Apache OpenOffice Community Forum

Hello,

We are using OpenOffice with our VMware Horizon Virtual Desktops and currently have the software installed on the Golden Image. On the Golden Image, I have opened one of the applications and stepped through the Welcome screen and also setup the default format for text and spreadsheet files.

Each time a user logs into a virtual desktop and open OpenOffice they are presented with the Welcome screen and the default format is not set. What do we need to do so that the Welcome screen is not presented to the user each time they get a new desktop and also have the proper defaults set for the file types?

Thank you in advance for any help!

Use DisableFirstStartWzd OXT.
As its name implies, it will disable the first start Wizard.

Where do I find that and how do I use that?

Start at https://wiki.openoffice.org/wiki/Docume ... ion_Wizard

The link to the wiki is great information.

I have gone through the steps to create my own DisableFirstStartWzd.oxt file and just tested it on a View Desktop but unfortunately it is still bringing up the Welcome screen. I must have done something wrong...

One question I have is on step 4 it says we need to create META-INF/manifest.xml with the specific content. I did that and named the file manifest.xml in a directory called META-INF. Is that correct? OR what is the META-INF mean?

Thank you.

That sounds right; for example, here is the directory structure of a small extension called testfonts:

bash-4.3$ tree
.
|-- META-INF
|   `-- manifest.xml
|-- WriterGlobalWindowState.xcu
|-- WriterWebWindowState.xcu
|-- WriterWindowState.xcu
|-- addon.xcu
|-- description.xml
`-- testFontsJTB
    |-- RegisteredFlag
    |-- dialog.xlb
    |-- m_TestFonts.xba
    |-- script.xlb
    |-- testfont_16.bmp
    |-- testfont_26.bmp
    `-- testfont_26.png

2 directories, 13 files

Hmmm...Then I am not sure why the Welcome screen, asking for the User Name still appears.

Also, is there a way to set the default format for documents and spreadsheets?

Sorry, but your (short) message doesn't help us to understand.
Could you be more precise about the experienced process?

So I have gone through the steps to create the DisableFirstStartWzd.OXT and "applied' it to the Golden Image where OpenOffice is installed. After taking a new snapshot, recomposing the desktop and logging into the new desktop, I select an OpenOffice application and am presented with the Welcome box that is asking me to enter my name.

Also, I would like to set the default document type to be .doc and default spreadsheet type to be .xls. Is it possible to do this as well?

rwulffenstein wrote: Also, I would like to set the default document type to be .doc and default spreadsheet type to be .xls. Is it possible to do this as well?

Better to leave them as .odt and .ods, Saving As .doc or .xls only when the file is complete.

Ok, interesting. Can I ask why it is better to leave them as .odt and .ods?

rwulffenstein wrote:logging into the new desktop, I select an OpenOffice application and am presented with the Welcome box that is asking me to enter my name.

Also, I would like to set the default document type to be .doc and default spreadsheet type to be .xls. Is it possible to do this as well?

The reason you are asked for your name, I suspect, is that you are logging into a different account on your system, and OpenOffice was installed using a different account.
If you use multiple accounts on your system, OpenOffice will create a new user profile for each account when OpenOffice is started for that account.
If your intention in using the DisableFirstStartWzd was to prevent this, then you need to run that wizard for each account that is on the system... Personally I wouldn't, as that wizard keeps information from being stored in the profile, such as the user's name, which can be helpful if multiple users want/need to work on the same document (at different times).

As to using .xls as the default, yes it can be done, but it is not recommended, as the structure of the .ods file allows more chance for data recovery in the case of a damaged file than the .xls format does,
Additionally, there are multiple versions of .xls, not all of which are compatible with other versions of that same extension.

rwulffenstein wrote:Ok, interesting. Can I ask why it is better to leave them as .odt and .ods?

See This tutorial for the differences between Writer (.odt) and Word (.doc) files.
While the tutorial is based on information between Writer and Word, the same general principles apply between Calc (.ods) and Excel (.xls) files

I am actually in a VMware Horizon View environment.

I'm unfamiliar with that, but if you had to log into an account, then as far as the OpenOffice Profile is concerned, it may still be looking for a different profile location based on the logged in account,
Realistically, as far as OpenOffice is concerned, the same as logging into a second Windows account on the same system.
I can't say for sure, but that's what it sounds like to me.