OCA module: Email CC and BCC

In OCA

In Odoo, while the native email features are powerful, they can sometimes fall short of user expectations, especially for those accustomed to traditional mail systems. Email CC and BCC module bridges this gap by introducing carbon copy (CC) and blind carbon copy (BCC) functionalities.

History of the module

Odoo’s design philosophy explains why it lacks CC and BCC functionality. The platform functions differently from classic email inboxes like Gmail or Outlook. Instead of traditional CC and BCC fields, Odoo uses the chatter’s “followers” mechanism to determine when and how contacts are notified or receive email copies. As a consequence, the Odoo Mail Composer does not support CC fields out-of-the-box, even when defined on mail templates. Behind the scenes, To and Cc are merged into a single “Recipients” field. Additionally, emails are sent individually to each recipient, which can confuse users familiar with the CC semantic.

To address this gap, Email CC and BCC module was proposed to OCA by Trobz, first for Odoo 15. The module is now available for all versions up to 18.

How to use the module

 There are several ways to fill in CC and BCC emails in the composers.

1. Pick partners directly on the form of composer

2. Default email addresses can be configured via Company’s setting to avoid repeating input.

3. Under the Email Configuration tab on an email template, there are CC and BCC fields. The emails will be used to lookup partners to add to corresponding mail composer's fields.

Add multiple email addresses by adding a comma, between the addresses.



4. An extension of the module was also introduced for invoices: CC and BCC when sending invoice. It allows to separate To:, Cc:, and Bcc: fields in when sending invoices.

Differences between versions

It’s essential to understand how its behavior differs across Odoo versions

  • Version 16.0 and below: only one email is sent to the outgoing mail server, which is responsible for sending copies to Cc and Bcc addresses.

  • Version 17.0 and above: a major improvement was introduced - one email is sent per recipient at the Odoo level. This allows to track mail events individually.

Conclusion

This module enhances email workflows in Odoo by providing CC and BCC functionalities similar to traditional email systems.