OpenOffice .xls export to PDF causes check boxes to overlap

Question

OpenOffice Excel file export to PDF is being done programmatically and I wish to know if there is a way to resolve this issue by maybe passing some kind of flag or something during the conversion process which will make the cell background transparent in the PDF document.

Please note an example PDF output. The original Excel file does not overlapping edges at all: http://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/4ab8dd9af0.jpg

This is the original Excel file before PDF export: http://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/0cdcaad47a.jpg

Both OpenOffice 2.4 and 3.0 have this same defect.

Suggestions would be most welcome, this is the last thing holding this project up.

Follow this link for an example on the OpenOffice website: http://user.services.openoffice.org/en/forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=13528

Here is the issue tracker link: http://www.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=97856

And some code for you, it is Jython 2.2.1 with Java 2.5.

def _save_as_pdf(self, docSource):
    dirName=os.path.dirname(docSource)
    baseName=os.path.basename(docSource)
    baseName, ext=os.path.splitext(baseName)
    dirTmpPdfConverted=os.path.join(dirName + DIR + PDF_TEMP_CONVERT_DIR)
    if not os.path.exists(dirTmpPdfConverted):
        os.makedirs(dirTmpPdfConverted)
    pdfDest=os.path.join(dirTmpPdfConverted + DIR + baseName + ".pdf")
    url_save=self._create_UNO_File_URL(pdfDest)
    properties=self._create_properties(ext)
    try:
        try:
            self._xstorable=UnoRuntime.queryInterface(XStorable, self._doc)
            self._xstorable.storeToURL(url_save, properties)
        except AttributeError,e:
                self.logger.info("saving as pdf has problem: (" + str(e) + ")")
                raise e
        except:
            self.logger.info("storeToURL exception")
            raise
    finally:
        self.logger.info("converted document " + baseName + ext)
        if not self._doc:
            xCloseable = UnoRuntime.queryInterface(XCloseable, self._doc)
            if not xCloseable:
                try:
                    xCloseable.close(false)
                except CloseVetoException, (ex):
                    xComp = UnoRuntime.queryInterface(XComponent, self._doc)
                    xComp.dispose()
        else:
            xComp = UnoRuntime.queryInterface(XComponent, self._doc)
            xComp.dispose()
        self._doc=None

def _create_properties(self,ext):
    properties=[]
    p=PropertyValue()
    p.Name="Overwrite"
    p.Value=True
    properties.append(p)
    p=PropertyValue()
    p.Name="FilterName"
    if   ext==".doc":
        p.Value='writer_pdf_Export'
    elif ext==".rtf":
        p.Value='writer_pdf_Export'
    elif   ext==".html":
        p.Value='writer_pdf_Export'
    elif ext==".htm":
        p.Value='writer_pdf_Export'
    elif ext==".xls":
        p.Value='calc_pdf_Export'
    elif ext==".tif":
        p.Value='draw_pdf_Export'
    elif ext==".tiff":
        p.Value='draw_pdf_Export'
    properties.append(p)
    return tuple(properties)

Answer 1

Is it possible for you to make the row containing the oversized checkbox a bit larger?

That would be a hack, and not what you asked for, but it might yield results in a shorter timeframe than waiting for a fix.

I have checked the checkboxes in both Office 2003 and OpenOffice 3 and found that while Office allows a Transparent background on objects, OpenOffice does not . In the release notes of 2.4 Transparant backgrounds are mentioned for form objects, but I could not find a way to specify this on the checkbox.

As far as I can see it could even be that the transparent checkbox background in "normal print" and print preview is a hack, as there does not seem to be a property indicating a transparent background (the background color is Default whereas office has a background transparent).

What is positive, however, is that printing is OK. Printing to a file-based printer where you can define the filename would be the solution. Perhaps Cups has a print-to-pdf-file printer? (In that case you would not use PDF export but Print).