The API project provides an entry point in the world of Apache OpenOffice from a developers perspective.

OpenOffice offers a language independent application programming interface (API) which allows to program the office in different programming languages (e.g. C++, Java, Python, CLI, OpenOffice Basic, JavaScript, OLE). It allows to use OpenOffice as service provider in other applications, extend it with new functionality or simply customize and control OpenOffice.

The popularity of the standardized (OASIS and ISO/IEC 26300) Open Document Format for Office Applications (OpenDocument) is growing. This also drives the popularity of Apache OpenOffice in general. Corporate users often demand the integration of office productivity into existing workflows and applications. They also often require additional functionality or special customizations of the existing features. And that is one of the main goals of the API project. Provide the possibility to customize or control the office that it fits well in your existing environment or fulfill your special requirements.