On 18/04/2009 12:16, M&J HOWARD wrote:
Hello, running XP pro sp3, and using Outlook Express 6 and about to install
openoffice 3 . Will it open attachments done with microsoft's PPS .
Kind Regards, Mark.
There are two separate issues here.
The first is to get OOo to open .pps files at all. When you install OOo,
or later if you prefer, you can specify that it become the "default"
program for handling .doc, and/or .ppt and/or .xls files. To have it
open a .pps file you can right click the file and choose "simpress.exe"
as the program to use to open the file ("Open with ..."). You can do
this on a file by file basis or you can click the "Always use this
program ..." box in which case OOo will become the default program for
.pps files. The program "simpress.exe" is in the "program" sub-folder of
your OOo installation folder tree.
Doing this will allow OOo to open .pps files but *not* to "auto-run"
them. The presentation will be opened in "edit" mode and you will have
to run it manually. So the second issue is to get OOo to auto-run a .pps
file. The extension at
http://extensions.services.openoffice.org/project/ImpressRunner might
help but I don't know if it will work with OOo 3.x. In addition I think
you will need to *associate* .pps files with simpress.exe or with
soffice.exe; I don't know if installing the OOo extension will make this
association for you. The "right click" procedure I mentioned above will
make this association for you if you choose the "always use this program
..." option. For details on File Association in Windows, please go to
Start>Help & Support and enter "extensions" (no quotes) into the Search box.
Alternatively there is a free viewer for .pps files at
<http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=048DC840-14E1-467D-8DCA-19D2A8FD7485&displaylang=en>.
This will auto-run the file but not let you edit it. So, as so often,
you have a choice.
It is unfortunate that the word "extension" has two entirely separate
meanings in this context. When I say "The extension at ..." I'm
referring to a piece of software the *extends* OOo's functionality.
There are many of these available and anyone with the relevant technical
skills can write and publish them. On the other hand, the (usually 3- or
4-character) part of a file's name after the last dot e.g.
"myReport.ODT" or "slideShow.PPS" is referred to as a filename
"extension". I hope I've been clear above.
--
Harold Fuchs
London, England
Please reply *only* to [email protected]
