api: Content

API@OOo: NEWSLETTER March/2004

Dear OOo community,

This is the March issue of the API@OOo NEWSLETTER.  At the 1st of each 
month, I am summarizing what was going on in the previous month within 
the OOo API project and the OOo SDK.  


*** ====================================================================
*** OOo API and OOo SDK Highlights this Month
*** --------------------------------------------------------------------

	-  #01: Upcoming UNO Features Announce / Ease of Use
	-  #02: Changing Size of Columns in an XTextTable 
	-  #03: Underlining with Coloured Squiggly Lines
	-  #04: UCB: Retrieving Data by FTP or HTTP
	-  #05: Macros to Enter International Characters
	-  #06: Flipping a Drawing Object with OOoBASIC
	-  #07: XPrintable: Putting System Printer Names in "<...>"
	-  #08: Modifying Menu Items by Utilizing the Configuration API
	-  #09: Localizing UNO Components *.xcu Files
	-  #10: A Future Framework for Utilizing JVMs from Other Vendors
	-  #11: Identifier Problems in Language Bindings
	-  #12: Using UNO Standalone (without OOo)
	-  #13: Tables in Forms are not Tables in Writer or Calc
	-  #14: New CodeSnippet: Decimal to Time Conversion using StarBASIC
	-  #15: New CodeSnippet: StarBASIC Assertions for Debugging and Testing


*** ====================================================================
*** #01: Upcoming UNO Features Announce / Ease of Use
*** --------------------------------------------------------------------

Stephan Bergmann announced [1] a new bunch UNO features [2] to increase
the ease of use which are currently in the queue to be integrated into 
one of the next SRC680 builds (CWS sb14).  Those changes will offer optional
base types and extended attributes of interface types, single-interface-
based services with constructors, and interface-based singletons

1:http://api.openoffice.org/servlets/ReadMsg?list=dev&msgNo=9802
2:http://udk.openoffice.org/common/man/draft/multinherit.html


*** ====================================================================
*** #02: Changing Size of Columns in an XTextTable 
*** --------------------------------------------------------------------

Andrew Pitonyak forwarded [1] a discussion thread with information about
a way to change the TextTable column width.

1:http://api.openoffice.org/servlets/ReadMsg?list=dev&msgNo=9687


*** ====================================================================
*** #03: Underlining with Coloured Squiggly Lines
*** --------------------------------------------------------------------

Bernard Marcelly posted [1] some code to underline with coloured squiggly
lines.

1:http://api.openoffice.org/servlets/ReadMsg?list=dev&msgNo=9691


*** ====================================================================
*** #04: UCB: Retrieving Data by FTP or HTTP
*** --------------------------------------------------------------------

Andrew Pitonyak posted [1] code example which shows how to download stock
quotes from the Internet into a OOo Calc spreadsheet.  Kai Sommerfeld
pointed [2] to a web page within the UCB project which contains another
example [3].

1:http://api.openoffice.org/servlets/ReadMsg?list=dev&msgNo=9713
2:http://api.openoffice.org/servlets/ReadMsg?list=dev&msgNo=9712
3:http://ucb.openoffice.org/docs/ucb-api-usage.html


*** ====================================================================
*** #05: Macros to Enter International Characters
*** --------------------------------------------------------------------

Leston Buell [1,2] and Alexej Kryukov [3,4] posted macros which ease
entering international characters which are not available on the
keyboard.

1:http://api.openoffice.org/servlets/ReadMsg?list=dev&msgNo=9766
2:http://www.fizzylogic.com/users/bulbul/OOo/OOoGoodies.html
3:http://api.openoffice.org/servlets/ReadMsg?list=dev&msgNo=9767
4:http://www.thessalonica.org.ru


*** ====================================================================
*** #06: Flipping a Drawing Object with OOoBASIC
*** --------------------------------------------------------------------

Stephan Wunderlich posted [1] a code example to flip drawing objects
using OOoBASIC.

1:http://api.openoffice.org/servlets/ReadMsg?list=dev&msgNo=9808


*** ====================================================================
*** #07: XPrintable: Putting System Printer Names in "<...>"
*** --------------------------------------------------------------------

Juergen Schmidt explained [1] that system printers, those which are not
configured with spadmin, need to be put in "<...>".  We see that this
is an issue which has to be dealt with in one way or the other.

1:http://api.openoffice.org/servlets/ReadMsg?list=dev&msgNo=9827


*** ====================================================================
*** #08: Modifying Menu Items by Utilizing the Configuration API
*** --------------------------------------------------------------------

Andrew Pitonyak pointed [1] to a code example [2] in OOoForum which
shows how to modify menu items using the configuration API.

1:http://api.openoffice.org/servlets/ReadMsg?list=dev&msgNo=9836
2:http://www.oooforum.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6310


*** ====================================================================
*** #09: Localizing UNO Components *.xcu Files
*** --------------------------------------------------------------------

Alexej Kryukov pointed [1] to two of his applications [2,3] where he
utilizes *.xcu files for localisation.

1:http://udk.openoffice.org/servlets/ReadMsg?list=dev&msgNo=2406
2:http://www.thessalonica.org.ru
3:http://ooomacros.org/user.php#105792


*** ====================================================================
*** #10: A Future Framework for Utilizing JVMs from Other Vendors
*** --------------------------------------------------------------------

Joachim Lingner announced [1] a document [2] which describes our ideas
about a future framework which enables us to use Java distributions of
different vendors. 

1:http://udk.openoffice.org/servlets/ReadMsg?list=dev&msgNo=2400
2:http://udk.openoffice.org/common/man/draft/javavendorextension.sxw


*** ====================================================================
*** #11: Identifier Problems in Language Bindings
*** --------------------------------------------------------------------

Stephan Bergmann started [1] a discussion about identifier conflicts in
language bindings and suggested ways to deal with these problems.

1:http://udk.openoffice.org/servlets/ReadMsg?list=dev&msgNo=2389


*** ====================================================================
*** #12: Using UNO Standalone (without OOo)
*** --------------------------------------------------------------------

Kai Sommerfeld posted [1] some hints of how to use UNO without Ooo.

1:http://udk.openoffice.org/servlets/ReadMsg?list=dev&msgNo=2385


*** ====================================================================
*** #13: Tables in Forms are not Tables in Writer or Calc
*** --------------------------------------------------------------------

Frank Schönheit posted [1] some information about different table
services at the OOo API.

1:http://api.openoffice.org/servlets/ReadMsg?list=dev&msgId=1125323


*** ====================================================================
*** #14: New CodeSnippet: Decimal to Time Conversion using StarBASIC
*** --------------------------------------------------------------------

Laurent Duperval posted [1] a StarBASIC function to convert a decimal 
value to it's time representation (hours, minutes and seconds). 

1:http://api.openoffice.org/servlets/ReadMsg?list=dev&msgId=1127667


*** ====================================================================
*** #15: New CodeSnippet: StarBASIC Assertions for Debugging and Testing
*** --------------------------------------------------------------------

Laurent Duperval posted [1] a StarBASIC code snippets which help testing
and debugging code without print statements.  Please also check his
followup [2].

1:http://api.openoffice.org/servlets/ReadMsg?list=dev&msgId=1128190
2:http://api.openoffice.org/servlets/ReadMsg?list=dev&msgId=1128671


*** ====================================================================
*** About this NEWSLETTER
*** --------------------------------------------------------------------

The archive of this newsletter can be found on our website:
	http://api.openoffice.org/NewsLetter/

If you think this newsletter is useful and you would like to take over
responsibility for the API@OOo NEWSLETTER, just drop us a hint.  Or if
you just have something interesting for the next API@OOo NEWSLETTER,
mail your article to mi@openoffice.org.  The community ill appreciate
your contribution.

        Michael
The Free and Open Productivity Suite

API@OOo: NEWSLETTER March/2004
