How do I find OpenOffice temp files with the search tool?

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Karen_S
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How do I find OpenOffice temp files with the search tool?

Post by Karen_S »

Hi!

I was wondering if anyone might be able to point me in the direction of where to find the OpenOffice temp files on my laptop. I would like to use the computer's search function for finding them, but don't know if I can, or what extension to use, etc.

I am a newbie to this (and to all things computer!), and so I think I should probably also ask the next logical question, too. If I am able to locate the temp files, are there specific instructions for being able to view the text inside?

I'm sure that there is so much else I don't know about this, and that I don't even know to ask about, so please know that any other advice would be oh so very appreciated!

I just can't thank you enough! It means so much to me!

Happy happy day to you!

-- Karen
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Robert Tucker
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Re: How do I find OpenOffice temp files with the search tool?

Post by Robert Tucker »

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TheGurkha
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Re: How do I find OpenOffice temp files with the search tool?

Post by TheGurkha »

I'm just curious - if you are new to OOo and computers in general, why do you want to know where the temp files live and be able to look inside them?
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Karen_S
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Re: How do I find OpenOffice temp files with the search tool?

Post by Karen_S »

Hi Robert!

My operating system is XP. Thank you so very much!!
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Re: How do I find OpenOffice temp files with the search tool?

Post by Karen_S »

Hi TheGurkha,

To answer your question, I am using OpenOffice to write all of my documents. I had a crash before I could save and name a lot of the docs I had open, as I was organizing things and waiting to name the docs according to what was in them -- thus the docs *weren't* named or saved. When I recovered from the crash, OpenOffice automatically brought up the recovered never-saved documents. But the documents had a lot of missing information in them.

I had noticed that when my computer crashed before, and I had an OpenOffice document open that *was* named and saved along the way, when the computer came back up, the recovered document was not the latest version. OpenOffice automatically recovers the documents that were open when the crash happened, but there is some type of error or bug, because it doesn't recover the last auto-saved version. I discovered this when it automatically recovered a document on its own, and when it did, I knew there was information missing from it, and decided to open the document from the file folder it was in, to see what was in that document. Lo and behold, it had all of the information in it, and none was missing. So the recovery feature doesn't recover the latest auto-saved version.

My concern is with the documents that were recovered but had never been named and saved. It recovers them as "untitled 1", etc, but it also does not recover the latest auto-saved version. So since I can not go to a file folder and open up the most recent version, since it was never saved by me, I am hoping to find the most recent temp file for it.

Does that make sense? I'm not sure I described it very well!!

If you are able to figure out how to point me in the right direction, I'd just appreciate it so!!

The documents were critical as they pertain to all of my daily medical tracking, as I am ill and bedridden, and must keep track of things closely. That's why I am so desperate to find the temp files.

Thank you so much for your time, and for all of your help.

-- Karen
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Robert Tucker
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Re: How do I find OpenOffice temp files with the search tool?

Post by Robert Tucker »

On Linux the backup files are in:

[HOME]/.openoffice.org2.0/user/backup

Have you had "Always create backup copy" checked under "Save" at: Tools>Options...>Load/Save ?

See:

http://www.oooforum.org/forum/viewtopic.phtml?t=11573
Last edited by Robert Tucker on Sun Apr 06, 2008 2:42 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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TheGurkha
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Re: How do I find OpenOffice temp files with the search tool?

Post by TheGurkha »

Got it. OK, let me see what I can find out.
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Re: How do I find OpenOffice temp files with the search tool?

Post by TheGurkha »

In OOo go to Tools, Options and then click on the OpenOffice.org entry at the top of the tree in the left-hand pane.
This should show further options below that entry. Click on Paths. A window will appear in the right-hand pane showing the different paths OOo is using. In my system the bottom one is for Temporary Files. It is pointing to the standard Windows XP temp directory.

On mine it is listed as C:\DOCUME~1\<user name>~1\LOCALS~1\Temp which is shorthand for

C:\Documents and Settings\<user name>\Local Settings\Temp

The <user name> bit will be your user name for your computer.

Note that this folder is usually hidden in Windows XP. To see it, open My Computer, double click on your C: drive, double click on Documents and Settings, Double Click on the folder that has your user name.

Click on Tools, Folder options, Click the View Tab and select the Show hidden files and folders option in the list. Click Apply and click OK.

You should now see a folder called Local Settings. Double click on this and you should see a folder called Temp.

All of this is assuming you have XP on your C: drive and your installation of OOo is a straightforward, standard install.

I tried this on my system and found some OOo temp files, with names like 182F50F2.TMP.

Hope this helps.
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Re: How do I find OpenOffice temp files with the search tool?

Post by TheGurkha »

When you're done, remember to go back and reset the option for Showing hidden files and folders. You don't normally want this left on.
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Re: How do I find OpenOffice temp files with the search tool?

Post by TheGurkha »

In the same window that OOo lists your temp files there is an entry for the backup files.
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Hagar Delest
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Re: How do I find OpenOffice temp files with the search tool?

Post by Hagar Delest »

Karen_S wrote:I had noticed that when my computer crashed before, and I had an OpenOffice document open that *was* named and saved along the way, when the computer came back up, the recovered document was not the latest version. OpenOffice automatically recovers the documents that were open when the crash happened, but there is some type of error or bug, because it doesn't recover the last auto-saved version. I discovered this when it automatically recovered a document on its own, and when it did, I knew there was information missing from it, and decided to open the document from the file folder it was in, to see what was in that document. Lo and behold, it had all of the information in it, and none was missing. So the recovery feature doesn't recover the latest auto-saved version.
I've seen that also under XP in the past; Can you precise what OOo version do you use? I've never managed to reproduce that problem but I'm sure it's still around in some cases.

NB: IIRC, the temporary files are not readable but I may be wrong. Only the ones in the backup folder are, that's the place where the unnamed files should be stored.
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Re: How do I find OpenOffice temp files with the search tool?

Post by foxcole »

TheGurkha wrote:When you're done, remember to go back and reset the option for Showing hidden files and folders. You don't normally want this left on.
I do. Saves me the trouble of always having to switch them on and off when I need to locate something in Application Data or Local Settings, and to find files that would otherwise be hidden from the search tool because the folders are hidden. I can't think of one reason to keep them hidden, once you understand what they are. Only people who know nothing about computers and who might start deleting system files to save space because they don't recognize the files, should keep these hidden.
Cheers!
---Fox

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Re: How do I find OpenOffice temp files with the search tool?

Post by TheGurkha »

I agree - it's a pain in the butt having to turn on/off when you need it. However, as Karen_s has said she's new to computers, to minimize the chance of her accidentally deleting something vital from her machine I'd suggest she turns it back off again.
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Hagar Delest
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Re: How do I find OpenOffice temp files with the search tool?

Post by Hagar Delest »

But what if you delete a folder with hidden files that you don't see? You could think that the folder is empty but it's not. So even for a newbie, it's not a good idea to keep files hidden.
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Re: How do I find OpenOffice temp files with the search tool?

Post by TheGurkha »

Hagar - No I'm not recommending that. I'm recommending that hidden system folders should remain hidden.

By the way, if you need to 'go into' a hidden folder with any frequency, you could try this. Un-hide it, make a shortcut to it, then re-hide it. Your folder is gone again, but you have a shortcut to it.

If you accidentally delete the shortcut, well, no harm done.
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