Adding a Nifty Conversion Calculator to OpenOffice.org

Productivity Sauce
A conversion calculator can save you a lot of time and unnecessary mouse clicks when you need to convert values in a document from the imperial to the metric system (or vice versa). Although OpenOffice.org doesn't have a built-in calculator, you can easily create your own one using OpenOffice.org Basic. Start with creating a dialog with three fields in it:
- NumericField1 -- a numeric field where the user enters the value to be converted
- ListBox1 -- a drop-down list containing a list of the available conversion options (e.g., Fahrenheit -> Celsius, Foot -> Meter, and so on)
- NumericField2 -- a numeric field which displays the converted value
The dialog box should also have two buttons: Convert (type OK) which performs the conversion and Cancel (type Cancel) which closes the dialog. Save the dialog and give it the name ConvertSystemDialog.
With the dialog in place, you start working on the code. The macro itself is pretty simple. It starts with initializing and displaying the ConvertSystemDialog dialog. It then creates a loop which runs the macro until the user presses the Cancel button. In the loop, there is the Select Case statement which chooses the appropriate Case code block based on the option the user selects from the ListBox1 drop-down list. For example, if the user selects the Fahrenheit -> Celsius item, the macro runs the Case "Fahrenheit -> Celsius" code block.
Sub QuickConverter() OpenDialog("ConvertSystemDialog") Dialog=CreateUnoDialog(TheDialog) DialogField1=Dialog.getControl("NumericField1") DialogField2=Dialog.getControl("ListBox1") DialogField2.SelectItemPos(0, True) DialogField3=Dialog.getControl("NumericField2") While Dialog.execute=1 DialogField1=Dialog.getControl("NumericField1") InputValue=DialogField1.value Select Case DialogField2.SelectedItem Case "Fahrenheit -> Celsius" ConvertedValue=(InputValue-32)*5/9 DialogField3=Dialog.getControl("NumericField2").setValue(ConvertedValue) Case "Celsius -> Fahrenheit" ConvertedValue=InputValue*9/5+32 DialogField3=Dialog.getControl("NumericField2").setValue(ConvertedValue) Case "Meter -> Foot" ConvertedValue=InputValue*3.28 DialogField3=Dialog.getControl("NumericField2").setValue(ConvertedValue) Case "Foot -> Meter" ConvertedValue=InputValue/3.28 DialogField3=Dialog.getControl("NumericField2").setValue(ConvertedValue) End Select WEnd End Sub
The macro above converts temperature and distance values, but you can easily modify it to include other types of conversion. For example, if you want the calculator to include the gallon to liter conversion, add the appropriate option to the ListBox1 field and create a new Case block containing the conversion formula:
Case "Gallon -> Liter" ConvertedValue=InputValue*3.78 DialogField3=Dialog.getControl("NumericField2").setValue(ConvertedValue)
Now you can quickly perform conversions from the convenience of your favorite productivity suite. If you don't fancy creating the described conversion calculator from scratch, you can get it as part of the Writer's Tools extension.
Comments
comments powered by DisqusSubscribe 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
-
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.
-
Linux Kernel 6.13 Offers Improvements for AMD/Apple Users
The latest Linux kernel is now available, and it includes plenty of improvements, especially for those who use AMD or Apple-based systems.
-
Gnome 48 Debuts New Audio Player
To date, the audio player found within the Gnome desktop has been meh at best, but with the upcoming release that all changes.
-
Plasma 6.3 Ready for Public Beta Testing
Plasma 6.3 will ship with KDE Gear 24.12.1 and KDE Frameworks 6.10, along with some new and exciting features.
-
Budgie 10.10 Scheduled for Q1 2025 with a Surprising Desktop Update
If Budgie is your desktop environment of choice, 2025 is going to be a great year for you.
-
Firefox 134 Offers Improvements for Linux Version
Fans of Linux and Firefox rejoice, as there's a new version available that includes some handy updates.
-
Serpent OS Arrives with a New Alpha Release
After months of silence, Ikey Doherty has released a new alpha for his Serpent OS.
openoffice 3.1.0 installation problems
Can any one help. I have follwed many faqs, tutorial and instructions. I am not succesful with the installation.