unodit

UNO Dialog Tools is a Python3 command-line tool which takes a .xdl file written in the Basic Dialog Editor and generates dialog code in PyUNO (Python) in order to create LibreOffice extension, sidebar extension or embed in ODF documents. Unodit was developed with a focus on rapid prototyping in order to lower the barrier of entry for newcomers.

Features

unodit main features are:

• Convert a .xdl file written with Basic Dialog Editor into a PyUNO (Python):

  unodit create file MyAppName_UI.py with actual python code. It defines a class called MyAppName_UI with dialog and dialog controls properties. Each button in your dialog is connected with action listener. New: window listener was added in sidebar. All changes made in this file will be overwritten if the file is generated again

• Allows you to customize code according to your needs:

  In order to help you to add your own functionality to dialog unodit generates another file MyAppName.py. There is a new class MyAppName which extend MyAppName_UI. You can change dialog properties with eg. self.DialogModel.Title = 'Hello world' or control properties with eg.self.TextField1.Text = "My New Text". Each button in your dialog is connected with action event which execute callback function ButtonName_OnClick(). New: resizeControls event handler has been added, which will be called when sidebar has been resized. This allows you to resize/reposition controls in the sidebar dialog. Now you can write down the code to actually do something :)

• Object inspection and debugging:

  The file MyAppName.py provide convenient code, depending on your requirements and development practices, for easy object inspection and debugging with extension or in the IDE.

  Extension: One can use installed extension (MRI or Xray) by uncommenting code in section HELPERS FOR MRI AND XRAY.

  IDE: First start LibreOffice with the command soffice "--accept=socket,host=127.0.0.1,port=2002,tcpNoDelay=1;urp;StarOffice.ComponentContext" --norestore as described in code section HELPER FOR AN IDE. Then step through code (tested with: PyCharm, Pyzo with PyUNO Workspace plugin).

• Pack your code as extension, sidebar extension or embed in ODF documents:

  After finishing coding you can decide to distribute your code. unodit can create necessary files and generate extension or file for you. After installation, in some cases, user can start extension with Tools - AddOns - My App.

• Provides simple dialog boxes for interaction with a user:

  If you only want simple GUI for your macros unodit provides simple dialog boxes for interaction with a user. In script interactions are invoked by simple function calls. If you decide to distribute your code unodit can create necessary files and generate extension for you.

Other features are:

• all steps are logged to log.log file in project root
• per project customization with ini file (copy config.ini in project root)
• boilerplate code in templates directory
• conversion .xdl to .py defined in schema.py
• diff .xdl vs. schema.py

Your comments, feedback and patches are welcomed and appreciated.

NOTE: This is a project that targets LibreOffice 6+ and Python3. Tested with Xubuntu 18.04. and LibreOffice 6+.

Installation

Place the unodit directory somewhere on your Python path.

Usage

python3 ./unodit.py -m -d [-f ] [-a] [-p] [-i]

m - mode

d - full path to the output directory (project root)

f - full path to the xdl file

a - application name

p - number of panels in deck

i - number of spaces used for indentation in the generated code. If 0, \t is used as indent

Quick start

This section gives a general overview, for more information see documentation.

• create dialog eg. Default.xdl in Dialog Editor

• create project directory eg. TestLib in LIBREOFFICE_PATH/4/user/Scripts/python/

• run unodit to create extension in project directory

    python3 ./unodit.py -m 'script_all'
                        -d 'LIBREOFFICE_PATH/4/user/Scripts/python/TestLib'
                        -f 'LIBREOFFICE_PATH/4/user/basic/DialogLib/Default.xdl'
                        -a 'Test_convert'
  

• install extension using Tools - Extension Manager or command-line /usr/bin/unopkg add ./Test_convert_Devel.oxt (Ubuntu)

Projects using unodit

Libreoffice-Addon for Qualitative Data Analysis

Screenshot

Test dialog created at runtime

The action event listener is registered for all button controls.

Pack dialogs in Sidebar

Run simple dialogs

Unodit directory structure

unodit/

    pythonpath/                    > submodules dir
        config.py                      > config file
        embed_packer.py                > embed script in ODF file
        extractor.py                   > extract context from ui file
        generator.py                   > code generator
        oxt_creator.py                 > create .oxt extension
        pyuno_generator.py             > python code generator
        schema.py                      > supported properties
        sidebar.py                     > write sidebars code
        simple_dialogs.py              > like easygui dialogs

    resource/                      > resources dir
        embed/                         > odf files
        images/                        > unodit icons
        screanshoot/                   > screanshoot images
        simple_dialogs/                > dialog images
        xdl/                           > examples .xdl

    templates/                     > tempaltes dir
        connect/
        convert/
        dialogs/
        embeded/
        script_ext/
        sidebar_convert/
        sidebar_convert_ext/
    config.ini                         > config file
    LICENSE.txt
    README.md
    unodit.py                          > main script

Similar projects

The following is an incomplete lists of a few projects that share some similarity with unodit.

Gladex: Gladex is a Python application which takes a .glade file written in the Glade User Interface Builder and generates code in Perl, Python, or Ruby.

pyuic4: Convert a .ui file written with Qt Designer into a Python script.

EasyGUI: Very easy GUI programming in Python and Tkinter

EasyGUI_Qt: Inspired by EasyGUI, designed for PyQt