Attention: Lotus Notes/Word 2008 SP1 Users (WDBN Workaround)

[osakans]

For those who have been hit with the "issue" of Word 2008 SP1 not
opening files tagged with the WDBN file type code when opening
attachments saved from Lotus Notes, I've found a workaround.

It turns out that Lotus Notes uses Internet Config (a piece of public
domain code that's incorporated into OS X) to apply file type and
creator codes to files that don't originate on the Mac. At least on my
computer, Internet Config maps the .doc extension to file type WDBN
and creator MSWD.

Internet Explorer (not available for download from Microsoft any more)
happens to be able to view and edit Internet Config mappings through
its Preferences window (File Helpers tab). You select the entry for
the ".doc" extension (it was sorted by extension when I opened it --
I'm not sure it always is), click "Change" and then change WDBN to
W8BN.

Hope this helps some.

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

Thanks for this useful post.

My guess would be that someone who knows OS X very well could find a
different way to edit Internet Config than via Internet Explorer, but I
haven't a clue how.

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

Very cool! I knew there had to be a way.

Hi Daiya:

Hmmm.... Internet Config was a freeware utility that was the code behind
the Internet preference pane in System Preferences in Mac OS 7, 8, and 9.

The functionality was rolled into Mac OS X, and you have to call it from
Terminal using command lines. It pays to get these exactly correct, because
you are playing around with core OS X System Preferences, and it is possible
that your system will not run at all if you make a mistake

Fortunately, Alexander Clauss has written a utility to do this for you:
http://mac.clauss-net.de/misfox/

Cheers

 

[Phillip Jones]

You also call it up even tough it doesn't say you are by setting
preferences in Apple Mail and Safari as well.

Hi Daiya:

Hmmm.... Internet Config was a freeware utility that was the code behind
the Internet preference pane in System Preferences in Mac OS 7, 8, and 9.

The functionality was rolled into Mac OS X, and you have to call it from
Terminal using command lines. It pays to get these exactly correct, because
you are playing around with core OS X System Preferences, and it is possible
that your system will not run at all if you make a mistake

Fortunately, Alexander Clauss has written a utility to do this for you:
http://mac.clauss-net.de/misfox/

Cheers

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[Beau Buffier]

Thanks - this appears to be working. I can't verify the powerpoint creator
code and file type but PPT3 and SLD8 respectively appear to work (for now).

 

[Richard_Starling]

Hi Daiya:

Hmmm.... Internet Config was a freeware utility that was the code behind
the Internet preference pane in System Preferences in Mac OS 7, 8, and 9.

The functionality was rolled into Mac OS X, and you have to call it from
Terminal using command lines. It pays to get these exactly correct, because
you are playing around with core OS X System Preferences, and it is possible
that your system will not run at all if you make a mistake

Fortunately, Alexander Clauss has written a utility to do this for you:
<http://mac.clauss-net.de/misfox/>

Cheers



--

Don't wait for your answer, click here: <http://www.word.mvps.org/>

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP, Word and Word:Mac
Nhulunbuy, NT, Australia. mailto:[email protected]

John, excellent find. I am using the Notes 8.5 for Mac Public Beta and as posted elsewhere have been dogged by being unable to open MS documents from within Notes. Alexander's utility, so far, works great for me with no downside visible as yet. I have set Word to Creator MSWD and Type W8BN, Excel to XCEL and XLS8 and Powerpoint to PPT3 and SLD8. Hope this works for other Notes users, its removed a real usability pain.

 

[John McGhie]

Hi Richard:

Thank Alexander, not me

Cheers

John, excellent find. I am using the Notes 8.5 for Mac Public Beta and as
posted elsewhere have been dogged by being unable to open MS documents from
within Notes. Alexander's utility, so far, works great for me with no downside
visible as yet. I have set Word to Creator MSWD and Type W8BN, Excel to XCEL
and XLS8 and Powerpoint to PPT3 and SLD8. Hope this works for other Notes
users, its removed a real usability pain.

--

Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP, Word and Word:Mac
Nhulunbuy, NT, Australia. mailto:[email protected]

 

[Mikael Andersson]

Fortunately, Alexander Clauss has written a utility to do this for you:
http://mac.clauss-net.de/misfox/

I can confirm that this workaround fixes this problem with Mozilla
Thunderbird too.

Use MisFox, double-click on the entry for the Word file type and change WDBN
to W8BN.

Make sure "Resource Fork is significant" is checked.

Press OK. Problem solved.

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

Thanks very much for that additional information!