XPS file format... As usualy... | The Coffeehouse

BlackTiger
If you stumbled and fell down, it doesn't mean yet, that you're going in the wrong direction.

I've installed Office 2007 and PDF/XPS plug-in.

So... XPS - half-done work, as usualy...

My problem is: I CANNOT NORMALLY VIEW XPS FILES!

Ok. I have Firefox as default browser. I have FW3.0 installed. I have XPSViewer.exe in WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\XPSViewer folder.
Everything seems ok.

But... XPSViewer.exe isn't actually an "exe"! When I'm trying to open freshly created xps by double-clicking on it it's opens in... Firefox! With "Save as" dialog!

Ok. I'm trying to open using "Open With" menu option in XPSViewer. It opens in... FIREFOX! I'm trying to execute XPSViewer.exe alone - nothing has happened, it's not a normal application.

Here is only one way to open XPS file - in... Internet Explorer! because XPSViewer actually is just a IE plug-in.

So... Even bloody AdobeReader has COM-interface to embed pdfs into any application! Where is COM interface to view XPSes?!?!

ZippyV
Fired Up

This sucks indeed. There is no reason for a non-html document to open in Internet Explorer. No matter if it's a Word, Excel, Powerpoint, PDF or XPS document. I want to open them in their own environment, not IE.

staceyw
Before C# there was darkness...

BlackTiger wrote:
I've installed Office 2007 and PDF/XPS plug-in.

So... XPS - half-done work, as usualy...

My problem is: I CANNOT NORMALLY VIEW XPS FILES!

Ok. I have Firefox as default browser. I have FW3.0 installed. I have XPSViewer.exe in WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\XPSViewer folder.
Everything seems ok.

But... XPSViewer.exe isn't actually an "exe"! When I'm trying to open freshly created xps by double-clicking on it it's opens in... Firefox! With "Save as" dialog!

Ok. I'm trying to open using "Open With" menu option in XPSViewer. It opens in... FIREFOX! I'm trying to execute XPSViewer.exe alone - nothing has happened, it's not a normal application.

Here is only one way to open XPS file - in... Internet Explorer! because XPSViewer actually is just a IE plug-in.

So... Even bloody AdobeReader has COM-interface to embed pdfs into any application! Where is COM interface to view XPSes?!?!

AFAICT, this is normal behavior. If you have fx3.0 installed, it opens in the browser (mine opens in IE, you said yours opens in FF). Is viewing in FF an issue for you? If you don't have fx3.0,you can download and use the standalone viewer:
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/xps/viewxps.mspx

That is my understanding from reading the link. So I am guessing that if you have fx3.0 installed the behavior is browser. Maybe their is some reg entry you could change if you really need the standaone viewer. I assume they will ship a VS XPS control at some point.

nwoolls

The problem is you *cant* view it in Firefox. The OS tries to use Firefox to open the XPS. Then, Firefox prompts for you to Open or Save the file. If you choose Open, then rinse and repeat: Firefox prompts for you to Open or Save the file.

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joem83
Heading toward the future. IE8, Vista, Office12, Zune 2.0

Just associate it with IE. What is the problem. Does your IE not work.

BlackTiger wrote:
I've installed Office 2007 and PDF/XPS plug-in.

So... XPS - half-done work, as usualy...

My problem is: I CANNOT NORMALLY VIEW XPS FILES!

Ok. I have Firefox as default browser. I have FW3.0 installed. I have XPSViewer.exe in WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\XPSViewer folder.
Everything seems ok.

But... XPSViewer.exe isn't actually an "exe"! When I'm trying to open freshly created xps by double-clicking on it it's opens in... Firefox! With "Save as" dialog!

Ok. I'm trying to open using "Open With" menu option in XPSViewer. It opens in... FIREFOX! I'm trying to execute XPSViewer.exe alone - nothing has happened, it's not a normal application.

Here is only one way to open XPS file - in... Internet Explorer! because XPSViewer actually is just a IE plug-in.

So... Even bloody AdobeReader has COM-interface to embed pdfs into any application! Where is COM interface to view XPSes?!?!

nwoolls

If you just associate XPS's with IE, then you lose the nice live preview in the thumbnail.

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joem83
Heading toward the future. IE8, Vista, Office12, Zune 2.0

I didn't have this problem on the one test machine I use to test FF.

nwoolls wrote:
If you just associate XPS's with IE, then you lose the nice live preview in the thumbnail.

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jvervoorn
Caption

Stacyw said:
"If you don't have fx3.0,you can download and use the standalone viewer:
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/xps/viewxps.mspx "

I have .net 3.0 installed and xps files were comming up slower then mollases in January at the north pole (Boy that's pretty slow). I went ahead and installed the viewer and now they come up as quick as a wink. Thanks!!!

Jazzynupe

BlackTiger wrote:
I've installed Office 2007 and PDF/XPS plug-in.

So... XPS - half-done work, as usualy...

My problem is: I CANNOT NORMALLY VIEW XPS FILES!

Ok. I have Firefox as default browser. I have FW3.0 installed. I have XPSViewer.exe in WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\XPSViewer folder.
Everything seems ok.

But... XPSViewer.exe isn't actually an "exe"! When I'm trying to open freshly created xps by double-clicking on it it's opens in... Firefox! With "Save as" dialog!

Ok. I'm trying to open using "Open With" menu option in XPSViewer. It opens in... FIREFOX! I'm trying to execute XPSViewer.exe alone - nothing has happened, it's not a normal application.

Here is only one way to open XPS file - in... Internet Explorer! because XPSViewer actually is just a IE plug-in.

So... Even bloody AdobeReader has COM-interface to embed pdfs into any application! Where is COM interface to view XPSes?!?!

Well I see several problems why they had to stop at an ActiveX control for viewing. XPS is the default print format in Vista so XPS is always there. But remember when office was going to create PDFs and XPS by default, remember all that? Well I see why a native viewer is not in the OS by default. FireFox does not support ActiveX so therefore until a plugin is written for it, you can't view it in Firefox. But anyone is able to use the specs to create one.

xemi

Same thing happened to me.

try to download Microsoft XML Paper Specification Essentials Pack from this link http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=4A7B8983-7BE1-4740-BC9C-D377A8F2D6EB&displaylang=en

after intall you will be able to see any XPS file. with any problem. Smiley

xemi

without*

austegard

Install the IETab extension from http://ietab.mozdev.org/
Add a filter for xps extensions or modify the mht filter to read:
/^file:\/\/\/.*\.(mht|mhtml|xps)$/

Presto - XPS docs open in an IE tab within Firefox.

BlackTiger
If you stumbled and fell down, it doesn't mean yet, that you're going in the wrong direction.

xemi wrote:

Same thing happened to me.

try to download Microsoft XML Paper Specification Essentials Pack from this link http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=4A7B8983-7BE1-4740-BC9C-D377A8F2D6EB&displaylang=en

after intall you will be able to see any XPS file. with any problem.

I have Vista. This pack is incompatible with Vista.

I've just developed small app to open XPS in WebBrowser control and associated "xps" with my app. Not a big deal, but semi-baked features are boring.
BTW, XPSViewer in Vista isn't quite normal ActiveX (actually it's "not executable executable"), and it's not available as COM component, or has another name.

bradlycouch

~ I OWE YOU for SAVING me a lot of TROUBLE!

THANK YOU!!!!!

Bradly

turrican
Condemnation without investigation is the height of ignorance! - Albert Einstein

In reply to staceyw

#Nov 22nd, 2006 @ 9:02 AM

"AFAICT"?

That is a really odd shortcut, how long before we barely make sense to each other?

I mean,

TIAROS, HLBWBMSTEO?

Meshuggah

In reply to turrican

#Sep 21st, 2008 @ 12:53 PM

Ok, so this is a really old post, but the problem still exists in 2009! what the hell? As annoying as it is, there is a MUCH simpler work around. Open IE first then drag the xps file into the browser. BINGO! it displays the info you need to see. Thanks for listenting.

Mesh

intelman

As ranty as the first post is, XPS viewing is annoying. It should be a separate application or something. I guess I am thankful that PDF is much more popular. Though adobe reader isn't that great either.

Sven Groot
My name has 9 letters. Coincidence? I think not...

In reply to intelman

#May 24th @ 12:54 PM

In Windows 7 it's a separate application.

W3bbo
The Master of Baiters

In reply to Sven Groot

#May 24th @ 6:45 PM

I just installed the latest version of the XPS Viewer EP application to see how it's doing.

It turns out it's still a very anaemic application. Acrobat Reader's toolbars (at least up to version 7) are chock-full of navigation buttons and reviewing tools, all I see in the XPS Viewer are back/forward, zoom controls, and for some reason a button dedicated to viewing the DRM info of an XPS file (because no-one's thought of performing OCR on a screenshot...)

Sven Groot
My name has 9 letters. Coincidence? I think not...

In reply to W3bbo

#May 24th @ 7:49 PM

So Adobe Reader is too bloated, and the XPS Viewer is too sparse... Well, hello there, Goldilocks! Tongue Out

giovanni
...

In reply to Sven Groot

#May 24th @ 8:32 PM

I like anaemic menus especially because XPS is a format for printing and archiving. I see XPS much more like PS and PDF. The only thing I would like to add to the standard XPS viewer is tha hability to add or remove pages (nixps does it but it is a littel $$$).