Hello Chuck,

You are spot on, this is a deliberate change in the v19 codebase (and recent v18 updates).

Odoo replaced the specific attribute filtering (product_template_attribute_value_ids) with Tags in the catalog view mainly for performance. In databases with complex variants (like apparel with Color/Size/Fabric), loading that attribute list in the sidebar was causing significant slowdowns. Tags are much lighter to query.

However, for many use cases, filtering by specific attributes is mandatory. You can easily add it back by extending the search view.

The Fix (XML): You can use an xpath to insert the field back into the search panel. This snippet restores the v18 behavior:

XML

<record id="view_product_catalog_search_restore_attributes" model="ir.ui.view">
    <field name="name">product.catalog.search.restore.attributes</field>
    <field name="model">product.product</field>
    <field name="inherit_id" ref="product.product_view_search_catalog"/>
    <field name="arch" type="xml">
        <xpath expr="//searchpanel/field[@name='product_tag_ids']" position="before">
            <field name="product_template_attribute_value_ids"
                   string="Attributes"
                   icon="fa-th-list"
                   enable_counters="1"
                   select="multi"
                   domain="[('ptav_active', '=', True), ('product_tmpl_id.active', '=', True)]"/>
        </xpath>
    </field>
</record>

If you are using Odoo Studio:

1. Open the Product Catalog.

2. Toggle Studio and click on the Search View (usually on the left sidebar options).

3. Find "Product Template Attribute Values" in the field list and drag it back into the Search Panel area.

So to answer your question: Yes, there is a reason (performance), but you can safely revert it if your catalog isn't massive.

Hope this helps!

If this helped, kindly upvote.

Best Regards,
,
CandidRoot Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Email: info@candidroot.com
Web: https://www.candidroot.com