[Solved] Serious confusion over using a template

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Weiesnbach
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[Solved] Serious confusion over using a template

Post by Weiesnbach »

I have searched the forum and found nothing to help me. I have watched several youtube videos, all to no avail. I have downloaded a template and need to know how to open it. In the folder I have downloaded are several xml files some subfolders and a mimetyp with no extension. What do I have to do in order to get this open in OpenOffice in order to use it?

Thanks in advance,
Jason
Last edited by Weiesnbach on Tue Apr 01, 2014 9:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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acknak
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Re: Serious confusion over using a template

Post by acknak »

Greetings and welcome to the community forum!

It sounds like maybe your browser (or system) has automatically unpacked the template file, when it should have just left it as one file.

Can you give us the link where you downloaded the template from? It would be easier to make specific suggestions if we know exactly what you're dealing with.

If you can get the template file downloaded in one piece, you can simply open the file to use the template.
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Bill
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Re: Serious confusion over using a template

Post by Bill »

If the folder is a compressed folder (folder with a zipper), then your browser probably changed the file name extension of the template file to .zip. In that case, you would have to change the file name extension before importing the template into AOO. If the template is a Writer text document template, then the file name extension should be .ott.
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Weiesnbach
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Re: Serious confusion over using a template

Post by Weiesnbach »

I've downloaded several, and they are all .zip files so I would assume that they should be unpacked. There is nothing in these files that even remotely resembles an OpenOffice extension. They all came from the template link in OpenOffice. Here's one:

http://templates.openoffice.org/en/temp ... e-template

In one of the youtube videos it was described to simply click the .exe and install, yet I haven't come across any that contain and exe file(and I view extensions), on another it was said to simply open the file, but none of these files are OpenOffice files. I am at a complete loss as to what to do with these.
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Weiesnbach
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Re: Serious confusion over using a template

Post by Weiesnbach »

Bill wrote:If the folder is a compressed folder (folder with a zipper), then your browser probably changed the file name extension of the template file to .zip. In that case, you would have to change the file name extension before importing the template into AOO. If the template is a Writer text document template, then the file name extension should be .ott.

Interesting observation, so the .zip extension should not be .zip? I will try manually renaming it to .ott and see what happens.
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Villeroy
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Re: Serious confusion over using a template

Post by Villeroy »

Your browser is Microsoft Internet Explorer.
Please, edit this topic's initial post and add "[Solved]" to the subject line if your problem has been solved.
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Weiesnbach
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Re: Serious confusion over using a template

Post by Weiesnbach »

Changing the extension worked perfectly. Why isn't there some kind of "heads up" on the download site about that? I have been through multiple threads, videos, etc. all trying to figure out something could have been easily accomplished with a right-click and a rename.

Thanks SO MUCH!!!!!!

-Jason
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Weiesnbach
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Re: Serious confusion over using a template

Post by Weiesnbach »

Villeroy wrote:Your browser is Microsoft Internet Explorer.
Well today it is. I build websites so I switch browsers often, and yes I was using IE...
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Re: Serious confusion over using a template

Post by Villeroy »

The problem of renamed files occurs with MS Internet Explorer only. This bug is not the fault of any web site where files can be downloaded.
Please, edit this topic's initial post and add "[Solved]" to the subject line if your problem has been solved.
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Bill
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Re: Serious confusion over using a template

Post by Bill »

The link you posted is to a Calc (spreadsheet) template, not a Writer template. Change the file name extension from .zip to .ots. While AOO will open the file with the .ott file name extension, other programs may not.
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Weiesnbach
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Re: Serious confusion over using a template

Post by Weiesnbach »

Bill wrote:The link you posted is to a Calc (spreadsheet) template, not a Writer template. Change the file name extension from .zip to .ots. While AOO will open the file with the .ott file name extension, other programs may not.
Thanks, handy information to know. I understand that IE has a mind of its own, but even so, a small disclaimer on the site stating that IE will automatically rename the file, changing its extension, would have saved me several hours of banging my head against the wall.

-J
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Re: Serious confusion over using a template

Post by Bill »

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