Plek uses an open-source plugin to convert documents to PDF. This conversion enables you to view documents from within Plek. But why does a document sometimes look different in Plek than in Word or Excel? And, is there anything you can do about that?
Microsoft Office does not meet open standards
Microsoft Office file formats (docx, xlsx, etc.) do not meet open standards. As a result, programs other than Microsoft's do not know how to read these documents optimally. Have you ever opened a Word document in a program other than Word? Then you know what we mean: it works reasonably well with a simple text. When more formatting is involved, we often see a difference.
What can we do about this?
We make sure our plugin stays up to date. With that, we do everything we can to load the documents as good as possible. Other options are:
- If the formatting has changed, you can often still tell if you have the right document in front of you. You can then download the document and open it by using your local Office suite.
- Talk within your organization about the benefits of open standards, such as OpenDocument.
- Is there no preview available on Plek? Check here for possible causes and solutions.