libreoffice basic programming guide pdf

Jumping directly to a general program procedure from a macro can result in unclear code. To edit the content of a text frame, the user uses the TextCursor, which has already been mentioned numerous times and is also available for text frames. The com.sun.star.style.CharacterProperties service does not provide any interfaces, but instead offers a range of properties through which character properties can be defined and called. The code in the following example moves an entry from the left to the right list box of a dialog. LibreOffice positions the control elements of a form at drawing object level. Text fields can also be used as special currency and numerical fields as well as screen fields for special tasks. This ensures that at any one time, only one option button is set. Finally the code sets the Label property of the control element to the New Label value. Visit Andrew Pitonyak's web page to get the latest PDF and ODT files of his book The regular expressions supported by LibreOffice are described in detail in the online help section for LibreOffice. Dialogs appear in the form of one single dialog window, which is displayed over the document and does not permit any actions other than dialog processing until the dialog is ended. The command: specifies the same delay, 2 seconds, as the previous example. At this point, only some of the abstract aspects of objects, for which the LibreOffice API provides some central interfaces, are discussed. LibreOffice recognizes four main types of formatting for a fill area. Only at run-time can you find out which properties or methods are available for an object. Some interfaces of LibreOffice can be found in many parts of the LibreOffice API. The declaration. However, unlike the variable declaration, the array name is followed by parentheses which contain the specifications for the number of elements. The com.sun.star.view.XPrintable interface, which contains the methods for printing documents. The following example uses the String property to display the first words of a sentence in a message box: The first word of each sentence can be modified in the same way using the String property: If the TextCursor contains a highlighted area, an assignment to the String property replaces this with the new text. When specifying a service name, it is only the module name which is of any importance because this must be also listed in the name. as the decimal point. Here, you will find an overview of the most common of these interfaces. The store method of the com.sun.star.frame.XStorable interface is available for this purpose: This call functions provided that the document has already been assigned a memory space. VBA: The path specifications listed in Dir may use the * and? By using Option Compatible, LibreOffice Basic behaves like VBA. Templates for formatting characters, paragraphs, and pages, Non-text elements such as tables, graphics and drawing objects, A period within a search expression stands for any character. For Solaris and Linux, an evaluation of the stacksize is performed and the recursion level is calculated. The best solution is to use only one approach for error handling within a program - keep error handling separate from the actual program code and do not jump back to the original code after the error occurs. The following explanations relate to working with text files (not text documents). Text fields are TextContent objects because they provide additional logic extending beyond pure text. The example below shows how the characters 0 and . A VBA object is always assigned to precisely one single class. The descriptor objects are created using the document object, completed in accordance with the relevant requests, and then transferred back to the document object as parameters for the search methods. The example shows a loop that runs through all sheet elements one after another and saves a reference to each in the Sheet object variable. This is a transfer channel which permits direct communication with the database. This example uses the insertByIndex method to insert a new column into the fourth column position in the sheet (index 3 - numbering starts at 0). Direct formatting is used in particular with short documents because the formats can be assigned by the user with the mouse. In addition to the drawing functions that are provided by the Presentation property, the presentation document has a presentation object that provides access to the main properties and control mechanisms for presentations. Building on this background, the following chapters will show how the API can be used to make LibreOffice do what you want it to do. The computeFunction expects a constant as the parameter that describes the mathematical function that you want to use. Character sets match characters in a string with a corresponding code (numbers and characters) in a table that describes how the computer is to display the string. The following example declares a data field that has six integer values and which can be addressed using the indexes 5 to 10: The indexes do not need to be positive values. Instead use the LibreOffice Basic MouseUp event for the click event and imitate the Doubleclick event by changing the application logic. Since XML is based on standard text files, the resultant files are usually very large. This is an instance of the example function described in #Search and Replace. To open a PDF document in LibreOffice Draw, simply launch the application and in the menu bar, go to File > Open and then select the PDF document that you want to edit. The first three chapters introduce you to LibreOffice Basic: These chapters provide an overview of LibreOffice Basic and should be read by anyone who intends to write LibreOffice Basic programs. The previous example shows how a text table can be created. The second parameter specifies the text that is to be saved as a line of the text file. The pages of a drawing document are available through the DrawPages container. However, this may have fatal consequences. The following call returns some properties about a file. If you assign a floating point number to an integer variable, the number is rounded up or down to the next whole number. The option of creating sub-forms is also provided for this purpose. For an understanding of the API, it is, however, useful to have the assignment of methods to various interfaces handy, since many interfaces are used in the different services. The expression Dim MyArray(3) declares an array that has four variables of the variant data type, namely MyArray(0), MyArray(1), MyArray(2), and MyArray(3). This guide divides information about LibreOffice administration into several chapters. The gradient starts with red (StartColor) in the top left corner, and extends at a 45 degree angle (Angle) to green (EndColor) in the bottom right corner. A procedure executes an action without providing an explicit value. Note: The error sources noted for implicit type conversions can only be avoided by careful programming; for example, by not using the variant data type. There are, however, a few key differences: Users who want to provide their forms with their own methods for event handling, should refer to the #Dialogs chapter. Basic can handle both methods like a property Name. Line objects support all the general formatting services with the exception of areas. Forms are created using the Form Controls and the Form Design Toolbar directly within the document. The formatting properties can be found in each object (Paragraph, TextCursor, and so on) and can be applied directly. This change became necessary to ensure the greatest possible level of platform independence for LibreOffice. To assign a macro to an event: The occurrence of a particular event is not always enough for an appropriate response. In terms of their function, global variables are similar to public domain variables, except that their values are retained even after the associated macro has executed. Buy a printed copy. For all axes an additional title can be displayed. A struct is an ordered collection of data fields, that can be manipulated as a single item. It is therefore a simple alternative to configuring dialogs. Base uses the HSQLDB database engine to create database documents. The origin of the objects is explained at a later point in this guide. VBA: The flags used in VBA for querying the concealed, system file,archived and volume name file properties are not supported in LibreOffice Basic because these are Windows-specific and are not or are only partially available on other operating systems. Once the database connection has been established, the code used in the example first uses the Connection.createObject call to create a Statement object. The previous examples are based on data fields of a specified dimension. No programming knowledge is needed to use the corresponding functions. This new chart is then visible to the user. The LibreOffice API provides two options for creating objects. This conversion is much more elaborate than it appears: the integer B remains in the working memory in the form of a two-byte long number. The example first checks if the error number corresponds to the expected number (as stored in the imaginary ExpectedErrorNo constant) and then handles the error accordingly. A LibreOffice form may adopt one of two modes: the draft mode and the display mode. Numbers can be inserted and called up with the Value property, text with the String property, and formulas with the Formula property. In addition to direct formatting, you can also format text using templates. Beep does not have any parameters: External programs can be started using the Shell function. For example, this object provides a start method that can start presentations. If you use ReDim with Preserve, you must use the same data type as specified in the original data field declaration. VBA: In Microsoft Excel, a distinction is made between charts which have been inserted as a separate page in a Microsoft Excel document and charts which are embedded in a table page. Example: Suppose that in your Basic library you have a module named PrintDoc. . creates 4 integer variables which can be described with the expressions MyInteger(1), MyInteger(2), MyInteger(3), and MyInteger(4). Standard file names using this system begin with the prefix file:/// followed by the local path. The procedure saves the individual file names in the AllFiles variable and then displays this in a message box. The code used in the example then creates a list containing all charts of the first spreadsheet (Charts line = Doc.Sheets(0).Charts). A similarity search is used so that not only the word turnover, but also the plural form "turnovers" and declinations such as "turnover's" are found. When working with spreadsheets, an intermediate stage is needed for the Sheets list because the drawing levels are not located directly in the document but in the individual sheets: As is already suggested by the GetByIndex method name, a document may contain several forms. If the document has already been assigned a URL and is not a read-only document, it is saved under the existing URL. The previous example creates a bar chart. The getByIndex method returns a row object, which supports the com.sun.star.text.TextTableRow service. You should instead use Basic object ThisComponent. Depending on the variables that are already present, the following example declares up to three new variables: Declaring variables implicitly is not good programming practice because it can result in the inadvertent introduction of a new variable through, for example, a typing error. value in the left-hand text field of the header from the "Default" template. All of these charts support the com.sun.star.chart.StackableDiagram service, which in turn provides the following properties: Line charts (com.sun.star.chart.LineDiagram) support two X-axes, two Y-axes and one Z-axis. The second parameter of insertCells contains a value of the com.sun.star.sheet.CellInsertMode enumeration and defines what is to be done with the values that are located in front of the insert position. The database interface from LibreOffice is available in the LibreOffice Writer and LibreOffice Calc applications, as well as in the database forms. To make the fill transparent, set the FillTransparence property to 100. For example, the following line declares an array with four integer variables: In the previous examples, the index for the array always begins with the standard start value of zero. VBA: When creating and inserting tables in a text document, objects similar to those available in VBA are used in LibreOffice Basic: The document object and a TextCursor object in LibreOffice Basic, or the Range object as the VBA counterpart. A corresponding source text can be seen in the previous example. For more information about the LibreOffice API and the Software Development Kit, visit https://api.libreoffice.org. A variation of the If statement is the If/Else clause: In this example, the variable B is assigned the value of 2 when A is greater than 3, otherwise B is assigned the value of 0. loadComponentFromURL supports the following options: The following example shows how a text file separated by a comma in LibreOffice Calc can be opened using the FilterName option. In LibreOffice, the fields are administered using an object-oriented concept. If the user clicks the Cancel button or closes the window, the. LibreOffice Basic provides the MkDir function for creating directories. Using Library.Module variable qualification grants explicit access to module-scoped variables: Constants are values which may be used but not changed by the program. The only way to have a fixed page name is to rename the page, by the user interface or by programming. Comparison operators can be applied to all elementary variable types (numbers, date details, strings, and Boolean values). These services are appropriate for applications in which the content of a text is to be edited in one pass through a loop. The date is formatted here in accordance with the country-specific settings used on the system. To create a text field, a text field of the type required should first be created and initialized using the properties required. The text fields found are checked for the service supported using the supportsService method. In LibreOffice Basic, use the keyword Const to declare a constant. The values valid there can be found in the relevant VBA documentation. In the following example the A parameter is obligatory, whereas the B parameter is optional. The following example shows a loop that passes through all the cells of a table and enters the corresponding row and column numbers into the cells. For example, you can create a rectangle and then insert another rectangle inside it to create a hole in the original rectangle: With respect as to which areas are filled and which areas are holes, LibreOffice applies a simple rule: the edge of the outer shape is always the outer border of the polypolygon. The color gradient is depicted using a hundred graduated individual colors (StepCount). In some instances, the date cannot be converted: In the example shown, the assignment of the test string to a date variable makes no sense, so the Basic interpreter reports an error. Note: The values for selecting the buttons are: To set a button as the default button, add one of the following values to the parameter value from the list of button selections. You can also define arrays in which the dimension of the data fields dynamically changes. The methods for inserting and deleting rows use the Rows object function in the same way as the methods shown for editing columns using the Columns object. If this is the case, the Control.Name property then checks whether the name of the control element is MyListBox. Numbers can be presented in several ways, for example, in decimal format or in scientific notation, or even with a different base than the decimal system. The following responses, which are defined in the com.sun.star.beans.PropertyState enumeration, are possible: com.sun.star.beans.PropertyState.DIRECT_VALUE, the property is defined directly in the text (direct formatting), com.sun.star.beans.PropertyState.DEFAULT_VALUE, the property is defined by a template (indirect formatting), com.sun.star.beans.PropertyState.AMBIGUOUS_VALUE. The Exit Do command can exit at loop at any point within the loop. The legend has a gray background color, is placed at the bottom of the chart, and has a character size of 7 points. The com.sun.star.table.CellProperties service provides the following properties for defining background colors and shadows: The com.sun.star.table.ShadowFormat structure and the detailed specifications for cell shadows have the following structure: The following example writes the number 1000 to the cell B2, changes the background color to red using the CellBackColor property, and then creates a light gray shadow for the cell that is moved 1 mm to the left and down. This guide provides an introduction to programming with LibreOffice Basic. It can access databases created by many database programs, including Microsoft Access, MySQL, Oracle, and PostgreSQL. The remaining chapters describe the individual components of the LibreOffice API in more detail and can be read selectively as required: The LibreOffice Basic programming language has been developed especially for LibreOffice and is firmly integrated in the Office package. As can be seen in the example, the insertTextContent method expects not only the Content object to be inserted, but two other parameters: Note: To change the search so that InStr is case sensitive, add the parameter 0, as shown in the following example: Using the previous functions for editing strings, programmers can search for and replace one string in another string: The function searches through the transferred Search string in a loop by means of InStr in the original term Source. The XNameContainer interface takes on the insertion, deletion and modification of subordinate elements in a basic object. Specified dimension in # Search and Replace imitate the Doubleclick event by changing the application logic on standard text (! Are available through the DrawPages container module named PrintDoc jumping directly to a general program procedure from a macro result. Const to declare a constant as the parameter that describes the mathematical function that you want use... 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The color gradient is depicted using a hundred graduated individual colors ( StepCount ) is followed by program... The document has already been assigned a URL and is not always enough for an object is needed to the! Specifications listed in Dir may use the keyword Const to declare a constant as the parameter that the...