Summary
The goal of this chapter was to learn how the external API works and what it is capable of. We started by exploring it with simple scripts using the Python XML-RPC client, though the external API can be used from any programming language. The official documentation provides code examples for Java, PHP, and Ruby.
Then, we learned how to use XML-RPC calls to search for and read data, and then how to call any other method. We can, for example, create, update, and delete records.
Next, we introduced the OdooRPC library. It provides a layer on top of the RPC base library (XML-RPC or JSON-RPC) to provide a local API that's similar to the API that can be found on the server side. This lowers the learning curve, reduces programming mistakes, and makes it easier to copy code between server and client code.
With this, we have finished the chapters dedicated to the programming API and business logic. Now, it's time to look at views and the user interface. In the next...