Ad ooRexx-Integration with OOo (Re: [dev] Re: MacOSX: ScirptingFramework's "Edit" ...

Hi Alex,

On 16.02.2011 10:46, Alexander Thurgood wrote:
> Le 15/02/11 21:49, Rony G. Flatscher a écrit :
>
>
> Hi Rony,
>   
>> in the meantime it has become possible to install an oxt-package that
>> adds ooRexx as a new macro language to OOo on the MacOSX.
>>
>> The tested ooRexx scripts run correctly, it is possible to create new
>> macros ("Tools - Macros - Organize Macros - ooRexx", then "Run" or
>> "Create", which creates a new ooRexx macro from the template in the
>> oxt-package).
>>     
> I would be interested in testing this - any hint as to where I might get
> the extension ? Haven't worked with REXX in a while though.
>   
Sure:

    * First get ooRexx 4.1 for your platfrom from
      <http://www.oorexx.org/download.html> (it is fully compatible with
      REXX, but adds OO-features, many concepts drawn/applied from
      Smalltalk in more user-friendly way),
    * then get BSF4ooRexx from
      <http://wi.wu.ac.at:8002/rgf/rexx/bsf4oorexx/current/>, which
      makes all of the strictly typed, case-dependent Java available as
      if it was the typeless, case-independent ooRexx.

Currently the port of BSF4ooRexx (which includes the OOo integration)
for MacOSX is in the works. The 32- and 64-bit versions work on MacOSX,
the OOo-support is now being developed (it seems it is mostly dependent
on the correct environment settings for Java).

Unfortunately, it seems according to Christian's URL to the respective
issue <http://qa.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=92926>, that
awt/swing on MacOSX is currently not possible, because OOo does -
against Apple's documentation dating back to 2005 ! - not load the JVM
in a separate thread. Hopefully, this is understood as a true
showstopper for OOo 3.4 by the developers, such that this defect gets
fixed on MacOSX as soon as possible!

---

If you want to peek around what becomes possible with ooRexx in the
context of OOo, then just look over some work of some of my students at
<http://wi.wu.ac.at:8002/rgf/diplomarbeiten/>, which gest updated once
or twice a year. There are numerous seminar-papers, Master-thesis and
Bachelor-thesis from Business Administration students who use this very
integration for driving/explaining OpenOffice programming (many of these
students are not professional programmers, but the kind of "end-user
programmers", so it is astonishing, what they become able to achieve
with the "right", ie. easy, scripting language).

Regards,

---rony

P.S.: Will write a text-book on ooRexx and one about BSF4ooRexx in the
next months to come (a long-standing requests from students).