[SOLVED] rtf files all unreadable

[floris v]

Hi. New pc. Fresh install. Running LMDE2. Copied everything over to the new box. All rtf files open as if opened by a text file app! ie all the html stuff is showing.
A new rtf file has the same problem.
Everything is identical copied straight over.
Running Apache 4.1.2 on both machines.
I have removed all settings and restarted with none of my personal settings and the problem persists.

[Zizi64]

What are the extensions of those filenames?

Can you upload a problematic example file here?

[floris v]

Can you describe that a little better? Do you mean that when you open an RTF file, you get a dialog box asking what kind of document it is? In that case, start saving with an extension.

[triplemaya]

Many thanks for the quick replies.
Sorry for the lack of detail.
The extension in use is .rtf
The file opens, but has all the ooo formatting info visible.
screenshot attached

[RoryOF]

You can open the file in OpenOffice by setting file associations to tell computer to use OO to open RTF files. However, OO does not really like RTF files - you might be better to use AbiWord or (better yet) WordPad.

[triplemaya]

thanks for the reply rory but I have hundreds if not thousands of rtf files to work with so that does not help!
The issue is how to read and use the files in ooo.
Plus, of course, there is obviously a specific problem my old box with identical setup works fine.

[RoryOF]

Setting a file association correctly will cause OO to open the RTF files, but as I said, this may not be satisfactory and there is no known fix when using OO.

[triplemaya]

My bad
rtf files were set to open with the standard text editor. Doh
So thanks to Rory because in setting up to use abiword I noticed.
PEBKAC !!

[RoryOF]

This thread
https://forum.openoffice.org/en/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=85424
may illustrate the point about OO not liking rtf files.

Be certain to check that each file is complete before letting it out of your hands.

[triplemaya]

Thanks.
I have used it as the lowest common denominater between windows and linux when I want formatting not present in txt. Probably do better with .doc by the sound of it.
BTW in case of interest to anyone I found that just renaming a .rtf made in ooo to an odt makes it work perfectly!?

[RoryOF]

OO is "intelligent"; it can identify a file type. There should be no difference between the file renamed to .odt and the file as an .rtf. Changing a file type does not change the internals of the file, any more than putting a donkey in striped pyjamas turns him into a zebra.

[triplemaya]

no, obviously.
I was thinking ooo somehow makes supposedly rtf files as odt files or something.
doh
again!

[Zizi64]

I was thinking ooo somehow makes supposedly rtf files as odt files or something.

The ODF is an International Standard document format: ISO/IEC 26300
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenDocument

The .rtf and the binary .doc formats never was standardized, they have many-many subversions.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rich_Text_Format
The AOO can save into a few versions of the .doc format.
The Libreoffice can save your document in the Strict version of OOXML standard (.docx), but the MS not support yet the Strict version of the Standard.

[triplemaya]

Thanks. I was aware the ODF was fully ISO, but I did not know it was practically on its own. The creeping versions of .doc have struck me as a mess, which is why I stuck to rtf for dual use. I often want more than txt provides.

The Libreoffice can save your document in the Strict version of OOXML standard (.docx), but the MS not support yet the Strict version of the Standard.

Classic!

[floris v]

LibreOffice seems to have better RTF support btw.

[triplemaya]

Thanks. Libre has a fatal flaw from my point of view. I often open doc after doc looking for a certain string (I should probably get a better desktop search app). In aoo the string in the search box is the same as when last used on any doc. This saves a huge amount of effort and stress when I am in a hurry to find the piece of text I am looking for.
While I am moaning, I think ooo has never had the same utility since the interface for the spell check was radically modernised to imitate MS word. I now just copy any text to be checked into thunderbird, which has the exact same interface as used to be in ooo, spellcheck and copy back. I time it as between 2 and 5 times quicker. In the new interface you have to stop and use the mouse. Not only are there around 1 tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab s required to get from one field to another, this changes depending on the state of the dialog box. Ugly imo.
My real gripe is that the old interface was not kept in the code as an option one could select. As a programmer that seems a really crazy waste of good, robust, well-developed code.