[LON-CAPA-users] Saving Excel file from IE
H.K. Ng
lon-capa-users@mail.lon-capa.org
Thu, 11 Sep 2008 08:40:20 -0400
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All the computers in our labs are set up that way so that students
don't save all sort of junk on disk, not even if they download it
first and try to save it to the hard drive. Maybe, there are multiple
ways to configure it - our IT guy is out today so I cannot ask him.
Students can save to an external drive - flash or the 3.5" floppy (if
they still use it!). Not sure of the details how the system is
configured but the system admin does it from a central computer. So
the bottom line is that it is configurable, somewhere. -hk
At 07:51 AM 9/11/2008, you wrote:
>When we do this, the student cannot save in any manner; not Save, or Save As.
>
>It is correct behavior that the Save operation fails; the downloaded
>file is marked as ReadOnly, so you can't do the Save (the file is a
>temporary file somewhere in the Temp Internet files). However, we
>cannot Save As to the local C: drive, or anywhere else.
>
>Interesting that in your case, apparently you get the expected
>behavior that you can Save As to the local disk. It sounds like
>something in our system admin is preventing us from doing the Save
>As operation.
>
>brew
>-----lon-capa-users-admin@mail.lon-capa.org wrote: -----
>
>To: lon-capa-users@mail.lon-capa.org
>From: "Ray Batchelor" <batchelo@sfu.ca>
>Sent by: lon-capa-users-admin@mail.lon-capa.org
>Date: 09/11/2008 05:01AM
>Subject: Re: [LON-CAPA-users] Saving Excel file from IE
>
>Yes this sounds weird. I am also concerned to understand an
>explanation of this behavior. I suspect this only happens when one
>chooses "Save", as opposed to "Save as"? I'm not sure what happens
>in the former case, but the opened file appears to have a version
>number [1] added to its name and when one tries to "Save", it says
>there is a "sharing violation". It is not clear to me exactly
>where it is trying to save this file, nor why it adds the version
>number, nor the reason for the sharing vilolation. However there is
>no such file to be found by searching on the local drive.
>
>On the other hand, choosing to "Save as" allows one to specify the
>directory and filename, and this works fine.
>
>It might seem that until "Save as" has been used, there exists no
>local file associated with the name, and so "Save" is pointing to
>some virtual location which is tied up with the open xls process?
>
>I would guess that this behaviour and semantics are peculiar to IE7
>and that other browser downloads might behave in a more apparently
>straight-forward fashion.
>
>For example, clicking on the link in Firefox I get an option to Open
>the file but must specify which application to use. If I choose to
>open with Excel, then the file opens "Read only". Editing that and
>trying to save, results in excel presenting the opportunity to
>rename the file about to be saved. I suppose this is because saving
>to the same file name results in the conflict with the "Read only"
>status of the opened file. I suppose the "Read only" status is the
>browsers way of ensuring that the initially downloaded file remains
>an authentic copy.
>
>Presumably something similar is going on with IE, but microsoft
>messages always seem to have been composed by mystics.
>
>That's my 2-cents worth for tonight. Maybe somebody more
>knowledgable can shed some light as to how this can be made more
>transparent for students.
>
>
>On Wed, Sep 10, 2008 at 7:04 PM,
><<mailto:Robert_Brewington@er.monroe.edu>Robert_Brewington@er.monroe.edu>
>wrote:
>I am having a strange problem, and my IT department isn't having any
>success tracking this down. I'm hoping someone out there may have
>some suggestions...
>
>I have uploaded an Excel spreadsheet (97-2003 .xls format) to
>LonCapa (actually, about 50 of them). Within a LonCapa problem, I
>have a link that allows the student to download the spreadsheet.
>
>The students are running IE7. The spreadsheet downloads into IE; the
>student then modifies the spreadsheet just fine.
>
>The problem: when the student tries to save the spreadsheet to a
>local disk, he gets an error that the file cannot be saved; they do
>not have sufficient permission to save. This occurs regardless of
>whether they save to the local C: drive, a network drive, or a local
>removable USB thumb drive.
>
>As a workaround, the student is able to download the file to disk,
>then open it directly in Excel and save it. Unfortunately, it seems
>that high school students cannot learn to do this. They click on the
>link about 85% of the time, ignoring the Bold, RED font directions
>not to do that. :(
>
>Some of them have found another way to mess it up - they
>successfully download the file to disk, but then open it directly in
>IE instead of opening it in Excel - apparently they expect all
>things to work within the browser. In this case, the same behavior
>occurs - the file cannot be saved.
>
>This sounds to me like some sort of security setting within IE, to
>try and avoid malicious hacks by not letting Office files be saved
>when opened directly in IE. But, I can't find a setting in the IE
>options that sounds like it controls this....
>
>Hopefully someone can suggest a direction to try - this is weird.
>
>Thanks,
>brew
>
>
>_______________________________________________ LON-CAPA-users
>mailing list
>LON-CAPA-users@mail.lon-capa.orghttp://mail.lon-capa.org/mailman/listinfo/lon-capa-users
>
>
>
>
>--
>Raymond J. Batchelor, Ph.D.
>Department of Chemistry
>Simon Fraser University
>Burnaby, BC
>Canada
>V5A 1S8
>
>
>
>_______________________________________________ LON-CAPA-users
>mailing list LON-CAPA-users@mail.lon-capa.org
>http://mail.lon-capa.org/mailman/listinfo/lon-capa-users
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<body>
All the computers in our labs are set up that way so that students don't
save all sort of junk on disk, not even if they download it first and try
to save it to the hard drive. Maybe, there are multiple ways to configure
it - our IT guy is out today so I cannot ask him. Students can save to an
external drive - flash or the 3.5" floppy (if they still use it!).
Not sure of the details how the system is configured but the system admin
does it from a central computer. So the bottom line is that it is
configurable, somewhere. -hk<br><br>
At 07:51 AM 9/11/2008, you wrote:<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">When we do this, the student
cannot save in any manner; not Save, or Save As.<br><br>
It is correct behavior that the Save operation fails; the downloaded file
is marked as ReadOnly, so you can't do the Save (the file is a temporary
file somewhere in the Temp Internet files). However, we cannot Save As to
the local C: drive, or anywhere else.<br><br>
Interesting that in your case, apparently you get the expected behavior
that you can Save As to the local disk. It sounds like something in our
system admin is preventing us from doing the Save As operation.<br><br>
brew<br>
<font color="#990099">-----lon-capa-users-admin@mail.lon-capa.org wrote:
-----<br><br>
</font>
<dl>
<dd>To: lon-capa-users@mail.lon-capa.org<br>
<dd>From: "Ray Batchelor" <batchelo@sfu.ca><br>
<dd>Sent by: lon-capa-users-admin@mail.lon-capa.org<br>
<dd>Date: 09/11/2008 05:01AM<br>
<dd>Subject: Re: [LON-CAPA-users] Saving Excel file from IE<br><br>
<dd>Yes this sounds weird. I am also concerned to understand an
explanation of this behavior. I suspect this only happens
when one chooses "Save", as opposed to "Save
as"? I'm not sure what happens in the former case, but the
opened file appears to have a version number [1] added to its name and
when one tries to "Save", it says there is a "sharing
violation". It is not clear to me exactly where it is
trying to save this file, nor why it adds the version number, nor the
reason for the sharing vilolation. However there is no such file to
be found by searching on the local drive.<br><br>
<dd>On the other hand, choosing to "Save as" allows one to
specify the directory and filename, and this works fine. <br><br>
<dd>It might seem that until "Save as" has been used, there
exists no local file associated with the name, and so "Save" is
pointing to some virtual location which is tied up with the open
xls process?<br><br>
<dd>I would guess that this behaviour and semantics are peculiar to IE7
and that other browser downloads might behave in a more apparently
straight-forward fashion.<br><br>
<dd>For example, clicking on the link in Firefox I get an option to Open
the file but must specify which application to use. If I choose to
open with Excel, then the file opens "Read only". Editing
that and trying to save, results in excel presenting the opportunity to
rename the file about to be saved. I suppose this is because saving
to the same file name results in the conflict with the "Read
only" status of the opened file. I suppose the "Read
only" status is the browsers way of ensuring that the initially
downloaded file remains an authentic copy. <br><br>
<dd>Presumably something similar is going on with IE, but microsoft
messages always seem to have been composed by mystics.<br><br>
<dd>That's my 2-cents worth for tonight. Maybe somebody more
knowledgable can shed some light as to how this can be made more
transparent for students.<br><br>
<br>
<dd>On Wed, Sep 10, 2008 at 7:04 PM,
<<a href="mailto:Robert_Brewington@er.monroe.edu">
Robert_Brewington@er.monroe.edu</a>> wrote:<br>
<dl>
<dd><font size=2>I am having a strange problem, and my IT department
isn't having any success tracking this down. I'm hoping someone out there
may have some suggestions...<br><br>
<dd>I have uploaded an Excel spreadsheet (97-2003 .xls format) to LonCapa
(actually, about 50 of them). Within a LonCapa problem, I have a link
that allows the student to download the spreadsheet. <br><br>
<dd>The students are running IE7. The spreadsheet downloads into IE; the
student then modifies the spreadsheet just fine.<br><br>
<dd>The problem: when the student tries to save the spreadsheet to a
local disk, he gets an error that the file cannot be saved; they do not
have sufficient permission to save. This occurs regardless of whether
they save to the local C: drive, a network drive, or a local removable
USB thumb drive.<br><br>
<dd>As a workaround, the student is able to download the file to disk,
then open it directly in Excel and save it. Unfortunately, it seems that
high school students cannot learn to do this. They click on the link
about 85% of the time, ignoring the Bold, RED font directions not to do
that. :(<br><br>
<dd>Some of them have found another way to mess it up - they successfully
download the file to disk, but then open it directly in IE instead of
opening it in Excel - apparently they expect all things to work within
the browser. In this case, the same behavior occurs - the file cannot be
saved.<br><br>
<dd>This sounds to me like some sort of security setting within IE, to
try and avoid malicious hacks by not letting Office files be saved when
opened directly in IE. But, I can't find a setting in the IE options that
sounds like it controls this....<br><br>
<dd>Hopefully someone can suggest a direction to try - this is
weird.<br><br>
<dd>Thanks,<br>
<dd>brew<br><br>
</font><br>
<dd>_______________________________________________ LON-CAPA-users
mailing list
LON-CAPA-users@mail.lon-capa.orghttp://mail.lon-capa.org/mailman/listinfo/lon-capa-users<br>
<br>
</dl><br><br>
<br>
<dd>-- <br>
<dd>Raymond J. Batchelor, Ph.D.<br>
<dd>Department of Chemistry<br>
<dd>Simon Fraser University<br>
<dd>Burnaby, BC<br>
<dd>Canada<br>
<dd>V5A 1S8<br><br>
</dl><br><br>
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