The following get methods are available: In all instances, the number of columns should be listed as a parameter whose values should be queried. In these situations, the XEnumeration and XenumerationAccess interfaces are appropriate. its spell checker, forms designer, and charting tools). While the declaration MyInteger(3) creates three integer values in VBA with the indexes 1 to 3, the same declaration in LibreOffice Basic creates four integer values with the indexes 1 to 4. Extensive examples are provided to help you quickly develop your own OpenOffice.org Basic programs. The removeByIndex method deletes the sixth column (index 5). The "signature" of an empty array is that UBound() returns -1 and LBound() returns 0: Some API functions return an array containing elements (indexed from zero) or return an empty array. The following call creates a copy of the Source file under the name of Destination: With the help of the following function you can rename the OldName file with NewName. 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. The corresponding counterparts of the TextCursor object in LibreOffice are described in the following sections. The most important of these events are: When you work with events, note that some events, such as the When initiating event, can be initiated each time you click the mouse on some control elements (for example, on radio buttons). More information about the available services, and their interfaces, methods and properties can be found in the reference for the LibreOffice API. If this is true, the function ends the search. SetModuleB is triggered from one toolbar button and ShowVarB is triggered from another toolbar button, then ShowVarB will display a C value of 0 since module variables are reset after each macro completion. This call is only available provided that the data has not be re-written into the database using updateRow(). In this example, the getByName method is used to find the bookmark required by means of its name. The right and left-hand edges of the line extend to their points of intersect with each other (LineJoint = MITER) to form a right-angle. For example charts in spreadsheets can display data obtained from the cell ranges and charts in text documents can display data obtained from writer tables. It is described in the chapter Apache OpenOffice Basic of the Developer's Guide. The applications are: Writer (a word processor), Draw (vector graphics drawing), Impress (for slide presentations), Calc (spreadsheets), Base (a database front- end), and Math (for writing formulae). Finally, when calling up a text file, the eof instruction is used to check whether the end of the file has been reached: The following example shows how a text file can be read: The individual lines are retrieved in a Do While loop, saved in the Msg variable, and displayed at the end in a message box. The number of elements in an array is not affected if you use Option Base 1, only the start index changes. This is called indirect formatting. The text frame created in this way can then be inserted in the document using the insertTextContent method of the Text object. Each of these formats has an internal number that is used to assign the format to cells using the NumberFormat property. The properties are set by means of a simple assignment: A property, just like a normal variable, has a type that defines which values it can record. The FilterOptions property contains the description of the syntax of the csv file. With the aid of Doc, the example then creates an Enumeration object that traverses through the individual parts of the text (paragraphs and tables) and assigns the current element to TextElement object. The origin of the objects is explained at a later point in this guide. The most common paragraph properties are: The following example demonstrates how to work with formatting information. Visit Andrew Pitonyak's web page to get the latest PDF and ODT files of his book LibreOffice is a cross-platform, open source office suite. Unlike in the InsertCells method , a parameter for performing automatic moves is not provided in the moveRange method. The Rows and Columns lists can be accessed through an index in LibreOffice Basic. Once the database connection has been established, the code used in the example first uses the Connection.createObject call to create a Statement object. 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. The LibreOffice API has been structured so that as many of its parts as possible can be used universally for different tasks. Page properties are the formatting options that position document content on a page as well as visual elements that are repeated page after page. value in the left-hand text field of the header from the "Default" template. The second parameter of Dir specifies whether files or directories are to be searched for. Those format properties that refer to individual characters are described as character properties. Rectangle shape objects (com.sun.star.drawing.RectangleShape) support the following services for formatting objects: The Service com.sun.star.drawing.EllipseShape service is responsible for circles and ellipses and supports the following services: In addition to these services, circles and ellipses also provide these properties: The CircleKind property determines if an object is a complete circle, a circular slice, or a section of a circle. When saving date values, LibreOffice Basic uses an internal format that permits comparisons and mathematical operations on date and time values. However, unlike a procedure, a function provides a return value. If the corresponding page does not exist, it is created and inserted in the drawing document by the insertNewByIndex method. An option button control element provides two properties: You can also use the following properties from the model of the option buttons: To combine several option buttons in a group, you must position them one after another in the activation sequence without any gaps (Model.TabIndex property, described as Order in the dialog editor). In other words, a variable exists from the moment that you include it in your code. To pass parameters as values, use the ByVal keyword. LibreOffice Basic recognizes the following mouse events: Note: In draft mode, the position of control elements can be changed and their properties can be edited using a properties window. Once the file is opened, the Print instruction can create the file contents, line by line: FileNo also stands for the file handle here. For a detailed description please refer to the LibreOffice Basic Guide which is available separately. Subs and functions are always contained in modules. Each cell is defined by its X and Y-position with respect to the top left cell which has the position (0,0). Version 2.0 of Unicode is now supported by many programs including LibreOffice and LibreOffice Basic. The bookmark is then assigned a name and is inserted in the document through insertTextContent at the cursor position. The associated com.sun.star.chart.ChartArea service supports line and fill properties. The following example changes the dimension of the initial array so that it can record 11 or 21 values: When you reset the dimensions of an array, you can use any of the options outlined in the previous sections. To get the most out of this book, you should be familiar with other programming languages. Although you can use the + operator to concatenate strings, the Basic interpreter can become confused when concatenating a number to a string. You can also link another action to the button to close a dialog using the PushButtonType property. You can also use the keyword Public instead of Dim to declare a public domain variable: A public domain variable is only available so long as the associated macro is executing and then the variable is reset. These in turn contain the various cells. The permissible values are defined in com.sun.star.drawing.FillStyle. Since however, the paragraph portions are edited directly, their formatting information is retained when replacing the string. LibreOffice provides various ways of establishing database connections. Finally, the following information symbols are available and can also be displayed by adding the relevant parameter values: The following call displays an information box with the Yes and No buttons (value 4), of which the second button (No) is set as the default value (value 256) and which also receives a question mark (value 32), 4+256+32=292. As a result, it returns a data field containing the names. This includes declaring multi-dimensional data fields and specifying explicit start and end values. The text frame is finally assigned the This is a small test! string. The text frame is created using Doc.createInstance. If you want to display the layout on screen, then you should create the associated LibreOffice Basic procedures so that they can be called up by the event handlers. This is not the case for new documents. The following methods are provided as presentation objects: The following properties are also available: LibreOffice can display data as a chart, which creates graphical representations of numerical data in the form of bars, pie charts, lines or other elements. The code in the following example moves an entry from the left to the right list box of a dialog. The following example traverses the contents of a text document in a loop and uses a message in each instance to inform the user whether the object in question is a paragraph or table. The SetAttr function permits the properties of a file to be changed. The InteractionHandler ensures that LibreOffice asks the user for the required login data. It supports the createTextCursor interface for creating an associated TextCursor object. When working with the indexes, note that getCount returns the number of elements. Information about how to create, open, save and print documents is described in #Working with Documents, because it can be used not only for text documents, but also for other types of documents. A SearchDescriptor is an object which supports the com.sun.star.util. When working with the Enumeration object, one special scenario should, however, be noted: it not only returns paragraphs, but also tables (strictly speaking, in LibreOffice Writer, a table is a special type of paragraph). The most common branching statement is the If statement as shown in the following example: The B = 2 assignment only occurs when value of variable A is greater than three. To provide an overview of these services, they have been combined into modules. Bookmarks are created and inserted using the concept already described previously: The example creates a Cursor, which marks the insert position of the bookmark and then the actual bookmark object (Bookmark). Charts within spreadsheets can display the data from an assigned cell range within the spreadsheet. Example declarations for integer variables: Long integer variables can store any whole number between 2147483648 and 2147483647. The following example also shows a correct declaration, but with negative data field limits: It declares an integer data field with 6 values that can be addressed using the indexes -10 to -5. The expressions for searching and replacing are set using the SearchString and ReplaceString properties of the ReplaceDescriptors. LibreOffice therefore compresses the files and saves them as a ZIP file. 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. Finally, the removeByName call removes the object behind OldStyle from ParagraphStyles. If you start the macro from the IDE, ThisComponent will still find and return your document. 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 search expression sh.rt therefore can stand for both for, The character ^ marks the start of a paragraph. The Sheet object that is obtained by the getByName method supports the com.sun.star.sheet.Spreadsheet service. The program code then uses the Doc.createInstance call to create the rectangle drawing object as specified by the com.sun.star.drawing.RectangleShape service. LibreOffice Basic then interprets the following line as a regular instruction again. A is assigned the string 2. You must not declare, in any module of your library, a Public variable or a Public constant, or a Sub, or a Function, named PrintDoc. Changes made to the variables are retained when the procedure or function is exited: In this example, the value A that is defined in the Test function is passed as a parameter to the ChangeValue function. VBA: Other limit values sometimes apply for data field indexes in VBA. For example, to create Yes, No and Cancel buttons (value 3) where Cancel is the default (value 512), the parameter value is 3 + 512 = 515. Note: Base includes additional functionality that allows you to create full data-driven applications. Then the new page is renamed. The following are some of the important properties of this service: The following example demonstrates use of the named properties. It can be combined with the period as a placeholder for any character. This object allows you to directly access the content of a dialog or control element. The FreeFile function is used to create a free file handle: FileNo is an integer variable that receives the file handle. For more information, see the LibreOffice API reference. The Dialog Editor: Creates personal dialog windows and provides scope for the adding of control elements and event handlers. The example uses the supportsService method to check whether the TextElement is a paragraph or a table. The following example writes the "Just a Test." LibreOffice Basic returns the name of the first directory entry found. Such CellRange objects are created using the getCellRangeByName call of the spreadsheet object: A colon (:) is used to specify a cell range in a spreadsheet document. com.sun.star.awt.UnoControlNumericalField, A currency field makes it possible to enter, display and edit currency values. You can also move data from the database window into text documents using the drag-and-drop function. Download PDF. If the position of the cell is fixed, it is more clear to use the following code: The above code also works with a named cell. The following sections present the central functions of the runtime library: In many situations, circumstances arise in which a variable of one type has to be changed into a variable of another type. WaitUntil takes a parameter of type Date, with a combined date and time value. The fourth parameter of the loadComponentFromURL function is a PropertyValue data field. If there is another line inwards, it marks the transition to a filled area. You can also pass a parameter as a value if you do not want subsequent changes to the parameter to affect the value that is originally passed. The method getTextTables() of the text document object is used for this purpose: Note: The drawing object can, for example, be created as follows using a spreadsheet object: A paragraph template in a text document is created in the same way: The XNameAccess and XNameContainer interfaces are used in objects that contain subordinate objects, which can be addressed using a natural language name. All drawing objects that can have a border line support the com.sun.star.drawing.LineStyle service. The interface com.sun.star.sheet.Spreadsheets provides a better method to create a new sheet: insertNewByName. The dialog then changes its appearance as follows: The strings of a Dialog can be localized, see the Developer's Guide chapter #Dialog Localization. In some cases the loop may only terminate when a condition is met within the loop. There are various ways of formatting text. When using the CompatibilityMode ( true ) function, LibreOffice Basic behaves like VBA and the Dir function, using parameter 16, returns sub-directories and standard files. To display all information available from an object and link to the corresponding API documentation, use instead the Development Tools built into LibreOffice or MRI extension. A simple way is to declare it as a Private or Public variable common to the main dialog routine and the event routine. The double array in the definition allows you to create complex shapes by merging several polygons. The SQL language is provided as a query language for users of SDBC. All characters that follow an apostrophe are treated as comments: Markers can only contain Latin letters, numbers, and underscores (_). When working with 3D charts, a Z-axis is also sometimes provided. Documents are opened, imported and created using the method StarDesktop.loadComponentFromURL(URL, Frame, SearchFlags, FileProperties) The first parameter of loadComponentFromURL specifies the URL of the associated file. If the document has already been assigned a URL and is not a read-only document, it is saved under the existing URL. These include the previously described com.sun.star.text.Paragraph services for paragraphs as well as the com.sun.star.text.TextPortion services for paragraph portions. To get the most out of this book, you should be familiar with other programming languages. The endDialog method of the dialog is an improvement of endExecute. You do, however, have the option of switching to a TextCursor which allows for navigation at the level of characters, sentences and words. Depending on the system and configuration, various types of data are saved here. The following are some of the properties that are available through the button model: The following example shows some of the properties for the buttons: Checkboxes are used to record a Yes or No value and depending on the mode, they can adopt two or three states. Note: A VBA object is always assigned to precisely one single class. The example first creates a list containing all rows using a Table.getRows call. These error messages can be avoided by checking the program before an assignment, in order to establish whether the content of the variable to be assigned matches the type of the target variable. To improve clarity, you should avoid using Option Base 1. Example declarations for long integer variables: Single variables can store any positive or negative floating point number between 3.402823 x 1038 and 1.401298 x 10-45. Either way, the names of the data fields (from the Type definition) must be qualified by the name of the instance (from the Dim statement). This guide provides an introduction to programming with LibreOffice Basic. Once the message box has been confirmed, it replaces the content of the window with the test2.odt file. Line charts provide the following properties: Area charts (com.sun.star.chart.AreaDiagram service) support two X-axes, two Y-axes and one Z-axis. A string variable can store up to 65535 characters. You must use whole numbers that are preceded by &O. Boolean variables can only contain one of two values: True or False. If you use ReDim with Preserve, you must use the same data type as specified in the original data field declaration. The following call deletes the Filename file. The easiest way is to assign the format properties directly to the text sequence. Parameters are normally passed by Reference in LibreOffice Basic. A database is incorporated into LibreOffice by creating what is commonly referred to as a data source. A dialog containing a label and a list box. This is described in the #Database Forms chapter. A function, just like a procedure, combines a block of programs to be executed into one logical unit. These commands stop the procedure or function and return the program to the point at which the procedure or function was called up. If the operators are applied to Boolean values, the operation provides the result required directly. If you are running from within the Basic IDE, debugging or exploring, then StarDesktop returns the Basic IDE itself. LibreOffice Basic allows numbers to be specified in the exponential writing style, for example, you can write 1.5e-10 for the number 1.5 x 10-10 (0.00000000015). For Each loops do not use an explicit counter like a ForNext loop does. To do this in LibreOffice Basic, use the following call: Note: A dialog can contain any number of control elements. If not, it creates the database connection required using the GetConnection call. If you click on Yes, the new or changed styles will be copied into the document. Unlike LibreOffice Basic identifiers, the names of control elements are case sensitive. A space in a local file name therefore, for example, becomes a %20 in the URL. A ResultSet is a type of marker that indicates a current set of data within a volume of results obtained using the SELECT command. Example declarations of currency variables: The handling of Basic Currency type is not reliable. Then you can use the "perpetual" Do Loop: The WhileWend loop construct works exactly the same as the Do WhileLoop, but with the disadvantage that there is no Exit command available. However, this may have fatal consequences. The following example creates a line chart. The example below shows how the characters 0 and . If the user presses several keys to output a single character (for example, to add an accent to a character), then LibreOffice Basic only creates one event. 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