Converting word doc to pdf in CruiseControl.Net

Today I needed to automate the process where we create PDF files out of our client documentation in Microsoft Word format. Since up to now we have done it manually by opening the document and printing to a installed PDF printer. Quite tedious work.
After some searching I start to realize that there are many PDF creators around; and most of them uses Ms word and prints using a pdf printer (just as we use to do, but by automation).
The problem is that I don't want to install printers or the Ms Office package on our build server (if I can avoid it). Another wish is that the solution should be free and open source.
So finally I stumbled upon this article by Graham J. Williams that uses OpenOffice.org to do the conversion and a custom macro to allow the conversion to be called from the commandline.

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

Sub ConvertWordToPDF(cFile)
  cURL = ConvertToURL(cFile)

  ' Open the document.
  ' Just blindly assume that the document is of a type that OOo will
  '  correctly recognize and open -- without specifying an import filter.
  oDoc = StarDesktop.loadComponentFromURL(cURL, "_blank", 0, Array(MakePropertyValue("Hidden", True), ))

  cFile = Left(cFile, LastIndexOf(cFile,".")) + "pdf"
  cURL = ConvertToURL(cFile)

  ' Save the document using a filter.
  oDoc.storeToURL(cURL, Array(MakePropertyValue("FilterName", "writer_pdf_Export"), ))

  oDoc.close(True)

End Sub

Function LastIndexOf ( cText as String, cMatch as String) As Integer
  lastIndex = 0
  pos=0
  Do
    pos = InStr(pos+1,cText,cMatch)'
    If pos >0 Then
      lastIndex = pos
    End If
  Loop While pos >0
  LastIndexOf()=lastIndex
End Function

Function MakePropertyValue( Optional cName As String, Optional uValue ) As com.sun.star.beans.PropertyValue
  Dim oPropertyValue As New com.sun.star.beans.PropertyValue
  If Not IsMissing( cName ) Then
    oPropertyValue.Name = cName
  EndIf
  If Not IsMissing( uValue ) Then
    oPropertyValue.Value = uValue
  EndIf
  MakePropertyValue() = oPropertyValue
End Function

I modified it a bit to allow correct handing of extensions.
To call it from a windows command prompt just enter

c:\program files\OpenOffice.Org 3\Program\swriter.exe -invisible "macro:///Standard.Module1.ConvertWordToPDF(c:\temp\My word document.doc)"

I incorporated it in our cruisecontrol.net nant scripts so all solutions that needs pdf conversions in the build chain can have it.
Great!

2010-05-11 Update: Fixed a bug with filenames that contained more than one period (.), added the LastIndexOf function