Edit in Office in Confluence doesn't work for Mac users
Asked by Else Stork:

Hello,

There is a problem for Mac users when using the functionality "Edit in Office" for attached documents in Confluence v4.2.11.

For Windows users there is a workaround with setting the Basic Authentication to allow opening documents from non-SSL websites <http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2123563> ,

But how to solve this for the Mac users? or is the only solution to install the SSL-certificate for this website.

Would appreciate your help,

Thanks in advance,


Answers:
author: LucasA
body: This option is only supported in Microsoft Office for Windows. Office for Mac make use of a completelly different set of libraries and a complete different API (Mac OS X is an UNIX system).

If you need any further assistance, please raise a support ticket.

Cheers,

Lucas Lima

Atlassian Support

comments: author: Karie Kelly
body: Hi Lucas,

Can you please have the Atlassian tech writers update the documentation for this feature to specifically indicate that this feature can only be used in Windows environments as a native Mac OS user is not going to have Microsoft Office for Windows.

Also, why is Atlassian developing solutions that are windows-only solutions? I can understand third party plugins choosing to support only one instead of both; but for Atlassian to pursue features only supported in one seems very short-sighted given the expansion of the client side and mobile markets.


author: Felipe Cuozzo
body: Hi Kalynn,

As Michael Knight pointed above the problem should be only restricted to installations that don't have a proper SSL installation, OnDemand is fully SSL enabled so it should NOT be affected by this.

The workaround described by Microsoft's KB article explains the reasons why it can be dangerous to use Basic Authentication over a non-SSL (you are sending you credentials through a unencripted connection, what can be easily captured by someone capturing the packets between you and the destination) and how to enable this option to *force* the trasmition via this insecure channel.

I guess what Lucas tried to explain on his answer is that the workaround described on the article only applies to the Microsoft Office for Windows, the Apple version of Office probably will most likely not have the option or be somewhere else.

We are not targeting Windows only, 95% of our internal development machines are either Linux or Mac boxes. These specific feature relies only on the WebDav protocol support by Confluence to allow editing documents inside Confluence so it's OS independent, the problem is how the client editor (Office / NeoOffice / OpenOffice) choose to implement the WebDav integration and network stack.

Best Regards,  
Felipe Cuozzo  
OnDemand Team


author: Karie Kelly
body: Thanks for that clarification, Felipe!


author: Else Stork
body: Can you please clarify which program and browser version is supported for this option "Edit in Office"

Our Mac users got only installed Office for Mac, not Open Office, and this doesn't work.

Atlassian support advice us to install Open Office for our Mac users, and only use Firefox, is this correct?

Thanks,


author: Karie Kelly
body: Office for Mac IS NOT supported. Within our software development company of a few hundred, we are split between PC and Mac and only Office for Mac is allowed; OpenOffice is not. That was true in my prior company; only Office for Mac was allowed.

Here is the feature request you can vote/comment on if this is important to you:

<https://jira.atlassian.com/browse/OFFCONN-104>


author: vibhor
body: Here's a POC for Feasibility: Google Drive has a similar feature where if you have the Google Drive App for Mac installed, it allows you to open and edit using MS Office installed on Mac


author: Theo Geelen
body: I encountered the same problem. I now use frirefox for mac. No problem so far. Theo geelen

comments: author: Jitesh Rathod
body: hi..can you saw me screen shot of WebDAV Launcher Options


author: Karie Kelly
body: Hi Felipe,

Thanks for that clarification!


author: Michael Knight
body: This question has been submitted with the 'OnDemand' tag. However, all OnDemand instances are served via SSL and shouldn't experience this problem.


Tags: cloud

confluence-cloud