Is this old PPS file uneditable?

dedec0 · 08-29-2018, 08:18 AM

A fairly old PPS presentation file, from ~2007.08.19. By doubleclicking on it in Debian 9, it simply starts the presentation. By opening it in LibreOffice 5.2.7.2, it also starts the presentation.

Is it impossible to edit this file? To: change the music, copy the text, etc.

Further, parts of what is written in each page is hidden - so the presentation view is unsatisfiable.

Here is PPS file, it is only 324 KiB, do not worry.

https://nofile.io/f/9MGShdHOFSD/fati...a_%28M%29_.pps

If this file eventually is removed from nofile address above, ask me. I upload it again. It will be there at least for 30 days - it seems.

rtmistler · 08-29-2018, 09:21 AM

Don't double click it. Open the proper utility to edit a presentation and then open that file and edit it.

dedec0 · 08-29-2018, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rtmistler

Don't double click it. Open the proper utility to edit a presentation and then open that file and edit it.

But I did that! I opened LibreOffice Impress, ctrl+o, found the pps file, opened it, and the presentation just started - the same as the doubleclick triggered. I repeated these steps now, to make sure I did not miss anything. The file did not open for editing.

rtmistler · 08-29-2018, 10:13 AM

It's because PPS is a Microsoft Office Autoplay format.

Rename it to either PPT or ODP.

dedec0 · 08-29-2018, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rtmistler

It's because PPS is a Microsoft Office Autoplay format.

Rename it to either PPT or ODP.

That solves it! That is very strange.

So the same applies to all PPS files? Can I remove their "special" default action, so they are edited easierly if so desired?

dedec0 · 08-29-2018, 11:36 AM

I just found an old OOO thread about the automatic PPS annoyance. You can read it here:

https://forum.openoffice.org/en/foru...=23250#p116782

There is one solution there that I find appealing:

Quote:

Originally Posted by https://forum.openoffice.org/en/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=23250#p116782 with a few (unchanging) manual edits to post it here

Re: [Solved] Open pps files in edit instead of presentation mode

Postby danielias » Wed Dec 16, 2009 8:48 pm

Much like fpflug, I hate .pps files opening automatically in presentation mode.
Mainly because of those "elaborated" presentations coming via e-mail, with the letters falling down from the top of the page - one at a time - to form frases (argh!)
The solution below worked fine for me. Try it.

The command ooimpress has the -n option:

$ ooimpress -n filename

which is intended to create/edit a new file, using filename as a template.
To all intents and purposes, it is the same of opening filename in edition mode.

So, just create a shell script named ooimpress-edit (or whatever) containing:

Code:

#!/bin/bash

# The special parameter $*, within double quotes,
# expands to the positional parameters, starting from one,
# as a single word, with the value of each parameter 
# separated by white space (the first character of the IFS 
# special variable). It is necessary if the passed file name
# has spaces.
ooimpress -n "$*"
exit

As root, save this file to /usr/local/bin (which should be in your $PATH). Don't forget to make it executable! (I mention it because I always do...)

Then edit the "file associations" (mime types) and include ooimpress-edit as the first option to open .pps files.
Of course, do the same in your e-mail client (in Thunderbird: Preferences->Attachments->View & Edit Actions...).

Cheers

I want to use ooimpress -n "$*" for all PPS files opened from whatever program I use (browser, mail manager, Matedesktop file manager, and CLI xdg-open are the ones I mostly use) to open them. Do I still need to create the script? And where should I change (or add as the first option, keeping the normal one that exists right now?

dedec0 · 08-29-2018, 11:46 AM

A fairly old LQ thread about the same subject:

LQ linux-software-2/libreoffice-starting-pps-files-automatically-896858

rtmistler · 08-29-2018, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dedec0

That solves it! That is very strange.

So the same applies to all PPS files? Can I remove their "special" default action, so they are edited easierly if so desired?

Well I don't know and I'm not invested enough to have it keep me up nights.

I figured since I happen to be booted to Windows but also have a Mint VM, I could create native files either using PowerPoint or LibreOffice. It was at that point where I learned what the PPS file type really meant - even though I could've googled for it.

I mean I knew that PowerPoint would make PPT files and learned that LibreOffice makes ODP files. So I did a Save As action to save it as PPS and learned that it was Microsoft Office Power Point Autoplay or something like that name/description. After that I changed the extension and it worked in both cases. Probably because it was a current, or new, file. Meanwhile something very old? Who knows, but it seemed to have worked for your file. I can only assume that it was a former way to protect a presentation from someone editing it and changing it, like PDF files used to be.

dedec0 · 08-29-2018, 12:36 PM

Well... I will rarely use a PPS file (as PPT and ODP). But I have a lot of them in old messages. Renaming them every time is not as good (even if automatic as one of the solutions we see in #6 given URL ).