"index.xml" missing in Pages document

Your file is gone. The index file is crucial to it opening properly. I have had problems when I have messed with the package file and unstuffed the index file. Pages looks for the stuffed version of the index and cannot find it.

Kurt

The file may not be gone, but you may have lost links to the images.

To recover the file:


REMOVE THE PAGES "WRAPPER"

Press the [control] key and click on the hosed file.
Scroll to Get Info and select it
In the Name & Extenstion box, delete the ".pages" extension so that "myfilename.pages" reads "myfilename" and press [Enter].

Don't worry about the "will open in another application" warning. We'll put the extension back when we're done. Click [Okay] at the confirmation dialog.

The file is now displayed as what it is, a folder containing multiple files.


CORRECT THE PROBLEM

Next open the folder "myfilename" and browse to the index.xml file.

In my case, the offending issue was that the index file had been renamed to "index(xxxxx).xml.gz" by my syncing software. The icon identified the file as a gzip archive, so I simply edited the filename to read: "index.xml.gz" (without quotation marks).


Presuming the author of the previous post is correct and your file is no longer gzipped, you'll need to get a archive utility. Stuffit Standard has a 30-day free trial and is available at

http://www.stuffit.com/cgi-bin/stuffit_loginpage.cgi?standardmac


Other utilities, freeware, shareware and commercial, are available as well. Download one and Gzip the file and delete (or move) the unarchived "index.xml" file out of the "myfilename" folder. (Note that there are MANY different achive formats. I don't know if any will work other than the gzip that I found mine in.)


PUT THE FOLDER BACK IN THE "WRAPPER"

Back in the File Info dialog, click in the Name & Extenstion box, add the ".pages" extension after the last letter of "myfilename" so that it reads "myfilename.pages" and press [Enter].

Double-click you reconstructed Pages document. If you get a warning your only option at this point is to click [Continue]. At least you still have the text and layout. The only thing I've lost in the past is the images. You can relink them to their boxes.

Hope this works!







G4 800; Mac Mini Mac OS X (10.4)

G4 800 Mac OS X (10.3.9)

Pages looks for the stuffed version of the
index and cannot find it.

Pages looks for either the compressed XML file (index.xml.gz) or the uncompressed XML file (index.xml). To rephrase this issue, even if you only have the index.xml file in the package, Pages will still open the document.

Presuming the author of the previous post is correct
and your file is no longer gzipped, you'll need to
get a archive utility. Stuffit Standard has a 30-day
free trial and is available at

Pages does not require the index.xml to be compressed. Try it yourself to verify this is the case.

I do not recommend using Stuffit to compress or decompress files. Since the introduction of Mac OS X it has has a number of problems where it corrupted files compressed using UNIX standards like tar and gzip. (I suspect this is why Kurt has had problems with Pages documents.)

Mac OS X automatically decompresses files that have been tar'd or gzip'd. And it includes the tools necessary to compress these files via Termina. If people aren't comfortable doing this with Terminal then they can download freeware and shareware alternatives that do this.

Cheers.

Dale

Taking off the Pages extension doesn't work for me in 10.3.9. The package still remains a package.

It was interesting that your syncing software changed the index name. This may be the answer the poster was looking for. It is easy to control click on the Pages files and select 'show package contents' and then change the name of the index file.

If the index file is totally missing the original poster is pretty much out of luck. It is a necessary file in the package.

Kurt

I was able to figure out how to get the index back into the package. I am sure there is a terminal way to do this but this contextual menu:
QuickAccessCM

...is even easier. It allows you to move files into packages and has a host of handy other features as well. Control click on the index file and select 'move to' from the contextual menu and 'choose folder'. Then choose the package file, which shows up like a folder does.

Kurt

I was able to figure out how to get the index back
into the package. I am sure there is a terminal way
to do this...

I just use drag and drop from the Finder. No need to use Terminal and contextual menus.

Dale

I just use drag and drop from the Finder.

Drag and drop does not work for me. I can put the file in a folder in the package but not in the package itself. I am logged in as Administrator. Is it different in Tiger?

Kurt

I just use drag and drop from the Finder.

Drag and drop does not work for me. I can put the
file in a folder in the package but not in the
package itself. I am logged in as Administrator. Is
it different in Tiger?

No. I've always been able to drag files into 'open' packages. This works the same way as an 'open' folder in the Finder does.

Dale

hmmm. Not sure what is different about my set up.

Kurt

Genius! Thanks for the tip. My file was actually renamed to index_xml.gz so I replaced the underscore with a period and was able to open the file properly.

Copy and paste from a finder window to the package contents work as well.