[Libreoffice-bugs] [Bug 44462] New: Provide a proper 'File Association Manager' for the windows version of Libreoffice

[bugzilla-daemon at freedesktop.org]

https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=44462

             Bug #: 44462
           Summary: Provide a proper 'File Association Manager' for the
                    windows version of Libreoffice
    Classification: Unclassified
           Product: LibreOffice
           Version: LibO 3.4.4 release
          Platform: Other
        OS/Version: Windows (All)
            Status: UNCONFIRMED
          Severity: enhancement
          Priority: medium
         Component: Libreoffice
        AssignedTo: libreoffice-bugs at lists.freedesktop.org
        ReportedBy: tanstaafl at libertytrek.org


Created attachment 55133
  --> https://bugs.freedesktop.org/attachment.cgi?id=55133
Graphic depiction of what the FAM settings could look like

Hello all,

I am reproducing this bug from the old Openoffice bug system here, in the hopes
that the Libreoffice devs will take a kinder view to it's implementation...

For historical purposes, the original bug was 77257:

https://issues.apache.org/ooo/show_bug.cgi?id=77257

Since that enhancement request was initiated, Libreoffice has gained support
for the new xml office formats, so I'll take this opportunity to polish the
screenshots for this request to take these into account.

I am attaching an updated screenshot depicting what this new FAM *could* look
like (not necessarily what I think it *should* look like).

I know that there have been a few discussions about this, and that some people
have strong feelings that this is something that LibO should not do, but I want
to make my *strong* argument in favor it, so I would appreciate it if you would
take the time to read this in its entirety.

I am taking the time to create this Issue/Enhancement Request after being
bitten by this problem *again*. It has happened to me at least 5 or 6 times in
the years I've been using OOo/LibO, and, although it doesn't happen very often,
when it does, the ony way I have found to fix it is to reinstall *Windows* (no
amount of uninstalling/reinstalling OOo/LibO has ever fixed this problkem for
me), and, in my opinion, this is just not acceptable.

Recently I again had a problem where OOo/LibO lost its file associations - for
its *own* file types, not MSO file types - and nothing I did was able to repair
them. A reinstall/repair of windows, does, however, every time.

First - the usual recommended method of 'right-click, open with...' is totally
unusable for me anyway, because it will not work for the Template file
associations - when templates are re-associated this way, from that point on,
OOo will not treat them as it should treat templates (copy contents of template
into new blank document, initiate prompt for input fields, etc), it just opens
them, as if I had right-click>opened them.

It goes without saying that this functionality should only be available when
the current user has the required Admin privileges.

All this functionality would have to do is:

1. Reset the file associations for all LibO (including the deprecated
Openoffice.org 1.x) file types - *including templates* - so that they work
properly with LibO.

(since OOo currently is capable of properly associating its own files upon
installation, it should be trivial to add a button somewhere in the Preferences
(I added it to the 'General' prefs in my attached screenshot), but it could
even be on its own) that would simply re-associate all of the native LibO/OOo
file types with LibO)

2. If the user elects *not* to allow LibOo take over the file associations for
Microsoft Office files at install time, provide a button that takes them over
(*but first* records their current settings as per #3 below) - just as if the
user had elected to let LibO take them over at install time, if the user later
decides they like LibO enough to do so. As with the LibO file types, these
choices should include the associated template files.

3. If the user elects *to allow* LibO to take over the file associations for
Microsoft Office files at install time (or does so per #2), again, record the
*current* file associations *before* changing them, so that the user can easily
revert the changes if desired.

4. Provide a simple interface (see attached screenshot for an example of how
simple it could be) that allows the user to do #1 anytime it may become
necessary, as well as an easy way to switch Microsoft Office file associations
back and forth (between being associated with LibO, and what they were
before/when LibO was installed) or repair them. The buttons label text should 
change depending on what actions would be taken (ie, 'Repair', 'Change',
'Revert', etc).

5. The File Associations Selections choices available at install time should
also be expanded from 3 (.doc, .xls and .ppt) to 6 (.doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx,
and .ppt and .pptx), so that you could choose to associate only the
.doc/xls/ppt file types, but NOT the .docx, .xlsx and .pptx file types if
desired.

6. What is selected by default should depend on whether or not Microsoft Office
is currently installed - if it is, default to NONE selected (assuming it is a
version capable of working with the new XML versions, otherwise default to
selecting only the ones supported by that version of Microsoft Office), if it
isn't, default to ALL selected (even if .doc is already associated with
Wordpad, it should still be selected by default, currently, it isn't).

Well, that's it, thanks for listening...

Charles

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