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readonly

Laserfiche Version 8 Version 9
Updated September 9, 2014
asked on November 6, 2013

Hello,

 

When Word opens a read-only document stored into an NTFS folder (or SharePoint library), suffix «(Read-Only)» appears next to the filename in the Word title bar. There is no such mention when Word documents are opened from repositories.

 

What's the rationale?

Could Laserfiche consider adding that feature?

 

Lou

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Answer

APPROVED ANSWER
replied on November 6, 2013 • Show version history

It's not the Word and Laserfiche can't understand or have a limitation here. We deliberetly don't make it read-only if there's a chance the user might be able to save it back ANYWHERE into in the repository. That way someone could have a locked down starting template that they can open, edit, and then store in a different location. You don't want the original template being updated, but opening it up in Word read-only mode would mean you couldn't actually make the modifications and store it back. We use this type of thing internally for our release checklists, for example. Since the Client can't know whether you might not be able to save it as a new document somewhere in the repository, it doesn't send it to Word as read-only unless you specifically tell it to (that is, using the 'open as read-only' option when opening it).

 

Now if it DOES know the user will never be able to bring it back into the repository, it will use read-only in that case. That's what Kelsey's example above about the read-only user is about - the user is read-only and will never be able to modify the Laserfiche repository so the potential to store the document somewhere else never comes up. In that case, it's sent to Word to be opened in read-only mode.

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Replies

replied on November 6, 2013 • Show version history

It depends on how your client option settings for "View>Open With" is setup. It behaves as one of the following ways:

  1. if "Open files in a read-only state" is checked, then double clicking a doc file will open in read-only mode and will notify you on top that it is ready only. However, you can right click > open on the doc file and select "Edit Electronic Document"  and it will open the document in regular mode.
  2. if "Open files in a read-only state" is unchecked, then double clicking a doc file will open in a regular mode where if you right click open and select "View Electronic Document", it will open in read-only mode and it will state that on top of the toolbar.

 

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replied on November 6, 2013 • Show version history

If you are referring to entry's access rights where a user has only browse and read access right, in that case then the associated application has no way of understanding what browse/read access rights mean from Laserfiche.

 

The rationale is that the read access rights only imply that you cannot make changes to the current document in Laserfiche. When you open a Word document, a temporary file is created in your local machine which can be modified and saved as another document in Laserfiche. This makes it very convinient for users to manage their documents who also want some sort of security. 

 

A use case still can be made for the way you have mentioned. Someone from Laserfiche can expand on it.

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replied on November 6, 2013

I fully agree Mohammed with the rationale paragraph in your answer. But since Word understands the NTFS security as per the «(Read-Only)» mention when applicable, I keep wondering why Word and Laserfiche cannot interact together at the time the application opens the document to determine if LF access rights equal readonly.

 

Is this a Microsoft limitation or a feature not implemented by Laserfiche?

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APPROVED ANSWER
replied on November 6, 2013 • Show version history

It's not the Word and Laserfiche can't understand or have a limitation here. We deliberetly don't make it read-only if there's a chance the user might be able to save it back ANYWHERE into in the repository. That way someone could have a locked down starting template that they can open, edit, and then store in a different location. You don't want the original template being updated, but opening it up in Word read-only mode would mean you couldn't actually make the modifications and store it back. We use this type of thing internally for our release checklists, for example. Since the Client can't know whether you might not be able to save it as a new document somewhere in the repository, it doesn't send it to Word as read-only unless you specifically tell it to (that is, using the 'open as read-only' option when opening it).

 

Now if it DOES know the user will never be able to bring it back into the repository, it will use read-only in that case. That's what Kelsey's example above about the read-only user is about - the user is read-only and will never be able to modify the Laserfiche repository so the potential to store the document somewhere else never comes up. In that case, it's sent to Word to be opened in read-only mode.

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replied on November 6, 2013

Hello Mohammed,

 

By 'read-only document' I mean the security level (either NTFS, SharePoint or Laserfiche access rights). So when users open (read 'double-click) Word documents secured as read-only within LF, the mention «(Read-Only)» does not appear in the Word title bar.

 

Hope thats helps ;-)

 

Lou

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replied on November 6, 2013 • Show version history

Hi Louis-Simon, 

 

In some cases where the user should only have read-only access to the document [Read-Only] will be displayed in the Word title bar after the file name. For example, the Word title bar will display the file name followed by [Read-Only] when opening a Word document stored in the repository as a read-only user, or when a regular user opens a Word that has been checked out by different user. 

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replied on November 6, 2013

Fundamentally, the Client doesn't tell Office to open the entry as read-only just becuase the user only has the browse and read entry access rights. This is becuase you may want to take the current document, update it, and save as a new document somewhere else in the repository - and if we always sent it across as read-only, this wouldn't be possible. That's actually the point of the specific option that Mohammad described above.

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replied on November 6, 2013

Hello Justin,

 

Can you please take a look at my latest reply to Mohammed (above) and share your opinion ?

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replied on November 6, 2013

Hi Louis-Simone, 

 

I just tested this out and found that [Read-Only] was displayed in the Word title bar after the file name, when the user should only have read-only access to the document. In my tests I opened a Word document stored in the repository as a read-only user, and I also used a regular user to open a Word had been checked out by different user. In both of these cases the Word title bar displayed the file name followed by [Read-Only], as expected.

 

Since I wasn’t able to replicate the issue, can you give us a little more information about when your users aren’t seeing [Read-Only] but expect to see it? And in these situations, does the document still behave as read-only, or can the users save changes to it? If a user has the “Manage Trustees” privilege, this will override the designation of being a read-only users.

replied on September 9, 2014

This happens to us quite frequently looks like there is an issue with LF and how its saving files to windows while working on the files, the files are saved in temp folder and when we see this behavior we had to clean the temp folder contents on windows. That seems to fix the problem but that should not be the way, looks like LF and word tie is not perfect and has bug. Will be posting it in separate post.

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replied on September 9, 2014

Sounds like your issue is the bug discussed here: https://answers.laserfiche.com/questions/62030/Laserfiche-temp-files. If so, this should be addressed in the upcoming 9.2 release.

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