Acess2Base

users
#1

I am still using the 3.xx version of LO that came with Ubuntu 12.04 and haven't been on the main LibreOffice site for some time. I've been reading the naming discussion (Fresh/Still etc) and decided to look at the site. While there I stumbled across Acces2Base. I've always thought writing macros in LO was way harder than it should be because of UNO, so this is an interesting development.

A couple of questions:

(1) Has anyone here used it and does it make writing macros for Base easier?

(2) I write most of my macros for Calc so is there a Excel2Calc planned?

Regards, Jim

#2

Thanks Jim for introducing this topic.

A small company I know is using an ACCESS DB with macros exporting certain information into EXCEL spreadsheets. This ACCESS DB is currently preventing the company to change over from MSO to LibO and Linux.

A 2 step approach is discussed: First to migrate from MSO to LibO using W7 and second moving from Windows to Linux. (Distributions not yet decided but most likely Linux Mint of Linux Mint Debian or Antergos.)

Therefore, 1 more question from my side: Assuming that using Access2Base helps us to get the DB and the macros into Base and create the Calc spreadsheets, can this BASE DB with the LibO macros be used as they are when changing from W7 to Linux?

#3

Thanks Jim for introducing this topic.

A small company I know is using an ACCESS DB with macros exporting
certain information into EXCEL spreadsheets. This ACCESS DB is currently
preventing the company to change over from MSO to LibO and Linux.

A 2 step approach is discussed: First to migrate from MSO to LibO using
W7 and second moving from Windows to Linux. (Distributions not yet
decided but most likely Linux Mint of Linux Mint Debian or Antergos.)

Therefore, 1 more question from my side: Assuming that using Access2Base
helps us to get the DB and the macros into Base and create the Calc
spreadsheets, can this BASE DB with the LibO macros be used as they are
when changing from W7 to Linux?

I don't know. I just discovered it a few hours ago. My impression is that it lets people that know how to write macros for Access use a syntax they are similar with to write macros in Base. I could be wrong.

Here is a link to the website:

http://www.access2base.com/access2base.html

Here is a link to an OpenOffice discussion forum about it:

https://forum.openoffice.org/en/forum/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=61447

HTH

Regards, Jim

#4

Hi :slight_smile:
As an aside i think Ubuntu 12.04 has LO 3.5.7 by default but i doubt that
makes much difference with Base.
Regards from
Tom :slight_smile:

#5

Again, thanks Jim for your comment and the 2 interesting links.

I had to recognize that we need to get professional support of a BASE and CALC expert and hope that this expert knows if a BASE DB with macros for data export into CALC will run on W7 and Linux.

Regards, Reinhold

#6

Hello,

A couple of questions:

(1) Has anyone here used it and does it make writing macros for Base
easier?

I looked at the examples a few weeks ago, and it seemed to me as a
clearer approach to database programming as the UNO-way.

IMHO it is not only useful for migrations from Access, but for more
serious db-projects. I do not know anything about MS-Access-Programming,
I did some old-style DBase/FoxPro-Development some years ago and I
didn't feel well with this UNO-thing up to now.
Obviosly it is a great API, but that huge that it becomes a labyrinth to
me.

After Access2Base was incorporated in LO from 4.2 on, it is a promise to
improve things and it might become real, if it would be featured as the
standard way of programming LO Base and if gets broader acceptance.

At this time I can't estimate, wether I can rely on this tool for long-
term projects.
And there is yet a lack of documentation, tutorials for end-users.

Fortunately there are more discussions about Base in general in the last
months here.
I wonder why this topic came up so "late"...

Regards
Stefan

#7

Hello,

A couple of questions:

(1) Has anyone here used it and does it make writing macros for Base
easier?

I looked at the examples a few weeks ago, and it seemed to me as a
clearer approach to database programming as the UNO-way.

IMHO it is not only useful for migrations from Access, but for more
serious db-projects. I do not know anything about MS-Access-Programming,
I did some old-style DBase/FoxPro-Development some years ago and I
didn't feel well with this UNO-thing up to now.
Obviosly it is a great API, but that huge that it becomes a labyrinth to
me.

I agree, it looks much cleaner. Every time I try to work with UNO, I think what an overly complex way to accomplish what is sometimes a fairly simple task. The only thing wrong with Acess2Base is that I do all my work with Calc. That's why I was wondering if there was going to be a Excel2Calc version.

After Access2Base was incorporated in LO from 4.2 on, it is a promise to
improve things and it might become real, if it would be featured as the
standard way of programming LO Base and if gets broader acceptance.

At this time I can't estimate, wether I can rely on this tool for long-
term projects.
And there is yet a lack of documentation, tutorials for end-users.

Fortunately there are more discussions about Base in general in the last
months here.
I wonder why this topic came up so "late"...

I would guess that, probably because of UNO, not that many people are writing macros.

Regards, Jim

#8

Hi :slight_smile:
I keep meaning to give the link to the "Professional Support" page but i
have a wedding shoot to prep for and keep forgetting.

http://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/professional-support/

Hopefully it mentions Collabora which 'recently' budded off from SuSE as
had been planned for years. Many companies pay devs, either in-house or as
external consultants, to work on LibreOffice. It's more cost-effective
(and much cheaper) than paying for licenses for a product which may never
deal with their pet-issues. SuSE seemed to have more devs working on
LibreOffice than most other companies. So my guess is that Collabora are
probably about the best professional support it's possible to get for
LIbreOffice!

If you need professional support for a wider move to FOSS then you might
get that from one of the other companies listed, for example Canonical or
Redhat (there is also the "Free Software Foundation", but i have no way of
knowing or guessing which is best for your specific case.

Regards from
Tom :slight_smile:

#9

It could be easier if LO had a python macro based system like gnumeric
has, isn't it?
I've found convenient to install LO from the official release instead
of the deb of ubuntu.
I have ubuntu maverick 10.10 with LO Version: 4.2.1.1 Build ID:
d7dbbd7842e6a58b0f521599204e827654e1fb8b, installed in a very
straightforward way
besides ubuntu 14.04.

#10

Hi :slight_smile:
I think Python is one of the languages that can be used for Macros

It might be possible to convert Gnumeric ones into LibreOffice but it might
need a bit of re-working.
Regards from
Tom :slight_smile:

#11

It could be easier if LO had a python macro based system like gnumeric
has, isn't it?

You can write macros using Python in LO. About half of my macros are in Python. A couple of years ago when I was looking for an alternative to LO because UNO is so complex, I looked at Gnumeric. At that time Python support seemed to be poorly documented and somehow incomplete. Has it gotten any better?

Regards, Jim

#12

yes, but python in gnumeric seems to be easier, at least i found it to.
Have you already taken a look at this: PyWorkbooks

pdf attached

#13

btw, it should work with LO, gnumeric etc...

#14

btw, it should work with LO, gnumeric etc...

yes, but python in gnumeric seems to be easier, at least i found it to.
Have you already taken a look at this: PyWorkbooks

I believe I have, at the same time I was looking at Gnumeric. If I recall correctly, it worked but what you could do with it was limited. Is it still being updated and have features been added?

Regards, Jim

pdf attached

It could be easier if LO had a python macro based system like gnumeric
has, isn't it?

You can write macros using Python in LO. About half of my macros are in
Python. A couple of years ago when I was looking for an alternative to LO
because UNO is so complex, I looked at Gnumeric. At that time Python
support seemed to be poorly documented and somehow incomplete. Has it gotten
any better?

Regards, Jim

I've found convenient to install LO from the official release instead
of the deb of ubuntu.
I have ubuntu maverick 10.10 with LO Version: 4.2.1.1 Build ID:
d7dbbd7842e6a58b0f521599204e827654e1fb8b, installed in a very
straightforward way
besides ubuntu 14.04.

<snip>