POS Categories Expand & Collapse

This add-on improves category navigation in the Point of Sale product screen by giving you a clean, space-efficient category area that can be expanded when needed. It helps cashiers quickly browse and switch categories without sacrificing product visibility.

What it does

• Adds a dedicated expand / collapse button next to the product search field in the POS.
• Keeps the category area compact by default, so the product grid remains the focus.
• Provides an automatic expand/collapse behavior while navigating categories:
  • In the default mode, the category area expands when you open a category with subcategories and collapses when you select a category with no subcategories.
  • Optionally, you can enable always collapse on category click to keep the category area compact every time a category is selected (useful when you want maximum room for products).
• Works with Home navigation: entering the category root can expand the category area to quickly access the full category tree (even when using the "always collapse" option).
• Designed for fast navigation on touch screens and large catalogs, reducing unnecessary scrolling while keeping products visible.

Why it is useful

• Faster category navigation for large catalogs and multi-level category trees.
• Cleaner POS screen: categories stay compact unless you really need more space.
• Better usability on touch screens, especially when cashiers need to browse many categories quickly.

Positioning

This module is best positioned as a POS usability upgrade for businesses with large catalogs and multi-level category trees, especially on touch-screen setups.

• Clear differentiation: combines automatic behavior, a manual toggle button, and a per-POS configuration (not global).
• No re-training needed: the UI stays familiar for cashiers, it simply becomes more practical and faster.
• Balances space and navigation: categories stay compact most of the time, but expand instantly when browsing deeper levels.

Screenshots

Below you can see the category area in its two modes: compact (collapsed) and expanded for easier navigation.

How to use

1. Open the Point of Sale and go to the product screen.
2. Use the expand button next to the search field to manually enlarge or reduce the category area at any time.
3. In the default configuration, the category area expands when you enter a category that contains subcategories, and collapses when you select a category with no subcategories.
4. The Home category button expands the category area so you can quickly browse the category root (even if you choose the "always collapse" behavior).
5. If you prefer a different workflow, configure how the category area reacts when selecting categories per POS (so each shop or terminal can have its own behavior).

Configuration (per POS)

Go to Point of Sale → Configuration → Settings (for the selected POS) and choose the desired category click behavior:

• Collapse only on leaf categories: the category area expands for categories with subcategories, and collapses when the selected category has no subcategories.
• Always collapse on category click: the category area collapses every time you select a category (to keep maximum space for products). The Home button still expands to access the category root.

Comparable add-ons

On Odoo Apps you will find POS add-ons that improve the product screen in different ways: category images and styling, category ordering, alternative scrolling, larger buttons for touch screens, or general UI rearrangements. Those tools usually optimize how categories look or how the screen is laid out.

This module targets a different (and very common) pain point: navigation speed on multi-level category trees without permanently taking space away from the product grid. The category area stays compact by default, expands only when it helps (subcategories / Home), and can be controlled with a manual toggle. It also includes a per-POS configuration so each terminal can follow its preferred cashier workflow.

When comparing it to "POS UI tweaks", highlight the workflow benefits: automatic expand/collapse + manual control + per POS configuration, with a familiar user experience for cashiers (no new process to learn).

Keywords

POS categories, POS category panel, category selector, expand collapse, auto expand, auto collapse, category navigation, subcategory navigation, multi-level categories, category tree, compact categories, touchscreen POS, cashier workflow, product screen, large catalog, faster browsing, screen space, UI usability.