diff --git a/bin/addons/base/ir/ir.xml b/bin/addons/base/ir/ir.xml
index c1807d29a2c..9f280ed6564 100644
--- a/bin/addons/base/ir/ir.xml
+++ b/bin/addons/base/ir/ir.xml
@@ -609,13 +609,21 @@
             <field name="type">form</field>
             <field name="arch" type="xml">
                 <form string="Views">
-                    <field name="name" select="1"/>
-                    <field name="type" select="1"/>
-                    <field name="model" select="1"/>
-                    <field name="field_parent"/>
-                    <field name="priority"/>
-                    <field name="inherit_id" select="1"/>
-                    <field colspan="4" name="arch"/>
+                    <group colspan="2" col="2">
+                        <separator string="General" colspan="2"/>
+                        <field name="name" select="1"/>
+                        <field name="type" select="1"/>
+                        <field name="model" select="1"/>
+                        <field name="priority"/>
+                    </group>
+                    <group colspan="2" col="2">
+                        <separator string="Advanced" colspan="2"/>
+                        <field name="field_parent"/>
+                        <field name="inherit_id" select="1"/>
+                        <field name="xml_id" select="1"/>
+                    </group>
+                    <separator string="View architecture" colspan="4"/>
+                    <field colspan="4" nolabel="1" name="arch"/>
                 </form>
             </field>
         </record>
@@ -628,9 +636,10 @@
                     <field name="name"/>
                     <field name="type"/>
                     <field name="model"/>
+                    <field name="xml_id"/>
                     <field name="inherit_id"/>
-                    <field name="priority"/>
                     <field name="field_parent"/>
+                    <field name="priority"/>
                 </tree>
             </field>
         </record>
@@ -961,7 +970,7 @@
                     <field name="module" select="1" />
                     <field name="name" select="1" />
                     <field name="model" select="1" />
-                    <field name="res_id" select="2" />
+                    <field name="res_id" select="1" />
                     <field name="noupdate" select="2" />
                     <field name="date_update" />
                     <field name="date_init" />
diff --git a/bin/addons/base/ir/ir_ui_view.py b/bin/addons/base/ir/ir_ui_view.py
index a4b6923c672..f1a50143ef3 100644
--- a/bin/addons/base/ir/ir_ui_view.py
+++ b/bin/addons/base/ir/ir_ui_view.py
@@ -66,10 +66,12 @@ class view(osv.osv):
         'arch': fields.text('View Architecture', required=True),
         'inherit_id': fields.many2one('ir.ui.view', 'Inherited View', ondelete='cascade'),
         'field_parent': fields.char('Child Field',size=64),
+        'xml_id': fields.function(osv.osv.get_xml_id, type='char', size=128, string="XML ID",
+                                  method=True),
     }
     _defaults = {
-        'arch': lambda *a: '<?xml version="1.0"?>\n<tree string="Unknwown">\n\t<field name="name"/>\n</tree>',
-        'priority': lambda *a: 16
+        'arch': '<?xml version="1.0"?>\n<tree string="Unknwown">\n\t<field name="name"/>\n</tree>',
+        'priority': 16
     }
     _order = "priority"
     _constraints = [
diff --git a/bin/osv/orm.py b/bin/osv/orm.py
index e3514df8ae0..e9d60d93c84 100644
--- a/bin/osv/orm.py
+++ b/bin/osv/orm.py
@@ -3923,5 +3923,26 @@ class orm(orm_template):
                     return False
         return True
 
+    def get_xml_id(self, cr, uid, ids, *args, **kwargs):
+        """Find out the XML ID of any database record, if there
+        is one. This method works as a possible implementation
+        for a function field, to be able to add it to any
+        model object easily, referencing it as 'osv.osv.get_xml_id'.
+
+        get_xml_id(cr, uid, ids) -> { 'id': 'module.xml_id' }
+
+        :return: the fully qualified XML ID of the given object,
+                 defaulting to an empty string when there's none.
+        """
+        result = dict.fromkeys(ids, '')
+        model_data_obj = self.pool.get('ir.model.data')
+        data_ids = model_data_obj.search(cr,uid,
+                [('model','=',self._name),('res_id','in',ids)])
+        data_results = model_data_obj.read(cr,uid,data_ids,
+                ['name','module','res_id'])
+        for record in data_results:
+            result[record['res_id']] = '%(module)s.%(name)s' % record
+        return result
+
 # vim:expandtab:smartindent:tabstop=4:softtabstop=4:shiftwidth=4: