Contents

# ScriptForge.UI service

The UI (User Interface) service simplifies the identification and the manipulation of the different windows composing the whole LibreOffice application:

- Windows selection

- Windows moving and resizing

- Statusbar settings

- Display of a floating progress bar

- Creation of new windows

- Access to the underlying "documents"

The UI service is the starting point to open, create or access to the content of new or existing documents from a user script.

## Definitions

### WindowName

A window can be designated using various ways:

- a full path and file name

- the last component of the full file name or even only the last component without its suffix

- the title of the window

- for new documents, something like "Untitled 1"

- one of the special windows "BASICIDE" and "WELCOMESCREEN"

The window name is case-sensitive.

### Document object

The methods CreateDocument, CreateBaseDocument, GetDocument, OpenBaseDocument and OpenDocument, described below, generate document objects. When a window contains a document, an instance of the Document class represents that document. A counterexample the Basic IDE is not a document but is a window in our terminology. Additionally a document has a type: Calc, Impress, Writer, ...

The specific properties and methods applicable on documents are implemented in a document class.

The implementation of the document objects class is done in the SFDocuments associated library. See its "Document" service.

## Service invocation

Before using the UI service the ScriptForge library needs to be loaded or imported:

• Basic macros require to load ScriptForge library using the following statement:
GlobalScope.BasicLibraries.loadLibrary("ScriptForge")
• Python scripts require an import from scriptforge module:
from scriptforge import CreateScriptService

##### In Basic

        Dim ui As Variant
        GlobalScope.BasicLibraries.LoadLibrary("ScriptForge")
        Set ui = CreateScriptService("UI")

##### In Python

        from scriptforge import CreateScriptService
        ui = CreateScriptService("UI")

## Properties

Name | ReadOnly | Type | Description
--- | --- | --- | ---
ActiveWindow | Yes | String | a valid and unique WindowName for the currently active window. When the window cannot be identified, a zero-length string is returned.
Height | Yes | Integer | Returns the height of the active window in pixels.
Width | Yes | Integer | Returns the width of the active window in pixels.
X | Yes | Integer | Returns the X coordinate of the active window, which is the distance to the left edge of the screen in pixels.
Y | Yes | Integer | Returns the Y coordinate of the active window, which is the distance to the top edge of the screen in pixels. This value does not consider window decorations added by your operating system, so even when the window is maximized this value may not be zero.

## Constants

Name | Value | Description
--- | --- | ---
MACROEXECALWAYS | 2 | Macros are always executed
MACROEXECNEVER | 1 | Macros are never executed
MACROEXECNORMAL | 0 | Macro execution depends on user settings

### Example:

The examples below show a MsgBox with the names of all currently open documents.

##### In Basic

         Dim openDocs As Object, strDocs As String
         Set openDocs = ui.Documents()
         strDocs = openDocs(0)
         For i = 1 To UBound(openDocs)
             strDocs = strDocs & Chr(10) & openDocs(i)
         Next i
         MsgBox strDocs

##### In Python

         ui = CreateScriptService("UI")
         bas = CreateScriptService("Basic")
         openDocs = ui.Documents()
         strDocs = "\n".join(openDocs)
         bas.MsgBox(strDocs)

List of Methods in the UI Service
Activate CreateBaseDocument CreateDocument (*) Documents GetDocument | Maximize Minimize OpenBaseDocument OpenDocument (*) Resize | RunCommand SetStatusBar (*) ShowProgressBar WindowExists

Note, as an exception, that the methods marked (*) are not applicable to Base documents.

## Activate

Make the specified window active. The method returns True if the given window is found and can be activated. There is no change in the actual user interface if no window matches the selection.

### Syntax:

svc.Activate(windowname: str): bool

### Parameters:

windowname: see the definitions above.

### Example:

##### In Basic

          ui.Activate("C:\Documents\My file.odt")

##### In Python

          ui.Activate(r"C:\Documents\My file.odt")

## CreateBaseDocument

Creates and stores a new LibreOffice Base document embedding an empty database of the given type. The method returns a Document service instance.

### Syntax:

svc.CreateBaseDocument(filename: str, embeddeddatabase: str = 'HSQLDB', registrationname: str = '', opt calcfilename: str): svc

### Parameters:

filename : Identifies the file to create. It must follow the SF_FileSystem.FileNaming notation. If the file already exists, it is overwritten without warning.

embeddeddatabase : Either "HSQLDB" (default), "FIREBIRD" or "CALC".

registrationname : The name used to store the new database in the databases register. When = "" (default), no registration takes place. If the name already exists it is overwritten without warning.

calcfilename : Only when embeddeddatabase = "CALC", calcfilename represents the file containing the tables as Calc sheets. The file must exist or an error is raised.

### Example:

##### In Basic

          Dim myBase As Object, myCalcBase As Object
          Set myBase = ui.CreateBaseDocument("C:\Databases\MyBaseFile.odb", "FIREBIRD")
          Set myCalcBase = ui.CreateBaseDocument("C:\Databases\MyCalcBaseFile.odb", _
              "CALC", , "C:\Databases\MyCalcFile.ods")

##### In Python

         myBase = ui.CreateBaseDocument(r"C:\Databases\MyBaseFile.odb", "FIREBIRD")
         myCalcBase = ui.CreateBaseDocument(r"C:\Databases\MyCalcBaseFile.odb", \
             "CALC", calcfilename = r"C:\Databases\MyCalcFile.ods")

## CreateDocument (*)

Create a new LibreOffice document of a given type or based on a given template. The method returns an instance of the document class or one of its subclasses (Calc, Writer).

### Syntax:

svc.CreateDocument(documenttype: str = '', templatefile: str = '', hidden: bool = False): svc

### Parameters:

documenttype : "Calc", "Writer", etc. If absent, the templatefile argument must be present.

templatefile : The full FileName of the template to build the new document on. If the file does not exist, the argument is ignored. The FileSystem service provides the TemplatesFolder and UserTemplatesFolder properties to help to build the argument.

hidden: if True, open the new document in the background (default = False). To use with caution: activation or closure afterwards can only happen programmatically.

### Example:

In both examples below, the first call to CreateDocument method creates a blank Calc document, whereas the second creates a document from a template file.

##### In Basic

          Dim myDoc1 As Object, myDoc2 As Object, FSO As Object
          Set myDoc1 = ui.CreateDocument("Calc")
          Set FSO = CreateScriptService("FileSystem")
          Set myDoc2 = ui.CreateDocument(, FSO.BuildPath(FSO.TemplatesFolder, "personal/CV.ott"))

##### In Python

         myDoc1 = ui.CreateDocument("Calc")
         fs = CreateScriptService("FileSystem")
         myDoc2 = ui.CreateDocument(templatefile = fs.BuildPath(fs.TemplatesFolder, "personal/CV.ott"))

## Documents

The list of the currently open documents. Special windows are ignored. This list consists of a zero-based one dimensional array either of filenames - using ScriptForge.FileSystem.FileNaming notation - or of window titles for unsaved documents.

### Syntax:

svc.Documents(): str[1..*]

### Example:

In both examples below, the method may return an empty array if there are no documents open.

##### In Basic

          Dim docList As Variant
          docList = ui.Documents

##### In Python

         docList = ui.Documents()

## GetDocument

Returns an instance of the Document class or one of its subclasses (Calc, Writer, Base, FormDocument) referring to either a given window or the active document.

### Syntax:

svc.GetDocument(windowname: str = ''): svc

svc.GetDocument(windowname: uno): svc

### Parameters:

windowname: See the definitions above. If this argument is absent, the active window is used. UNO objects of types com.sun.star.lang.XComponent or com.sun.star.comp.dba.ODatabaseDocument are also accepted. Thus passing ThisComponent or ThisDatabaseDocument as argument creates a new SFDocuments.Document, Base or Calc service.

### Example:

##### In Basic

          Dim myDoc As Object
          Set myDoc = ui.GetDocument("C:\Documents\My file.odt")
          Set myBase = ui.GetDocument(ThisDatabaseDocument)

##### In Python

         from scriptforge import CreateScriptService
         bas = CreateScriptService("Basic")
         myDoc = ui.GetDocument(r"C:\Documents\My file.odt")
         myDoc = ui.GetDocument(bas.ThisComponent)

To access the name of the currently active window, refer to the ActiveWindow property.

## Maximize

Maximizes the active window or the given window.

### Syntax:

svc.Maximize(windowname: str)

### Parameters:

windowname: see the definitions above. If this argument is absent, the active window is maximized.

### Example:

##### In Basic

          ui.Maximize("Untitled 1")

##### In Python

         ui.Maximize("Untitled 1")

## Minimize

Minimizes the active window or the given window.

### Syntax:

svc.Minimize(windowname: str)

### Parameters:

windowname: see the definitions above. If this argument is absent, the active window is minimized.

### Example:

##### In Basic

         ui.Minimize()

##### In Python

         ui.Minimize()

## OpenBaseDocument

Open an existing LibreOffice Base document. The method returns a Base object.

### Syntax:

svc.OpenBaseDocument(filename: str = '', registrationname: str = '', macroexecution: int = 0): svc

### Parameters:

filename: Identifies the file to open. It must follow the SF_FileSystem.FileNaming notation.

registrationname: The name to use to find the database in the databases register. It is ignored if FileName <> "".

macroexecution: 0 = behaviour is defined by the user configuration, 1 = macros are not executable, 2 = macros are executable. Default is 0.

### Example:

##### In Basic

          Dim myBase As Object
          Set myBase = ui.OpenBaseDocument("C:\Documents\myDB.odb", MacroExecution := ui.MACROEXECALWAYS)

##### In Python

         myBase = ui.OpenBaseDocument(r"C:\Documents\myDB.odb", macroexecution = ui.MACROEXECALWAYS)

To improve code readability you can use predefined constants for the macroexecution argument, as in the examples above.

## OpenDocument (*)

Opens an existing LibreOffice document with the given options. Returns a document object or one of its subclasses. The method returns Nothing (in BASIC) or None (in Python) if the opening failed, even when the failure is caused by a user decision.

### Syntax:

svc.Opendocument(filename: str, password: str = '', readonly: bool = False, hidden: bool = False, macroexecution: int = 0, filtername: str = '', filteroptions: str = ''): svc

### Parameters:

filename: Identifies the file to open. It must follow the FileNaming notation of the FileSystem service.

password: To use when the document is protected. If wrong or absent while the document is protected, the user will be prompted to enter a password.

readonly: Default = False.

hidden: if True, open the new document in the background (default = False). To use with caution: activation or closure afterwards can only happen programmatically.

macroexecution: 0 = behaviour is defined by the user configuration, 1 = macros are not executable, 2 = macros are executable. Default is 0.

filtername: The name of a filter that should be used for loading the document. If present, the filter must exist.

filteroptions: An optional string of options associated with the filter.

### Example:

##### In Basic

          Dim myDoc As Object, FSO As Object
          Set myDoc = ui.OpenDocument("C:\Documents\myFile.odt", ReadOnly := True)

##### In Python

         myDoc = ui.OpenDocument(r"C:\Documents\myFile.odt", readonly = True)

## Resize

Resizes and/or moves the active window. Absent and negative arguments are ignored. If the window is minimized or maximized, calling Resize without arguments restores it.

### Syntax:

svc.Resize(left: int = -1, top: int = -1, width: int = -1, height: int = -1)

### Parameters:

left, top: Distances of the top-left corner from top and left edges of the screen, in pixels.

width, height: New dimensions of the window, in pixels.

### Example:

In the following examples, the width and height of the window are changed while top and left are left unchanged.

##### In Basic

          ui.Resize(Width := 500, Height := 500)

##### In Python

         ui.Resize(width = 500, height = 500)

To resize a window that is not active, first activate it using the Activate method.

## RunCommand

Runs a UNO command on the current window. A few typical commands are: Save, SaveAs, ExportToPDF, Undo, Copy, Paste, etc.

Commands can be run with or without arguments. Arguments are not validated before running the command. If the command or its arguments are invalid, then nothing will happen.

For a complete list of UNO commands that can be run in LibreOffice, refer to the Wiki page Development/DispatchCommands.

### Syntax:

svc.RunCommand(command: str, [args: any])

### Parameters:

command: Case-sensitive string containing the UNO command name. The inclusion of the prefix ".uno:" in the command is optional. The command itself is not checked for correctness. If nothing happens after the command call, then the command is probably wrong.

args: For each argument to be passed to the command, specify a pair containing the argument name and value.

### Example:

##### In Basic

The following example runs the .uno:About command in the current window.

        Set ui = CreateScriptService("UI")
        ui.RunCommand("About")

Below is an example that runs the UNO command .uno:BasicIDEAppear and passes the arguments required to open the Basic IDE at a specific line of a module.

        ' Arguments passed to the command:
        ' Document  = "LibreOffice Macros & Dialogs"
        ' LibName = "ScriptForge"
        ' Name = "SF_Session"
        ' Line = 600
        ui.RunCommand(".uno:BasicIDEAppear", "Document", "LibreOffice Macros & Dialogs", _
                      "LibName", "ScriptForge", "Name", "SF_Session", "Line", 600)

Note that calling the command BasicIDEAppear without arguments will simply open the Basic IDE.

##### In Python

        ui = CreateScriptService("UI")
        ui.RunCommand("About")

        ui.RunCommand(".uno:BasicIDEAppear", "Document", "LibreOffice Macros & Dialogs", \
                      "LibName", "ScriptForge", "Name", "SF_Session", "Line", 600)

In Python it is also possible to call RunCommand using keyword arguments:

        ui.RunCommand(".uno:BasicIDEAppear", Document = "LibreOffice Macros & Dialogs", \
                      LibName = "ScriptForge", Name = "SF_Session", Line = 600)

Each LibreOffice component has its own set of commands available. One easy way to learn commands is going to Tools - Customize - Keyboard. When you position your mouse over a function in the Function list, a tooltip will appear with the corresponding UNO command.

## SetStatusbar (*)

Display a text and a progressbar in the status bar of the active window. Any subsequent calls in the same macro run refer to the same status bar of the same window, even if the window is not visible anymore. A call without arguments resets the status bar to its normal state.

### Syntax:

svc.SetStatusbar(text: str = '', percentage: int = -1)

### Parameters:

text: An optional text to be displayed in front of the progress bar.

percentage: an optional degree of progress between 0 and 100.

### Example:

##### In Basic

          Dim i As Integer
          For i = 0 To 100
              ui.SetStatusbar("Progress ...", i)
              Wait 50
          Next i
          ' Resets the statusbar
          ui.SetStatusbar

##### In Python

         from time import sleep
         for i in range(101):
             ui.SetStatusbar("Test:", i)
             sleep(0.05)
         ui.SetStatusbar()

## ShowProgressBar

Displays a non-modal dialog box. Specify its title, an explicatory text and a percentage of progress to be represented on a progressbar. The dialog will remain visible until a call to the method without arguments or until the user manually closes the dialog.

### Syntax:

svc.ShowProgressBar(title: str = '', text: str = '', percentage: int = -1)

### Parameters:

title : The title appearing on top of the dialog box. Default = "ScriptForge".

text: An optional text to be displayed above the progress bar.

percentage: an optional degree of progress between 0 and 100.

### Example:

##### In Basic

          Dim i As Integer
          For i = 0 To 100
              ui.ShowProgressBar("Window Title", "Progress ..." & i & "/100", i)
              Wait 50
          Next i
          ' Closes the Progress Bar window
          ui.ShowProgressBar

##### In Python

         from time import sleep
         for i in range(101):
             ui.ShowProgressBar("Window Title", "Progress ... " + str(i) + "/100", i)
             sleep(0.05)
         # Closes the Progress Bar window
         ui.ShowProgressBar()

## WindowExists

Returns True if the given window could be identified.

### Syntax:

svc.WindowExists(windowname: str): bool

### Parameters:

windowname: see the definitions above.

### Example:

##### In Basic

          If ui.WindowExists("C:\Document\My file.odt") Then
              ' ...

##### In Python

         if ui.WindowExists(r"C:\Document\My file.odt"):
             # ...

Related Topics

ScriptForge.Basic service

SFDocuments.Calc service

SFDocuments.Document service

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