany.com)
• alias_model_id: The model that should handle the message (e.g., hr.applicant)
• alias_user_id: The user under whom the message will be processed
• alias_parent_model_id: Optional parent model that holds context (e.g., a job position)

Step 3: Configure Incoming and Outgoing Mail Servers

• To make sure Odoo can fetch and send emails:
• Go to Settings > Technical > Email > Incoming Mail Servers
• Add or verify your IMAP/POP3 settings
• Test the connection
• Repeat the same for: Outgoing Mail Servers (SMTP)

Step 4: Define Catch-All Behavior

• Switch to Developer Mode
• Navigate to Settings > Technical > Parameters > System Parameters
• Look for mail.catchall.alias
• Set its value to the default alias name (e.g., catchall)

This ensures that any email that doesn’t directly match an alias can still be processed, if configured properly.

Email Alias Scheduling in Odoo

By default, Odoo runs a background job that checks for new emails every 5 minutes. You can modify this in:

• Settings > Technical > Automation > Scheduled Actions
• Look for "Mail: Fetchmail Service"

This job is what fetches and processes incoming mail based on aliases and catchall rules.