can't open remote files in Openoffice

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#1

Have openoffice 3.1.1 and samba shares set up between my Opensuse 11.2 desktop and wife and daughters widows7 notebooks. Can access everything perfectly over the shares except anything in Openoffice.

When I try to open a file located on one of the two notebooks Openoffice gives the message “you can only select local files”

I found an old solution from 2005 on this in google suggesting that you had to mount manually the remote drive.
That seems extremely clunky and cumbersome.

There must be a way to enable Openoffice to open remote files. I can’t believe in 2009 Openoffice is not able to do this without jumping through hoops.

Have checked Kword and it has no problems opening files over samba shares

#2

Try a cifs mount with the nobrl option included

**

#3

found this solution that works - and seems very simple . . . but are there any downsides to it or any reason I should not leave Openoffice set like this?

Openoffice is currently set to open in its preferences using


oowrite %U

changing Openoffice preferences to


oowriter %f

will force a temp file to be written locally allowing Openoffice to open remote files

#4

Not sure, but won’t that mean when you click Save it will save to the temp file, not the real file?

If so, you’ll have to be very careful not to accidentally lose your work in some random temp file…

#5

sounds like a permission problem!
do you have write access to the other two notebooks through samba??
if not try adding the write access and see if that clears this

#6

Sounds like a nice solution; but where do I change this ? Couldn’t find it anywhere :\

#7

In case anyone also needs to find the place where you can change the command line, it is here:

Personal Settings -> Advanced
-> File Associations

Search for pattern: msword

Select Know Types: msword
Select OpenOffice.org Writer
Select Edit
Select Application tab
Change Edit Box named Command to: oowriter %f

That’s it.
The changes are updated immediately.

#8

like weighty_foe says though - be careful about saving your files.
I haven’t tested it so not sure if he is correct that when you hit save - it saves to the temp file.
Easily solved by always using the save-as button instead.

Hopefully this is all sorted out in future versions of Openoffice as seems like a very elementary feature that should be in place.