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Floating SMS Chat

Purpose​

Floating SMS Chat adds an Open SMS chat launcher to the Odoo backend. Its SMS Inbox panel lets staff search conversations, select a sender-number tab, read history and prepare a reply without first navigating away from their current record. Open Record opens the selected inbox form. The panel also exposes Internal discussion and the AI Helper inherited from Chatter Conversations. This is a panel and field reference; the reviewed 19.0 package is not presented as operational.

Before you start​

Install corvus_sms_floating_chat with corvus_sms_chatter_tabs, mail and web for the same Odoo major version. Its dependency chain includes Workspace, inbound handling, media and gateway routing; it is not a standalone provider connector. No Enterprise-only dependency is declared. Set up routing, sender numbers and customer phone records first.

This guide describes intended behavior in reviewed 19.0 source. The reviewed package contains a template issue and inherits the Workspace asset blocker. Obtain a validated package for the installed version before expecting the launcher or panel to work. An administrator must also review conversation and document access before deployment. No runtime test, message send or AI call was performed.

Access and setup​

This addon supplies no new access-control file or dedicated Floating Chat role. It inherits inbox, message, number and record permissions from the messaging stack. The source must not be treated as proof that each agent can see only assigned conversations. Review the intended user population and record access with the administrator.

The inbox form gains a read-only Floating Chat Target area showing the configured document association. The panel's Target Document controls manage this association. AI provider settings remain in SMS Chatter Conversations; gateway settings remain in SMS Gateway & API Routing.

Control reference pending validation​

  1. Open SMS chat is the launcher. Search inbox..., Unread only, and Last contacted, Name, or Number define the panel's search, filter and ordering controls. An empty panel may reflect filters or the absence of inbox records.
  2. Inbox phone and sender-number tab identify the selected conversation context. The thread includes inbound/outbound entries, available attachment links and linked-document information. Older history is loaded in bounded pages, so the visible list is not a complete export.
  3. Target Document contains model and record selectors. Apply would store their association and Clear would remove it. The source checks target existence and, where customer information is available, a customer match. Current: displays the association. Apply/Clear remain unavailable under this reference pending package and access validation.
  4. The reply control uses the configured target where available, otherwise the inbox. Target, recipient phone, sender and text determine its context. Send calls the shared composer and can contact the external provider; invocation is outside this reference scope pending validation.
  5. Internal represents a team-note path associated with the inbox. AI Helper exposes Generate, which makes an external AI request, and Copy for a suggested reply. These operations are described for identification only until package and access validation.
  6. Open Record targets the inbox form; Close hides the panel. Closing the panel does not delete the conversation or clear its target.

When a target is configured, the inbound extension attempts to mirror future received messages to that document after normal inbound handling. This is a conversation association feature, not a blanket migration of all past messages. Check the actual linked record before assuming a past entry moved.

Practice scenario​

After validation, use a fictional Cedar Services inbox and a sample CRM opportunity for the same customer. Inspect the target choices, read a sample thread and prepare “We will confirm the sample appointment.” Stop before applying changes or sending. Compare where the reply would be recorded with a target selected and with the target clear. This source-derived exercise has not been executed.

Limits and troubleshooting​

Inbox not found, Inbox has no destination phone number, or a missing body/attachment prevents the send path from proceeding. Invalid target models, absent records and customer mismatches also stop association changes. These checks are useful validation, not a certification of the deployment's permission boundaries.

Attachment controls rely on MMS Media & Attachments. The reviewed dependency has an unresolved public-media delivery prerequisite, so this guide does not establish working outbound MMS. Use plain-text preparation until the complete media path has been separately validated.

Notifications, counts and refreshed history depend on the web client and loaded messaging assets. The panel is not evidence of background delivery when the browser is closed. Odoo 17 differs in client RPC imports; selected 20 comparisons include template/framework changes. Follow the guide for the installed package rather than mixing assets across versions.

The catalogue lists Odoo 17.0–20.0. This guide reviews 19.0 source and selected differences in the other versions; it is not a runtime qualification. Choose the exact installed major version in the Corvus app catalogue for purchase and available live-test options. No individual marketplace or running demo was verified for this guide.