Python's XML and Openoffice.org

[Martijn Faassen]

Chad Netzer <cnetzer at mail.arc.nasa.gov> wrote:
[snip]
> What you really should investigate is if openoffice is "scriptable"
> (other terms might be 'macros'/'templates'/etc.) and if so, could you
> make a script that could be used from within to do what you want.

OpenOffice is scriptable by PyUNO. While binding is still somewhat shaky 
in places, from what I've heard OpenOffice's scriptability is very extensive.

http://www.budischewski.com/pyuno/python-bridge.html

> BTW. just because openoffice uses XML, does not mean that any XML using
> software understands anything amount openoffice files.  If you write a
> program that operates on openoffice XML files, it won't then correctly
> operate on Microsoft Word XML files (which may or may not exist; I have
> no idea).  Each XML using application (essentially) creates its own
> language; interoperability only occurs when multiple applications agree
> to use the same XML language, but they do not have to. (nitpickers might
> take issue with these words).

Yes, but OpenOffice at least documents its XML structure quite extensively,
and there's actually an effort to formalize it into a standard.

http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/office/

Regards,

Martijn
-- 
History of the 20th Century: WW1, WW2, WW3?
No, WWW -- Could we be going in the right direction?