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OpenOffice.org development:Next steps, next level

Mathias [email protected]

3rd OpenOffice.org Conference, Koper 2005
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]

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Notes about the speaker

Working on StarOffice/OpenOffice.org since 1995 Application Framework (formerly sfx2 module) Object embedding (sot, so3)

New UNO based Application Framework Now working as a Software Engineering Manager

Application Framework

Programmability (API/SDK/UNO) OpenOffice.org Application Framework Project Lead

Member of OOo Engineering Steering Committee

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OpenOffice.org Programmability

Past

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Goals of the API and UDK projects

Provide an API to access the whole functionality ofOpenOffice.org that allows developers to use it intheir own applications.

Enable users to extend OpenOffice.org with owncomponents that bring new functionality to theprogram.

Make internal implementations of existing

functionality in OpenOffice.org replaceable by othercomponents that work better or differently.

Make componentization of OpenOffice.org possible

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Use cases we have in mind

Creation of applications that connect to an instanceof OpenOffice.org and use its functionality

Writing macros or scripts with OpenOffice.org Basic

or Scripting Framework Using predefined service provider APIs to bring new

components into OpenOffice.org Document import or export filters Content providers Calc Add-Ins Data Connectors

Add-Ons

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What UNO provides to developers

Direct support for programming languages C++ Java

Python OpenOffice.org Basic

Support for Scripting Languages through Scripting

Framework; currently JavaScript, BeanShell OLE Automation Bridge to support VB, Delphi etc.

CLI UNO Bridge to support .NET (C#, VB.NET etc.)

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What the SDK provides

Complete reference documentation of the whole API

OpenOffice.org Developers Guide

Programming Examples for all supported languages

Development environment for C++ and Java

UNO Runtime Environment libraries and documentation

Creation of UNO packages for easy deployment

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Present

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Experience after 4 years: plus ...

Many developers showed up on our lists, starting alot of interesting discussions

Several Add-Ons (both open and closed source)

have been created Customer projects have been enabled by additional

components

Books have been written about OpenOffice.orgBasic macro development

OpenOffice.org itself benefits from UNO APIs bybecoming more componentized

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... and minus

Developers didn't use the provided documentationas much as we expected

Many of those who used it still had a lot of questions

People still fight with the SDK Component development, especially development

of Add-Ons, didn't happen to the extent we hoped

Macro development is done mostly by experts

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Problems of the API

We have many very flexible and powerful APIs, butat the expense of missing type safety API uses a lot of generic interfaces

API uses Any parameters and return valuesquite often This causes a lot of typechecks and interface

negotiations (queryInterface) at runtime

It makes the code harder to write and read People (especially Basic developers) very often

think in objects, not in interfaces

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Problems of the development tools

The SDK environment for the creation of UNOcomponents is not very convenient many developers don't like shells and makefiles

They miss the conveniences of modern IDEs Creation of components (especially Add-Ons)

requires a lot of unproductive routine work provide code for component registration and

instantiation hacking of XML configuration files

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Problems of the documentation

The documentation is huge and detailed but it'shard to get in

It lacks introductory parts (primers) to language

bindings and most important topics It's hard to access or explore the functionality of an

object using the UNOIDL reference

Basic is not well supported by it at all

Especially Basic developers ask for documentationin their native language

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Conclusion

So alltogether this creates the famous...

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Steep learning curve

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Future

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First improvements: Shiny UNO

Multiple inheritance for UNO interfaces

New Style Services with constructors

Type safe methods to get and set attributes

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Multiple inheritance for interfaces

Allows to create services that implement only oneinterface (important for new style services)

Supports polymorphism of interfaces through base

class interfaces instead of polymorphism of servicesthrough queryInterface calls

Cleans up the service concept by replacing the oldstyle abstract services

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New style services

Implement one interface, no optional parts

Constructors> return the real interface, not css.uno.XInterface as the

createInstance method of the Service Manager> can have defined parameters with defined types, not a

sequence < any > as the createInstanceWithArgumentsmethod of the Service Manager

Cleans up the service concept> all new style services are instantiable

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Interface attributes

Typesafe access by typed get/setMethod instead ofany-based get/setPropertyValue methods

Clean up concepts of interface and implementation

by making clear that attributes belong to theinterface and not to the service definition

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Interface negotiations

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Old style service

XDesktop xDesktop = null;XFramesSupplier xFrames = null;

// Create Desktop object

Object desktop =

xServiceManager.createInstance("com.sun.star.frame.Desktop");

xDesktop = (XDesktop)UnoRuntime.queryInterface(XDesktop.class,

desktop);

xFrames = (XFramesSupplier)UnoRuntime.queryInterface(

XFramesSupplier.class,desktop);

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New style service

XNewDesktop xDesktop = null;

// Create Desktop objectxDesktop = NewDesktop.create();

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API plans for next releases

Condition: use new UNO features without losingcompatibility to old versions of OpenOffice.org

Starting with the most important services:

> take all currently mandatory interfaces of the object andcreate a new multiple-inheritance interface from them

> implement the new interface as new style service, butsupport old ones in queryInterface calls of this object

> add all of the mandatory properties of the correspondingold style service as attributes to the interface of the newstyle service

Don't create any additional old style services

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SDK plans for next releases

Provide a code generator> Command line tool in SDK

> Feed with a service or a combination of interfaces

> Generate C++ or Java code that can be compiled,packed and deployed without any user action

> User edits this skeleton, only concentrating on hisproblem domain

Integrate the code generator into popular IDEs as acomponent wizard

For Java: switch to ANT

For C++: ???

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IDE support in OpenOffice.org SDK

NetBeans (Java, C++)> Started as a Google Summer Of Code project as well as

a project inside the SDK team

Eclipse (Java, C++)> Started as a Google Summer Of Code project

Microsoft Developer Studio

Other IDEs: ??? Open for contributions, help, suggestions...

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Topics for an IDE integration

Create and build UNOIDL files> wizard for routine work

> syntax highlighting

> create type information files Java/C++/CLI development

> component wizard using code generator

> code completion in editor (needs more rich interfaces)

> build/deploy/debug in IDE> integration of IDL reference into IDE

Scripting Framework

> deploy Java macros into documents and packages

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More Add-On support

Special code generator> retrieve necessary information from user

> easy creation of menus/toolbars without XML hacking

> creation of all necessary configuration files New features in OpenOffice.org

> Advanced toolbar controls (strings, lists, numerical items)

> Typed toolbar entries (void, integer, string, list etc.)

> Statusbar integration for Add-Ons> Titles for toolbars

> Template based contexts

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Component installation and updates

Make installation easier: textual registration

Precondition for component updates: versioning> components

> services> Office versions

> dependencies

Precondition for component downloads: signing

Cooperation: licencing of components

Finally: download and update components

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Documentation plans

More examples in all languages, showing bestpractice

Advertise code snippet database

Work with community to get more primer styledocumentation

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Plans for OpenOffice.org Basic

Create UNO packages from Basic IDE

Syntactical usability improvements> parameters using arrays of PropertyValue

Exception handling Support constructors in Basic

Would people accept static typing to get code

completion? Extend object browsing capability

> show methods, interfaces

>link to UNOIDL reference

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Google Summer Of Code

10 Projects in OpenOffice.org

7 finished succesfully> 1 API project (Grammer Checker API)

> 1 external tooling project (ODT-export for JasperReports)> 1 Calc non-coding project (Validation of results)

> 2 Programmability projects

> 2 Coding projects, both delivered as UNO components

> prepare OOo text documents for Word export

> tabbed windowing interface for OOo

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GSOC: Tabbed windows interface

Develop tabbed window interface asa separately installable UNOcomponent

Component should replace the

internal framework component that isused for the creation of new taskwindows

Use an existing tab control with anevent based UNO API

First prototype

> only one window with tabs

> no new GUI functions

Future plans: needs specification

Data about the project: Andrzej Wytyczak-Partyka Experienced C++ developer No knowledge in OpenOffice.org

development Total time of 9 weeks for

familiarizing with UNO baseddevelopment,

knowing and understanding therelevant APIs,

development of component. Mentoring based on dev-list of

Framework project done by AndreasSchlns (API project co-lead)

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GSOC: NetBeans as UNOIDL editor

Develop plugin for NetBeans> syntax highlighting for UNOIDL

> compile UNOIDL and create typeinformation for Java development

Future plans: integrate with furtherNetBeans plugins for UNO basedJava development

Data about the project: Fintan Fairmichael No knowledge in OpenOffice.org

development No prior knowledge about NetBeans

Total time of 9 weeks for familiarizing with UNOIDL and

tooling familarizing with NetBeans and

NetBeans plugins development of plugin

Mentoring done by Jrgen Schmidt(API project lead)

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GSOC: Eclipse as UNOIDL editor

Develop plugin for Eclipse> syntax highlighting for UNOIDL

> compile UNOIDL and create typeinformation for Java development

Future plans: extend functionality tosupport

> code generator wizards

> Java application and UNO

component development Looking for developers working on

similar functionality for C++development

Data about the project: Cedric Bosdonnat No knowledge in OpenOffice.org

development Good knowledge about Eclipse

Total time of 9 weeks for familiarizing with UNOIDL and

tooling development of plugin

Mentoring done by Jrgen Schmidt(API project lead)

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What you can do

Support the Code Snippet Database

Help creating/porting SDK examples

Work with us on the IDE integration

Write development primers about your favoritetopics

Translate documentation

Discuss missing or unsufficient APIs with us

Work with us on native packaging

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Community resources

http://api.openoffice.org

http://udk.openoffice.org

[email protected]

[email protected]

http://codesnippets.services.openoffice.org
http://api.openoffice.org/http://udk.openoffice.org/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://codesnippets.services.openoffice.org/http://codesnippets.services.openoffice.org/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://udk.openoffice.org/http://api.openoffice.org/

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Mathias [email protected]

Waiting for your commentsand suggestions

Koper 2005

Documents

Transcript of Koper 2005