Extensions/Extensions and Apache OpenOffice 4.0

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Introduction

Apache OpenOffice 4.0 introduces new handling mechanisms and new APIs for Extensions.

Extensions compatible with OpenOffice 3.x may or may not work in version 4.0.

This pages collects useful information for end users and developers.

Information For End Users

General upgrade information

Extensions that you installed in OpenOffice 3.x won't be automatically available in OpenOffice 4.0 when you upgrade from OpenOffice 3.x to OpenOffice 4.0.

It is recommended that, before installing OpenOffice 4.0, you take note of the installed Extensions with: ToolsManage Extensions.

You can then check the site you downloaded the Extensions from (usually http://extensions.openoffice.org) and search for your Extensions, to see if there is a version compatible with OpenOffice 4.0.

In doubt, you can download the latest version and install it in OpenOffice 4.0 (save the file from the Extensions site, then open it with FileOpen in OpenOffice) and check if it works correctly.

For commercial extensions, please contact the publisher for support. In case an extension is not publicly available, but only used privately or in your company/institution, please ask either the author of your extension or a person responsible in your company/institution for help.

Please note: If a certain extension is crucial for your personal or professional workflow, you should not install OpenOffice 4.0 before having made sure that this extension will work on version 4.0 or that an update of the extension is available.

Extensions known to be working

Popular Extensions that are reported to work correctly with OpenOffice 4.0 are:

Extensions known not to be working

The following Extensions do not have a release compatible with OpenOffice 4.0:


Please check the http://extensions.openoffice.org site (or your provider) for the latest information about upgrades.

Information for Developers

OpenOffice 4.0 brings some significant changes to the API used in Extensions.

Good practices

Specify both a minimal and maximal version of OpenOffice for compatibility

This is to be done when you create a new Extension release, within the description.xml file.

Typical (minimal version only) configuration:

   <dependencies>
       <OpenOffice.org-minimal-version value="3.0" d:name="OpenOffice.org 3.0" />
   </dependencies>

Recommended (both minimal and maximal version) configuration:

   <dependencies>
       <OpenOffice.org-minimal-version value="3.0" d:name="OpenOffice.org 3.0" />
       <OpenOffice.org-maximal-version value="4.0" d:name="OpenOffice.org 4.0" />
   </dependencies>

Test your Extension with a recent OpenOffice 4.0 snapshot

Download a recent OpenOffice 4.0 snapshot from here (remember: snapshots are not official releases and they are meant for testing only) and try installing your Extension.

Check that everything works, especially toolbar integration.

If the Extension works, you may want to create a new micro release with updated minimal and maximal version compatibility and upload it to http://extensions.openoffice.org

Technical details

  • All dictionaries will work with no modifications in version 4.0.
  • If your Extension does not contain an addons.xcu file, it will work with no modifications too.
  • If your Extension contains an addons.xcu file, you will usually have to make some small changes for it to run in OpenOffice 4.0, see below.

[TODO: Example: how to adapt addons.xcu from version 3.x to version 4.0]

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