How to do a simple mail merge in OpenOffice

Question

I need to do a simple mail merge in OpenOffice using C++, VBScript, VB.Net or C# via OLE or native API. Are there any good examples available?

Answer 1

You should take a look at http://api.openoffice.org/. A project for creating an API for Open Office. A few languages they say to support are: C++, Java, Python, CLI, StarBasic, JavaScript and OLE.

Java Example of a mailmerge in OpenOffice.

Answer 2

I haven't come up with a solution I'm really happy with but here are some notes:

• Q. What is the OO API for mail merge?

  A. http://api.openoffice.org/docs/common/ref/com/sun/star/text/MailMerge.html

• Q. What support groups?

  A. http://user.services.openoffice.org/en/forum/viewforum.php?f=20

• Q. Sample code?

  A. http://user.services.openoffice.org/en/forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=946&p=3778&hilit=mail+merge#p3778

  http://user.services.openoffice.org/en/forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=8088&p=38017&hilit=mail+merge#p38017

• Q. Any more examples?

  A. file:///C:/Program%20Files/OpenOffice.org_2.4_SDK/examples/examples.html (comes with the SDK)

  http://www.oooforum.org/forum/viewtopic.phtml?p=94970

• Q. How do I build the examples?

  A. e.g., for WriterDemo (C:\Program Files\OpenOffice.org_2.4_SDK\examples\CLI\VB.NET\WriterDemo)

  1. Add references to everything in here: C:\Program Files\OpenOffice.org 2.4\program\assembly
  2. That is cli_basetypes, cli_cppuhelper, cli_types, cli_ure

• Q. Does OO use the same separate data/document file for mail merge?

  A. It allows for a range of data sources including csv files

• Q. Does OO allow you to merge to all the different types (fax, email, new document printer)?

  A. You can merge to a new document, print and email

• Q. Can you add custom fields?

  A. Yes

• Q. How do you create a new document in VB.Net?

  A.

          Dim xContext As XComponentContext
  
  
      xContext = Bootstrap.bootstrap()
  
  
      Dim xFactory As XMultiServiceFactory
      xFactory = DirectCast(xContext.getServiceManager(), _
          XMultiServiceFactory)
  
  
      'Create the Desktop
      Dim xDesktop As unoidl.com.sun.star.frame.XDesktop
      xDesktop = DirectCast(xFactory.createInstance("com.sun.star.frame.Desktop"), _
          unoidl.com.sun.star.frame.XDesktop)
  
  
      'Open a new empty writer document
      Dim xComponentLoader As unoidl.com.sun.star.frame.XComponentLoader
      xComponentLoader = DirectCast(xDesktop, unoidl.com.sun.star.frame.XComponentLoader)
      Dim arProps() As unoidl.com.sun.star.beans.PropertyValue = _
          New unoidl.com.sun.star.beans.PropertyValue() {}
      Dim xComponent As unoidl.com.sun.star.lang.XComponent
      xComponent = xComponentLoader.loadComponentFromURL( _
          "private:factory/swriter", "_blank", 0, arProps)
      Dim xTextDocument As unoidl.com.sun.star.text.XTextDocument
      xTextDocument = DirectCast(xComponent, unoidl.com.sun.star.text.XTextDocument)
  
  
  

• Q. How do you save the document?

  A.

          Dim storer As unoidl.com.sun.star.frame.XStorable = DirectCast(xTextDocument, unoidl.com.sun.star.frame.XStorable)
          arProps = New unoidl.com.sun.star.beans.PropertyValue() {}
          storer.storeToURL("file:///C:/Users/me/Desktop/OpenOffice Investigation/saved doc.odt", arProps)
  

• Q. How do you Open the document?

  A.

          Dim xComponent As unoidl.com.sun.star.lang.XComponent
          xComponent = xComponentLoader.loadComponentFromURL( _
              "file:///C:/Users/me/Desktop/OpenOffice Investigation/saved doc.odt", "_blank", 0, arProps)
  

• Q. How do you initiate a mail merge in VB.Net?

  A.

  1. Don't know. This functionality is in the API reference but is missing from the IDL. We may be slightly screwed. Assuming the API was working, it looks like running a merge is fairly simple.

  2. In VBScript:

     Set objServiceManager = WScript.CreateObject("com.sun.star.ServiceManager")

     'Now set up a new MailMerge using the settings extracted from that doc Set oMailMerge = objServiceManager.createInstance("com.sun.star.text.MailMerge")

     oMailMerge.DocumentURL = "file:///C:/Users/me/Desktop/OpenOffice Investigation/mail merged.odt" oMailMerge.DataSourceName = "adds" oMailMerge.CommandType = 0 ' http://api.openoffice.org/docs/common/ref/com/sun/star/text/MailMerge.html#CommandType oMailMerge.Command = "adds" oMailMerge.OutputType = 2 ' http://api.openoffice.org/docs/common/ref/com/sun/star/text/MailMerge.html#OutputType oMailMerge.execute(Array())

  3. In VB.Net (Option Strict Off)

         Dim t_OOo As Type
         t_OOo = Type.GetTypeFromProgID("com.sun.star.ServiceManager")
         Dim objServiceManager As Object
         objServiceManager = System.Activator.CreateInstance(t_OOo)
     
     
     Dim oMailMerge As Object
     oMailMerge = t_OOo.InvokeMember("createInstance", _
                     BindingFlags.InvokeMethod, Nothing, _
                     objServiceManager, New [Object]() {"com.sun.star.text.MailMerge"})
     
     
     'Now set up a new MailMerge using the settings extracted from that doc
     oMailMerge.DocumentURL = "file:///C:/Users/me/Desktop/OpenOffice Investigation/mail merged.odt"
     oMailMerge.DataSourceName = "adds"
     oMailMerge.CommandType = 0 ' http://api.openoffice.org/docs/common/ref/com/sun/star/text/MailMerge.html#CommandType
     oMailMerge.Command = "adds"
     oMailMerge.OutputType = 2 ' http://api.openoffice.org/docs/common/ref/com/sun/star/text/MailMerge.html#OutputType
     oMailMerge.execute(New [Object]() {})
     
     
     

  4. The same thing but with Option Strict On (doesn't work)

         Dim t_OOo As Type
         t_OOo = Type.GetTypeFromProgID("com.sun.star.ServiceManager")
         Dim objServiceManager As Object
         objServiceManager = System.Activator.CreateInstance(t_OOo)
     
     
     Dim oMailMerge As Object
     oMailMerge = t_OOo.InvokeMember("createInstance", _
                     BindingFlags.InvokeMethod, Nothing, _
                     objServiceManager, New [Object]() {"com.sun.star.text.MailMerge"})
     
     
     'Now set up a new MailMerge using the settings extracted from that doc
     oMailMerge.GetType().InvokeMember("DocumentURL", BindingFlags.SetProperty, Nothing, oMailMerge, New [Object]() {"file:///C:/Users/me/Desktop/OpenOffice Investigation/mail merged.odt"})
     oMailMerge.GetType().InvokeMember("DataSourceName", BindingFlags.SetProperty, Nothing, oMailMerge, New [Object]() {"adds"})
     oMailMerge.GetType().InvokeMember("CommandType", BindingFlags.SetProperty, Nothing, oMailMerge, New [Object]() {0})
     oMailMerge.GetType().InvokeMember("Command", BindingFlags.SetProperty, Nothing, oMailMerge, New [Object]() {"adds"})
     oMailMerge.GetType().InvokeMember("OutputType", BindingFlags.SetProperty, Nothing, oMailMerge, New [Object]() {2})
     oMailMerge.GetType().InvokeMember("Execute", BindingFlags.InvokeMethod Or BindingFlags.IgnoreReturn, Nothing, oMailMerge, New [Object]() {}) ' this line fails with a type mismatch error