Universal Network Objects (UNO)

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BASIC Guide

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• The Language of OpenOffice.org Basic

• Overview of a Basic Program
• Working With Variables
• Strings
• Numbers
• Boolean Values
• Date and Time
• Arrays
• Scope and Life Span of Variables
• Constants
• Operators
• Branching
• Loops
• Procedures and Functions
• Error Handling
• Other Instructions

• Runtime Library

• Conversion Functions
• Strings
• Date and Time
• Files and Directories
• Message and Input Boxes
• Other Functions

• Introduction to the API

• Universal Network Objects (UNO)
• Properties and Methods
• Modules, Services and Interfaces
• Tools for Working with UNO
• Overview of Central Interfaces

• Working with Documents

• The StarDesktop
• Styles and Templates

• Text Documents

• The Structure of Text Documents
• Editing Text Documents
• More than Just Text

• Spreadsheet Documents

• The Structure of Spreadsheets
  • Rows and Columns
  • Cells and Ranges
  • Formatting Spreadsheet Documents
• Editing Spreadsheet Documents

• Drawings and Presentations

• The Structure of Drawings
• Editing Drawing Objects
• Presentations

• Charts (Diagrams)

• Using Charts in Spreadsheets
• The Structure of Charts
• Chart Types

• Databases

• SQL: a Query Language
• Types of Database Access
• Data Sources
• Database Access

• Dialogs

• Working With Dialogs
• Properties
• Events
• Dialog Control Elements

• Forms

• Working With Forms
• Control Element Forms
• Database Forms

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OpenOffice.org provides a programming interface in the form of the Universal Network Objects (UNO). This is an object-oriented programming interface which OpenOffice.org sub-divides into various objects which for their part ensure program-controlled access to the Office package.

Since OpenOffice.org Basic is a procedural programming language, several linguistic constructs have had to be added to it which enable the use of UNO.

To use a Universal Network Object in OpenOffice.org Basic, you will need a variable declaration for the associated object. The declaration is made using the Dim instruction (see The Language of OpenOffice.org Basic). The Object type designation should be used to declare an object variable:

Dim Obj As Object

The call declares an object variable named Obj.

The object variable created must then be initialized so that it can be used. This can be done using the createUnoService function:

Obj = createUnoService("com.sun.star.frame.Desktop")

This call assigns to the Obj variable a reference to the newly created object. com.sun.star.frame.Desktop resembles an object type; however in UNO terminology it is called a service rather than a type. In accordance with UNO philosophy, an Obj is described as a reference to an object which supports the com.sun.star.frame.Desktop service. The service term used in OpenOffice.org Basic therefore corresponds to the type and class terms used in other programming languages.

There is, however, one main difference: a Universal Network Object may support several services at the same time. Some UNO services in turn support other services so that, through one object, you are provided with a whole range of services. For example, that the aforementioned object, which is based on the com.sun.star.frame.Desktop service, can also include other services for loading documents and for ending the program.

VBA : Whereas the structure of an object in VBA is defined by the class to which it belongs, in OpenOffice.org Basic the structure is defined through the services which it supports. A VBA object is always assigned to precisely one single class. A OpenOffice.org Basic object can, however, support several services.

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