OpenOffice.org BASIC Guide.pdf - OpenOffice.org wiki

Introduction to the API 65
Introduction to the API
Introduction to the API
OpenOffice.org objects and methods, such as paragraphs, spreadsheets, and fonts, are
accessible to OpenOffice.org Basic through the OpenOffice.org application programming
interface, or API. Through the API, for example, documents can be created, opened,
modified and printed. The API can be used not only by OpenOffice.org Basic, but also by
other programming languages, such as Java and C++. The interface between the API and
various programming languages is provided by something called Universal Network
Objects (UNO).
This chapter provides a background on the API. Building on this background, the following
chapters will show how the API can be used to make OpenOffice.org do what you want it to
do.
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Principal Authors: Fpe, Ccornell, Cking
Universal Network Objects (UNO)
OpenOffice.org provides a programming interface in the form of the Universal Network
Objects (UNO). This is an object-oriented programming interface which OpenOffice.org
sub-divides into various objects which for their part ensure program-controlled access to
the Office package.
Since OpenOffice.org Basic is a procedural programming language, several linguistic
constructs have had to be added to it which enable the use of UNO.
To use a Universal Network Object in OpenOffice.org Basic, you will need a variable
declaration for the associated object. The declaration is made using the Dim instruction
(see → The Language of OpenOffice.org Basic). The Object type designation should be used
to declare an object variable:
Dim Obj As Object
The call declares an object variable named Obj.
The object variable created must then be initialized so that it can be used. This can be done
using the createUnoService function:
Obj = createUnoService("com.sun.star.frame.Desktop")