Replacing text with URL link

[Pedja]

I need to search text in LibreOffice Writer using known criteria, find text excerpts and replace them with active URL links that contain found text. If found excerpt already is a link it should be skipped.

Example:

If I find TA0GED in text I have to replace it with active link in a manner that TA0GED is still displayed but converted to active link that leads to http://mysite.org/TA0GED.

I made regular expression that finds text excerpts as I need them.

T[EP][:digit:]+[:alpha:]{1,4}

It successfully finds everything. My problem is I have no idea what to do next. I manged to replace it with another string that contains found string but I cannot find proper way to convert it to a clickable link.

Internet search showed nothing on this topic.

Is that possible?

[anon87010807]

If your document is plain text with little formatting, you can convert it to HTML, where inserting hyperlinks by replacing text is easy - you just add the necessary tags. In Writer, you cannot just add the link tags - you would have to insert the xml code, but you can’t do that in a replace operation, as far as I know.

[mikekaganski]

Besides writing a macro, you could also try using FODT, which is a plain XML, and do the replacements there using a plain text editor.

By the way, your regex T[EP][:digit:]+[:alpha:]{1,4} does not match your sample TA0GED

[Lupp]

Along Andrew’s “useful Informations” with a bit from macro recording:

REM  *****  BASIC  *****

Sub makeLinksInSelection(Optional pUrlMain As String, Optional pRegEx As String)
If IsMissing(pUrlMain) Then pUrlMain = "https://yourdomain.com/heap/"  'As an example'
If IsMissing(pRegEx)   Then pRegEx   = "T[EP][:digit:]+[:alpha:]{1,4}" 'As an example'
theSel  = ThisComponent.CurrentSelection
theText = ThisComponent.Text
sD      = ThisComponent.CreateSearchDescriptor
sD.SearchString            = pRegEx
sD.SearchRegularExpression = True

    'Adapted from a recorded Sub'
    slotMachine = ThisComponent.CurrentController.Frame
    dispatcher  = createUnoService("com.sun.star.frame.DispatchHelper")
    dim args1(4) as new com.sun.star.beans.PropertyValue
    args1(2).Name = "Hyperlink.Target"
    args1(2).Value = ""
    args1(3).Name = "Hyperlink.Name"
    args1(3).Value = ""
    args1(4).Name = "Hyperlink.Type"
    args1(4).Value = 1
For j = 0 To theSel.Count - 1
 searchRg    = theSel(j)
 searchNext  = searchRg.Start
 searchEnd   = searchRg.End
 Do
  searchNext  = ThisComponent.FindNext(searchNext, sD)
  If IsNull(searchNext) Then Exit Do
  If ThisComponent.Text.CompareRegionEnds(searchNext, searchEnd)=-1 Then Exit Do
  ThisComponent.CurrentController.Select(searchNext)
      args1(0).Name = "Hyperlink.Text"
      args1(0).Value = searchNext.String
      args1(1).Name = "Hyperlink.URL"
      args1(1).Value = pUrlMain & searchNext.String
      dispatcher.executeDispatch(slotMachine, ".uno:SetHyperlink", "", 0, args1()) 
 Loop
Next j
ThisComponent.CurrentController.Select(theSel)
End Sub

[PYS]

Hi

You can get the result by a simple search-replace by installing the AltSearch extension.

In the following example, replace all questions numbers with a link to this site:

• Search for: [0-9]{6}
• Replace: \h{https://ask.libreoffice.org/en/question/&}
• Tick Regular expressions

You can click the Replace list to get help.

You must of course adapt to your needs

HTH - Regards