diff --git a/addons/web/static/src/js/core.js b/addons/web/static/src/js/core.js
index 3d66c4f4ccf..12422fb5434 100644
--- a/addons/web/static/src/js/core.js
+++ b/addons/web/static/src/js/core.js
@@ -254,14 +254,16 @@ openerp.web.Registry = openerp.web.Class.extend( /** @lends openerp.web.Registry
      * Retrieves the object matching the provided key string.
      *
      * @param {String} key the key to fetch the object for
+     * @param {Boolean} [silent_error=false] returns undefined if the key or object is not found, rather than throwing an exception
      * @returns {Class} the stored class, to initialize
      *
      * @throws {openerp.web.KeyNotFound} if the object was not in the mapping
      * @throws {openerp.web.ObjectNotFound} if the object path was invalid
      */
-    get_object: function (key) {
+    get_object: function (key, silent_error) {
         var path_string = this.map[key];
         if (path_string === undefined) {
+            if (silent_error) { return void 'nooo'; }
             throw new openerp.web.KeyNotFound(key);
         }
 
@@ -272,6 +274,7 @@ openerp.web.Registry = openerp.web.Class.extend( /** @lends openerp.web.Registry
             object_match = object_match[path[i]];
 
             if (object_match === undefined) {
+                if (silent_error) { return void 'noooooo'; }
                 throw new openerp.web.ObjectNotFound(path_string);
             }
         }
diff --git a/addons/web/static/src/js/view_form.js b/addons/web/static/src/js/view_form.js
index 2e00e343b50..0d962353b78 100644
--- a/addons/web/static/src/js/view_form.js
+++ b/addons/web/static/src/js/view_form.js
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ openerp.web.FormView = openerp.web.View.extend( /** @lends openerp.web.FormView#
     readonly : false,
     form_template: "FormView",
     identifier_prefix: 'formview-',
+    display_name: {toString: function () { return _t('Form'); }},
     /**
      * @constructs openerp.web.FormView
      * @extends openerp.web.View
diff --git a/addons/web/static/src/js/view_list.js b/addons/web/static/src/js/view_list.js
index 86749849053..8ed475c75f6 100644
--- a/addons/web/static/src/js/view_list.js
+++ b/addons/web/static/src/js/view_list.js
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ var QWeb = openerp.web.qweb;
 openerp.web.views.add('list', 'openerp.web.ListView');
 openerp.web.ListView = openerp.web.View.extend( /** @lends openerp.web.ListView# */ {
     _template: 'ListView',
+    display_name: {toString: function () { return _t('List'); }},
     defaults: {
         // records can be selected one by one
         'selectable': true,
diff --git a/addons/web/static/src/js/view_page.js b/addons/web/static/src/js/view_page.js
index 060c95e86e3..1b23198da67 100644
--- a/addons/web/static/src/js/view_page.js
+++ b/addons/web/static/src/js/view_page.js
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ openerp.web.page = function (openerp) {
     openerp.web.views.add('page', 'openerp.web.PageView');
     openerp.web.PageView = openerp.web.FormView.extend({
         form_template: "PageView",
+        display_name: {toString: function () { return _t('Page'); }},
         init: function () {
             this._super.apply(this, arguments);
             this.registry = openerp.web.page.readonly;
diff --git a/addons/web/static/src/js/view_tree.js b/addons/web/static/src/js/view_tree.js
index 869e23fc16d..48f7290c8d9 100644
--- a/addons/web/static/src/js/view_tree.js
+++ b/addons/web/static/src/js/view_tree.js
@@ -3,10 +3,12 @@
  *---------------------------------------------------------*/
 
 openerp.web.view_tree = function(openerp) {
-var QWeb = openerp.web.qweb;
+var QWeb = openerp.web.qweb,
+      _t = openerp.web._t;
 
 openerp.web.views.add('tree', 'openerp.web.TreeView');
 openerp.web.TreeView = openerp.web.View.extend(/** @lends openerp.web.TreeView# */{
+    display_name: {toString: function () { return _t('Tree'); }},
     /**
      * Indicates that this view is not searchable, and thus that no search
      * view should be displayed (if there is one active).
diff --git a/addons/web/static/src/js/views.js b/addons/web/static/src/js/views.js
index 579027a360a..5800939ec36 100644
--- a/addons/web/static/src/js/views.js
+++ b/addons/web/static/src/js/views.js
@@ -210,7 +210,18 @@ session.web.ViewManager =  session.web.Widget.extend(/** @lends session.web.View
         this.dataset = dataset;
         this.searchview = null;
         this.active_view = null;
-        this.views_src = _.map(views, function(x) {return x instanceof Array? {view_id: x[0], view_type: x[1]} : x;});
+        this.views_src = _.map(views, function(x) {
+            if (x instanceof Array) {
+                var View = session.web.views.get_object(x[1], true);
+                return {
+                    view_id: x[0],
+                    view_type: x[1],
+                    label: View ? View.prototype.display_name : (void 'nope')
+                };
+            } else {
+                return x;
+            }
+        });
         this.views = {};
         this.flags = flags || {};
         this.registry = session.web.views;
@@ -967,6 +978,8 @@ session.web.TranslateDialog = session.web.Dialog.extend({
 
 session.web.View = session.web.Widget.extend(/** @lends session.web.View# */{
     template: "EmptyComponent",
+    // name displayed in view switchers
+    display_name: '',
     set_default_options: function(options) {
         this.options = options || {};
         _.defaults(this.options, {
diff --git a/addons/web/static/src/xml/base.xml b/addons/web/static/src/xml/base.xml
index ff21856aeff..c7b32cef6d7 100644
--- a/addons/web/static/src/xml/base.xml
+++ b/addons/web/static/src/xml/base.xml
@@ -424,7 +424,7 @@
                 <div class="oe_vm_switch">
                     <t t-if="views.length != 1" t-foreach="views" t-as="view">
                         <button type="button" t-att-data-view-type="view.view_type">
-                            <t t-esc="view.view_type"/>
+                            <t t-esc="view.label || view.view_type"/>
                         </button>
                     </t>
                 </div>
diff --git a/addons/web_calendar/static/src/js/calendar.js b/addons/web_calendar/static/src/js/calendar.js
index ee49af272d4..96a1f2ed0cf 100644
--- a/addons/web_calendar/static/src/js/calendar.js
+++ b/addons/web_calendar/static/src/js/calendar.js
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ var _t = openerp.web._t;
 var QWeb = openerp.web.qweb;
 openerp.web.views.add('calendar', 'openerp.web_calendar.CalendarView');
 openerp.web_calendar.CalendarView = openerp.web.View.extend({
+    display_name: {toString: function () { return _t('Calendar'); }},
 // Dhtmlx scheduler ?
     init: function(parent, dataset, view_id, options) {
         this._super(parent);
diff --git a/addons/web_diagram/static/src/js/diagram.js b/addons/web_diagram/static/src/js/diagram.js
index 0572b7f6fed..8ac0edf4128 100644
--- a/addons/web_diagram/static/src/js/diagram.js
+++ b/addons/web_diagram/static/src/js/diagram.js
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ var QWeb = openerp.web.qweb,
       _t = openerp.web._t;
 openerp.web.views.add('diagram', 'openerp.web.DiagramView');
 openerp.web.DiagramView = openerp.web.View.extend({
+    display_name: {toString: function () { return _t('Diagram'); }},
     searchable: false,
     init: function(parent, dataset, view_id, options) {
         this._super(parent);
diff --git a/addons/web_gantt/static/src/js/gantt.js b/addons/web_gantt/static/src/js/gantt.js
index ccf2ac07bfb..7fb67247974 100644
--- a/addons/web_gantt/static/src/js/gantt.js
+++ b/addons/web_gantt/static/src/js/gantt.js
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ var _t = openerp.web._t;
 var QWeb = openerp.web.qweb;
 openerp.web.views.add('gantt', 'openerp.web_gantt.GanttView');
 openerp.web_gantt.GanttView = openerp.web.View.extend({
+    display_name: {toString: function () { return _t('Gantt'); }},
 
     init: function(parent, dataset, view_id) {
         this._super(parent);
diff --git a/addons/web_graph/static/src/js/graph.js b/addons/web_graph/static/src/js/graph.js
index acab0b73f5e..77e9e952ad2 100644
--- a/addons/web_graph/static/src/js/graph.js
+++ b/addons/web_graph/static/src/js/graph.js
@@ -12,9 +12,11 @@ var COLOR_PALETTE = [
     '#ad7fa8', '#729fcf', '#8ae234', '#e9b96e', '#fce94f', '#f57900',
     '#cc0000', '#d400a8'];
 
-var QWeb = openerp.web.qweb;
+var QWeb = openerp.web.qweb,
+      _t = openerp.web._t;
 openerp.web.views.add('graph', 'openerp.web_graph.GraphView');
 openerp.web_graph.GraphView = openerp.web.View.extend({
+    display_name: {toString: function () { return _t('Graph'); }},
 
     init: function(parent, dataset, view_id, options) {
         this._super(parent);
diff --git a/addons/web_kanban/static/src/js/kanban.js b/addons/web_kanban/static/src/js/kanban.js
index 053e1cdfd00..348bf65d63e 100644
--- a/addons/web_kanban/static/src/js/kanban.js
+++ b/addons/web_kanban/static/src/js/kanban.js
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ openerp.web.views.add('kanban', 'openerp.web_kanban.KanbanView');
 
 openerp.web_kanban.KanbanView = openerp.web.View.extend({
     template: "KanbanView",
+    display_name: {toString: function () { return _t('Kanban'); }},
     default_nr_columns: 3,
     init: function (parent, dataset, view_id, options) {
         this._super(parent);