Unable to Open LibreOffice Spreadsheets in Google Drive

[vreid47362]

I keep several important LibreOffice Spreadsheets in Google Drive. I’ve noticed in the past few weeks (using libreoffice current version stable) that I am no longer able to consistently open these spreadsheets. A blank libreOffice spreadsheet window appears and then just hangs. Now, if I do an installation repair with LibreOffice .msi then I can usually open the spreadsheet one more time before I get the LibreOffice hanging behavior.

I have tried the following:

1. Completely uninstalling LibreOffice, removing libreoffice from appdata and program files(x86) and then re-installing LibreOffice
2. Experienced the same behavior with OpenOffice 4.0 (did not have it installed concurrently with LibreOffice)

I am always able to open these damaged files with Microsoft Excel. It reports that the files are damaged and does a repair, but if I save the files, excel removes all of my spreadsheet formulas.

I didn’t notice these problems until I started using RC’s of LibreOffice 4.1. I have been using OpenOffice/LibreOffice since version 1.0.3 and have regularly installed RC’s of the upcoming release and have never experienced this type of issue.

[oweng]

What file format are you using? Presumably the Excel reference means either XLS or XLSX?

[oweng]

I can’t answer your question as to why this has recently stopped working. From what I understand Google Drive and iCloud support may have only worked by coincidence. Bug fdo#58472 is related and this recent blog entry by Cao Cuong Ngo would seem to indicate that support is being developed.

[Ljiljan]

I’ve recently reported another bug that could be related to this one. When I send e-mail to someone from gmail that contains PPT presentation saved from LibreOffice, Gmail (Google Docs) does not generate preview. But If presentation is saved from Power Point, Google Docs will generate preview… One important notice: if presentation is originally created in LibreOffice, saved in PPT; then opened and edited in MS Power Point and saved again in PPT, Google Doc still will not be able to generate preview… when I say “does not generate preview”, I also mean “not able to open with Google Docs”.

So I assume, Libre Office does not save all neccessary information in PPT… or Google Docs has some bugs…

https://www.libreoffice.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=67290

[oweng]

I have a very bad feeling that Google is heading down the MS path of “use our format or forget it”. They no longer support ODF (other than as a download) and it is probably just a matter of time before MS formats are dropped also, at which point users will have to use the internal Google Drive format (whatever that is).

[Ljiljan]

I don’t think they will ever drop MS format because most of the users stil use MS… but, I can open ODT format… first, when I upload it to Google Drive and click on it, I got message “No Preview”… then, I clicked Open at the end of that screen. Again, I received message “No preview available” with button download… and then I selected from menu File → Open with → Google Docs and file was opened :-/ that is strange thing…

[vreid47362]

I am still seeing the behavior I’ve noted above, even with LibreOffice 4.1.1. I’ll be a bit more specific.

Steps to Reproduce with LibreOffice Calc File:

1. Create LibreOffice Calc file
2. Move File to Google Drive Desktop Windows Folder
3. It appears to open once or twice with LibreOffice from the Desktop Google Drive Folder (not simultaneously open the file multiple time, but open it then close it, then open it, etc.)
4. Future attempts to open the file results in the file being unable to open and in LibreOffice hanging.
5. After this happens, we are able to open the file from the Desktop Google Apps folder with Microsoft Excel, but Excel reports that is has found errors and requests to fix them. Click yes runs Excel’s “Fix” which makes it possible to open the file in Excel and look at it, but removes all formulas, etc. since those are not specified in the ODF specification.
6. After running Excel’s fix, and attempting to open the file again with LibreOffice Calc, the whole process starts over on the “fixed” file at step 3.

Steps to Reproduce with Microsoft Excel Files:

1. Create a Microsoft Excel file with Microsoft Office Excel.
2. Save the file and move it to the Google Drive Desktop Folder.
3. The file can be re-opened with Microsoft Excel without issues, but LibreOffice exhibits the same hanging behavior as mentioned above.

Also, this issue appears to affect OpenOffice 4.0 as well.

[erAck]

For Excel not to remove all formulas from .ods documents you need Excel 2013 that supports ODF 1.2 in which formulas are specified.

[bencomp]

Could you add this information to your question instead of keeping it separate in an answer (that does not really answer the question)?