Document API Filter Development

OpenOffice.org Developer's Guide

Office Development

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• OpenOffice.org Application Environment

• Desktop Environment
• Framework API

• Frame-Controller-Model Paradigm in OpenOffice.org
• Frames
• Controllers
• Windows
• Dispatch Framework

• Using the Desktop
• Using the Component Framework

• Getting Frames, Controllers and Models from Each Other
• Frames
• Controllers
• Models
• Window Interfaces

• Creating Frames Manually
• Handling Documents

• Closing Documents
• Storing Documents

• Using the Dispatch Framework

• Command URL
• Processing Chain
• Dispatch Process
• Dispatch Results
• Dispatch Interception

• Java Window Integration

• Common Application Features

• Internationalization

• Overview and Using the API
• Implementing a New Locale

• Linguistics

• Using Spellchecker
• Using Hyphenator
• Using Thesaurus
• Events
• Implementing a Spell Checker
• Implementing a Hyphenator
• Implementing a Thesaurus

• Integrating Import and Export Filters

• Filtering Process
• Filters
• Type Detection and its Configuration
• Properties of a Type
• Properties of a Filter
• Filter Options
• Properties of a FrameLoader
• Document API Filter Development

• XML Based Filter Development

• Writing the Filtering Component
• The Importer
• The Exporter
• XML Filter Detection

• Number Formats

• Managing Number Formats
• Applying Number Formats

• Document Events
• Path Organization

• Path Settings
• Path Variables

• Predefined Variables
• Custom Path Variables
• Resolving Path Variables

• OpenOffice.org Single Sign-On API
• RDF metadata

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First, we provide an overview of the import and export process using a document API, and gain an understanding of the general concepts.

Introduction

Inside OpenOffice.org a document is represented by its document service, called model. On disk, the same document is represented as a file or possibly as a dynamic generated output, for example, of a database statement. We cannot assign it to a file on disk, so we call it content to describe it. A filter component is used to convert between these different formats.

Import/Export Filter Process

If you make use of UNO, this above diagram can be turned into programming reality quite easily. The three entities in the diagram, content, model, and filter, all have direct counterparts in UNO services. The services consist of several interfaces that map to a specific implementation, for example, using C++ or Java.

The filter writer creates a class that implements the com.sun.star.document.ExportFilter or com.sun.star.document.ImportFilter services, or both. To achieve this, the corresponding stream or URL is obtained from the com.sun.star.document.MediaDescriptor. The incoming data is then interpreted and the model is used by calling the appropriate methods. The available methods depend on the type of document as described by the document service.

For a list of available document services, refer to the section Document Specific Features.

Content on this page is licensed under the Public Documentation License (PDL).