how do I list only Word documents when using the file open dialogue?

[BrixtonChris]

If I enable 'All Word Documents' it greys out all the non-word docs,
but still includes them in the list.

This is annoying, since I organise my folders on a per project basis,
so each folder might contain quite a selection of stuff. This is not
a problem with Word for Windows!

I'm using Word 2004 by the way.

Many thanks for your help!

 

[Clive Huggan]

Hello Chris,

Welcome to Mac!

That's the way Apple has built OS X, I'm afraid. It's not a Word
characteristic.

But you can open the folders that appear in the "Open" dialogue, and if
there are Word documents inside them, they are accessible. And you can open
aliases of folders too.

Do you really want to open non-Word files from the Open dialogue? (Forgive
me if I'm not perceiving the problem correctly. Mac users often open
documents via the Finder: I haven't used the "Open" menu item for a year or
so).

By the way, not quite related to your problem but useful nevertheless: a
handy tip is to hold down the Command key (the one with the cloverleaf and
on older keyboards an apple on it) and click on the title of the document in
the title bar: you are then presented with a selectable hierarchy.

Cheers,

Clive Huggan
Canberra, Australia
(My time zone is 5-11 hours different from North America and Europe, so my
follow-on responses to those regions can be delayed)
============================================================
* SUGGESTION -- KEEP REVISITING AFTER YOU POST: If you post a question, keep
re-visiting the newsgroup for several days after the first response comes
in. Sometimes it takes a few responses before the best or complete solution
is provided; sometimes you'll be asked for further information. Good tips
about getting the best out of posting are at
http://word.mvps.org/Mac/AccessNewsgroups.html and
http://word.mvps.org/FindHelp/Posting.htm (if you use Safari you may see a
blank page and have to hit the circular arrow icon -- "Reload the current
page" -- two or more times).
============================================================

 

[BrixtonChris]

Hello Chris,

Welcome to Mac!

That's the way Apple has built OS X, I'm afraid. It's not a Word
characteristic.

But you can open the folders that appear in the "Open" dialogue, and if
there are Word documents inside them, they are accessible. And you can open
aliases of folders too.

Do you really want to open non-Word files from the Open dialogue?

No, that is the point. I want a dialogue that **only** shows me .doc
(ie Word) files, because when I am using Word, I only want to open
Word files.

The problem at the moment is that I have to sift through all these non-
Word files to find the Word files that I am actually interested in.

Obviously I could resolve this by ensuring each folder only contains
one type of file - ie separate folders for PDF, Word, Excel, Jpeg
files etc, but this is not a convenient way of organising my life!

I am a newbie to Mac, having just purchased a MacPro, and am gradually
migrating various activities across. This particular problem was
never an issue with Windows!

Regards



(Forgive

 

[CyberTaz]

G'day Clive -

Do you really want to open non-Word files from the Open dialogue?

I think the OP means that when you go in to open a Word doc & are confronted
with a listing of *everything* in the folder - including files Word can't &
you don't want to open. It's a bit of a hassle to go through the list. I
find it a bit cumbersome at times as well. One of the few things I like
about Windows is that in any given program the Open dialog presents only
files of that type (or compatible) regardless of what else is actually
stored there. That's the default behavior but you can display files of any
or all types if you choose to do so.

It does make for a shorter, more focused list of file names. Many people
don't bother to create their own hierarchies - believe it or not ;-) - but
instead accept the default Documents folder as a repository for everything
they do. Hence the Open file list includes docs, spreadsheets, every type of
image, PPt files, etc. However, I've learned over the years that the Mac way
isn't so much of a hassle if you organize your filing system effectively and
don't dump everything you do into a limited number of directories - let
alone a single folder

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

However, I've learned over the years that the Mac way
isn't so much of a hassle if you organize your filing system effectively and
don't dump everything you do into a limited number of directories - let
alone a single folder

I've recently started using the search box in the File | Open dialog
more, and that might be useful in this case too, even with big full
folders. (although in my quick test just now, it was not so helpful, but
I'm not quite sure how that's configured in 10.4)

As said, Chris, it's just a way that the Mac works differently. It's
never even crossed my mind that this could be a problem, because I'm so
used to it. But to be honest, I'm just as likely to open a doc
directly from the Finder, where I have lots of shortcuts set up to make
it efficient, as I am to use the File | Open dialog, which is a less
powerful version of the Finder.

If it's really driving you crazy, it's possible that one of the Finder
supplements such as Default Folder X or Path Finder could be worth the
trouble. But I'm not sure how much these offer to fix the Open/Save dialogs.
http://www.stclairsoft.com/DefaultFolderX/

You can complain to Apple here, under Mac OS X
http://www.apple.com/feedback
There are lots of complaints about Mac's Open/Save dialogs--maybe
something will be done eventually.

Welcome to the Mac!

Daiya

 

[GregP]

If I enable 'All Word Documents' it greys out all the non-word docs,
but still includes them in the list.

This is annoying, since I organise my folders on a per project basis,
so each folder might contain quite a selection of stuff. This is not
a problem with Word for Windows!

I'm using Word 2004 by the way.

Many thanks for your help!

One strategy for this is to put the Office Project Gallery Launcher in
the Dock, and keep it there. It can be customized to show only Word
documents, if you wish, or when it opens you can ask Launcher to show
only Word documents. I generally use this tool and have removed the
Word, Excel etc. icons from the Dock.

 

[Clive Huggan]

One strategy for this is to put the Office Project Gallery Launcher in
the Dock, and keep it there. It can be customized to show only Word
documents, if you wish, or when it opens you can ask Launcher to show
only Word documents. I generally use this tool and have removed the
Word, Excel etc. icons from the Dock.

Brilliant, Greg! Thank you!

Clive Huggan
=============