.docx and .rtf

Murf72 · Newbie Joined: 02 Jul 2006 Posts: 3

How do I get these file extensions to work with openoffice 2.0.3.
.docx
.rtf

.rtf will not work at all, and with .docx it asks to repair it but then it comes up with a blank page.
Thanks for your help

hakre · General User Joined: 08 Dec 2005 Posts: 31

have no problems with RTF at all.

Murf72 · Newbie Joined: 02 Jul 2006 Posts: 3

ok, how do i get .rtf to work. and what do I do about .docx .docx is from MS Office 12 the beta version, which has now expired

bryancole · OOo Advocate Joined: 13 Jun 2003 Posts: 306

I doubt there's anything you can do to read .docx. If this is from MS-Office 12 beta, how would anyone without Office-12beta read it (linux or windows)? I suggest asking the document author to save the document in a non-proprietary format (like .rft or .odt). Standard .doc files also work, even though they are too proprietary.

BC

bryancole · OOo Advocate Joined: 13 Jun 2003 Posts: 306

ok, on re-reading your post, I see your problem. You wrote the document using the beta of Office-12, but saved it in the new proprietary format. Now the beta is expired, you can't access your data. This is an awsome example of why closed-formats are a bad thing!

Sorry, the idealogical rant doesn't help you much. If the new .docx format is the new xml format, you could try unzipping it in file-roller and openning the contents in a text editor and extracting your text manually. If you want to learn XSLT you could probably transform the data into some other xml format or even html, but I'm guessing this won't appeal as a solution.

In time, I'd expect format converts to become available, but I've nothing to suggest in the mean time. sorry. Can you get another copy of the beta?

BC

9point9 · Moderator Joined: 31 Aug 2004 Posts: 3904 Location: UK

JohnKS · Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2006 1:11 pm Post subject:

9point9 · Moderator Joined: 31 Aug 2004 Posts: 3904 Location: UK

foodcoman · Newbie Joined: 19 Sep 2007 Posts: 3

http://www.sigmundvoid.com/?p=81

woodsmoke3 · General User Joined: 06 Jun 2007 Posts: 19

Hi Murf 72

and welcome to the forum

Given what was mentioned above, the .rtf probably can't be read without the beta as mentioned. However, just to allay your fears, .rtf has always been read by almost all, if not all, word processors so if and when you get things squared away, you should have no fear on that part.

As to the .docx it is, in a way, an attempt by MS to be able to "transport" various kinds of information in one file. If you have ever tried to "attach" a folder, your "ISP/mailclient/whatever" probably didn't let you do it. There are valid security reasons for this because malware etc. can be included. Yahoo for example will only allow a single document. Sometimes including video files, or sound files, are interpreted by the mail client's filter as being a spam, or malware and won't let it through..

I'm saying this by way of explaining how to get "at" the document in .docx.

If you just "click" it then your "system" might try to open it as a ZIP or with Linux as a TAR or ARK.... these are all methods of "storing" the files in a group or package...TAR stands for Taball.... a gooey mess that gets things stuck in it.

Anyhow, if you can unzip the .docx file, it might not unzip in Windows, because of the time/date thing, but if you can unzip it, you will see a bunch of vertically arranged folders, each of these folders may, or may not, have something in them, depending on what you did with the document.

Say for instance that you included music, then it will be in a folder and another folder will tie the music to the document.

The document folder is called just that.... about middle way down you will see a folder called "document", it may have an extension as "xml" file.

XML is "extensible markup language" which really is a universal file, but Microsoft has co-opted it, even won a patent for it which was upheld in court, a few months ago if I'm not misremembering...and I do that..I'm oldern' dirt! Smile

Anyway...depending on how you open it you may or may not be able to manipulated the text therein.

If you just "unzip" it or "untar" it in Linux then you can see the text in the document, but cannot copy, paste, select etc. or anything.

However, if your "file manager" will let you open it. An example being the Konquorer File manager in Linux, then you can "navigate" to the folder and open it. and...WOAH...there is all the text, in a continuous stream, and only seperated by periods, but it is there and you can select, copy and paste to a word document.

Given the above, I'm going to hazard a recommendation.

Depending upon just how important these files are..... you MIGHT try downloading a "live cd" of a Linux Distro, or maybe find someone with a Linux machine, and give it a try.... the distro "might" not recognize, or care about, the time/date thing...it "might" just open it as I outlined it above. dunno...just a thought.

Addendum:

It MIGHT also be possible to open the .docx documents with an "unzip" program....the unzip program might not worry about the time/date thing either...

If you want try that route then read on. Smile

the worst case scenario is that the document has literally self destructed, but building that function in would be counter productive, because if you then went to buy the program, expecting to be able to open the previous items and couldn't....ooohhh...bad scene that....

I made a .docx on my Vista machine just to go through the process. I use UnzipWizard.

I right clicked to "open with". Of course Microsloth only wanted to give me it's options, so I had to "browse"...only it didn't want to give many options there, I had to go to C/"my name"/then desktop where I had the shortcut. I clicked the shortcut and it appeared in the "open with" box

HOWEVER....BE SURE...that you have UNCHECKED...the "open with this as default" box at the bottom left....that little "prechecked" box has been the bane and undoing of untold millions of people.... you don't want to ALWAYS use UnzipWizard to open the file...just now.... or PKunzip, or whatever...

Anyway, click the Zip proggy and it may do what Unzip Wizard did...it screamed that "this isn't a ZIP file"!!! basically, if you do anything here your whole system will explode...

but...click it anyway....and if it unzips... mine did, but then I'm not in your situation Sad

... then.. like I said, you will see "document" xml part way down...

YOu can then choose to open that part, but be sure you know WHERE the proggy puts it or you can spend a half hour hunting! Smile

I saved mine to desktop and UnZip Wizard provided a folder called "unzipped files"..

Anyway, then find the document and double click to open it, and Vista did just that...

You will see a LOT of gobbeldygook above and below, mine was mostly in red, and bolding... but if you hunt around in the middle you will see your text and can strip it out with highlighting, copy and paste.

again, hope this helps some.... but apparently the files may be beyond help... Sad

again, welcome to the forum
woodsmoke
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demarcoc · Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 8:51 pm Post subject:

As far as the .rtf files are concerned, go into File Types (in Windows Explorer > Tools > Folder Options > File Types) and make sure that .rtf files are associated with OpenOffice.org. They may be associated with your expired software. Other than that, I can't think of any reason why you can't open them in OpenOffice.org -- I've never seen that problem before.

On the .docx files, you can convert these into "regular" (i.e. pre-MS Office 2007) .doc files using the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack available at the link below. While the documentation says you need to have MS Office installed in order to use this, that's not the case.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=941B3470-3AE9-4AEE-8F43-C6BB74CD1466&displaylang=en

Once you install the Compatibility Pack, right-click on each .docx file and convert it to a .doc file.

Finally, the Compatibility Pack will "hijack" the file associations for .doc, .xls and other MS Office files, so you'll need to make one last trip into File Types to switch those back to OpenOffice.org.

One other point: you might want to upgrade to the new version of OpenOffice.org, which is version 2.3.0. I'd uninstall your current version first, then install the new version. If you install the new version of OpenOffice.org after you've installed the Compatibility Pack, the installer will ask you whether you want to associate MS Office files with OpenOffice.org, which would save you the 2nd trip into File Types.

Good luck...
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Using OOo 3.0.1 on Windows XP Pro SP3

maxqnz · Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 8:55 pm Post subject:

woodsmoke3 · General User Joined: 06 Jun 2007 Posts: 19

demarcoc

Three short questions about your post if I might.

I presently use OO 2.1 from Sun on a Vista machine because because it is able to read .docx

The problem is that the j/c whereat I teach has a lot of fuzzy headed profs that love to send out flurrys of missives, and now getting into spreadsheets etc. in the latest office 2007 format and blithely say...the students and the rest of the faculty need to get on board with the future etc.

Because of this I swallowed the bitter pill and bought the faculty MSO07 and so now have the "trial" versions installed.

a) If I attempt to proceed with the procedure which you outlined is there a likelyhood of a great big mess up between the competeing versions :(the Compatability Pack being designed for previous MSOffice versions)..I won't hold you responsible, I'm just trying to gauge probable outcomes, this is a work machine.

b) Is there ANY possibility that the method will also allow OO to read MSO07 excel, ppt, etc. files?

If the second is possible this would be a GREAT boon to the students and faculty who have fought the good fight of using OO.

c) On a Linux machine(which is my main machine), I use Crossover for a "few" apps such as Java, etc. which I HAVE to have to be able to get access to a "virtual lab" for the school(I teach online biology in addition to face 2 face)...

I'm wondering if the Compatability Pack would "work" with say an older version of MSO that I might install with Crossover, do the "hijack" and then the Linux version of OO would be able to read .docx...at least...and again, possibly excel, etc.

If so then that would stave off future problems, which are soon to arise, because I use OO on a linux machine exclusively to make my Impress presentations or use at the j/c... but, I forsee the future when the MSO07 (now implemented at the j/c) will be used to SEND me ppts for use in class. Again, this is just a question and you won't have to hold my hand to repair things, I can PIN the system.

Thanks ahead of time for any discussion on this and again, I won't hold you responsible for any messups...

woodsmoke
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demarcoc · Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2007 11:05 pm Post subject:

Since I don't have MS Office 2007, Windows Vista, or Linux, I can't be sure about your questions, but here are my suggestions:

On (a): Download the Compatibility Pack, and use it to convert some of the Office 2007 missives, spreadsheets, etc. you've got lying around to pre-Office 2007 format. Once you've got them converted, try opening them in Office 2007 and in your version of OpenOffice.org 2.1 to see what happens. The converter doesn't delete the original files, so you don't have to worry about losing anything if there are problems.

On (b): The Compatibility Pack can convert Office 2007 Word, Excel and Power Point files to pre-Office 2007 versions, which means they should all be readable in OpenOffice.org once you do the conversion.

On (c): If your Linux machine can read pre-Office 2007 files now, it should still be able to do so after you've used the Compatibility Pack to switch them over.

As always, depending on complexity, converting documents, spreadsheets and presentations from one format to another can result in some loss of formatting.

Also, note that the Compatibility Pack can do conversions in "both directions," which means that an OpenOffice.org document saved in a pre-Office 2007 format can be converted into the corresponding Office 2007 file.

I wouldn't bother doing that if I didn't have to -- there's no point doing any more conversions than are strictly necessary, and Office 2007 can open MS "legacy" formats -- but if you're exchanging files with someone who for whatever reason really wants Office 2007 files, it's an option.

Good luck...
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Using OOo 3.0.1 on Windows XP Pro SP3

woodsmoke3 · General User Joined: 06 Jun 2007 Posts: 19

hi demarcoc

thanks for the timely reply.

This is just one of those things that I want to do on principle and also for practical reasons.

a) I already have the Vista Machine with MSO07 on it but don't want to use it on principle. So the attempt with OO and the compatability pack.

b) I really would just like to go all linux, except for the stuff from the college I already am. So, I'll try just installing the compatability pack with Crossover to see what happens, if nothing then I'll uninstall, install Office 2000 and the compatability pack to see what happens.

As an aside, I was viisting with the Director of Technical Education yesterday and asked about doing a "workshop" on installing OO and, if the compatability pack thing works then that combo for linux, and he thought it was a great idea... so hopefully Open Source can be moved gently ahead somewhat..

thanks again
woodsmoke
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never argue with an idiot, he will only beat you down with experience...consider supporting your internet radio..I support: http://somafm.com/