Home » Technology

Category: Technology

LibreOffice and Google Summer of Code 2025: The results

Google Summer of Code logo

This year, LibreOffice was once again a mentoring organization in the Google Summer of Code (GSoC), a global program focused on bringing more developers into free and open source software development. Seven projects were finished successfully. Contributors and mentors enjoyed the time, and here we present some of the achievements, which should make their way into LibreOffice 26.2 in early February 2026!

You can experiment with the new features by using daily builds and report any problems in our bug tracker.

Import Markdown files into LibreOffice Writer by Ujjawal Kumar Chouhan

Mentors: Thorsten Behrens (Collabora), Ilmari Lauhakangas (TDF)

Requests to add support for the simple text formatting language known as Markdown to LibreOffice have been more and more frequent. These days Markdown is often encountered in forum posts, chat messages and readme files. In fact, the content of the website of The Document Foundation is written in Markdown.

Thanks to this project, LibreOffice now supports importing Markdown files and pasting Markdown content into Writer as well as pasting Markdown tables into Calc. The supported dialect is CommonMark with GitHub-style table syntax and the library used is MD4C.

Additionally, Collabora developers added support for exporting to Markdown from Writer.

Learn more about Markdown import in the final report.

New Dialog To Edit Table Styles by Karthik Godha

Mentors: Heiko Tietze (TDF), Rafael Lima

LibreOffice does not yet support proper styles for tables, but has a system for applying direct formatting to them. Before Karthik’s work, it was only possible to add new formatting templates, while now existing ones can be edited as well. At the time of writing this, the feature has not yet been merged into the code base, but hopefully it will appear in the next weeks.

Learn more about the table styles project in the final report.

Python code auto-completion by Manish Bera

Mentors: Xisco Faulí, Hossein Nourikhah (TDF)

Power users are sure to love the improvements brought to Python support by this project. Now Python IDEs are able to provide auto-completion for LibreOffice UNO API methods and properties, flag type errors and display information about parameters and types.

Learn more about the Python auto-completion project in the final report.

BASIC IDE code auto-completion by Devansh Varshney

Mentors: Jonathan Clark, Hossein Nourikhah (TDF), Rafael Lima

BASIC macro developers are not forgotten: this project implemented an object browser, allowing the macro author to see all the available and used methods and properties, including the whole UNO API. A helpful view for details is shown, reducing the need to dig through the API documentation. After this foundational achievement, the next goal is to add context-aware auto-completion to the BASIC IDE editor.

Learn more about the BASIC auto-completion project in the final report.

Rust UNO Language Binding by Mohamed Ali Mohamed

Mentor: Stephan Bergmann (Collabora)

Rust is a popular type safe programming language, which can now be used to write LibreOffice extensions or do any kind of scripting and processing via the UNO API.

Learn more about the Rust binding in the final report.

Implement report builder in C++ by Adam Seskunas

Mentors: Michael Weghorn, Hossein Nourikhah (TDF)

The Report Builder produces Writer documents from Base files. While it might not be the most popular feature in LibreOffice, there have been increasing concerns about the maintainability of the current Java-based tool. The first group of people to celebrate Adam’s reimplementation will surely be Linux package maintainers, who had even started omitting the feature entirely. At the time of writing this, the feature has not yet been merged into the code base.

Learn more about the C++ Report Builder in the final report.

Rework Impress slideshow to use DrawingLayer primitives by Shardul Vikram Singh

Mentors: Thorsten Behrens, Sarper Akdemir (Collabora)

This is important modernising work happening under the hood of Impress. The project mostly completed the rework on Linux, laying a foundation for rendering modernisation on other platforms. The code itself lives in a separate feature branch for now and will not be merged for LibreOffice 26.2.

Learn more about the slideshow rework in the final report.

Wrapping up

Many thanks to all contributors who spent their summer time improving LibreOffice. You are awesome! And special thanks also to the mentors who always put so much love and energy into these tasks. That’s what makes LibreOffice rock.

Now we are looking forward to next year’s GSoC. If you are interested, why not prepare early? Learn more at out wiki page where some ideas are listed.

Participating in GSoC is a great way to build your skills, and show future employers what you’re capable of!

LibreOffice 64-bit progress, and support for Amazon Linux 2023

CPU on a motherboard

LibreOffice has been available for Linux since we started the project in 2010. The official builds from The Document Foundation (the non-profit entity behind LibreOffice) are designed to be self-contained and distribution agnostic – that is, they should work on as many distributions as possible.

To achieve this, we test on various Linux distributions, and now we consider Amazon Linux 2023 as another platform supported by LibreOffice. Amazon has provided resources for regular and automated CI (continuous integration) testing of LibreOffice builds against Amazon Linux 2023, including crash-testing runs, via the AWS Open Source Credits programme.

As part of this, and for the general benefit of other users, TDF has started to provide 64-bit ARM Linux builds (aarch64) in RPM format. We’ve worked on improving 64-bit ARM support for various platforms in recent years, including for Windows and on Apple silicon Macs, given that the chips are becoming increasingly used in desktops and servers.

64-bit ARM chips commonly power cloud infrastructure, where LibreOffice is often used in headless (non-GUI) tasks, such as batch conversions of large numbers of documents. But some users run LibreOffice graphically too. With the updates we’ve been working on, LibreOffice is now available on more infrastructure and can be deployed on Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2). If there’s anything else users would like to see, submit an enhancement request and let us know!

LibreOffice Podcast, Episode #5 – Accessibility in Free and Open Source Software

LibreOffice strives to be accessible for people with special needs or limitations, such as visual impairment or limited motor abilities. How does the software work towards this? What accessibility features are in the pipeline? And how can all users help out? We talk to Michael Weghorn about these topics – and more. (This episode is also available on PeerTube.)

Please confirm that you want to play a YouTube video. By accepting, you will be accessing content from YouTube, a service provided by an external third party.

YouTube privacy policy

If you accept this notice, your choice will be saved and the page will refresh.

Projects selected for LibreOffice in the Google Summer of Code 2025

The LibreOffice Google Summer of Code projects have been selected for 2025.

  • Adam Seskunas – Implement Report Builder in C++: replacing the current Java-based Report Builder with a new solution will improve maintainability and remove one of the last remaining dependencies on Java.
  • Karthik Godha – New dialog to edit Table Styles: Writer and Calc have a feature called AutoFormat styles with the possibility to add custom styles. This project will make it possible to edit existing table styles.
  • Devansh Varshney – BASIC IDE code auto-completion: rudimentary auto-completion for BASIC macro authors is already available, but this project will make the feature much more helpful.
  • Manish Bera – Python code auto-completion: currently there is no support at all for Python auto-completion when developing scripts for LibreOffice, so this will be quite a welcome addition.
  • Mohamed Ali Mohamed – Rust UNO language binding: last year LibreOffice received support for Lua and the latest .NET and now it’s time to make it possible to use the API with Rust.
  • Ujjawal Kumar – Import Markdown files into Writer: Markdown is a rather popular markup language for quickly formatting text in blog content, comments, chats and more. Requests to support it have increased recently, so it makes sense to tackle it.
  • Shardul Vikram Singh – Rework Impress slideshow to use DrawingLayer primitives: this is one of those projects that are incomprehensible to most users, but really important for the long term maintenance of the code.

Good luck to the contributors – we appreciate their work on these important features and improvements! And thanks to our mentors for assisting them: Thorsten Behrens, Stephan Bergmann and Sarper Akdemir (allotropia); Rafael Lima; Jonathan Clark, Heiko Tietze, Xisco Faulí, Michael Weghorn and Hossein Nourikhah (TDF).

Between August 25 and September 1, contributors will submit their code, project summaries, and final evaluations of their mentors. Find out more about the timeline here, and check out more details about the projects on this page.

LibreOffice Base and Firebird – a special relationship

(Translated from the Spanish original.)

Juan C. Sanz writes:

The Firebird database is distinguished by its unique features within the LibreOffice Base compatible database ecosystem. Why do I consider Firebird to be special? Because it is the only database engine that supports all possible forms of connection in Base and also allows the creation of both embedded, external and server databases directly from LibreOffice, without having to use specific tools.

LibreOffice offers the following Firebird connection options:

  • Embedded database
  • Standalone database file (no server required)
  • Database server via internal driver

Additionally, like other database servers, it is possible to establish a connection via JDBC or ODBC connectors. These connectors are available free of charge and as open source software on the official Firebird website.

Advantages of multiple connection options. Firebird offers several ways of connection that represent important advantages:

  1. Embedded database: The embedded or internal database consists of a *.odb file containing all the database facilities (table view, query designer, forms, reports, macros) together with the data.

    This option is especially easy and accessible for users with little database experience. Simply enable the experimental features of LibreOffice to start using it. It is ideal for learning basic database concepts and the Base tool.

  2. External database file: For advanced users looking to work more rigorously, it is recommended to migrate from embedded databases to external files. This type of connection does not require additional installations; a new file can be created using the Connect to an existing database option, rather than the Create a new database option (the nomenclature can be confusing). This connection method offers greater security by storing the data in a separate FDB file from the Base ODB file. In addition, modifications are saved instantly, which reduces the risk of data loss in the event of computer crashes or failures. In the long term, external Firebird files can be connected to servers without modification, as long as the versions are compatible. Transformation between different versions of the FDB file can be done easily and smoothly.

  3. Firebird database server: In this case, we will have a Base file with the functionalities of forms, query designer, reports and macros and the data will be hosted in a Firebird database server. The server is a software that does not have to be installed in a special computer, it could even be installed in the same computer that we use to connect to it. This type of connection provides specific advantages:
    • Allows simultaneous access by multiple users
    • Facilitates permissions management and data access control
    • Provides greater speed in the delivery of information

The connection to the server via the internal driver provides a fast and easy way to configure connection. In any case, ODBC and JDBC connections also work without problems, although, as they require an intermediate connector, they are usually slower.

For all these reasons, I consider that Base and Firebird are an ideal combination.

LibreOffice and Google Summer of Code 2024: The results

Google Summer of Code logo

This year, LibreOffice was once again a mentoring organization in the Google Summer of Code (GSoC), a global program focused on bringing more developers into free and open source software development. Seven projects were finished successfully, plus one project mentored under Linux Foundation. Contributors and mentors enjoyed the time, and here we present some of the achievements, which should make their way into LibreOffice 25.2 in early February 2025!

You can experiment with the new features by using daily builds and report any problems in our bug tracker.

LibreOffice Theme by Sahil Gautam

Mentors: Rafael Lima, Heiko Tietze (TDF)

Theming LibreOffice has a long history. Support for Mozilla Personas was added in version 4.0 released in 2013. This was later changed to a selection of preinstalled themes. The current work started by Sahil aims to also supersede Application Colors.

The groundwork has been done and the design team is currently discussing how to present the feature in the user interface. Sahil continues to engage in the work and discussion and we are grateful for the commitment.

Learn more about the theme project in the final report.

Comments in Sidebar by Mohit Marathe

Mentors: Sarper Akdemir (allotropia), Heiko Tietze (TDF)

The Sidebar has proven to be very powerful when dealing with complex documents. The complexity of comments can certainly increase quickly, so the ability of managing them via the Sidebar was seen as a welcome addition.

Mohit is currently polishing the feature while working closely with the design team.

Learn more about the comment feature in the final report.

Improvements to the Functions Sidebar deck and Functions Wizard by Ahmed Hamed

Mentors: Andreas Heinisch, Heiko Tietze (TDF)

Both the Sidebar deck and the wizard now display the functions in collapsible groups when viewed with the “All” filtering option. Both also now have an optional similarity search.

Ahmed is currently working on adding a category to store favourite functions.

Learn more about the Functions deck improvements in the final report.

Native support for histogram chart and its variations by Devansh Varshney

Mentors: Tomaž Vajngerl (Collabora)

The new chart type will make it possible to visualise ranges of values. Adding a new type of chart is a can of worms, because file format support has to be added both for ODF and OOXML. Devansh is working to finish the implementation in this regard.

Learn more about the chart work in the final report.

Cross Platform .NET bindings for UNO API by Ritobroto Mukherjee

Mentors: Hossein Nourikhah (TDF), Thorsten Behrens (allotropia)

This is big news for .NET developers hoping to make use of LibreOffice’s UNO API. The earlier support was undocumented and targeted versions released over twenty years ago. Now with .NET 8 support added, the bindings for .NET programming languages, including C#, F# and Visual Basic are cross platform, available for Windows, Linux and macOS.

Learn more about the .NET work in the final report.

Lua UNO language bindings by Venetia Furtado

Mentors: Thorsten Behrens (allotropia), Stephan Bergmann (allotropia)

Lua is a small language originally developed in Brazil. Many might know it as a scripting language used in games. We also use Lua in our wiki through the Scribunto extension. Thanks to the work of Venetia, it can now be used to drive LibreOffice.

Learn more about the Lua work in the final report.

More and better tests by Adam Seskunas

Mentors: Xisco Faulí (TDF), Hossein Nourikhah (TDF)

The quality of LibreOffice’s code base is guarded by a vast collection of automated tests, many of which are based on bugs that were discovered and fixed. Adam added many such tests and also converted some ancient Java-based tests to C++. He created a guide for writing tests for fixed bugs.

Learn more about the test authoring work in the final report.

Providing CPDB support for the LibreOffice Print Dialog by Biswadeep Purkayastha

Mentors: Michael Weghorn (TDF), Till Kamppeter (OpenPrinting), Gaurav Guleria, Sahil Arora, Ira McDonald

This project was done under Linux Foundation’s OpenPrinting and benefits the Linux version of LibreOffice. The Common Print Dialog Backends technology had received updates and it was necessary to rework LibreOffice’s code to make use of the improvements. Now the printer lists are periodically refreshed to avoid stale printers, the Print Directly button prints to the default printer and the print dialog is more responsive.

Learn more about the print dialog work in the final report.

Wrapping up

Many thanks to all contributors who spent their summer time improving LibreOffice. You are awesome! And special thanks also to the mentors who always put so much love and energy into these tasks. That’s what makes LibreOffice rock.

Now we are looking forward to next year’s GSoC. If you are interested, why not prepare early? Learn more at out wiki page where some ideas are listed.

Participating in GSoC is a great way to build your skills, and show future employers what you’re capable of!

Press Releases

Announcement of LibreOffice 25.8.4

Berlin, 18 December 2025 – LibreOffice 25.8.4, the fourth minor update to the free office suite developed by volunteers for…

Open Document Format

The importance of ODF during the festive season

To be honest, I didn't think I would publish my usual post about ODF over the festive period, as most…