LibreOffice CLI -- Standard Operating Procedure

Overview

The LibreOffice CLI harness provides command-line document editing for Writer (word processor), Calc (spreadsheet), and Impress (presentations). It produces real ODF files (ZIP archives with XML) that can be opened by LibreOffice and other ODF-compatible applications. It can also import existing ODF and Office files into the harness JSON project model for editing.

Architecture

cli/
  __init__.py
  __main__.py              # python3 -m cli.libreoffice_cli entry point
  libreoffice_cli.py       # Click CLI with groups and REPL
  core/
    __init__.py
    document.py            # create/open/save/info/profiles
    importer.py            # import existing ODF/Office files into project JSON
    writer.py              # paragraphs, headings, lists, tables, page breaks
    calc.py                # sheets, cells, formulas
    impress.py             # slides, elements
    styles.py              # named styles, apply to content
    export.py              # ODF, HTML, text export
    session.py             # undo/redo state management
  utils/
    __init__.py
    odf_utils.py           # ODF XML generation and ZIP packaging
  tests/
    __init__.py
    test_core.py           # 60+ unit tests
    test_full_e2e.py       # 40+ E2E tests with ODF validation

Project Format

Documents are stored as JSON project files (.lo-cli.json) with this structure:

Writer: {"type": "writer", "content": [...], "styles": {...}, "settings": {...}}
Calc: {"type": "calc", "sheets": [...], "styles": {...}, "settings": {...}}
Impress: {"type": "impress", "slides": [...], "styles": {...}, "settings": {...}}

Key Design Decisions

Python stdlib only (plus click): No Pillow, numpy, or LibreOffice needed
Real ODF output: ZIP files with proper mimetype, content.xml, styles.xml, meta.xml, manifest.xml
Undo/redo: Deep-copy snapshots before every mutation
Multi-format: Same CLI handles Writer, Calc, and Impress
JSON mode: --json flag for agent consumption

Running

cd /root/cli-anything/libreoffice/agent-harness
pip install click
python3 -m cli.libreoffice_cli --help
python3 -m pytest cli/tests/ -v

Common Workflows

Create a Writer document and export to ODF

python3 -m cli.libreoffice_cli document new --type writer -n "Report" -o report.json
python3 -m cli.libreoffice_cli --project report.json writer add-heading -t "Title" -l 1
python3 -m cli.libreoffice_cli --project report.json writer add-paragraph -t "Body text"
python3 -m cli.libreoffice_cli --project report.json export render report.odt -p odt --overwrite

Import an existing document, edit it, and export it

python3 -m cli.libreoffice_cli document import existing.docx -o existing.json
python3 -m cli.libreoffice_cli --project existing.json writer add-paragraph -t "Added by CLI"
python3 -m cli.libreoffice_cli --project existing.json export render existing-updated.docx -p docx --overwrite

Create a spreadsheet

python3 -m cli.libreoffice_cli document new --type calc -o budget.json
python3 -m cli.libreoffice_cli --project budget.json calc set-cell A1 "Revenue" --type string
python3 -m cli.libreoffice_cli --project budget.json calc set-cell B1 "50000" --type float
python3 -m cli.libreoffice_cli --project budget.json export render budget.ods -p ods --overwrite

Create a presentation

python3 -m cli.libreoffice_cli document new --type impress -o deck.json
python3 -m cli.libreoffice_cli --project deck.json impress add-slide -t "Welcome" -c "Hello"
python3 -m cli.libreoffice_cli --project deck.json export render deck.odp -p odp --overwrite

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