ASCII box opens if I don't use 'save as'

[JediMagnet]

So if I try to just use the right click menu to create a new open office writer file, the next time I re-open this file, I get the ASCII box. When I open the document from there, all formatting I did (font, font size, etc...) has all defaulted to the basic. Now if (while this is open) I use save as and save the document STILL as the same .odt that it already was, it won't do this. The ASCII box doesn't pop up and my formatting is all the same as I saved it as. I've done searching online and can't find anything that matches my exact problem. Any ideas on how I can fix this?

Thanks!

[Hagar Delest]

Hi and welcome to the forum!

This is a strange issue. I don't think I've ever seen it in the forum.
I think that it comes from a problem with the template that has been made in the first place by AOO at install and that is used for new documents from right click.
Try to make a file that would be a template, then overwrite the one that has been created by AOO in the relevant folders, see this post (link to a bugzilla post. You can read the whole discussion of the topic.

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.

[RoryOF]

There may also be a problem with the settings in /Tools /Options /Load-Save : General tab. These should be set as in the attached screenshot

[John_Ha]

So if I try to just use the right click menu [by clicking the desktop] to create a new open office writer file

This picks up a different template from the template used when you go File > New > Text document. It is somewhere in the C:\Program Files (x86)\OpenOffice 4\??? folder but I forget the details.

Edit: Found it. See Re: [Solved] Default language not permanent

which says

Hence creating a new file with right click menu in your file browser (Explorer) needs a file C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Templates\soffice.odt for a template.

[Tutorial] Creating a new default template says

In Windows, if you want to create documents with the right click menu in your file browser (Explorer), then you have to follow the following steps. The New document feature is indeed an Operating System feature that can't reflect the changes made in the OpenOffice configuration after installation.

• Create a new document from within AOO (will be based on your default template)
• save it as soffice.odt, overwriting the file (if already existing) in the folder (you may have to do that as administrator):
  • C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Templates for Windows before Vista
  • C:\Users\All Users\Templates or C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Templates in Windows Vista and versions above.

[Hagar Delest]

I've slightly modified the tutorial to clarify and add the path for the user alone.