Property or Method not found: ParaStyleName

[1v4n0]

Hello, I get this error (Property or Method not found: ParaStyleName) when converting the attached file from ODT to EPUB with Open Office and Writer2Epub. I know both programs are old and discontinued, but I'm used to working with them.
Anyone knows what the issue is?

Thank you in advance

EDIT: Fixed. W2E's temporary window got stuck on a line that says if oTextElement.ParaStyleName = "Table Heading" then, so I figured it had something to do with tables, and after some trial and error I located the issue in some tables that seemed to be one inside the other - Open Office's navigator showed two tables, but there was only one. I fixed those and all went smoothly.

[Quoth]

1) Open Office is dead. Upgrade to LibreOffice (Versions 5.x, 6.x or 7.x are OK depending on PC and OS)

2) Writer2Epub is also on older Libre Office, but now LO Writer has epub built in. It's still rubbish compared to docx to Calibre from an ODT with Save As. Last 32 bit Calibre is 5.44 and is fine for docx to epub. Even Calibre 3.44 and LO 5.x (extra docx Save As) is far better than OOWriter and Writer2Epub (XP or ancient 32 bit Linux)

3) Do edit in odt, but an extra Save As on docx format. Converting docx in Calibre works far better than odt.

4) If Calibre is on a different Computer without the same fonts, then before Save As in docx go Properties and embed the fonts.

I did use Writer2Epub on Open Office and one version of Libre Office Writer. It's rubbish compared to Sigil or Calibre (even from odt to Calibre, but an extra Save As in docx to Calibre is best).

There is a good reason both are discontinued. Don't flog a dead horse!

I've used Word (2.0a, 95, XP, 2003 & 2007), Open Office and Libre Office on Windows. Used Calibre since before 3.48 on XP.
Switched entirely to LO + Calibre on Windows, then on Linux. Maybe over 900 conversions from odt via extra docx Save As to epub, azw3 & mobi, and over 5000 conversions to epub from mobi or azw3.

[Turtle91]

Originally Posted by 1v4n0

Hello, I get this error (Property or Method not found: ParaStyleName) when converting the attached file from ODT to EPUB with Open Office and Writer2Epub. I know both programs are old and discontinued, but I'm used to working with them.
Anyone knows what the issue is?

Thank you in advance

My guess is that you have a paragraph style name referenced in the document but that is not defined...or you didn't give a style a name but it is being used in the document.

[1v4n0]

Thanks both, I fixed it. See edit.

MASSIVE OT
As for @Quoth's lengthy answer, I totally saw that coming and I respectfully disagree. I don't think there is much need to update to newer techniques (or technologies). Books are extremely simple objects, and they have remained basically the same since the 1500s - and so has the way people interact with them. I have found a routine for making ebooks that works for me, and the final product is perfectly fine - I know because I have read many of "my" books, many retail ebooks, and many printed books (back when), and they all were just that - books. Lots of words and little else, and code-wise a bunch of <p>s with some <h1>s. I guess at some point the tools I use will become so obsolete that they won't even run on any computer, but until then the only reason I see for upgrading is to make some mental stretching, as it were.

And if all this makes me sound like a grumpy old guy, it's probably because I am

[Quoth]

That's fine. I don't usually use "latest versions". Let other people be the guinea pigs on the bleeding edge.
I did use OO Writer. I have used Writer2epub and found too much CSS was poor match to the original styles.
Glad it's working for you.

[Tex2002ans]

Originally Posted by 1v4n0

EDIT: Fixed. [...] after some trial and error I located the issue in some tables that seemed to be one inside the other [...]. I fixed those and all went smoothly.

Glad to see you solved your issue.

Originally Posted by Quoth

1) Open Office is dead. Upgrade to LibreOffice [...]

Yes. OpenOffice has been abandoned for over 12 years.

LibreOffice has been getting:

• Major updates every 6 months
  
  • 7.3 -> 7.4
• Minor updates every month
  
  • 7.4.1 -> 7.4.2

and there's been TONS of:

• new features
• performance upgrades
• compatibility + bug fixes

For example, just within the past few years, there's been major improvements to the:

• Navigator (LibreOffice 7.0)
  
  • Move entire chapters around?
    
  • Want a chapter's word count? No problem.
    
  • See my recent post for more Navigator tricks.
    
• Gutters (LibreOffice 7.2)
  
  • Want different inner/outer margins for your books? No problem! Now you can!
    
• Tracked Changes (LibreOffice 7.3)
  
  • Need to compare 2 versions together? No problem! Much cleaner now!
    

(There's been thousands of features + bugs fixed since the OpenOffice days.)

Originally Posted by Quoth

3) Do edit in odt, but an extra Save As on docx format. Converting docx in Calibre works far better than odt.

Yes, do all your editing in ODT, then:

• Save a copy as DOCX
• + convert DOCX->EPUB using Calibre.

Calibre's DOCX->EPUB conversion is better/cleaner than ODT->EPUB.

The #1 most important thing you can learn though:

• Learn to use Styles!!!

A clean source document will mean a much cleaner converted document, saving you lots and lots of future headaches.

- - -

If you want to learn more, see my:

• 2020: "eBook Formatting in Sigil" (Posts #46 + 50 + 52)

and, most recently, all the posts/tips/tutorials I wrote in:

• 2022: /r/LibreOffice: "LO Writer default font?"
• 2022: /r/LibreOffice: "Has anyone written a book using LibreOffice?"

(The past year, nearly every single day, I've been over in the LibreOffice subreddit writing lots of helpful tips.)

- - -

Originally Posted by 1v4n0

And if all this makes me sound like a grumpy old guy, it's probably because I am

Stop being a curmudgeon and join us in the 21st century!

Stick with the times, old man!!!

Put down that tablet and chisel, wipe the dust off the ol' fingers, and join us in our flying cars!!!

(Okay, okay, maybe that last one was a little too far. )

Originally Posted by 1v4n0

I get this error [...] when converting the attached file from ODT to EPUB with Open Office and Writer2Epub. I know both programs are old and discontinued, but I'm used to working with them.
Anyone knows what the issue is?

Probably using tools from a billion years ago!

Seriously though, start using LibreOffice + more modern conversion methods. I promise, it's not scary.

And if you use Styles consistently... bing, bang, boom, your LibreOffice -> Ebook files will be a piece of cake.