Apache OpenOffice (AOO) Bugzilla – Issue 72043
files cannot be saved in OO or other formats
Last modified: 2006-11-30 04:16:53 UTC
This problem began rather recently (within the past month) on a friend's new Lenovo Windows XP SP2-based laptop. She reportedly received a document of unknown format via e-mail and saved it to her desktop. When she edited it using OO Writer 2.0 and saved it to her desktop again the file's icon was a generic Windows type. Right-clicking on "Properties" shows file type as "File" and "Description" was the file's name. From that point on any document she creates she must be opened by double-clicking, selecting "Open Office 2.0" for "Open with", create or edit, and save. The saved file is now always of the generic type. The Tools path of "Tools -> Options -> Load/Save -> General" shows her default Document type as "Text document" and "Always save as" "OpenDocument Text". When we create a New document this way: - right-click on desktop, - create New - select OpenDocument test a new file icon appears on the desktop in the OpenDocument style. But when she starts the OO Writer, opens that file, edits and saves it, the generic icon replaces the OD icon and once again she must edit the file by "Open with", etc. We uninstalled all of OpenOffice and downloaded and installed OO 2.0.4. No difference in symptoms/behavior. We turned on the Guest account under XP and went through reproducing the problem (downloading a "bogus" file from e-mail, editing, saving). The downloaded file when edited is saved as an OO document to the Guest account's desktop with the appropriate icon. It can also be saved as a Word document, which is very important for her when sharing files with professors and classmates who must use MS Word or Office.
Created attachment 40947 [details] example bogus file, "foo2", with generic file icon
Framework issue.
I'll tell you where the problem is! You are missing the file extension, so the computer doesn't know which program should be used to open the file. Try appending ".odt" (without quotes) to the end of the file name and see if it works. Also in the save as and export dialogs, please ensure that "Automatic file name extension" is checked. This will prevent the problem in the future. I can confirm that the attached file is opened by an archive utility to unzip it, rather than sent to OpenOffice.org to be opened as a document. (Tested under Mac OS X.) I have have also seen the issue of the "Automatic file name extension" not being checked on Fedora Core 5. This was a different user who had the problem. rjsanders: If this fixes your problem, this issue will be closed.
The suggestion works for me on my system and for her on her system in her "Guest" account, but not for her on her system in her usual account - which, btw, has Administrator privileges...I've asked her to try opening and saving a spreadsheet to see the result.
Is there a file extension on the end of the filename that is created? If not, it won't load properly. Once document that is attached to this issue has the file extension added, it will open fine within OpenOffice.org 2.1m1.
She reports the same problem occurs when she tries to create a new OO Calc spreadsheet under her usual account - file is saved with generic icon, non-specific general "Properties".
smsm1, re "Automatic file name extension", i looked for this in Writer under Tools and elsewhere, but don't see it. When she saves a file, the type or extension is *not* automatically saved under her user account, though it is under her system's Guest account. (I'm wondering if there's some odd WinXP registry corruption or something, but since I'm not a Windows kinda guy or OO expert, I may have overlooked something obvious to someone who is...)
The "Automatic file name extension" is in the File Save As... Dialog.
i'm on the phone with her now. her "Automatic filename extension" of the "File...Save As" dialog was not checked. once she checked it all became well. many thanks... there is still a question about how that box got unchecked, but "we won't go there"... ;)