PeterBreis0807

Q: Pages won't open document

We are getting an increased number of users all with files that refuse to open in Pages 5, particularly Pages 5.1.

 

I have gone over several of them and been unable to correct the problem, only able to open the Document.iwa sub file in the package to look at the mix of text snippets and I presume .xml.

 

Apple reportedly has also examined these and been unable to rectify them.

 

To aid some kind of resolution I ask that users who have had the problem post here, detailing the last things they did with the file and whether there is anything particular to the files that may be leading to the problem.

 

Particularly relevant would be where and how the files were last saved.

 

Are they being transferred or backed up to iCloud?

 

Are you using 3rd party syching or backup solutions like DropBox?

 

Are they being re-edited on iDevices, iWork for iCloud beta or back and forth from Word .doc?

 

Were there any preceeding warnings or difficulties of any kind with the document?

 

Or anything else you can think of.

 

Thank you,

 

Peter

Posted on Mar 19, 2014 5:37 PM

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Q: Pages won't open document

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  • by hanasazi,

    hanasazi hanasazi Mar 24, 2014 3:32 PM in response to hanasazi
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 24, 2014 3:32 PM in response to hanasazi

    Wow. This is just incredible. I created new templates for my invoices in Pages, and I've just completed the first invoice I need to send. Much to my dismay, I cannot save it! I get a message that I do not have permission to access this client's folder. Well, I am signed in, I am the admin of this computer, and I own the folder with full privileges. Pages has gone crazy all of a sudden!! HELP!!

  • by hanasazi,

    hanasazi hanasazi Mar 24, 2014 3:44 PM in response to PeterBreis0807
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 24, 2014 3:44 PM in response to PeterBreis0807

    Just saw your message - thanks for replying so promptly! 

    The dialog says "The file "Name of whichever file I'm trying to open" cannot be opened.

     

    Yes, I'm using Pages 5.1, and this is the one that will not open ANY pages files all of a sudden. I do have two versions on my mac (thanks for reminding me) but I am definitely using the new version. It's the only one I have on my dock. As I read this, I just tried to open the old Pages and I get an upgrade to 5.0 dialog. I plan to let that sleeping dog lie, since, as I mentioned before, once I upgraded from the old Pages I was getting those dialogs to upgrade the documents to the new format, and it warned me they would no longer be able to be opened in the old program.

     

    These files were created on this computer, or on its predecessor (I replaced it at the end of 2013) and have never been emailed at all.

     

    And OMG, I have just discovered an extremely distressing new problem, which is that I cannot save the invoices created with the new Pages template I just created! I get a dialog: “Hannah West Design_3-24-14_statement.pages” couldn’t be moved because you don’t have permission to access “Christina Duane”. Now I just checked the permissions for that folder, which of course I have always been able to access since I created it and I own it, and it everything looks the same. I haven't changed anything in my computer when it comes to security or access permissions for any files. WTH is going on? HELP!!

  • by PeterBreis0807,

    PeterBreis0807 PeterBreis0807 Mar 24, 2014 3:55 PM in response to hanasazi
    Level 8 (35,693 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 24, 2014 3:55 PM in response to hanasazi

    Sounds like you have the Can't Open problem, if you definitely are opening with the correct version.

     

    You should not be getting the upgrade notice for Pages, when opening Pages '09, if you already have Pages 5.1 installed. I run both in Mavericks, opening either directly as I need.

     

    Open Disk Utility and repair your permissions and see if that fixes anything.

     

    Peter

  • by hanasazi,

    hanasazi hanasazi Mar 24, 2014 4:18 PM in response to PeterBreis0807
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 24, 2014 4:18 PM in response to PeterBreis0807

    OK, I'll do that now. Incidentally, I was able to open one invoice, edit it, and save it first thing this morning. I haven't had any problems saving the open work log documents I mentioned either as I make changes. Also just ran a virus scan on the folders that contain Pages documents just now and it didn't find anything.

     

    I'll be back to report what happens after repairing the permissions. Looks like I will be opening docs in Preview to take screenshots of all my client information before things get any worse!

     

    Interesting what you said about the upgrade notice on the old version of Pages. It was asking if I wanted to upgrade to 5.0. Tempting.

  • by hanasazi,

    hanasazi hanasazi Mar 24, 2014 4:34 PM in response to PeterBreis0807
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 24, 2014 4:34 PM in response to PeterBreis0807

    Can't find Disk Utility!! Is this because my new computer doesn't have a cd/dvd drive?

  • by hanasazi,

    hanasazi hanasazi Mar 24, 2014 5:26 PM in response to hanasazi
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 24, 2014 5:26 PM in response to hanasazi

    Just found I could open older files in Pages 4.1, but not the newer ones (message says they are missing the index.xml file). Those simply cannot be opened. I should also mention that I found today I can save a newly created file as a pdf, just not as a Pages file. And I have now wasted an entire day of work on this issue! Falling back to opening all files that won't open in Pages 5.1 and taking screenshots of the contents.

     

    Thanks for all you're doing to help get this issue resolved, Peter.

     

    BTW, I and my family have stayed in Aus several times (usually in Queensland, but we've also driven from there south to Melbourne and stayed in a small town outside Melbourne for several months once. Beautiful the whole way...). We love it there. Hope things go well for you, wherever you are DownUnder.

  • by PeterBreis0807,

    PeterBreis0807 PeterBreis0807 Mar 24, 2014 8:09 PM in response to hanasazi
    Level 8 (35,693 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 24, 2014 8:09 PM in response to hanasazi

    Spotlight > type Disk Utility

     

    It is on every Mac, it formats and manages anything to do with hard drives, CD/DVDs, volumes, .dmg files, archives etc.

     

    Am in the Nation's Capital, but maybe not for much longer as I hit the road.

     

    Peter

  • by hanasazi,

    hanasazi hanasazi Mar 25, 2014 9:43 AM in response to PeterBreis0807
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 25, 2014 9:43 AM in response to PeterBreis0807

    Thanks Peter, not sure why I couldn't find it any other way, it's not in my applications (or at least not visible there). Am repairing permissions now. I've found this morning that only Pages 5.1 is having this problem. Pages 4.1 is opening and saving to the same folders without any trouble. Let's see what happens after the permissions are repaired....

     

    Well, it's all done, but Pages 5.1 is still refusing to let me save anywhere onmy computer. Other permissions were fixed, though...a good thing...

     

    The capital is beautiful, but you'll have plenty to see on your road trip.

  • by PeterBreis0807,

    PeterBreis0807 PeterBreis0807 Mar 25, 2014 2:44 PM in response to hanasazi
    Level 8 (35,693 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 25, 2014 2:44 PM in response to hanasazi

    Disk Utility is in the Utilities folder inside the Applications folder.

     

    Pages 5.1 is positively the worst Pages 5 so far, and that is working from a very low bar.

     

    Suggest completely avoiding it for real work and using Pages '09 instead.

     

    Peter

  • by PeterBreis0807,

    PeterBreis0807 PeterBreis0807 Mar 28, 2014 3:40 PM in response to PeterBreis0807
    Level 8 (35,693 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 28, 2014 3:40 PM in response to PeterBreis0807

    I am trying to collate the increasing number of people reporting their Pages 5 documents will not open but they are not all coming here as I asked and the posts keep getting buried.

     

    Here are links to two cases which never showed up here:

     

    https://discussions.apple.com/message/25314005#25314005

     

    https://discussions.apple.com/message/25291901#25291901

     

    There are plenty more.

     

    Apple has a distressingly cavalier attitude to its customers' work. First it trashes earlier version files without warning with all the new iWork Apps, now it trashes Pages 5.1 files and offers in both cases, no notice, warning nor apology.

     

    Peter

  • by kim98028,

    kim98028 kim98028 Mar 28, 2014 10:31 PM in response to PeterBreis0807
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 28, 2014 10:31 PM in response to PeterBreis0807

    Hi Peter,

    I am a PC user, but just started MacAir with OS X 10.9.2

     

    I have same problem and very simple.

     

    I simply opened the pages icon on my dock (I don't know what version - why can't I find that easily??). It's the version with a black ink bottle and pen. I opened new blank document and typed several sentences of text.  I then saved this pages document to my Desktop.  I did not change versions, export, email, nothing. Just SAVE.  Then tried to open the pages document later and got the stupid error:   The required index.xml file is missing.

     

    Finally discovered I had **2** versions of Pages on my Mac. one hidden.  I opened the new, hidden, latest(?) version (again - why don't they make the version obvious to find??)  It is the version with gold sunset on a page with text, and a gold pen.   This version opened the document.

     

    BUT I DIDNT USE THIS VERSION TO CREATE OR SAVE the document!  It is even worse with Numbers. I am having to guess with each document I open, what version it is, and what version of Numbers to open.

     

    This is maddening.  Apple is supposed to be seemless and easy.   Microsoft versions, as bad as they are, are at least forward & backward compatible.

  • by PeterBreis0807,

    PeterBreis0807 PeterBreis0807 Mar 29, 2014 10:31 AM in response to kim98028
    Level 8 (35,693 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 29, 2014 10:31 AM in response to kim98028

    Kim

     

    Every single Application including the Mac itself has an "About" menu immediately under its menu.. What in Windows would be called "Properties".

     

    In Finder, you select the file or application:

     

    Menu > File > Get Info or Keyboard = command i (note that is mnemonic, as many things are on a Mac)

     

    Generally things are very clearly labeled and well organised on the Mac.

     

    Pay attention to the Menu Titles. They mean what they say and many are identical, where it makes sense, across applications.

     

    With some notable exceptions, where Apple choses to hide things from what it sees as an increasingly dumbed down user base. Unfortunately they are right about their low opinion of their new customers, but it is largely a self fullfilling prophesy. As they dumb their OSes and software down, and 'simplify' their operations, they attract more ignorant users and leave the rest in the dark.

     

    Apple is pushing users to use its latest versions of Pages, Numbers etc so it installs them generally for free, but because people have paid for their older software, they move that to the iWork folder. They are very much two different sets of applications, with similar operation but identical names.

     

    The problem is they don't tell their users that that is what they have done.

     

    The file format is completely rewritten in a very complex zipped package, but Apple chooses to keep the same file extension; .pages which is what is causing a lot of the confusion.

     

    As with every major change where the person responsible for it fails to communicate whatsoever this has lead to enormous strife for users and endless confusion.

     

    Apple has not told its users what it has done, nor where it is headed with, what is obviously just a public beta.

     

    They have done it before and got away with it, unfortunately this time they have done it to a wide section of their reasonably well informed long standing users, who are not happy and are openly saying why.

     

    Peter

  • by Psipook,

    Psipook Psipook Mar 31, 2014 5:28 AM in response to PeterBreis0807
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 31, 2014 5:28 AM in response to PeterBreis0807

    I am extremely angry. Today a Pages document of 24,000 words became corrupted. I can't open it at all. It represents work covering November 2013 to end of March 2014.

    Computers: MacBook Pro running Mavericks; also iPad Air running current iOS7; brand new iMac running Mavericks.

    The Pages file was stored on iCloud so I could work from all three machines at different locations.

    I was lax in making backups because I thought copies were stored on the HDs and iCloud.

    Wrong, it seems.

    Today I did a bit of work on the file on the MacBook. I closed the file and then tried to open the file on the iPad. It wouldn't open. Message: This file can't be opened. I have tried to open the file on all three machines. I've tried to open it in other apps like Preview, even TextEdit, Word and BBEdit. No result.

    The revert to version command on Pages doesn't give me any options.

    My last backup was about two months ago and I have lost more than 8,000 words. This represents a lot of time and hard work and at the moment it seems all gone.

    Has anyone yet found ways of recovering text from these bad files?

  • by VikingOSX,

    VikingOSX VikingOSX Mar 31, 2014 5:49 AM in response to PeterBreis0807
    Level 7 (20,935 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 31, 2014 5:49 AM in response to PeterBreis0807

    Here is another scenario.

     

    I had closed the current document that was opened in Pages ’09 v4.3, but did not close this application. I looked up something in the browser, and then the Finder, and had forgot that the earlier version of Pages was still running in the background.

     

    Double-clicking a Pages v5.1 document then told me I needed a newer version of Pages to open this document. My first instinct was not to recall that Pages ’09 was still running, and would service that double-click event. I thought that Pages v5.1 was acting up, and could not open its own document.

     

    However, I recalled that Pages ’09 was still running and quit the application. A subsequent double-click of the Pages v5.1 document opened it without issue.

  • by PeterBreis0807,

    PeterBreis0807 PeterBreis0807 Mar 31, 2014 6:08 AM in response to Psipook
    Level 8 (35,693 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 31, 2014 6:08 AM in response to Psipook

    When I think iCloud I think:

     

    Plates_M.jpg

     

    Except the Chinese, unlike Apple have perfected the art of not breaking the plates!

     

    I think Apple has got a stack of cheap Greek programmers to throw together their new Pages 5 file format.

     

    Peter

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