Re: [libreoffice-users] Using LibreOffice on the command line to batch convert .htm files to .html files

Hi Joe,

I'm also running Win 7 64 bit, and my LO (4.1.1.2) executable sits under

c:\Program Files (x86)\LibreOffice 4\program\soffice.exe

running that with the "--help" parameter gives a dialog window with a
bunch of options, too many for the dialog window, which doesn't have a
scroll bar, so I can't see them all. It even writes over the close
button. There seems to be a bug...
Also, the close button cannot actually be clicked...

Luckily, at the bottom just before it gets cut off I see the
following, which, as I can't actually copy any of the text, is typed
out and may contain a spelling error or two, plus is badly formatted:

--convert-to output_file_extension[:output_filter_name] [--outdir
output_dir] files
    Batch convert files.
    If --outdir is not specified then current working dir is used as
    output_dir.
    Eg. --convert-to pdf *.doc
    --convert-to pdf:writer_pdf_Export --outdir /home/user *.doc

This seems to be what you need. You should be able to put all the files
in one directory and run LO with the parameter "--convert-to pdf
*.htm", possibly giving another directory as outdir, and possibly with
the --headless parameter.

Hope this helps.

Paul




On Thu, 10 Apr 2014 15:56:32 -0500
Joe B <paperbag76@gmail.com> wrote:

> Hello Tom,
>
> Thanks for being so nice and offering your help.
>
> Yes, I am running Windows 7 64 bit.
>
> My cmd.exe does not recognize "lowriter", but it does recognize
> "soffice". When I typed "soffice --help", a window pops up called
> "Help Message"  It lists the LibreOffice version I am using.  Then it
> says : "Usage: soffice [options] [documents...]"
> Then there is a list of options flags.   But the list is quite
> short...only a page.  There's nothing in it about batch processing.
> I really didn't glean anything from it.
>
> I followed the link you gave me to
> https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Documentation/Other_Documentation_and_Resources#Programmersand
> ...well it's pretty overwhelming.  I then followed the link for
> "Andrew
> Pitonyak's macro page", hoping that he might have some pre-baked code
> to run as a macro in LibreOffice to batch convert files between
> different formats.  I downloaded his "Useful Macro Information" file,
> but it's 518 pages!  I did look through the contents to try to find
> something about batch processing or file format changing, but there
> is nothing.
>
> So...I'm stumped on what to do next.
>
> Secondly, I should clarify more the files I'm starting with.  I
> believe they were written in Microsoft Word from...whatever version
> existed in the 90s.  Then at some later point, the files were somehow
> converted to this crazy Microsoft XML format, but saved with an
> ".htm" file extension.  The files are full of bizarre Microsoft
> Server-specific instructions that just totally break the webpage.
> I'm using Apache as my server, not Microsoft Server, and Apache can't
> understand all those weird Microsoft Server-specific commands like:
> xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml"
> xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"
> xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word"
>
> I understand that file attachments are not allowed.  If it would help
> to get a look at the source code for one of these files, just so you
> have some inkling of what I'm talking about, I can try to post it
> somewhere for you to take a gander at.
>
> Thanks,
> Joe
> paperbag76@gmail.com
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Thu, Apr 10, 2014 at 8:28 AM, Tom Davies <tomcecf@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Hi :)
> > Ahh, just spotted the give-away ".exe" so it sounds like you are
> > using Windows.  It is still worth trying the "--help" tag to see if
> > you do get a quick-help cheat-sheet.
> >
> > Let us know either way! :)
> > Regards from
> > Tom :)
> >
> >
> > On 10 April 2014 14:26, Tom Davies <tomcecf@gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > > Hi :)
> > > We call it "headless mode".  Errr, which OS are you using?  Is it a
> > > Windows or a Gnu&Linux or Mac?
> > >
> > > Headless mode can be scripted and there might even be a thread in
> > > the archives that shows a decent script worth copying.  I think
> > > the better way is to try using LibreOffice on the command-line and
> > > get it doing more and more until you've figured it out.  For
> > > example does soffice
> > > or
> > > lowriter
> > > work from the command-line?  On my Gnu&Linux both work but some
> > > OSes might be limited to using just 1 of those.  Then try, for
> > > example lowriter --help
> > > to get a quick cheat-sheet of options.
> > >
> > > Hopefully people on this list can help but there might also be
> > > documentation at
> > >
> > > https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Documentation/Other_Documentation_and_Resources#Programmers
> > > or scroll up a bit to see what is in the "Corporate Users" section
> > > of the page.
> > >
> > >
> > > Attachments don't get to the mailing-list anyway!  You can use
> > > Nabble to upload them to a central place so that people can choose
> > > to look if they want.
> > >
> > >
> > > I would try to keep the original documents in MS format so that if
> > > there is any problem with some tiny subset of all the ones being
> > > converted then you can focus on those and do them with a bit more
> > > finesse.  However from Doc, Xls etc to Odt, Ods etc should work
> > > reasonably well.
> > >
> > > It's the DocX, XlsX etc that is a bit more unpredictable thanks to
> > > MS's constant changing of that format (currently on at least 3
> > > different "transistional" versions and at least 1 "strict" none of
> > > which seem to fully comply with their ISO promise).  Even with
> > > those i think a batch-process using a scripted headless mode is
> > > the best plan and then deal with individual oddities later.
> > >
> > > Regards from
> > > Tom :)
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > On 10 April 2014 13:30, Joe B <paperbag76@gmail.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > > Hello all,
> > > >
> > > > This is my first post.
> > > >
> > > > I am working on migrating a website.  I am trying to convert many
> > > > files written in an old version of MS Word, which were then saved
> > > > as old Microsoft 2002/2003 XML files.  The files were saved using
> > > > an .htm extension.  The files are filled with Microsoft xml crud.
> > > > (I will just refer to them as .htm files for the rest of this
> > > > e-mail)
> > > >
> > > > I found a simple solution, in simply opening the file in
> > > > LibreOffice Writer, and re-saving the file in HTML Document
> > > > (Writer) (.html) format. Now the files work great.
> > > >
> > > > I don't want to do this one file at a time obviously, as there are
> > > > hundreds
> > > > of these .htm files.  I am trying to figure out a way to do this
> > > > for multiple files in a folder...I think the term is "batch
> > > > processing".
> > > >
> > > > In other words, have a script that will:
> > > > 1. iterate through each .htm file in a folder
> > > > 2. open the file in LibreOffice Writer
> > > > 3. save the .htm file in HTML Document (Writer)(.html) format
> > > > 4. close the file
> > > > 5. iterate over all the remaining files in the folder until all
> > > > files have
> > > > had their formats changed
> > > >
> > > > Is there a way to do this via a command line script.  Or by
> > > > creating a batch file?
> > > >
> > > > I'm sorry, I'm a bit of a novice when it comes to the command
> > > > line or batch
> > > > files.  I know how to open LibreOffice Writer.exe from the
> > > > command line with one argument, which will open that document,
> > > > but that's about it.
> > > >
> > > > I have some experience in other scripting languages, like Python,
> > > > Perl, etc, but not windows scripting.  I am having a very
> > > > difficult time getting
> > > > this to work in Python, so I thought I would come here and try to
> > > > ask for guidance.
> > > >
> > > > I could attach a copy of one of the .htm files that I am
> > > > converting if that
> > > > would help, but don't want to attach a file in my very first
> > > > e-mail.
> > > >
> > > > thank you,
> > > > Joe
> > > > paperbag76@gmail.com
> > > >
> > > > --
> > > > To unsubscribe e-mail to: users+unsubscribe@global.libreoffice.org
> > > > Problems?
> > > > http://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/mailing-lists/how-to-unsubscribe/
> > > > Posting guidelines + more:
> > > > http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Netiquette List archive:
> > > > http://listarchives.libreoffice.org/global/users/ All messages
> > > > sent to this list will be publicly archived and cannot be deleted


-- 
To unsubscribe e-mail to: users+unsubscribe@global.libreoffice.org
Problems? http://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/mailing-lists/how-to-unsubscribe/
Posting guidelines + more: http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Netiquette
List archive: http://listarchives.libreoffice.org/global/users/
All messages sent to this list will be publicly archived and cannot be deleted