Digital Workshop

A client has several Microsoft doc files with special formatting, boxes, etc which they want to present within an OPUS Page. I've create a new Page, and added a Doc View Object with the doc file, and an xls file in another case, selected. I've added these files to my root directory on my Master CD-ROM. This works fine on my three different desk tops and my laptop, but naturally, the client says nothing appears on those Pages on her office desktop, or her home laptop.

Any ideas why it works on all my computers, but not on hers? We are going to send this to 2,300 Elks Lodges around the world, so there's going to be a large range of viewing computer hardware. Do you have to have Word/Excell installed to see files using the Doc View? I believe my client has them both on all machines. [JUMP TO FINAL POST TO SEE HOW I SOLVED MY OWN PROBLEM -- Operator error]

Fred,

By any chance does she have security ratcheted up on her systems? As per the help file:

Maybe her security settings are preventing her seeing this. Just a thought...

OK, I rechecked this on my other desktop and fortunately/unfortunately I'm see what the client reported. There's nothing showing where the Doc View should be. No box, no icons, no outline, and no doc file.

Apparently when I did my testing on my creation machine, it's reading the files on my hard drive (which obviously isn't available when on another computer).

I tried to use Add Additional Resources, but OPUS won't Publish a doc file or xls file into it's EXE. I'm going to try to physically add the doc and xls files to the CD-ROM root directory, and use the same file name (with no spaces or special characters) in the Doc View Browser. I'll keep you posted.

Brian, thanks for the quick response, but it's definitely "operator (me) error."

Since OPUS will NOT include doc or xls files in it's EXE Pub, I added the needed files into my Pub subdirectory. I Published and got 14 Fatal Errors indicating OPUS wasn't finding the files (x7) (because I deleted the sub directory paths, only had the original file names.doc), and it could include the requested file (x7) but it did create files 00000000.doc etc including one file called "00000002.xls".

I tested this Pub and at least got the Doc View image, but there was nothing in any of them. On the one xls file, OPUS asked if I wanted to OPEN file "00000002.xls". I went to the Pub sub directory and deleted all the extra files OPUS created (since they all had 0 information anyway). I renamed the xls file to "00000002.xls" and it now works!

Since this is obviously the "hard way" there must be a simplier method to make OPUS read my doc files in the root directory. Since I don't know which original doc file it is assigning "00000000.doc" etc, this would be a guessing game with six possible doc files.

I'm going back to experiment more. I'm sure there's an easy answer...

Well, once I identified I had created my own problem, I was able to correct it.

First, I deleted everything in the Publish directory (which is always a good idea when you are having "strange" problems).

Next, I went back into OPUS 5.1 and for each Doc View Object, I used the Browser and located the correct doc and xls files.

I Published without any Errors this time. The Publish directory now has the exe file, and auto.ini file plus all the required doc and xls files which OPUS has renamed (why/how different file names? Who cares? It works.)

I burned a test CD-ROM and ran everything on a second computer. Everything works fine. Since this same computer wouldn't show the doc or xls files in an earlier test, I believe it is corrected.

I believe the problem was not clearing the Publish sub directory. It certainly wasn't an OPUS problem. Another check mark under "Operator Error."

Sorry to tie up the bandwidth. Proves that even experience OPUS developers can make simple mistakes which can turn into major client headaches.

Hi Fred,
Thanks for sharing that -- some Opus users post about a problem -- fix it -- then tell no one how they did it.
cheers
Paul