how to convert documents into PDF documents from the command line (same for HTML)

This tips comes from Steinar Bang and DannyB

You need a Macro to do the work. That part is written in OOo's dialect of Basic.

Get into ~OpenOffice.org.

Tools -> Macros -> Macro....

Now click the button Organizer.....

Click the Libraries tab.

Set Application/Document to "soffice".

Click the button New...

Give the library the name "~DannysLibrary".

Now click the Modules tab.

Unfold the tree of items under soffice. Find ~DannysLibrary and hilight it. Click the button New Module...

Name the module "Conversion".

The Basic IDE window should appear. Paste in the following code. Be sure to watch out for trailing spaces on lines copied from this web site. Especially on lines ending with an underscore, there cannot be any trailing spaces.

Sub test( cArg )
   Print "|"+cArg+"|"
End Sub

Sub ConvertWordToPDF( cFile )
   cURL = ConvertToURL( cFile )

   ' Open the document.
   ' Just blindly assume that the document is of a type that OOo will
   '  correctly recognize and open –– without specifying an import filter.
   oDoc = ~StarDesktop.loadComponentFromURL( cURL, "_blank", 0, Array(_
            ~MakePropertyValue( "Hidden", True ),_
            ) )


   cFile = Left( cFile, Len( cFile ) - 4 ) + ".pdf"
   cURL = ConvertToURL( cFile )

   ' Save the document using a filter.
   oDoc.storeToURL( cURL, Array(_
            ~MakePropertyValue( "~FilterName", "writer_pdf_Export" ),_
            )

   oDoc.close( True )
End Sub


Function ~MakePropertyValue( Optional cName As String, Optional uValue ) As com.sun.star.beans.~PropertyValue
   Dim oPropertyValue As New com.sun.star.beans.~PropertyValue
   If Not ~IsMissing( cName ) Then
      oPropertyValue.Name = cName
   ~EndIf
   If Not ~IsMissing( uValue ) Then
      oPropertyValue.Value = uValue
   ~EndIf
   ~MakePropertyValue() = oPropertyValue
End Function

This macro code is now part of OpenOffice.org and not specific to any document. That is, the macro is available at all times. Even if no documents are currently open.

You can use this command line:

#
ooffice -invisible "macro:///~DannysLibrary.Conversion.convertToPDFAndHTML(fullpathtomyfile.sxw)" >/dev\/null 2>&1
#

If the system need a fake X display you can use this code:

1. Run ~OpenOffice to make PDF and HTML
2. I need to "fake" an Xserver for ~OpenOffice in batch mode

ooffice -invisible "macro:///~DannysLibrary.Conversion.convertToPDFAndHTML(fullpathtomyfile.sxw)" >/dev/null 2>&1

1. shut down the "fake" X server

To output HTML as well, you can copy the code to generate PDF, change the extension from .pdf to .html, and the "FilterName" from "writer_pdf_Export" to "HTML (StarWriter)".