Digital Workshop

Hi

I am trying to use DocView to display Word and Excel files. I have Office 2007 but am using the 2003 file extensions (DOC, XLS) for viewing. I've selected DOC and XLS as file extensions in the DocView dialog box, from the default drop-down list. As a test, I've also added PDF.

The set up uses a search dialog to select a file, store the path to a variable which is used in DocView to open the file.

Instead of the file displaying inside DocView (like a PDF in Acrobat Reader does), it launches the whole Word or Excel program to display the DOC or XLS file selected, and this display is outside of the the DocView window (launched as its own separate app window superimposed over the running Opus pub). In this case, the undelying DocView frame remains blank. So, DocView is not used for the display.

I would appreciate any feedback as to similar experiences, ideas how to remedy. Perhaps, I am doing something wrong. But, the PDF file extension works OK, using the same search/store path to varaible, displaying in DocView, while these Office program files don't.

I am attaching a sample IMP to illustrate.

Kind Regards,

Hi Stephen,

Tested and this works fine on my system with it's lowly Office 2003

If the old grey cells serve me correctly, this has already been discussed before on the forum - somewhere.

I think it's probably something to do with the open action settings. I'm attaching a shot of mine that you can compare against.

Mack

Hi Mack

Thanks for your reply. I had searched the Forum first, and finding a few ideas, tried these (like setting the security setting's Active X to run internal and CD scripts). These fixes didn't work.

Where are the action settings for your version of Word/Office 2003 located? I can try to compare them, if I can find them in my 2007 version and Vista. So far, no joy locating in the Office 2007 help file or via an online search.

I also checked in "file associations" for the DOC file. Unlike older versions of Windows, there are no advanced options to edit or bring up a dialog box to edit/configure these in Vista, that I can locate.

An added bit of info: TXT files will open, like PDFs, within docview. It's only Office 2007 files that instead open the full program rather than display in docview.

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Kind Regards,

You access the action settings through Explorer, using the menu bar; they are not accessed through MS Word.
Tools >> Folder Options >> Filetype tab.
Select the filetype "doc" then click the Advanced button to see a range of actions.
Select the one of interest, click "edit" and you will see the same dialog box that Mack mentioned.

Paul

Hi Paul

I didn't have any success finding this on Vista. I recall this feature in Windows XP, but can't find in Vista, native install.

So, I did some more online research:

This tab and feature are gone in Vista:

http://www.annoyances.org/exec/show/article02-500

Here's the Microsoft article that confirms this and suggests a registry key work-round:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927009

So, unless the work-around is used (and I suspect it would have to be used by every end-user with Vista and Office 2007 wanting to open these Office files in a docview), docview will not be a viable option for my pub.

Because of the design of this pub, which will have additional items in the page in which the docview is embedded, I need for Word, Excel, etc. to open in, not separate from, docview and the pub. I'll try to find another way to achieve the same effect.

Kind Regards,

Stephen

You are right, it's gone -- @#%&$!
Isn't Vista wonderful?
I wonder who the half-wit was that "dummy proofed" the front end.

Paul

Hi Paul

Yes, this is an example where security concerns trump functionality. I'm afraid that while docview wil still open many file types and programs, run in Vista, it won't open the Office 2007 ones, chiefly Word, Excel.

In order to create a work-around, I would need to create a transparent page background, which I can't seem to figure out. The transparent tab is disabled in page properties. I would need to create a screen which would have 4 sides containing objects and have a sizeable transparent opening between these through which the user could view the desktop or anything open in it (like the Word or Excel doc), below.

I'll keep brainstorming, maybe come up with another workround.

Kind Regards,

Hi Stephen,
You might have to consider converting your .doc files to pdf. I'm not sure what you can do with the .xls ones.

Paul

Hi Paul

Thanks for your suggestion. I'm afraid the design needs to offer the end-user a means to display their document, whatever its file type, inside the pub's screen (for example, in a docview), which is surrounded by other utilities to help them with their document. Unless every end-user would have ability to convert to PDF using a free, redistributable, bundled PDF converter within this commercial pub (or alternately never need to display DOC, XLS using Office 2007 on a Vista OS), I'm afraid this won't work.

I am looking outside of Opus, for example to RealBasic, VB or another development tool with ability to create a transparent frame, to create what is needed in this project. The new security features in Office 2007 and Vista will not allow display of these file types in docview, unless MS comes along with a hotfix allowing optional turn off (involving resetting the flags) of this file security.

Kind Regards,

Hi Stephen,
Cutepdf offers a customisable, redistributable PDF solution for converting to PDF. Look at the Developer Kit and sample code pages.

http://www.cutepdf.com/Solutions/pdfwriter.asp

The price is reasonable for a distributable solution.
They make good products from my experience.
Hundreds of our clients use their free version, but they have to download it themselves.

http://www.foxitsoftware.com/

also produce PDF SDK's, one in DLL form.
I used to use Acrobat reader in my office, now I use the free Foxit reader instead. Check out their products.

cheers
Paul

Thanks, Paul.

I appreciate the leads. Having Dreamweaver CS3 and Flash Pro CS3, I'm also looking at AIR (Adobe Intergrated Runtime-new name for Apollo), since desktop apps created in AIR look like they can transparently show the desktop, open docs, below. One way or another, I'll try to figure out a work-around.

Kind Regards,

AIR applications require a 11mb clientside installed runtime - guess thats a show stopper.
How much interaction with the office docs is required? Is it something you could fake with something like Captivate?


Cheers

Hi Ken

Thanks for your reply.

The design allows for the user to select any document file on their machine via search dialog and open it, so that various additional aids can be summoned from the frame around it. Since docview will open Acrobat (using the Acrobat Reader), one idea suggested (thanks, Paul) would be to use a third-party program or DLL to convert a Word 2007 or Excel 2007 file first, then display it in PDF.

Alternately, a runtime created in another program, with a central transparent area and frame in which the utilities are found, would work. I don't have Captivate so am unsure this either would work or be a solution. Also, Captivate's expense may be prohibitive.

I'm aware of the AIR runtime overhead, having had to download it in order to work/view AIR. Given the comments in Adobe labs/blogs/forum's about aiming at 'easy' smooth installs, pop-up notices/redirects similar to when trying to run SWF without the Flash player, and wide deployment (hopefully like Reader and Flash player), I'm less concerned about this.

Kind Regards,

Found this with a little bit of searching.
Panergy docXConverter
http://www.panergy-software.com/product ... tures.html

Will open and read Office 2007 Word and Excel formats, ports them into a .RTF format (saved for viewing and editing by an RTF capable app). Perhaps you could make that happen in the background and then open that copy.RTF in DocView.

Seems it's ~$20, but they offer volume discounts. Open to affilliate arrangements. If something like this is "a way" around obstacles to Opus DocView in the new Microsoft world, perhaps DW could partner or OEM their app, or at least make it more seamless. Maybe offer it as an added/distributable plug-in to Opus. At least it seems it would not require each user to do conversions or saves.

Hi Lar_123

Thanks for your suggestion. I took a look at this program's site and suspect they would not let this be freely re-distributable by purchasing a single license. As suggested, unless DW were to add this as a plug-in, it also wouldn't be seamless.

I had already considered having the end-user copy the DOC file's text to clipboard, then Ctrl V paste it into a text input box in the pub, which could substitute for the docview, but this copy/paste is too awkward, and the text input box would become less useable if it were a lengthy document.

I think the way to achieve the effect I'm trying for will be outside of Opus, though I'm not sure yet what to use.

Keeping up of Microsoft's changes that reduce Opus functionality is proving to be quite difficult. Unfortunately, an ever-increasing number of users will employ Office 2007 to create new DOCX and open their earlier-created DOC files. For these, docview will no longer work.

I appreciate the brainstorming and many suggestions for work-arounds.

Kind Regards,