LibreOffice and Apache OpenOffice at the command line
Beyond the Editing Window
Officially, the developers of LibreOffice and Apache OpenOffice vastly prefer that users do everything from the editing window. There is a sound reason for this preference – from the editing window, users are less likely to run into difficulties such as corrupting files.
Still, most of the potential problems can be avoided if you work from copies. And, there's no denying that using ooo_cat
, for example, is a far faster way to combine files than copying and pasting.
At other times, just dealing directly with LibreOffice or OpenOffice files lets you do things that are impossible from the editing window. For example, you can check Tools | Options | LibreOffice | Paths to find your local configuration. Here, a little exploration will reveal the location of templates and features, such as custom gradients in Draw, so that you can back them up (Figure 2).
More ambitiously, if you change the extension of a file to .zip
, you will find that it is actually a zipped collection of XML documents (Figure 3). To understand these XML documents fully, you can consult the specifications for the Open Document Format, the default format for LibreOffice or OpenOffice [5], but you need no special knowledge to extract the unformatted text from content.xml
if a file is corrupt or to attempt repairs by pasting the XML documents to or from working documents.
By the time you've tried some of these simple operations, you should rightly conclude that, for desktop apps, LibreOffice and OpenOffice can have a surprisingly lively life at the command line.
Infos
- OOoPy: http://ooopy.sourceforge.net/
- ElementTree library: http://effbot.org/downloads/#elementtree
- Writer2LaTeX: http://writer2latex.sourceforge.net/index.html
- Writer2LaTeX manual: http://writer2latex.sourceforge.net/index14.html
- OASIS Open Document Format for Office Applications: https://www.oasis-open.org/committees/tc_home.php?wg_abbrev=office
« Previous 1 2
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Gnome OS Transitioning Toward a General-Purpose Distro
If you're looking for the perfectly vanilla take on the Gnome desktop, Gnome OS might be for you.
-
Fedora 41 Released with New Features
If you're a Fedora fan or just looking for a Linux distribution to help you migrate from Windows, Fedora 41 might be just the ticket.
-
AlmaLinux OS Kitten 10 Gives Power Users a Sneak Preview
If you're looking to kick the tires of AlmaLinux's upstream version, the developers have a purrfect solution.
-
Gnome 47.1 Released with a Few Fixes
The latest release of the Gnome desktop is all about fixing a few nagging issues and not about bringing new features into the mix.
-
System76 Unveils an Ampere-Powered Thelio Desktop
If you're looking for a new desktop system for developing autonomous driving and software-defined vehicle solutions. System76 has you covered.
-
VirtualBox 7.1.4 Includes Initial Support for Linux kernel 6.12
The latest version of VirtualBox has arrived and it not only adds initial support for kernel 6.12 but another feature that will make using the virtual machine tool much easier.
-
New Slimbook EVO with Raw AMD Ryzen Power
If you're looking for serious power in a 14" ultrabook that is powered by Linux, Slimbook has just the thing for you.
-
The Gnome Foundation Struggling to Stay Afloat
The foundation behind the Gnome desktop environment is having to go through some serious belt-tightening due to continued financial problems.
-
Thousands of Linux Servers Infected with Stealth Malware Since 2021
Perfctl is capable of remaining undetected, which makes it dangerous and hard to mitigate.
-
Halcyon Creates Anti-Ransomware Protection for Linux
As more Linux systems are targeted by ransomware, Halcyon is stepping up its protection.