Losing table format opening .docx from MS Outlook attachment

[cabbyman]

Forgive me if my jargon is incorrect!

I have received a .docx E mail attachment to Outlook which has both text and a table, possibly in read only. When I 'preview' the attachment, it displays perfectly with the table all as expected, eg '23/03/2018' shown as precisely that.

When I print directly from the preview, or continue to open the file, the table changes to:

23/03/201
8

but the '8' appears under the '1,' and the cells in the table increase in size while the last cell in a row is reduced to the width of one character. (I can't reproduce it here, even!! )

I can make a copy and play with it to make it right but, I don't want to do that with every E mail I open that has a table.

Can anyone help please? Many thanks.

[Zizi64]

Try to open it with LibreOffice. It has a littlebit higher compatibility with the foreign fileformats.

Otherwise the OOXML standard of the Microsoft has two main versions: the Strict and the Transitional. What is the version of your .docx file?

[cabbyman]

Thank you for your reply, Zizi64.

What is Libreoffice? How do I find it?

How do I find the version of .docx file I have been sent?

Sorry to be so thick!

[Zizi64]

What is Libreoffice? How do I find it?

https://www.libreoffice.org/

[Zizi64]

How do I find the version of .docx file I have been sent?

There is a setting somewhere in the deep of the newer MS Office suites: you can choose the version of the default output.
I do not know if the OOXML document contain that information or not...

[Zizi64]

Here is some information, how you switch to Strinct version in the MSO:
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=88791&hilit=+Strict#p417858

Word 2016:
File - Options - Save
The second option from the bottom of the list is "Strict open XML document". Can you guess which format is the very last option?

[cabbyman]

OK. I have been through the 'Strict open XML' and saved the file as both .docx and .odt. .docx opens fine in MS word but .odt has the same issue in Open Office.

I haven't tried Libreoffice yet.

Before I do, I have been using Open Office ver 4.1.5 for about 2 weeks. I understood that this version was only released in December 2017. Are you suggesting I should download another office suite? Will the work I have done and saved in Open Office still be preserved? Once downloaded, should I then delete Apache Open Office? Are the two suites in competition with each other?

I fear that I am getting very confused.

[Zizi64]

You can install the LibreOffice near the AOO. And they can run in same time.


And you can try one of the portable versions of the LibreOffice too. The portable verion will not modify the default associations of the file extensions. (The most of the portable versions can not run together with another LO versions in same time.)

Portable Apps: https://portableapps.com/apps/office/li ... e_portable

winPenPack: http://www.winpenpack.com/en/download.php?list.37

[Hagar Delest]

Yes, LibreOffice is another suite, based on OpenOffice.org (the ancestor of Apache OpenOffice). Development of LibreOffice is more dynamic but more bugs also. Select the stable version for production work. Note that I don't use it at all.
Yes, your documents should be Ok in both suites.
LibreOffice is just a fork from the original OpenOffice.org. Somehow competing, indeed.

Please add [Solved] at the beginning of the title in your first post (top of the topic) with the edit button if your issue has been fixed.

[John_Ha]

See [Tutorial] Differences between Writer and MS Word files for some of the problems associated with .docx files (and why you should always work in and save files as .odt), and instructions on how to find the MS Word Viewer which will allow you to open the .docx file and copy the contents.

It is Read Only because it has come from another PC, so right click the file > Properties > Unblock; and/or because it is still attached to the email. Save it to your PC before editing it.

[keme]

Differences in the handling of spacing (between paragraphs, from table cell borders, etc.) is a frequent cause for layoout changes when transitioning between MS Word and Writer. I guess the date column in your table is "slim fit" in Word, and Writer decides that the date does not fit. Can you adjust the column width slightly, or perhaps use Word viewer (freely available from Microsoft) if you only need to print/view the attachment?

[John_Ha]

Differences in the handling of spacing (between paragraphs, from table cell borders, etc.) is a frequent cause for layoout changes when transitioning between MS Word and Writer.

Another reason could be a different font. Remember that the font showing in the Writer font drop-down selection box is the font the document is asking for. This may NOT be the font being used to create the display because, if the font being asked for is not installed on the PC, Windows (or other operating system) will silently substitute a different font which is available. This can cause layout problems where lines spill differently etc.

The TestFonts add-on is invaluable for finding missing fonts which the document is asking for, but which are not installed on the PC.

You can see which fonts are installed on the PC by Start > Control Panel > Fonts or by clicking C:\Windows\Fonts.