receiving DOCX files

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receiving DOCX files

When I receive a .docx file, either through email or as a download from a course management system, OS-X seems to decide to name the file with .docx.zip as the extension. If I simply remove the .zip ending, then Pages will open the file just fine. Is there any way I can convince OS-X to stop appending the .zip? It is annoying to have to rename the files each time.

MacBook, Mac OS X (10.4.10)

Posted on Sep 16, 2007 1:32 PM

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Answer 1

mecklists

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Sep 16, 2007 2:18 PM in response to CyndiMcD

If you select a .docx file and choose File --> Get Info then you can associate the file and all similar files with Pages in the *Open with* section. Once you've done this and restart Safari it may then respect the file extension and stop treating it like a .zip file.

Hope this helps!

bill

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Answer 2

CyndiMcD Author

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Sep 16, 2007 3:22 PM in response to mecklists

Thanks for the idea, but once I rename it with just .docx, the Finder does know to open it in Pages.

A little more sleuthing on my part and now I'm pretty sure this is a SAFARI problem (FireFox isn't particularly happy about the file type, but does let me download it with the .docx extension intact). So now maybe my question should be... how can I teach SAFARI to leave these alien files alone?

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Answer 3

mecklists

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Sep 16, 2007 3:38 PM in response to CyndiMcD

You're correct that this is a Safari issue. But my thinking is that by associating the .docx file with an application you'll be able to train Safari to stop unzipping the file. The fact that you'd do this through the Finder is irrelevant.

bill

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Answer 4

CyndiMcD Author

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Sep 16, 2007 3:56 PM in response to mecklists

Get Info/ Finder DOES know to open the .docx file with Pages.

When I tell Get Info / Finder to open a .docx.zip file in Pages, I get an alert from Pages that the document could not be opened. (if I delete the .zip part of the filename, then Pages opens it with no problem)

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Answer 5

mecklists

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Sep 16, 2007 4:18 PM in response to CyndiMcD

And you're sure the file is not already zipped before downloading?

bill

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Answer 6

CyndiMcD Author

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Sep 16, 2007 4:43 PM in response to mecklists

Thanks for taking the time to try to help me with this.

My primary source for this file is from Blackboard. I've tried downloading it several ways. The normal click-to-download causes Safari to not only add the .zip, but to unzip it and turn it into a folder that I can't do a thing with. If I control-click on the file link, I can "download as" and actually see that the file name is .docx [exhibit A that this is NOT really a zip file]... but by the time it shows up in the download window, Safari has changed that to .docx.zip (if I then look at it in Finder and change the file name to .docx then Pages opens the file just fine [exhibit B, Pages won't open a real zip file, will it?]).

I don't really think that Blackboard is the culprit, though (although it is a "usual suspect"), because I have also emailed the .docx file (that opens just fine on my computer) to myself and it arrives with .docx.zip if I send it using Safari (to access webmail.nku.edu - a MicroSoft Outlook Web Access way into my university email account)... if I send it through the same email link using FireFox, it arrives as a .docx that opens just fine.

My guess is that in the hidden bits of Safari there is a table of "known" file extensions, which hasn't been updated to include .docx (or perhaps some other part of the file type information hidden in the files). This would also fit with a discussion on the Safari threads, blaming Yahoo Mail for similar problems with Safari.

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