Level 1

11 points

Pages '09 and Word .docx files

While I have iWork 08, I tend to use Office for Mac 08 for compatibility reasons. Having bought an iPad and downloaded Pages for iPad I need to see whether Pages 09 will open .docx files from Word. Does anyone know? I have thought about the 30-day trial version of iWork, but suspect that might be problematical if I decide not to permanently proceed to iWork '09 (these trials are sometimes non-reverseable).

Thanks
Andy

iMac 27" i5 quad-core, iMac 2GHz Intel Duo, iPad 64Gb 3G & iPhone 3G, Mac OS X (10.6.4), Airport Extreme and Airport Express

Posted on Jul 6, 2010 3:52 PM

49 replies

KOENIG Yvan

Level 8

41,819 points

Jul 7, 2010 12:55 PM in response to fruhulda

I got the file.

The problem was really simple. Here is what I sent to the asker :

+Your problem is the one which was described in the thread.+

+Your document hasn't its REQUIRED extension name.+
+Without it it's logically rejected by Pages.+
+With it, it opens flawlessly.+

+Attached is the document which I saved from Pages '08.+

+It's a pity to meet users refusing to accept what helpers told them.+

+Yes, your document is a Word document with the structure of a .docx one but Pages is designed to require the availability of this extension.+

+It's not for the pleasure that I wrote MANY times that the logical way of use of MacOs X is to activate the display of the extension names.+

Hiding them is a very efficient way to miss features which may appear to minor ones but may disable some features.

Yvan KOENIG (VALLAURIS, France) mercredi 7 juillet 2010 21:55:16

Andy Faizey Author

Level 1

11 points

Jul 7, 2010 1:37 PM in response to KOENIG Yvan

Yvan - I don't understand the point you are making. The file I sent you does not have the 'hide file extension' box checked. So please describe what you did with the file I sent to you to enable you to open it.

Thanks
Andy

fruhulda

Level 6

15,167 points

Jul 8, 2010 12:34 AM in response to KOENIG Yvan

Just to clarify, was the extension name deleted or just not showing? The first I gather.

Andy Faizey Author

Level 1

11 points

Jul 8, 2010 2:52 AM in response to fruhulda

Hi Fruhulda

I have just forwarded the e-mail onto you with the .docx file attached.

Regards,

Andy

fruhulda

Level 6

15,167 points

Jul 8, 2010 6:55 AM in response to Andy Faizey

Hi!
I got the file and sent my answer back.
This is what I wrote back but now I have corrected my text Andy!

"I can confirm that the extension name was missing. I have set that all MS Word documents shall be opened with Pages. My computer did recognise this but couldn't open the doc as the extension was missing. I first added .doc and got an error message about invalid format and then added the x and the doc opened fine. Someone has deleted the extension name from the document name.

Now we know this and hopefully when someone else has the same problem this will be an alternative answer to give. One can always see the name and extension in Get info window even if you can't see it in the Finder."

KOENIG Yvan

Level 8

41,819 points

Jul 8, 2010 8:54 AM in response to fruhulda

The extension name was missing.

The point was that if the system is set to display the extension, we are able to see if one of them is missing.
If the system doesn't display them, we can't see the difference between a file whose extension isn't displayed and one with no extension name.

I thought that I was clear but it seems that I wasn't.

Yvan KOENIG (VALLAURIS, France) jeudi 8 juillet 2010 17:54:08

fruhulda

Level 6

15,167 points

Jul 8, 2010 9:02 AM in response to KOENIG Yvan

There is a snag to it. I have set the Finder preference to not show the extensions and by time I have forgotten if I have or not the extension showing. Still some applications does no matter what show extensions. How am I to know? particularly when my memory is short on the matter. So it isn't either on or off, it is a mix. But as I wrote in the Get info window you will see if it has an extension or not.

KOENIG Yvan

Level 8

41,819 points

Jul 8, 2010 9:10 AM in response to fruhulda

There is no snag.

The box title isn't "never display the extension name",
it's "always display the extension name".

Which means that if it's checked, the extensions will be displayed but that if it's unchecked, we don't know what will be done.

I'm remembering that I already explained that in iWork foras.

Words have a meaning, they aren't randomly choosed.

Yvan KOENIG (VALLAURIS, France) jeudi 8 juillet 2010 18:10:13

fruhulda

Level 6

15,167 points

Jul 8, 2010 9:25 AM in response to KOENIG Yvan

Just so. If you don't understand what I have written that is to bad.

KOENIG Yvan

Level 8

41,819 points

Jul 8, 2010 9:50 AM in response to fruhulda

I apologize, I wrote about the Finder checkbox.

The Pages' one is different : if we check it it will hide the extension.

So, if we apply inconsistent settings, we logically get inconsistent behaviour.
I always ask the Finder to show the extension and always ask applications offering their own setting to do the same.
Given that, I always see if a document has or hasn't an extension name.
If you uncheck the box in the Finder or if you ask Pages to Hide the extension, it's not surprising that you must enter the info window to get the true document names.
I don't like to ask people to show me their passport. I prefer to remember their name when I encounter them. This is why, here in France, we are ready to publish a law against the burkha in public areas 😉

Yvan KOENIG (VALLAURIS, France) jeudi 8 juillet 2010 18:50:51

Andy Faizey Author

Level 1

11 points

Jul 8, 2010 4:02 PM in response to KOENIG Yvan

I hope you two have made up; I'm just pleased to have had you both helping to resolve this. I do not however want to be responsible for international difficulties between your two countries!

Slightly more seriously, I find it odd that simply 'hiding' a file extension can have such a dramatic effect. Shortly I will go from iPad to iMac to open my first .dock file with Pages '08. Will let you know how I get on.

Best wishes both
Andy

Andy Faizey Author

Level 1

11 points

Jul 8, 2010 4:19 PM in response to Andy Faizey

Brilliant - thank you both very much. It's a shame that the Pages user manual does not refer to .docx files and how to open them - I can't have been the first.

Regards to both,

Andy

fruhulda

Level 6

15,167 points

Jul 8, 2010 10:31 PM in response to Andy Faizey

I think we are still shaking hands. It always seems harsher than it is.

The file extension was just hided on your document. It was extinct.

Andy Faizey Author

Level 1

11 points

Jul 8, 2010 11:59 PM in response to fruhulda

So to conclude then, the answer is:

Finder/Preferences/Advanced/Show all file extensions

Which begs the question what other programs might be similarly affected? It is interesting that OS X defaults to hiding extensions, the text below is taken from Finder/Help and simply refers to 'if you find them useful'. What I am now seeing is that hiding file extensions reduces software functionality, whereas showing them is like a free upgrade, so don't really understand why they default in this way. Strange.

Andy

Showing and hiding filename extensions
A filename extension consists of a dot (.) followed by several letters that identify the type of file (for example, .txt or .jpg). The extension can determine which application opens the file.
Filename extensions are usually hidden in Mac OS X, but if you find them useful, you can show them. In some applications you can choose to show a document’s filename extension when you save the document.

fruhulda

Level 6

15,167 points

Jul 9, 2010 12:10 AM in response to Andy Faizey

Hiding the extension doesn't reduce the software functionality! It just will hide the extension and the user wont know if the extension is hidden or not existing! On your file it wasn't existing, not just hidden. Hidden extensions will work fine, you are just not aware of if it is there or not.

Yvans point is that if we (users) have Show extension on both in Finder and in the various applications we will see when there is a document not having a file extension at all. My point is that to really make sure is to look in Get info for that document to make sure if there is an extension or not as there might be mixed showing of extensions or not showing on documents.

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Pages '09 and Word .docx files