diff --git a/openerp/osv/orm.py b/openerp/osv/orm.py
index ffd09ff5753..303842c91d7 100644
--- a/openerp/osv/orm.py
+++ b/openerp/osv/orm.py
@@ -128,6 +128,32 @@ def transfer_modifiers_to_node(modifiers, node):
         simplify_modifiers(modifiers)
         node.set('modifiers', simplejson.dumps(modifiers))
 
+def setup_modifiers(node, field=None, context=None, in_tree_view=False):
+    """ Processes node attributes and field descriptors to generate
+    the ``modifiers`` node attribute and set it on the provided node.
+
+    Alters its first argument in-place.
+
+    :param node: ``field`` node from an OpenERP view
+    :type node: lxml.etree._Element
+    :param dict field: field descriptor corresponding to the provided node
+    :param dict context: execution context used to evaluate node attributes
+    :param bool in_tree_view: triggers the ``tree_invisible`` code
+                              path (separate from ``invisible``): in
+                              tree view there are two levels of
+                              invisibility, cell content (a column is
+                              present but the cell itself is not
+                              displayed) with ``invisible`` and column
+                              invisibility (the whole column is
+                              hidden) with ``tree_invisible``.
+    :returns: nothing
+    """
+    modifiers = {}
+    if field is not None:
+        transfer_field_to_modifiers(field, modifiers)
+    transfer_node_to_modifiers(
+        node, modifiers, context=context, in_tree_view=in_tree_view)
+    transfer_modifiers_to_node(modifiers, node)
 
 def test_modifiers(what, expected):
     modifiers = {}