Bug 88329 - Document preview under Windows 8.1 does not work [Hard to reproduce]
Summary: Document preview under Windows 8.1 does not work [Hard to reproduce]
Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 89964
Alias: None
Product: LibreOffice
Classification: Unclassified
Component: Writer (show other bugs)
Version:
(earliest affected)
4.5.0.0.alpha0+ Master
Hardware: x86-64 (AMD64) Windows (All)
: medium normal
Assignee: Not Assigned
URL:
Whiteboard:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2015-01-12 14:45 UTC by Tony Szanto
Modified: 2020-01-11 20:10 UTC (History)
4 users (show)

See Also:
Crash report or crash signature:


Attachments
Test document to assess Win 8.1 Explorer prceview problem (15.79 KB, application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.text)
2015-01-15 14:02 UTC, Tony Szanto
Details

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Description Tony Szanto 2015-01-12 14:45:22 UTC
The preview under Windows 8.1 is not working.  LibreOffice documents before 2011 preview properly, but later documents do not.  Newer Libreoffice documents have to be opened to review contents.
Comment 1 Buovjaga 2015-01-13 18:29:40 UTC
You mean print preview? I'm seeing no problems.
Please attach an example document.
Use this, if needed: https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/QA/BugReport/Attachments#Confidential_Attachments
Set back to UNCONFIRMED after providing the document.

Win 8.1 32-bit

LibO Version: 4.5.0.0.alpha0+
Build ID: b3b4bbaf6cbd2226b659fea7d6ae473ccf84e9dd
TinderBox: Win-x86@39, Branch:master, Time: 2015-01-12_06:13:44
Comment 2 Tony Szanto 2015-01-15 14:02:40 UTC
Created attachment 112294 [details]
Test document to assess Win 8.1 Explorer prceview problem

I have Windows 8.1 and when I open a directory which contains a LibreOffice document, the file preview doesn't work when the document is selected.  Older documents of LibreOffice and Staroffice preview properly, as do all Word docs and acrobat pdf docs.
Comment 3 Buovjaga 2015-01-15 14:09:56 UTC
To testers: in a Windows file explorer window, select the preview feature from the View tab and the preview should show in the right side.

The file previews OK for me on a Win 8.1 32-bit system. The computer does have Microsoft Office 2013 installed, though. I have no idea, if the preview is dependent of it. It also has LibO 4.5 alpha installed.
Comment 4 Robinson Tryon (qubit) 2015-01-15 20:39:06 UTC
(In reply to Tony Szanto from comment #0)
> The preview under Windows 8.1 is not working.

[Tony: Testing with 4.5-master ]

(In reply to Beluga from comment #1)
> You mean print preview? I'm seeing no problems.
> ...
> Win 8.1 32-bit
> LibO Version: 4.5.0.0.alpha0+

Same OS, same LO build/branch, but different results?
Summary -> [Hard to repro]

(In reply to Beluga from comment #3)
>... The computer does
> have Microsoft Office 2013 installed, though. I have no idea, if the preview
> is dependent of it. It also has LibO 4.5 alpha installed.

Is there a good way to determine which program is providing the preview information in Win Explorer?
Comment 5 Robinson Tryon (qubit) 2015-01-15 20:41:42 UTC
(In reply to Tony Szanto from comment #2)
> I have Windows 8.1 and when I open a directory which contains a LibreOffice
> document, the file preview doesn't work when the document is selected. 
> Older documents of LibreOffice and Staroffice preview properly, as do all
> Word docs and acrobat pdf docs.

Question time:

- Do you have MS-Office installed on the system? And if so, what version?

- What programs/versions were used to create the older LO and StarOffice documents?
Comment 6 Tony Szanto 2015-01-15 21:24:04 UTC
I have MS Office 2010.  The LO and Staroffice files that I can view were created around mid 2011.
Comment 7 Robinson Tryon (qubit) 2015-01-15 21:34:56 UTC
(In reply to Tony Szanto from comment #6)
> I have MS Office 2010.  The LO and Staroffice files that I can view were
> created around mid 2011.

Okay, theory time:

1) Looks like ODF 1.2 was released at the end of september, 2011
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenDocument)

2) From what I can tell, Office 2013 was the first rev to (really) support ODF 1.2:
http://www.zdnet.com/article/microsofts-office-2013-odf-1-2-support-could-be-true-catalyst-for-openoffice-adoption/
http://www.h-online.com/open/news/item/Microsoft-Office-15-to-support-ODF-1-2-1560464.html
http://ask.libreoffice.org/en/question/9504/ms-office-2010-not-opening-doc-files/

3) ODF documents created w/later LO revs are probably in ODF 1.2 format


RESULT: Assuming that MS-Office is the tool that's driving the previews in Windows Explorer, this explains why you (w/Office 2010) aren't seeing modern ODF documents w/previews, and why Beluga (w/Office 2013) is.

Solution?  Aside from upgrading MS-Office, I'm not sure. I wonder if there's a way to get LibreOffice to provide the previews...
Comment 8 Gordo 2015-07-21 16:19:57 UTC
Perhaps MS Word is set as the default for odf file type.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows-8/choose-programs-windows-uses-default
Comment 9 Gordo 2015-07-21 16:21:45 UTC
I meant odt.
Comment 10 tommy27 2016-11-26 05:40:19 UTC
@ Tony Szanto
are you still seeing this bug using latest LibO releases (5.1.6.2 and 5.2.3.3 are available right now).

please give feedback.
status NEEDINFO until then.
Comment 11 QA Administrators 2017-05-31 10:51:14 UTC Comment hidden (obsolete)
Comment 12 QA Administrators 2017-06-28 12:34:22 UTC Comment hidden (obsolete)
Comment 13 Paul Lakra 2020-01-11 18:50:15 UTC
It seems from various internet forum comments that you can only preview ODF documents in Windows File Explorer if you have the latest version of MS Office installed. This should not be a requirement for an ODF program. Why would anyone paying Microsoft for Open Office be a Libre Office user anyway? Surely the corollary is true and Libre Office users need to preview documents in File Explorer without MS Office being installed?  

Windows 10 Pro 10.0.18362 
Libre Office v6.2.8.2 (64bit)   build id: f82ddfca21ebc1e222a662a32b25c0c9d20169ee
Comment 14 V Stuart Foote 2020-01-11 20:10:50 UTC

*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of bug 89964 ***