Docs Online Viewer provides a convenient method to open online documents/files of any format (PDF, DOC, DOCX, XLS, PPT, RTF, ODT, ODP, CSV etc.) using Google Docs & Zoho Viewer directly in your browser eliminating the need of any additional plugins.

• https://addons.mozilla.org/en-us/firefox/addon/docs-online-viewer/

Note that the built-in PDF Viewer only handles .pdf files (MIME type "application/pdf") and not other formats or content types.

I haven't used Open Office for a number of years now, but OOo used to have a browser plugin that could be enabled to show files in Firefox. I do use Libre Office still has that plugin, which is enabled automatically upon installation.

Check for the presence of the "toggle" to engage that browser plugin in Open Office. Tools > Options-> Internet --> Browser Plugins = Display Documents in Browser

Swarnava Sengupta said

Docs Online Viewer provides a convenient method to open online documents/files of any format (PDF, DOC, DOCX, XLS, PPT, RTF, ODT, ODP, CSV etc.) using Google Docs & Zoho Viewer directly in your browser eliminating the need of any additional plugins.

• https://addons.mozilla.org/en-us/firefox/addon/docs-online-viewer/

Swarnava, Thank you for your relevant and helpful response. But there is a 'BUT' I'm afraid. I don't want to use any 'online' service for storing or reviewing private or personal documents. I am looking to be using 'local' storage and a 'generic' localised solution. Best regards, John Powell

the-edmeister said

I haven't used Open Office for a number of years now, but OOo used to have a browser plugin that could be enabled to show files in Firefox. I do use Libre Office still has that plugin, which is enabled automatically upon installation. Check for the presence of the "toggle" to engage that browser plugin in Open Office. Tools > Options-> Internet --> Browser Plugins = Display Documents in Browser

Hi Edmeister - Thanks for the suggestion. Sadly the option you describe is absent from Apache Open office 4.1 (I apologise for not mentioning it in my question). I've also looked at the Libre Office site but without first downloading and installing it (Not yet done), I cannot comment yet. Ideally I'm looking for a 'browser' plugin that simply converts as many common (document or picture) mime-types into firefox's 'preview in firefox's viewer data-format so that they don't insist on calling their 'parent application' to execute on top of the current web page. I'd be willing to write such a plugin myself if I had the skills [and could do two tasks at once :-) ]. I just hope there's someone out there who knows how to do such a thing and can explain in detail how it might be done. I've been made aware of 'Google docs' but do not wish to expose potential private or personal documents to the general public' - rather I am looking to a 'local' solution rather than a 'cloud' solution. With best regards, John

cor-el said

Note that the built-in PDF Viewer only handles .pdf files (MIME type "application/pdf") and not other formats or content types.

Thanks cor-el, It is always useful to have something pointed out to oneself that might otherwise have been missed. It can save much time. I am aware that the Preview in Firefox works mainly with .pdf files and was not expecting it to work for .odt. My question was aimed more at whether there is some similar app or plugin that could be plugged in to Firefox to achieve the objective. With thanks and best wishes, John

Did you check the Open Office fora? https://forum.openoffice.org/en/forum/index.php

Maybe the "path to" that preference has been changed since Apache took it over?? IOW, moved from Tools > Options-> Internet --> Browser Plugins ?

The Mozilla browser plugin was added to Open Office at least 12 years ago [long before Oracle/Sun shut down OOo and Apache took it over; and long before Libre Office was forked], I find it strange that it isn't there today. When I did just a search for "browser plugin" on that forum, and found multiple mention of "browser plugin" even for IE and Opera which I don;t recall seeing back when I used Open Office. But it seems that forum search wont pinpoint to Writer forum threads about .odt files, and most threads I found were from a few years ago.

the-edmeister said

Did you check the Open Office fora? https://forum.openoffice.org/en/forum/index.php Maybe the "path to" that preference has been changed since Apache took it over?? IOW, moved from Tools > Options-> Internet --> Browser Plugins ? The Mozilla browser plugin was added to Open Office at least 12 years ago [long before Oracle/Sun shut down OOo and Apache took it over; and long before Libre Office was forked], I find it strange that it isn't there today. When I did just a search for "browser plugin" on that forum, and found multiple mention of "browser plugin" even for IE and Opera which I don;t recall seeing back when I used Open Office. But it seems that forum search wont pinpoint to Writer forum threads about .odt files, and most threads I found were from a few years ago.

Hi Edmeister, Thanks for your new reply. I did have a look around on Apache office elsewhere but I couldn't locate what I was hoping for. I will also look around on the 'Fora' (nice latin plural :-) ) Thanks again, Dyspeptic.

Hi Edmeister, Your opinion please ? Do you think an approach using the Firefox API to design an .ods viewer is worth pursuing ? If you do, have you any suggestions about how and where to gather the information necessary to pursue such an idea, please ?

Best wishes,

Dyspeptic