Open Docs with Windows Programs

Discussion in 'Parallels Desktop for Mac' started by smaug, Dec 22, 2006.

  1. smaug

    smaug Bit poster

    Messages:
    8
    OK - if they geniuses at Parallels had not done such an amazing job with Coherence, I would never have thought of asking this, but they have, so here goes.

    Office 2004 for Mac is too slow under Rosetta and a memory hog as well. I have Office 2007 installed in Parallels and would love to be able to open word and excel docs from the finder with Office 2007. I have found where Parallels stores it's 'Dock Apps' for windows programs (so now I can run word 2007 from Quicksilver). The next step is to associate the appropriate programs with the extensions. The problem is they don't work, even if you force it.

    For example, I can click on the Word 2007 'app" and it will launch Word in windows - so far so good. BUT, if I then try and associate a .doc file with that little program, it launches outlook.

    This may not be possible in the current build, but to be able to associate documents in the Finder with windows programs would be the final step to make Parallels the "New Classic"

    Anyone have any ideas? :confused:
     
  2. smaug

    smaug Bit poster

    Messages:
    8
    Anyone have any ideas? Parallels, is this possible?
     
  3. tomservo291

    tomservo291 Member

    Messages:
    90
    Myself and some other people have been messing with these "helper apps" that launch the windows programs. So far no one can figure out how to pass parameters to these applications yet (unfortunately.) When this becomes possible, it would be a trivial task to do what you're asking; but without being able to pass parameters, it is not likely.

    (However, you CAN create a Windows shortcut (.lnk) file for such a thing, say to a network mapped drive with the word document, and create a helper app manually to point to this shortcut file. However it will result in two applications appearing in the dock/application switcher.)
     
  4. tacit_one

    tacit_one Pro

    Messages:
    434
    Yep. It is definitely possible.
    For now (while this feature was not added explicitely) you can get this behaviour with your Shared Folders.
     
  5. tomservo291

    tomservo291 Member

    Messages:
    90
    I've resorted to using SMB (Windows Sharing in OS X) and Bonjouir for Windows in the VM to let the VM see my OS X hard drive. I have found this to be a faster and easier solution then the PSF (which tend to be slow for, atleast for me.) However this does mean that OS X cannot see my VM. I guess I could create a shortcuts folder in my VM and share just that folder for this purpose... But I didn't want to have to do this :(

    Why can't we pass parameters through the helper launch apps... was this something that was simply overlooked during their inception & creation?
     

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