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Unfortunately, I do not have a version of Win8, and have been asked how to set file associations for MSO files to use LibreOffice instead. The person who asked me would rather double-click on the files she wants to open through windows explorer.
Many thanks for the help.
Cheers,
Marc
If she doesn't have Office, then the best thing to do is to set the associations at install time.
Otherwise, you have to right-click > open with and select Libreoffice for each file type (tedious at best)...
Hi :)
The easiest way is to just drag&drop the file onto the LibreOffice icon.
Yes, it is best set during the install process but it is also possible many other ways. I know of 2 in Xp, not sure how that translates to Win8.
1. Rerun the installer. It asks if you would rather "Repair" or "Modify" LibreOffice instead. Either of those options soon gives you the screen where you set whether LibreOffice is the default app for read "Word", "Excel" and "Powerpoint" (err and "Visio"). Just tick all 4 boxes and then "Next". I often miss that screen so i would have to rerun the installer again (or hit the back button).
2. As Tanstaafl says but with a twist. There is often a tick-box at the bottom of the selections window. Tick it if it says something like "Always use this program to open this file-type". It is a bit painful though because there are quite a few different types called "doc" and "docX" that would all normally open in Word and some of them are extremely rare. Sadly until you have opened a lot of MS files in LibreOffice this method wont work even without the twist because Windows tries to hide the fact that LibreOffice is installed.
3. Open a folder, any folder, at the top of the window choose the "Tools" menu, choose the "Folder Options" and in the pop-up click on the "File Types". Wait half an hour for it to list all the 'different' types and then click on the grey header at the top that says "File Types" (top marks for originality (NOT)) to sort the list into human-readable and then scroll down to all the appropriate types. Again it is 1 type at a time. Click on the type, click on the button "Change" and hope to see LibreOffice in there.
The 2nd way also works on Ubuntu except that from the right-click menu you would go down to Properties at the bottom instead of "Open with" and then find the right tab and select the right radio-button.
As Tanstaafl says, it is best to set at install (or reinstall-modify/repair)
Regards from
Tom 
1. Find a file that has the association to be changed, using Windows Explorer (from the Windows 8 Desktop).
2. Right click on the file entry.
3. Select Open With ...
4. On the dialog that offers some selections of prospective alternatives, do not choose one. Instead, select "Choose default program ...". It will show the current default and some alternatives. If LibreOffice (Writer, Calc, Impress) is in the list, choose the appropriate one. Otherwise, use the "More Options" case to see additional selections.
5. Note that, even when the default is changed, this technique can also be used (with the default check-box cleared) for occassional selection of a different program. Windows notices this and will move the selections that have been used up to the top for direct selection at the "Open With ..." option.
- Dennis
Le 31/03/13 10:48 PM, Marc Paré a écrit :> Unfortunately, I do not have a version of Win8, and have been asked how
> to set file associations for MSO files to use LibreOffice instead. The
> person who asked me would rather double-click on the files she wants to
> open through windows explorer.
>
> Many thanks for the help.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Marc
>
Thanks for the help everyone.
It worked! She opted to right-click in Explorer rather than re-installing; not sure why. She is happily using LibreOffice ... she had installed AOO but it could not open her spreadsheet file. Now she can work on her spreadsheet files and will also move her Publisher files, which was great news to her too!
Thanks again for the help.
Cheers,
Marc
Marc Paré wrote:
and will also move her Publisher files, which was great news to her too!
LO doesn't work with Publisher files.
Hi
I thought Publisher compatibility was added in 4.0.0?
Regards from
Tom
Hi
Good news :) The reinstall route does sound like it's going to be a Pita and stuff-up everything but in Windows it does have that neat bypass into Repair or Modify mode. Gnu&Linux doesn't.
It is odd that she chose the slightly more geeky route but that opens up opportunities for her in the future. Nicely done and top marks to her!
Congrats and regards from
Tom
Tom Davies wrote:
Hi:)
I thought Publisher compatibility was added in 4.0.0?
Regards from
Tom:)
If so, this is the first I've heard of it.
I have heard talk of this when 4.0.0 was in alpha build. I do not remember hearing after beta though. I thought it would be great and worth the early install, but then I did not see itand had a let down.
In the LibreOffice 4.0.1 Start Screen Open dialog, the Files of type: pull-down lists
Microsoft Publisher 98-2010 (*.pub)
as one of the drawing/image formats that are supported.
- Dennis
I have just downloaded some MSO Publisher templates. LO Draw does load them, but on my Linux system, .pub file are not associated to Draw. I tested them out on 4.0.1 64-bit Deb install.
It is not perfect, but I downloaded Publisher 2007 and 2013 files to test. Not all files formated properly, but it is much better than having no Publisher support.
Hi all
Actually I believe this is a feature that is long missing in LO (and OOo
before).
A user may not want to associate the extensions initially or the extensions
might get "hijacked" by another office suite.
I think it would be nice to have such an option in the configuration so I
submitted an Enhancement Request
https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=63109
Regards,
Pedro
Hi
That is pretty much what i expected.
Supporting MS formats is a nightmare as they keeping shifting around inconsistently. E-letter had a point when he said that the only way to reliably use MS formats is to use MS software. However, even they don't support it themselves properly either and that is often the only reason people have to keep buying the newer versions of MS Office.
My guess is that LibreOffice now supports some .pub documents better than most versions of MSO and in the future will improve it's .pub support. That seems to be true of other MS formats that have been supported for longer so it seems a reasonable guess. Girvin has a good point about never entirely trusting something once it first gets released but just wait for the 2nd or 3rd release before jumping onboard.
Regards from
Tom
Hi
It's in the "Repair" or "Modify" option. It's another reason why it's good to hang on to installers although i think that is generally good advice for any software you install on Windows. It can sometimes be a good idea in Gnu&Linux and probably the rest too.
I've just had a bit of trouble uninstalling a few odd things from a Windows box but reinstalling fixed the programs problems and then it was easier to uninstall. A bit mad but not hugely unusual. Err, i did have to resort to revo-uninstaller too but that was for other cr@#$£
Regards from
Tom
Kracked_P_P---webmaster wrote:
If so, this is the first I've heard of it.
I have just downloaded some MSO Publisher templates. LO Draw does load them, but on my Linux system, .pub file are not associated to Draw. I tested them out on 4.0.1 64-bit Deb install.
It is not perfect, but I downloaded Publisher 2007 and 2013 files to test. Not all files formated properly, but it is much better than having no Publisher support.
I don't have any .pub files handy, so I can't test any. Does Draw save in that format or only import? I don't see any way to save or export to .pub, but I haven't looked a lot at it.
Hi Tom
Tom wrote
It's in the "Repair" or "Modify" option. It's another reason why it's
good to hang on to installers although i think that is generally good
advice for any software you install on Windows. It can sometimes be a
good idea in Gnu&Linux and probably the rest too.I've just had a bit of trouble uninstalling a few odd things from a
Windows box but reinstalling fixed the programs problems and then it was
easier to uninstall. A bit mad but not hugely unusual. Err, i did have
to resort to revo-uninstaller too but that was for other cr@#$£
I know that. But I consider that a workaround (not a solution) for
knowledgeable IT people. In fact that requires Admin privileges.
What I am requesting is a feature for any user 
File association is at the User level. One user might prefer LO and another
AOO or even MSO
Cheers,
Pedro
I twice had to do a reinstall/repair for a Windows Vista system. That was with a late 3.5.x version and 3.6.3 or .4 version.
It seems to be a Widows issue, not a LO issue, or at least as far as I can tell. I have had other packages do the same thing on that Vista system and on an XP system.
Vista loves the "Admin required" to solve issues. The problem was I had the only account on the laptop, created during the install, and had Admin privileges on the account but Vista said I wad not the Admin and had to log on using the Admin account. I am glad I no longer have Vista installed on that laptop. I have had packages I installed tell my I could not uninstall it through the Control Panel since it needed an Admin account to do it. That is one of the many reasons I hate Windows, even though I have to have at least one system for Windows only hardware and software needs.
Right now, 4.0.2 can set Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio, and MathType file extension to use LO as the default package. Since it will read Publisher files into Draw, I was hoping to see a check box for that during my installs on Windows, or in the Tools > Options...Load/Save dialogs.
Actually already an established enhancement request with proper priority and
substantive discussion, fdo#63109 has been merged.
See:
Bug 44462 - Provide a proper 'File Association Manager' for the windows
version of Libreoffice <https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=44462>
Hi Stuart
V Stuart Foote wrote
Actually already an established enhancement request with proper priority
and substantive discussion, fdo#63109 has been merged.See:
Bug 44462 - Provide a proper 'File Association Manager' for the windows
version of Libreoffice
<https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=44462>
Indeed. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be an interesting challenge for any
of the Devs
Fantastic enhancement request by user Charles (aka tanstaafl) with an actual
solution proposal
https://bugs.freedesktop.org/attachment.cgi?id=55133
Thanks!