To comment on the following update, log in, then open the issue: http://www.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=68054 Issue #|68054 Summary|Add capability to get at the IDL (help) text via refle |ction at runtime! Component|api Version|OOo 2.0.3 Platform|All URL| OS/Version|All Status|UNCONFIRMED Status whiteboard| Keywords| Resolution| Issue type|FEATURE Priority|P3 Subcomponent|code Assigned to|jsc Reported by|ronyf
------- Additional comments from [EMAIL PROTECTED] Tue Aug 1 16:37:49 -0700 2006 ------- Hi there, at the moment it is not possible to fetch the IDL-help texts at runtime via reflection. For that reason I would like to request such a feature, but before doing so, a discussion about the usefulness of such a feature may be in order. So please let me talk for a few seconds about MS Windows OLE, where it is possible (if the software provides the information) to query the documentation for the OLE classes, its methods, its attributes and its events *at* *runtime*. Because of this, I was able a few years ago to create a little utility which dumps the OLE interfaces (methods, attributes, events) and formats them in HTML (using a CSS). In addition, using MSIE and having ooRexx installed one could even switch sections on/off (important e.g. for looking at the interfaces e.g. Excel or Word supplies, looking at the defined constants which may go into the hundreds (e.g. Excel 2003 defines 1,542 constants, Word 2003 defines 2,757 constants). Anyway, it has become possible with this little utility to either supply the PROGID or CLSID value of an OLE class and get its defined interfaces back. Here is a full and a compact list of the interfaces MS InternetExplorer defines: * <http://wi.wu-wien.ac.at/rgf/rexx/orx13/tmp/InternetExplorer.Application_0.html > full listing (includes a constant section) * <http://wi.wu-wien.ac.at/rgf/rexx/orx13/tmp/InternetExplorer.Application_1.html > compact listing (folds attributes, does not document constants). These listings can be printed out and may serve as some sort of reference cards, which helps gain an overview about the features a particular OLE class supplies. [The utility set is briefly described at and could be downloaded from: <http://wi.wu-wien.ac.at/rgf/rexx/orx15/readme.html>.] --- Now turning to OOo: as anyone who wants to script/program an OOo component knows, the research of the available interfaces may be quite cumbersome, if clicking from one defined class to the next, then needing to get back to the original area and follow another path (by e.g. exploring the interfaces of another interface or service). Although practically everything is documented (at least briefly), it is very hard to gain an overview or being able to explore an area of interest just using the IDL definitions on their own. If there was an ability to use reflection to get at the information/help text that goes with the IDL definition, then one would get the ability to devise utilities which may help mastering different areas of OOo in an innovative and (hopefully!) easier way. E.g. when turning to a text-component service object, one is interested about its immediate abilities, but also about those one can get access to by requesting interfaces form it. It would be possible, to explore everything at runtime (e.g. defining a depth of 3 links) and render the found definitions together with their definition in a much more concentrated, domain-related form. Personally, I am convinced that such a utility would help jump-start developers and scripters who are newbies, but also those who are turning to a new area of OOo, with which they have never worked before. Such a functionality becomes only possible, if it was possible to query the text going with the IDL definition at runtime via reflection (e.g. get the first sentence, get all text, get it as plain text or formatted text, e.g. in HTML, etc.). This would imply that the IDL compiler would include the text-information and the creation of a method allowing to get at such text at runtime via reflection. (Also, of course, the information would become readily available/updated, each time the IDL compiler is run.) So, what would you think (especially looking at what is possible in the Windows world w.r.t. OLE supplying published information on its definitions)? Regards, ---rony P.S.: I posted this to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> and <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> lists, because both may be affected/interested in this. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Please do not reply to this automatically generated notification from Issue Tracker. Please log onto the website and enter your comments. http://qa.openoffice.org/issue_handling/project_issues.html#notification --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
