OpenOffice.org BASIC Guide - OpenOffice.org wiki

Tools for Working with UNO
The following program code shows how DBG_properties and DBG_methods can be used in real-life
applications. It first creates the com.sun.star.frame.Desktop service and then displays the supported properties
and methods in message boxes.
Dim Obj As Object
Obj = createUnoService("com.sun.star.frame.Desktop")
MsgBox Obj.DBG_Properties
MsgBox Obj.DBG_methods
When using DBG_properties, note that the function returns all properties that the services offered by the object
can theoretically support. No assurances are, however, provided for whether these can also be used by the object
in question. In very rare cases, before calling up some property, use the IsEmpty function to check whether it is
actually available.
Debugging tools
Using the DBG_ properties is a very crude method to discover the contents of an API objects.
The watch window of the Basic IDE can display the properties of a Uno object (but not the methods, not the
interfaces).
To display all information available from an object and link to the corresponding API documentation, use instead
Xray tool or MRI tool.
Note – VBA : OpenOffice.org Basic does not provide code completion. Only at run-time can you find out
which properties or methods are available for an object. All the above debug tools work on a running program.
API Reference
More information about the available services, and their interfaces, methods and properties can be found in the
reference for the OpenOffice.org API.
Overview of Central Interfaces
Some interfaces of OpenOffice.org can be found in many parts of the OpenOffice.org API. They define sets of
methods for abstract tasks which can be applied to various problems. Here, you will find an overview of the most
common of these interfaces.
The origin of the objects is explained at a later point in this guide. At this point, only some of the abstract aspects
of objects, for which the OpenOffice.org API provides some central interfaces, are discussed.
Creating Context-Dependent Objects
The OpenOffice.org API provides two options for creating objects. One can be found in the
createUnoService function mentioned at the start of this chapter. createUnoService creates an object
which can be used universally. Such objects and services are also known as context-independent services.
In addition to context-independent services, there are also context-dependent services whose objects are only
useful when used in conjunction with another object. A drawing object for a spreadsheet document, for example,
can therefore only exist in conjunction with this one document.
54 OpenOffice.org 3.2 BASIC Guide · March 2010