Automating LibreOffice with macros
Macro Maker

© Lead Image © sebastien decoret, 123RF.com
ScriptForge helps you automate LibreOffice by building portable macros.
All great software programs, especially free and open source software, share one common feature: You can easily customize and extend the software as you wish. The LibreOffice productivity suite is no exception, thanks to its support for those "saved sequence[s] of commands or keystrokes that are stored for later use" [1], otherwise known as macros.
I like to think of macros as the LibreOffice equivalent of Unix scripts: Whether they are keyboard sequences or code written in a programming language, these simple programs may be created quickly, possibly with very little programming skill, to automate all sorts of tasks.
ScriptForge [2], a LibreOffice library for building scripts, along with the APSO extension needed to run ScriptForge, provides a great tool to learn how to automate LibreOffice because it solves a general, but very important, problem with the LibreOffice macro environment.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
Ubuntu 25.04 Coming Soon
Ubuntu 25.04 (Plucky Puffin) has been given an April release date with many notable updates.
-
Gnome Developers Consider Dropping RPM Support
In a move that might shock a lot of users, the Gnome development team has proposed the idea of going straight up Flatpak.
-
openSUSE Tumbleweed Ditches AppArmor for SELinux
If you're an openSUSE Tumbleweed user, you can expect a major change to the distribution.
-
Plasma 6.3 Now Available
Plasma desktop v6.3 has a couple of pretty nifty tricks up its sleeve.
-
LibreOffice 25.2 Has Arrived
If you've been hoping for a release that offers more UI customizations, you're in for a treat.
-
TuxCare Has a Big AlmaLinux 9 Announcement in Store
TuxCare announced it has successfully completed a Security Technical Implementation Guide for AlmaLinux OS 9.
-
First Release Candidate for Linux Kernel 6.14 Now Available
Linus Torvalds has officially released the first release candidate for kernel 6.14 and it includes over 500,000 lines of modified code, making for a small release.
-
System76 Refreshes Meerkat Mini PC
If you're looking for a small form factor PC powered by Linux, System76 has exactly what you need in the Meerkat mini PC.
-
Gnome 48 Alpha Ready for Testing
The latest Gnome desktop alpha is now available with plenty of new features and improvements.
-
Wine 10 Includes Plenty to Excite Users
With its latest release, Wine has the usual crop of bug fixes and improvements, along with some exciting new features.