Creating XML Filters

Creating an XML Filter for LibreOffice

When you create an XML filter for LibreOffice, you need to design an \XSLT stylesheet\ that can convert to and from the OpenDocument XML file format.

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For more information about the OpenDocument XML format, go to https://www.openoffice.org/xml/.


If you want, you can include a \template\ with your filter to apply LibreOffice styles to an XML document that you import.

To create an XML filter

  1. Create an XSLT transformation \stylesheet\ that maps the elements of the external XML format to the elements of the OpenDocument XML file format and back again.

  2. Create a template that assigns LibreOffice styles to elements in the external XML format when you import a file in this format into LibreOffice.

  3. In LibreOffice Writer, create a text document, and choose \Tools - XML Filter Settings\.

  4. Click \New\.

  5. In the \XML Filter\ dialog, click the \General\ tab, and define the properties of the filter.

  1. On the \Transformation\ tab page, define the transformation properties for the filter.

  1. Click \OK\.

To test an XML filter

You can perform basic tests on a custom XML filter in LibreOffice.

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The document is not altered by these tests.


  1. Create or open a text document.

  2. Choose \Tools - XML Filter Settings\.

  3. In the list of filters, select the filter that you want to test, and click \Text XSLTs\.

  4. To test an Export filter, do one of the following in the Export area of the dialog:

  1. To test an Import filter, click Browse in the Import area of the dialog, select a document, and click Open.