Apache OpenOffice Community Forum

Hi there,

I wonder if anyone can help me. I've been having so many compatibility issues with OO.

So I am doing copy editing work. I am sent a .docx format file which I then mark up (I don't use track changes because these also don't appear to be compatible), save as a .doc (there is no .docx option), and send back to the author. He says that when he tries to open it, on a PC with Word (not sure what OS or which Word he is using), it says "your file appears to be corrupted".

I had thought before that this was due to me trying to use the "track changes" feature in OO and then trying to open the file in Word. But apparently it is not due to this - all I have been doing to the files is typing comments into them and highlighting them, so it is obvious where I have made changes.

Please, if anyone can help me I would be extremely grateful! Otherwise I need to buy Word! I didn't expect there to be so many basic compatibility issues with Open office.

Tim

When you Save As, you should choose Word 97/2000/XP from the file type dropdown. This is the best format for interchangeability with Word, but remember that the Word filters have been reverse engineered, so there will undoubtedly be compatability problems. If you need to work professionally with users using Word, best to acquire a copy.

Thanks for the reply! Yes, that is what I had been saving them as. I guess I need to shell out for Word!

timbob wrote:Thanks for the reply! Yes, that is what I had been saving them as. I guess I need to shell out for Word!

That is rather strange. Have you tried opening the .doc file in Word on another machine? As Rory says, there is no guaranttee of a perfect translation it is unusual to have a file be unreadable.

I'd suspect some problem either with your installation or with the author's or just some weird inconsistancy in that specific document.

Is this problem showing up with any other file?

Ask that the file be returned to you and try to open it in OpenOffice yourself. It is possible that the file has been corrupted in transmission (unlikely these days but it does happen). If you cannot open that copy, then send a new copy.

Thanks for the replies guys. I have tried opening it (the original file) on another PC, and the same thing happened, so it is not his PC that is the problem. I have just sent him another file, so we will see whether that works - maybe it was a one-off problem with that specific file.

I've been getting round the problem by exporting them as PDFs to him. However, this is not a perfect solution as he cannot edit them.

In any case, I've resolved to buy Word/office. I've just had too many problems with compatibility from OpenOffice to Word, and my work often requires editing things and sending them to others (who are invariably using Word).

timbob wrote:Thanks for the replies guys. I have tried opening it (the original file) on another PC, and the same thing happened, so it is not his PC that is the problem. I have just sent him another file, so we will see whether that works - maybe it was a one-off problem with that specific file.

When you save the file, is "Automatic file name extension" checked?
Do use Mail for sending email? If so, is "Send Windows-Friendly Attachments" checked when you add the attachment?

Had you also used the correct .doc flavor? The Windows XP/2000 one?

But basically, you're right, if you make a living with .doc files then stick to MS Office. Welcome to the vendor lock-in policy! That's why it's important to use true standards like ODF...

Unfortunatelly, I also had this experience. docx is supposed to be an "open" standard format (albeit with the possibility of "proprietary extensions"). docx not opening in Word may be a programming error in the OpenOffice/LibreOffice export filter, but it may as well be the other company breaking its own standard (at least, the public part of it).

For copyediting, using the doc format with LO/OO should not be too problematic, though.

For Repairing a corrupted word document, many company offering a word file recovery software. you can perform search on Google you will gets lots of results. I suggest you this site because this site giving you a free trial version.
www.microsoftwordrecovery.net

Thanks