Major Problems with Pages in new IWork Program

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Level 1

129 points

Major Problems with Pages in new IWork Program

I am having a major problem with Pages 09. When I save a document, I get this error message:

"The document “pages test” could not be opened. The file isn’t in the correct format."

I have talked with Apple. He checked out Pages but could not find anything. I reinstalled Snow Leopard. I'm still getting the same error message. I've reinstalled iWork twice. Here';s the strange thing: When I opened a test account and saved a Pages document there, it opens perfectly. But, when I log back into my regular account, same problem. I emailed the document to Apple...it opens fine for him.

Do you have any ideas at all what is causing this and how to fix it. It is something just in one account on my computer...how can that be? I would appreciate any thoughts you have about this.

iMac, Mac OS X (10.6), iMac Intel

Posted on Jul 31, 2010 5:35 PM

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Answer 1

Janice Fisher Author

Level 1

129 points

Jul 31, 2010 6:07 PM in response to Janice Fisher

I fixed it myself!

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Answer 2

fruhulda

Level 6

15,161 points

Jul 31, 2010 10:36 PM in response to Janice Fisher

What did you do to fix it?

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Answer 3

KOENIG Yvan

Level 8

41,807 points

Aug 1, 2010 2:15 AM in response to fruhulda

As the app behaves well from an alternate account, I guess that the preferences file available in the original account was corrupted.

Yvan KOENIG (VALLAURIS, France) dimanche 1 août 2010 11:15:34

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Answer 4

Janice Fisher Author

Level 1

129 points

Aug 1, 2010 4:04 AM in response to fruhulda

Highlight document----EDIT----GET INFO----scroll down to OPEN WITH---SELECT PAGES----
click CHANGE ALL PAGE DOCUMENTS(this assures that all page documents will open with Pages set.

When I checked GET INFO it was set to TEXT EDIT.

Nothing with preferences or anything but this adjustment. I even had the "specialist" at Apple who couldn't figure it out. Why it worked in the other account, I have no idea. Didn't check Get Info there but apparently it was okay.

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Answer 5

fruhulda

Level 6

15,161 points

Aug 1, 2010 5:16 AM in response to Janice Fisher

OK, your Pages documents weren't connected (I kind find the right word for it) to Pages but TextEdit.
Probably something wrong in the com.apple.LaunchServices.plist file.

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Answer 6

KOENIG Yvan

Level 8

41,807 points

Aug 1, 2010 7:57 AM in response to fruhulda

Hi fruhulda

it's *_link a document to an application_*

I'm afraid that the "specialist" was the carpet-sweeper.

Yvan KOENIG (VALLAURIS, France) dimanche 1 août 2010 16:55:49

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Answer 7

fruhulda

Level 6

15,161 points

Aug 1, 2010 8:00 AM in response to KOENIG Yvan

Thanks Yvan, I just couldn't find the words.

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Answer 8

Janice Fisher Author

Level 1

129 points

Aug 1, 2010 9:09 AM in response to fruhulda

Thanks, everyone! I love knowing 'why' something works or doesn't work. The 'specialist' gave me his contact information (phone and email). I emailed to tell him how I had fixed it. I'll add this info to it.
You thought they com.apple.LaunchServices.plist file may have been corrupt. Is there any reason for me to dump it now and get a new one? Or, do I have a new one since I had to reinstall the OS?

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Answer 9

fruhulda

Level 6

15,161 points

Aug 1, 2010 9:19 AM in response to Janice Fisher

Janice Fisher wrote:
Thanks, everyone! I love knowing 'why' something works or doesn't work. The 'specialist' gave me his contact information (phone and email). I emailed to tell him how I had fixed it. I'll add this info to it.
You thought they com.apple.LaunchServices.plist file may have been corrupt. Is there any reason for me to dump it now and get a new one? Or, do I have a new one since I had to reinstall the OS?

It depends if you did a clean install or not. A clean install would have deleted everything, also the plists file. In that case you don't have to dump it. There is no harm in deleting it though. There will be a new created by the system.
I would use the freeware Onyx for doing the maintenance . You get it from _ http://www.titanium.free.fr/_

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Answer 10

KOENIG Yvan

Level 8

41,807 points

Aug 1, 2010 10:39 AM in response to fruhulda

fruhulda wrote:
It depends if you did a clean install or not. A clean install would have deleted everything, also the plists file. In that case you don't have to dump it. There is no harm in deleting it though. There will be a new created by the system.

As the Preferences file stores some useful infos, like those listed here,
DisableSingleFileFormat
FormatXML
AutoSubstitutionArray
UseSmartQuotesProperty
FixCapitalizationProperty
NSNavLastUserSetHideExtensionButtonState
NSUserKeyEquivalents
ProofreadAsYouType
RulerUnits
SLDefaultsShowVerticalRulerInWP

it's no necessary to delete if with no serious reason.
Resetting these prefs is a bit boring.

My own tip (which I described several times) is to keep a clean copy of it in a subfolder.
So, if the file in use becomes corrupted, I may replace it in a snap by a clean one

Yvan KOENIG (VALLAURIS, France) dimanche 1 août 2010 19:39:43

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Answer 11

fruhulda

Level 6

15,161 points

Aug 1, 2010 11:04 AM in response to KOENIG Yvan

Yvan, you are talking about the com.apple.iwork.pages.plist. I am talking about the com.apple.LaunchServices.plist.

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Answer 12

KOENIG Yvan

Level 8

41,807 points

Aug 1, 2010 12:00 PM in response to fruhulda

Oops, once again, working with two machines at a time, I missed an info.

Yvan KOENIG (VALLAURIS, France) dimanche 1 août 2010 21:00:20

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Answer 13

Aug 1, 2010 1:05 PM in response to Janice Fisher

Janice Fisher wrote:
…When I save a document,…

Janice, if the question describes the problem accurately and makes sense it is much easier to give an answer.

Peter

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Answer 14

KOENIG Yvan

Level 8

41,807 points

Aug 1, 2010 1:53 PM in response to PeterBreis0807

Whoah

bad day fors askers with uncomplete problem's description 😉

Yvan KOENIG (VALLAURIS, France) dimanche 1 août 2010 22:53:46

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Answer 15

Janice Fisher Author

Level 1

129 points

Aug 1, 2010 4:27 PM in response to PeterBreis0807

Hmmm. Well, I asked the question as clearly as I could, not understanding the problem that well myself. If I had known exactly what it was and could describe it perfectly, possibly there would have been no need to ask it. I am not an Apple expert....strangely, I thought this board was for people who weren't experts to ask questions. Perhaps I was wrong.

The fact that people were speculating about what was wrong was not really a result of the question being incomplete. It was because people were guessing as to the cause of the problem I had actually fixed myself. I did not ask anyone to respond...however I very much enjoyed what they had to say. I;m sorry you found the question not clear....when that happens to me, I just don't respond.

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