Preview of Excel and Word files while opened in Office App

RalphM · Post by **RalphM** » 05 Dec 2005 11:10

If you have an Excel file opened in Excel and then try to preview it in XY as well, Excel hangs and has to be restarted.

Doing the same with a Word file doesn't preview the file while it is open in Word, which is a bit confusing as well, since you have to look close to figure that the displayed preview isn't the one you wanted, but at least no crash of Word.

Post by **admin** » 05 Dec 2005 11:12

RalphM wrote:If you have an Excel file opened in Excel and then try to preview it in XY as well, Excel hangs and has to be restarted.

Doing the same with a Word file doesn't preview the file while it is open in Word, which is a bit confusing as well, since you have to look close to figure that the displayed preview isn't the one you wanted, but at least no crash of Word.

What if you preview these files with IE? (Which is what I am technically doing.) Should make the same trouble... so it's not my bug

RalphM · Post by **RalphM** » 05 Dec 2005 11:27

admin wrote:What if you preview these files with IE? (Which is what I am technically doing.) Should make the same trouble... so it's not my bug

Well, not exactly the same, I'd say.
If I open (or preview) the file in IE and try to open it in Excel, I get a message telling me it's already open.
If I open it in Excel and then in IE, Excel passes the file over to IE somehow.

Post by **admin** » 05 Dec 2005 12:14

RalphM wrote:
admin wrote:What if you preview these files with IE? (Which is what I am technically doing.) Should make the same trouble... so it's not my bug
Well, not exactly the same, I'd say.
If I open (or preview) the file in IE and try to open it in Excel, I get a message telling me it's already open.
If I open it in Excel and then in IE, Excel passes the file over to IE somehow.

OK, I don't know what MS is doing there behind the curtain. From now on, XY will not preview Office files that are currently in use.

RalphM · Post by **RalphM** » 06 Dec 2005 00:28

admin wrote:OK, I don't know what MS is doing there behind the curtain. From now on, XY will not preview Office files that are currently in use.

Sounds like a good idea to me. Will the user get a message telling why there's no preview then?

Post by **admin** » 06 Dec 2005 07:33

RalphM wrote:
admin wrote:OK, I don't know what MS is doing there behind the curtain. From now on, XY will not preview Office files that are currently in use.
Sounds like a good idea to me. Will the user get a message telling why there's no preview then?

Yep.

Gandolf · Post by **Gandolf** » 06 Dec 2005 08:39

Here's something that may be related, I only checked with Excel but it may apply to all Office files.

Double click on an Excel file in XYplorer (Info panel is closed), Excel file is opened as expected.

Select another Excel file in XYplorer, open Info panel and preview the file.

Try to return to Excel, it's only possible by minimising XYplorer, it is then impossible to open ANY Excel files - all are greyed out. Closing the Info Panel in XYplorer does not allow opening of any files in Excel. Changing the selected file in XYplorer does allow Excel to open files (Info Panel closed).

O.S. is Windows XP.

Post by **admin** » 06 Dec 2005 08:53

Gandolf wrote:Here's something that may be related...

Office is a strange world. Can't do much about that. It's probably something you have to learn: with Office files, either preview or work.

BTW, closing the panel or selecting another panel tab will not close/stop a preview! To stop previewing a certain file:
- unselect it (by mouse or Ctrl+Space)
- or select another file

RalphM · Post by **RalphM** » 06 Dec 2005 11:00

admin wrote:BTW, closing the panel or selecting another panel tab will not close/stop a preview! To stop previewing a certain file:
- unselect it (by mouse or Ctrl+Space)
- or select another file

Wouldn't it be more straightforward to stop the preview when changing to another Info panel tab?
Now you have to keep in mind, that the file was previewed once, even if you probably don't see it anymore?!?

Is it intended, that the Ctrl+Space thing only works twice for the same file? Isn't this supposed to be a toggle function?

Post by **admin** » 06 Dec 2005 11:10

RalphM wrote:
admin wrote:BTW, closing the panel or selecting another panel tab will not close/stop a preview! To stop previewing a certain file:
- unselect it (by mouse or Ctrl+Space)
- or select another file
Wouldn't it be more straightforward to stop the preview when changing to another Info panel tab?
Now you have to keep in mind, that the file was previewed once, even if you probably don't see it anymore?!?

That's on purpose (with streaming media in mind): it allows you to look through the panel tabs or hide the panel while the sound/video is running.

RalphM wrote:Is it intended, that the Ctrl+Space thing only works twice for the same file? Isn't this supposed to be a toggle function?

No, it works infinitely. Let loose of the Ctrl key...

Gandolf · Post by **Gandolf** » 06 Dec 2005 11:28

admin wrote:That's on purpose (with streaming media in mind): it allows you to look through the panel tabs or hide the panel while the sound/video is running.

I don't use any streaming media, so how about an option to stop the preview when closing the Info Panel. Better, can you detect the media type and control the behaviour of the info panel accordingly?

admin wrote:
RalphM wrote: RalphM wrote:
Is it intended, that the Ctrl+Space thing only works twice for the same file? Isn't this supposed to be a toggle function?

No, it works infinitely. Let loose of the Ctrl key...

It appears to work as a toggle for me, even if I keep the Ctrl key pressed.

Post by **admin** » 06 Dec 2005 11:36

A selecting Ctrl+Space toggle will only enter preview mode when the Ctrl key is released.

Hide panel => close preview as option: hmm. Options, options, options... any other opinions out there...?

EDIT: it's not only streaming media: also when scrolling through text or office files, you'd like to keep your position after switching panel tabs.

RalphM · Post by **RalphM** » 06 Dec 2005 17:22

admin wrote:A selecting Ctrl+Space toggle will only enter preview mode when the Ctrl key is released.

Works with most formats, but apparently not with pdfs, strange.
Entering preview mode with Ctrl+Space works but to exit preview the mouse is needed.

admin wrote:it's not only streaming media: also when scrolling through text or office files, you'd like to keep your position after switching panel tabs.

Well me thinks when I switch to another panel, I'm done with the preview, and besides there's not much I can do without stopping the preview on the next click anyway, or is there?

Post by **admin** » 07 Dec 2005 09:09

RalphM wrote:Well me thinks when I switch to another panel, I'm done with the preview, and besides there's not much I can do without stopping the preview on the next click anyway, or is there?

Well, I sometimes like to switch back and fore between HTML interpreted (preview) and HTML source (file view).

RalphM · Post by **RalphM** » 07 Dec 2005 10:14

RalphM wrote:Works with most formats, but apparently not with pdfs, strange.
Entering preview mode with Ctrl+Space works but to exit preview the mouse is needed.

No clue for that one?

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Preview of Excel and Word files while opened in Office App

Preview of Excel and Word files while opened in Office App

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