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Views: 762     Votes:  4     ✅ Solution
Tags: libreoffice   style  
Link: 🔍 See Original Answer on Ask Ubuntu ⧉ 🔗

URL: https://askubuntu.com/q/1021152
Title: Change 2 or more LibreOffice documents to have the exact same styling/formatting
ID: /2018/04/01/Change-2-or-more-LibreOffice-documents-to-have-the-exact-same-styling_formatting
Created: April 1, 2018    Edited:  January 9, 2022
Upload: April 8, 2024    Layout:  post
TOC: true    Navigation:  true    Copy to clipboard:  false


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Use LibreOffice Tools Instead of Command Line

When all you have are command line tools everything looks like a command line problem. I’ve decided to write this answer using LibreOffice macros:

  1. Use a command line loop to process every Writer document in a “headless” environment.
  2. Run macro to change .rtf (Rich Text Format) Writer document file.
  3. Macro saves file and exit
  4. Loop back to 1.

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Table of Contents

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Create Test Data

Create two or more files containing:

richtext2.png

Create script ~/Downloads/copy-rtf.sh containing:

cp ~/Documents/*.rtf ~/Downloads

Mark as executable using

chmod a+x ~/Downloads/copy-rtf.sh

The Downloads directory is used because:


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Run Macro in Headless Environment

Using this Stack Exchange answer, run Libreoffice Writer from the command line and pass it a global macro name to execute:

soffice -headless -invisible "vnd.sun.star.script:Standard.Module1.MySubroutine? language=Basic&location=application"

If the above method doesn’t work, another method can be tried:

soffice "macro:///Standard.SaveCSV.Main" $1

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Install Java Runtime Environment

To run macros you need Java Runtime Environment (JRE) installed. The developer’s web page has instructions for downloading and installing manually.

However this AU Q&A: https://askubuntu.com/a/728153/307523 suggests it is as simple as:

sudo apt-add-repository ppa:webupd8team/java
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install oracle-java8-installer oracle-java8-set-default

I tried the AU Q&A method and after the first step of adding the PPA a splash screen appears with additional information. The most helpful is a link to setting up JRE 8 on Debian systems.

The third step of installing JRE 8 requires you to use Tab and Enter to accept the License Agreement. Your machine will pause for a few minutes during the heaviest part of the installation routine.

Now open LibreOffice and select Tools -> Options -> LibreOffice -> Advanced and setup this screen:

LO JRE8 Advanced Setup.png

Click the options for:


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LibreOffice Writer Macro

The macro will read through the entire document and:

The macro will save document and exit LibreOffice Writer.

Turn Off Dialog

Do a file save and this dialog comes up:

LO Writer turn off RTF dialog.png

Turn this message off as show in the screen. The macro may not run properly if this option is on.

Macro Contents

I spent a few days attempting to record a macro using “Tools” -> “Macros” -> “Record Macro” -> “Basic”. At first it seemed promising but the recorded macro had inconsistent behavior and had to be abandoned for a hand written basic macro. A found help in Stack Overflow for an expert there to help me with the basic basic coding. Here is the result:

Sub ChangeAllFonts
    rem - Change all font names to Ubuntu.
    rem - If heading 1 set font size to 28
    rem - else if font size is 18 set to 22
    rem - else set font size to 12
    rem - The macro will save document and exit LibreOffice Writer.
    Dim oDoc As Object
    Dim oParEnum As Object, oPar As Object, oSecEnum As Object, oSec As Object
    Dim oFamilies As Object, oParaStyles As Object, oStyle As Object
    oDoc = ThisComponent
    oParEnum = oDoc.Text.createEnumeration()
    Do While oParEnum.hasMoreElements()
      oPar = oParEnum.nextElement()
      If oPar.supportsService("com.sun.star.text.Paragraph") Then
        oSecEnum = oPar.createEnumeration()
        Do While oSecEnum.hasMoreElements()
          oSec = oSecEnum.nextElement()
          If oSec.TextPortionType = "Text" Then
            If oSec.ParaStyleName = "Heading 1" Then
                rem ignore for now
            ElseIf oSec.CharHeight = 18 Then
                oSec.CharHeight = 22.0
            Else
                oSec.CharHeight = 12.0
            End If
          End If
        Loop
      End If
    Loop
    oFamilies = oDoc.getStyleFamilies()
    oParaStyles = oFamilies.getByName("ParagraphStyles")
    oStyle = oParaStyles.getByName("Heading 1")
    oStyle.setPropertyValue("CharHeight", 28.0)
    FileSave
    StarDesktop.terminate()
End Sub

rem Above subroutine is missing call to UbuntuFontName ()
rem also it is calling oStyle.setPropertyValue("CharHeight", 28.0)
rem which may cause problems. Will test. Also StarDesktop.terminate ()
rem is known to cause problems and will likely be reworked with a
rem a dialog box telling operator the program is finished and maybe
rem to press <Alt>+<F4>.

rem ========= Original code below for possible recycling ===========

Sub AllFonts
rem - change all font names to Ubuntu.
rem - If heading 1 set font size to 28
rem - else if font size is 18 set to 22
rem - else set font size to 12

rem The macro will save document and exit LibreOffice Writer.

Dim CharHeight As Long, oSel as Object, oTC as Object
Dim CharStyleName As String
Dim oParEnum as Object, oPar as Object, oSecEnum as Object, oSec as Object
Dim oVC as Object, oText As Object
Dim oParSection        'Current Section
      
oText = ThisComponent.Text
oSel = ThisComponent.CurrentSelection.getByIndex(0) 'get the current selection
oTC = oText.createTextCursorByRange(oSel)           ' and span it with a cursor

rem Scan the cursor range for chunks of given text size.
rem (Doesn't work - affects the whole document)

oParEnum = oTC.Text.createEnumeration()
Do While oParEnum.hasMoreElements()
  oPar = oParEnum.nextElement()
  If oPar.supportsService("com.sun.star.text.Paragraph") Then
    oSecEnum = oPar.createEnumeration()
    oParSection = oSecEnum.nextElement()
    Do While oSecEnum.hasMoreElements()
      oSec = oSecEnum.nextElement()
      If oSec.TextPortionType = "Text" Then
        CharStyleName = oParSection.CharStyleName
        CharHeight = oSec.CharHeight
        if CharStyleName = "Heading 1" Then
            oSec.CharHeight = 28
        elseif CharHeight = 18 Then
            oSec.CharHeight = 22
        else
            oSec.CharHeight = 12
        End If
      End If
    Loop
  End If

Loop

FileSave
stardesktop.terminate()

End Sub


Sub UbuntuFontName
rem ----------------------------------------------------------------------
rem define variables
dim document   as object
dim dispatcher as object
rem ----------------------------------------------------------------------
rem get access to the document
document   = ThisComponent.CurrentController.Frame
dispatcher = createUnoService("com.sun.star.frame.DispatchHelper")

rem ----------- Select all text ------------------------------------------
dispatcher.executeDispatch(document, ".uno:SelectAll", "", 0, Array())

rem ----------- Change all fonts to Ubuntu -------------------------------
dim args5(4) as new com.sun.star.beans.PropertyValue
args5(0).Name = "CharFontName.StyleName"
args5(0).Value = ""
args5(1).Name = "CharFontName.Pitch"
args5(1).Value = 2
args5(2).Name = "CharFontName.CharSet"
args5(2).Value = -1
args5(3).Name = "CharFontName.Family"
args5(3).Value = 0
args5(4).Name = "CharFontName.FamilyName"
args5(4).Value = "Ubuntu"

dispatcher.executeDispatch(document, ".uno:CharFontName", "", 0, args5())

end sub


sub FileSave
rem ----------------------------------------------------------------------
rem define variables
dim document   as object
dim dispatcher as object
rem ----------------------------------------------------------------------
rem get access to the document
document   = ThisComponent.CurrentController.Frame
dispatcher = createUnoService("com.sun.star.frame.DispatchHelper")

rem ----------------------------------------------------------------------
dispatcher.executeDispatch(document, ".uno:Save", "", 0, Array())

end sub

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