"The index.xml file is missing"

Thank You SGIII you just saved me re-doing 6 months of Bookkeeping spreadsheets for my Taxes!!

Each time you do an update there is some problem or another. Just tried to open a Pages document which I did in December ... index.xml file missing again!!!!! Grrrr!!!! Only way I opened it was to go to my AppStore, open the Pages link and then click on the document in finder and rename it!!!

Colleen,

A Pages document (Pages '06, '08, '09 and V5) store the opening application name internally as Applications : Pages.app. If the application is not in that location, OS X will look for it on the boot drive. When Pages v5 was first installed on a computer, it looks to see if Pages '09 is already installed in Applications. If it is, it is moved into the Applications : iWork '09 folder.

Pages '06, '08, and '09 documents use an index.xml file internally to store document content, but owing to an entirely different document architecture, Pages v5 documents (Numbers 3, and Keynote 6 too) no longer use the index.xml file. This has proven to be a real calamity among Pages users.

Many have fallen into the habit of closing their Pages '09 documents with the red traffic light on the document titlebar. This does not quit Pages '09. Because it is running, and it — not Pages v5, will intercept any double-click on a document icon. If that document happens to be a Pages v5 document, it is incompatible with Pages 09, and the missing index.xml file dialog will appear. The simple solution is to quit Pages '09, and then double-click the same document so that Pages v5 can take control and open it.

Opened the old Pages programme and then quit using the drop down list (not the red traffic light). and it cleared the problem of index .xml file is missing.

Hi,

I cannot open Numbers files from one of my students because the Index XML file is missing.

Can anyone summarize how to fix this? Do I need to download, save as (or rename)?

I'm about ready to go back to a PC. 😢

The iWork '09 applications use an internal index.xml file. Pages v5, Numbers v3, and Keynote v6 documents do not, and are not backwards compatible with iWork '09 applications.

If you have an iCloud account, you can open that Numbers v3 document there. Otherwise, have that student wake up, and export his work to either Numbers '09 or Excel .xls/.xlsx formats, and resend it to you. No need for PC retreat.

or you can convert to .xls if you have excel!

try any online converter.

cheers

How did you get to the options that you show on your screen? I'm having this problem, too, but don't get that option.

Hey I just wanted to give a solution because I had the same issue.

I ended up calling apple support.

They had me shut down the computer and restart in safe mode.

You do this by holding down shift and then starting the computer. when you see the apple symbol let go of shift.

The computer will be really slow..

After it opens then reopen the document. Mine opened and seemed to work ok but slow. We closed and opened it a few times then shut down the computer again.

Restart the computer and although it was really slow I was able to open the document.

Safe mode healed the document on its own.

Hope this helps!

"Safe mode healed the document on its own."

There was nothing wrong with the document.

The document was last handled and saved by the current version of Numbers (or Pages, for Pages documents exhibiting the same issue), and, when the error was reported, was in the midst of an attempt to open it in Numbers (or Pages '09.

Nubers 09 and Pages '09 documents are packages, containing, among other files, the 'missing' index.xml file reported missing. Numbers 3.x files (and Pages 5.x files) use a different file structure which does not include an index.xml file.

The solution is to open the file using the current version of Numbers (or Pages, for Pages documents). If you then want to use that file in Numbers '09 (Pages '09), all that's needed is to Export the file from Numbers 3.x (or from Pages 5.x) to a file in the format used by the previous version.

Regards,

Barry

I just encountered this problem and this solution solved it perfectly!

Thanks Rex Last - that worked but amazed it was necessary - I have lots of doc's in that category and can't imagine having to go through that to open them. Thanks again