Mail merge embedding in LibreOffice Writer

FOSDEM 2016, , Brussels

Transcript

1. Mail merge embedding
   in LibreOffice Writer
   By Miklos Vajna
   Software Engineer at Collabora Productivity
   2016-01-30
   @CollaboraOffice www.CollaboraOffice.com
   

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2. 2 / 19
   FOSDEM 2016, Brussels | Miklos Vajna
   About Miklos
   ●
   From Hungary
   ●
   More blurb: http://vmiklos.hu/
   ●
   Google Summer of Code 2010/2011
   ●
   Rewrite of the Writer RTF import/export
   ●
   Writer developer since Feb 2012
   ●
   Contractor at Collabora since Sept 2013
   

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3. Embedding a mail merge
   data source definition
   

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4. 4 / 19
   FOSDEM 2016, Brussels | Miklos Vajna
   Embedded objects
   ●
   Cross-platform for native data models
   ●
   Windows-only: OLE
   ●
   Bitmap (replacement image) + native data
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   In Writer: text embedded object
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   Part of the document body (anchored, etc.)
   

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5. 5 / 19
   FOSDEM 2016, Brussels | Miklos Vajna
   Mail merge
   data source definition
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   Typical use-case:
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   Real data source
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   Base document (wrapper): data source
   definition
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   Global inside LibreOffice
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   Mail merge uses a data source from this list
   

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6. 6 / 19
   FOSDEM 2016, Brussels | Miklos Vajna
   Results #1
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   Save your document template
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   Tools → Mail Merge Wizard
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   Select Address list → e.g. a .ods file
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   Edit document
   

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7. 7 / 19
   FOSDEM 2016, Brussels | Miklos Vajna
   Results #2
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   Insert mail merge fields
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   Return to the wizard
   

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8. 8 / 19
   FOSDEM 2016, Brussels | Miklos Vajna
   Results #3
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   Save merged document
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   Save as single document
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   Click on save document
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   Close the merged result, no need to save
   

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9. 9 / 19
   FOSDEM 2016, Brussels | Miklos Vajna
   Results #4
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   Embedded data source is registered
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   Close the mail template
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   Data source definition disappears
   

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10. 10 / 19
    FOSDEM 2016, Brussels | Miklos Vajna
    Results #5
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    Open the mail template
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    Embedded data source definition is
    registered again
    

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11. How is this
    implemented?
    

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12. 12 / 19
    FOSDEM 2016, Brussels | Miklos Vajna
    Embedding a Base document
    ●
    dbaccess::ODatabaseDocument
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    Does not inherit from SfxBaseModel
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    dbaccess::ODatabaseContext is the
    global manager
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    No SwOLENode, just
    OCommonEmbeddedObject
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    SwDBManager's
    StoreEmbeddedDataSource() is the
    implementation
    

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13. 13 / 19
    FOSDEM 2016, Brussels | Miklos Vajna
    ODF filter
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    Newly handled parameters:
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    TargetStorage
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    StreamRelPath
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    BaseURI
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    dbaxml::ODBFilter is the importer
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    dbaxml::ODBExport is the export
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    loadFromStorage() not implemented,
    storeToStorage() needed fixing
    

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14. 14 / 19
    FOSDEM 2016, Brussels | Miklos Vajna
    Embedding
    without a text embedded object
    ● ODatabaseContext owns the doc model
    ● In ODF, settings.xml refers the storage of
    the XML streams
    ● It gets registered on load
    ● It gets removed on close
    

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15. 15 / 19
    FOSDEM 2016, Brussels | Miklos Vajna
    Mail merge wizard
    ●
    SwDBManager's
    LoadAndRegisterDataSource() does the
    creation
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    The Writer document has to be saved, so
    it has a storage
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    The embedded model then can be a sub-
    storage
    

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16. 16 / 19
    FOSDEM 2016, Brussels | Miklos Vajna
    Address book wizard
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    Another user interface to create data
    source definitions
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    Code in extensions/source/abpilot/
    

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17. 17 / 19
    FOSDEM 2016, Brussels | Miklos Vajna
    Relative references, testing
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    Feature: relative references
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    So .odt and .ods can travel together
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    But ../ would refer to the non-embedded
    parent model
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    Have to support even ../../
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    If the parent doc moves → need to re-
    save the embedded doc
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    SwUiWriterTest's
    testEmbeddedDataSource()
    

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18. 18 / 19
    FOSDEM 2016, Brussels | Miklos Vajna
    Thanks
    ●
    Collabora is an open source consulting
    company
    ●
    What we do and share with the community
    has to be paid by someone
    ●
    LHM sponsored this work
    

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19. 19 / 19
    FOSDEM 2016, Brussels | Miklos Vajna
    Summary
    ● Mail merge embedding allows mail merge
    with just two (ODT and e.g. ODS) documents
    ● Available in LibreOffice 5.1
    ● Improves experience for those who migrate from
    Microsoft Office
    ● One more long-standing problem solved
    ● Thanks for listening! :-)
    ● Slides: http://vmiklos.hu/odp
    

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