[opensuse] OpenOffice 2.3 upgrade broke Thunderbird default "Open with"
I was running OO 2.0 (the default version) on my SUSE 10.0 system. In tracking down a problem with Master Documents, I upgraded to 2.3. Works nicely, but now when I click on an attachment in the Thunderbird mail program (say, .doc or .xls) the default is to Save, and selecting "Open with" produces the error: "filename.xls could not be opened, because the associated helper application does not exist. Change the association in your preferences." I can't find a place to change it, and besides .doc and .xls files (and I assume .ppt) automatically open just fine from the desktop. Just not from within Thunderbird. Curiously, I seem to recall both .doc files and .xls files opening correctly before the upgrade, but only .doc files are mentioned in the Download Actions preference dialog. Fiddling there seems like a kludge, anyway, since it was working before without that. Any suggestions as to how to address the above? TIA, ds -- Dennis E. Slice Department of Anthropology University of Vienna ======================================================== -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
Dennis E. Slice schreef:
"filename.xls could not be opened, because the associated helper application does not exist. Change the association in your preferences."
I can't find a place to change it, and besides .doc and .xls files (and I assume .ppt) automatically open just fine from the desktop. Just not from within Thunderbird.
In TB: Edit>Preferences>Attachments>View&Edit actions or something like that, since I'm backtranslating the Dutch translations. :-) The file associations that TB uses are not linked to those of KDE (or Gnome) which is what you see on your desktop. Regards, -- Jos van Kan registered Linux user #152704 -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
Jos van Kan wrote:
Dennis E. Slice schreef:
"filename.xls could not be opened, because the associated helper application does not exist. Change the association in your preferences."
I can't find a place to change it, and besides .doc and .xls files (and I assume .ppt) automatically open just fine from the desktop. Just not from within Thunderbird.
In TB: Edit>Preferences>Attachments>View&Edit actions
or something like that, since I'm backtranslating the Dutch translations. :-)
The file associations that TB uses are not linked to those of KDE (or Gnome) which is what you see on your desktop.
Regards,
Thanks for the speedy reply, but that's not quite it. Following the trail you suggest, I get to the action for .doc files is currently: "Open them with the default application:" This worked before 2.3, so what I think I need to do is change the "default application" whatever that is and wherever it may be. I don't think it is the KDE default app since the files open automatically from the Desktop. -dslice -- Dennis E. Slice Department of Anthropology University of Vienna ======================================================== -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 The Wednesday 2007-10-03 at 04:30 -0400, Dennis E. Slice wrote:
In TB: Edit>Preferences>Attachments>View&Edit actions
... Thanks for the speedy reply, but that's not quite it. Following the trail you suggest, I get to the action for .doc files is currently:
"Open them with the default application:"
This worked before 2.3, so what I think I need to do is change the "default application" whatever that is and wherever it may be. I don't think it is the KDE default app since the files open automatically from the Desktop.
Then have a look at the mailcap files: ~/.mailcap and /etc/mailcap. - -- Cheers, Carlos E. R. -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.5 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Made with pgp4pine 1.76 iD8DBQFHA2PatTMYHG2NR9URAhrdAJ9nlVrn/svZFjjXQhtaeKo1gOPKZACeJJNU 3S2U0u+u4mV2UsRVWEkfyds= =RFP2 -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
Carlos E. R. wrote:
The Wednesday 2007-10-03 at 04:30 -0400, Dennis E. Slice wrote:
In TB: Edit>Preferences>Attachments>View&Edit actions
... Thanks for the speedy reply, but that's not quite it. Following the trail you suggest, I get to the action for .doc files is currently:
"Open them with the default application:"
This worked before 2.3, so what I think I need to do is change the "default application" whatever that is and wherever it may be. I don't think it is the KDE default app since the files open automatically from the Desktop.
Then have a look at the mailcap files: ~/.mailcap and /etc/mailcap.
No local .mailcap, and the /etc/mailcap doesn't appear to have anything relevant to msword and doc files. -ds -- Dennis E. Slice Department of Anthropology University of Vienna ======================================================== -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
Dennis E. Slice wrote:
Carlos E. R. wrote:
The Wednesday 2007-10-03 at 04:30 -0400, Dennis E. Slice wrote:
In TB: Edit>Preferences>Attachments>View&Edit actions
...
Thanks for the speedy reply, but that's not quite it. Following the trail you suggest, I get to the action for .doc files is currently:
"Open them with the default application:"
This worked before 2.3, so what I think I need to do is change the "default application" whatever that is and wherever it may be. I don't think it is the KDE default app since the files open automatically from the Desktop.
Then have a look at the mailcap files: ~/.mailcap and /etc/mailcap.
No local .mailcap, and the /etc/mailcap doesn't appear to have anything relevant to msword and doc files.
Start Konqueror file manager and right-click on a *.doc file. What is shown in the menu which comes up re which app is to be used to open/read the *.doc file? -- Past experience, if not forgotten, is a guide for the future. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
Basil Chupin wrote: ...snip...
Start Konqueror file manager and right-click on a *.doc file. What is shown in the menu which comes up re which app is to be used to open/read the *.doc file?
Konqueror gives the option of "Open in a New Window" which eventually correctly invokes openoffice.org2.3. In the "Open with" menu, "OpenOffice.org 2.3 Writer" is the first choice, and "OpenOffice.org Writer" the second. The second calls "oowriter" which is no longer on the system. Because of this question, I also checked Firefox since FF and TB are related. It has the same type of Action editor for downloads as TB has for attachments, except there are a lot more types and no DOC type. -ds -- Dennis E. Slice Department of Anthropology University of Vienna ======================================================== -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 The Wednesday 2007-10-03 at 09:09 -0400, Dennis E. Slice wrote:
Then have a look at the mailcap files: ~/.mailcap and /etc/mailcap.
No local .mailcap, and the /etc/mailcap doesn't appear to have anything relevant to msword and doc files.
Mine has: application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.text; /usr/X11R6/bin/OOo-writer %s or had: application/excel;/home/cer/OpenOffice.org1.1.1/soffice %s I recogn one or two I might have added manually myself, but not all of them, there are dozens. I will have to clean them up, they refer to version 1. I need those lines when I open files from inside Pine. - -- Cheers, Carlos E. R. -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.5 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Made with pgp4pine 1.76 iD8DBQFHA7aatTMYHG2NR9URAk/9AJwOud/PK0qyiM9lBL+WD1fVcKMveACgmVCd DiEMqDNDWcav4YM0JAnlZSA= =xA79 -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
Dennis E. Slice schreef:
Thanks for the speedy reply, but that's not quite it. Following the trail you suggest, I get to the action for .doc files is currently:
"Open them with the default application:"
This worked before 2.3, so what I think I need to do is change the "default application" whatever that is and wherever it may be. I don't think it is the KDE default app since the files open automatically from the Desktop.
You'd have to change that action (open it with your brand new oowriter instead of the default application) and point it to where OOwriter now resides, which is probably in a different location from what TB thinks. I repeat that KDE has nothing to do with it, since TB and KDE are not related. The default application is the TB default appication. Regards, -- Jos van Kan registered Linux user #152704 -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
Jos van Kan wrote:
Dennis E. Slice schreef:
Thanks for the speedy reply, but that's not quite it. Following the trail you suggest, I get to the action for .doc files is currently:
"Open them with the default application:"
This worked before 2.3, so what I think I need to do is change the "default application" whatever that is and wherever it may be. I don't think it is the KDE default app since the files open automatically from the Desktop.
You'd have to change that action (open it with your brand new oowriter instead of the default application) and point it to where OOwriter now resides, which is probably in a different location from what TB thinks.
I repeat that KDE has nothing to do with it, since TB and KDE are not related. The default application is the TB default appication.
Regards,
Okay, that worked ... a little. I can explicitly specify /usr/bin/openoffice.org2.3 or /etc/openoffice.org2.3/program/soffice or swriter and .doc files will be opened. But, that does not change the TB default app for such files - a new window now opens briefly before the file is opened and the "Action" preference page shows the separate, explicit, nondefault specification of one of the above, soffice, etc. That might be fine, except... I see know way to add "XLS" or any other extensions as a supported file type. The only ones listed are: DOC JPG PDF and ASC. Buttons support: Remove Action, Change Action, but no Add/New Action. They must be coming from somewhere else. -ds -- Dennis E. Slice Department of Anthropology University of Vienna ======================================================== -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
Dennis E. Slice schreef:
But, that does not change the TB default app for such files - a new window now opens briefly before the file is opened and the "Action" preference page shows the separate, explicit, nondefault specification of one of the above, soffice, etc. That might be fine, except...
I see know way to add "XLS" or any other extensions as a supported file type. The only ones listed are: DOC JPG PDF and ASC. Buttons support: Remove Action, Change Action, but no Add/New Action. They must be coming from somewhere else.
Yes that's a design error in TB. (sort of) Send yourself an attached .xls file and open it in TB. You get a dialog box asking you what to do with it and there you can choose "open it with oocalc". You also can check a box "Always perform this action with this kind of file" and from that moment on Bob is your uncle. No doubt the philosophy of the TB designers is that you shouldn't worry about attached .xls files as long as you don't get them. They have a point there. :-) Regards, -- Jos van Kan registered Linux user #152704 -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
Jos van Kan wrote:
Dennis E. Slice schreef:
But, that does not change the TB default app for such files - a new window now opens briefly before the file is opened and the "Action" preference page shows the separate, explicit, nondefault specification of one of the above, soffice, etc. That might be fine, except...
I see know way to add "XLS" or any other extensions as a supported file type. The only ones listed are: DOC JPG PDF and ASC. Buttons support: Remove Action, Change Action, but no Add/New Action. They must be coming from somewhere else.
Yes that's a design error in TB. (sort of) Send yourself an attached .xls file and open it in TB. You get a dialog box asking you what to do with it and there you can choose "open it with oocalc". You also can check a box "Always perform this action with this kind of file" and from that moment on Bob is your uncle. No doubt the philosophy of the TB designers is that you shouldn't worry about attached .xls files as long as you don't get them. They have a point there. :-)
Regards,
We have a winner, and Bob, it appears, is indeed my uncle! After right clicking on the .xls file and specifying they are to be opened with "/usr/bin/openoffice.org2.3" and this is to be done for all such files, XLS now appears in the "Action" list and things work as expected. I even deleted the DOC Action I had set in the panel and reset it this way for consistency, but that was really unnecessary. I suppose TB was built to assume an earlier version of OOo and its file names and locations. Thanks to all who contributed. Hopefully, this exchange will help others, as well. -dslice -- Dennis E. Slice Department of Anthropology University of Vienna ======================================================== -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
Dennis E. Slice wrote:
I was running OO 2.0 (the default version) on my SUSE 10.0 system. In tracking down a problem with Master Documents, I upgraded to 2.3. Works nicely, but now when I click on an attachment in the Thunderbird mail program (say, .doc or .xls) the default is to Save, and selecting "Open with" produces the error:
"filename.xls could not be opened, because the associated helper application does not exist. Change the association in your preferences."
I can't find a place to change it, and besides .doc and .xls files (and I assume .ppt) automatically open just fine from the desktop. Just not from within Thunderbird.
Curiously, I seem to recall both .doc files and .xls files opening correctly before the upgrade, but only .doc files are mentioned in the Download Actions preference dialog. Fiddling there seems like a kludge, anyway, since it was working before without that.
Any suggestions as to how to address the above?
TIA, ds
OO is now separated into various modules which you install depending on whether you need a particular application -- eg, if you want to use the Writer then you install this module, or if you want to use the Database then install the database module. Also, you need to install the modules which handle the icons, the themes, and so on. Cheers. -- Past experience, if not forgotten, is a guide for the future. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
Basil Chupin wrote:
..snip... OO is now separated into various modules which you install depending on whether you need a particular application -- eg, if you want to use the Writer then you install this module, or if you want to use the Database then install the database module. Also, you need to install the modules which handle the icons, the themes, and so on.
Cheers.
I installed everything, and everything works outside of Thunderbird. Thnx, ds -- Dennis E. Slice Department of Anthropology University of Vienna ======================================================== -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
participants (4)
-
Basil Chupin -
Carlos E. R. -
Dennis E. Slice -
Jos van Kan