OT: More Microsoft idiocy: PowerPoint can't manage to rename slide layouts properly.

[Alan]

At least, not PowerPoint for Mac, version 16.75 (23070901).

I just created a PowerPoint template for a client; set up some new slide
layouts based on old ones, fixed some formatting errors, and here is
just another way Microsoft shows their incompetence:

I renamed a layout to make its intent more clear, and in the "Slide
Mast" view, sure enough: the name you see when you hover over that
layout is the new name ("No Content or Client Logo" in this case)...

...but go to select that layout from "New Slide" or from "Layout
[select]"... ...and the name of the layout is wrong!

It's an old name for the layout!

This is a piece of software that has existed since 1987, people (and was
originally a piece of Mac software from a company called Foresight)...

...and they can't get something this basic right?

[-hh]

Post by Alan
At least, not PowerPoint for Mac, version 16.75 (23070901).
I just created a PowerPoint template for a client; set up some new slide
layouts based on old ones, fixed some formatting errors, and here is
I renamed a layout to make its intent more clear, and in the "Slide
Mast" view, sure enough: the name you see when you hover over that
layout is the new name ("No Content or Client Logo" in this case)...
...but go to select that layout from "New Slide" or from "Layout
[select]"... ...and the name of the layout is wrong!
It's an old name for the layout!
This is a piece of software that has existed since 1987, people (and was
originally a piece of Mac software from a company called Foresight)...
...and they can't get something this basic right?

I just discovered some 2003? vintage .doc files that the current Office revision
refuses to open - security risk, it claimed. But there’s no macros therein. Looks
like it’s time to pull up an old machine to open & re-save in a different format.

-hh

[ed]

Post by -hh

Post by Alan
At least, not PowerPoint for Mac, version 16.75 (23070901).
I just created a PowerPoint template for a client; set up some new slide
layouts based on old ones, fixed some formatting errors, and here is
I renamed a layout to make its intent more clear, and in the "Slide
Mast" view, sure enough: the name you see when you hover over that
layout is the new name ("No Content or Client Logo" in this case)...
...but go to select that layout from "New Slide" or from "Layout
[select]"... ...and the name of the layout is wrong!
It's an old name for the layout!
This is a piece of software that has existed since 1987, people (and was
originally a piece of Mac software from a company called Foresight)...
...and they can't get something this basic right?

I just discovered some 2003? vintage .doc files that the current Office revision
refuses to open - security risk, it claimed. But there’s no macros therein. Looks
like it’s time to pull up an old machine to open & re-save in a different format.
-hh

look in trust center and see if the file types are blocked there. if they are, just uncheck.

[-hh]

Post by ed

Post by -hh

Post by Alan
At least, not PowerPoint for Mac, version 16.75 (23070901).
I just created a PowerPoint template for a client; set up some new slide
layouts based on old ones, fixed some formatting errors, and here is
I renamed a layout to make its intent more clear, and in the "Slide
Mast" view, sure enough: the name you see when you hover over that
layout is the new name ("No Content or Client Logo" in this case)...
...but go to select that layout from "New Slide" or from "Layout
[select]"... ...and the name of the layout is wrong!
It's an old name for the layout!
This is a piece of software that has existed since 1987, people (and was
originally a piece of Mac software from a company called Foresight)...
...and they can't get something this basic right?

I just discovered some 2003? vintage .doc files that the current Office revision
refuses to open - security risk, it claimed. But there’s no macros therein. Looks
like it’s time to pull up an old machine to open & re-save in a different format.

look in trust center and see if the file types are blocked there. if they are, just uncheck.

And on MacOS...?

I did try the Preferences / Security / .. in Word [v16.x ... ie, "2021"] as liberal as allowed, but
got the same "blocked" error message. On clicking the 'helpful' link therein, it sent me here:

<https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/error-filename-uses-a-file-type-that-is-blocked-from-opening-in-this-version-8afc36c0-67bc-43a9-a2f4-3f0b332fef24?ui=en-us&rs=en-us&ad=us>

I did find that the 'recover text' option works, but of course, all formatting is shot.

On an older machine, Word 2011 was able to open the file, showing the original formatting.
Of course, that license was somehow 'forgotten', so I can't easily re-save the legacy doc
in an newer format that current Word versions.

Meantime, this is another reminder of "Silicon Snake Oil" where not only do we need to
make sure to not lose older documents, but we need to test the format periodically
to make sure that current App versions haven't abandoned backwards compatibility (again).

Now that I've found this, I'll need to go through and figure out the changeover date / format,
to find all of the rest of the 'abandoned format' MS Word documents that I have, to then open
& resave each one in a current format.


-hh

[ed]

Post by Alan
At least, not PowerPoint for Mac, version 16.75 (23070901).
I just created a PowerPoint template for a client; set up some new slide
layouts based on old ones, fixed some formatting errors, and here is
I renamed a layout to make its intent more clear, and in the "Slide
Mast" view, sure enough: the name you see when you hover over that
layout is the new name ("No Content or Client Logo" in this case)...
...but go to select that layout from "New Slide" or from "Layout
[select]"... ...and the name of the layout is wrong!
It's an old name for the layout!
This is a piece of software that has existed since 1987, people (and was
originally a piece of Mac software from a company called Foresight)...
...and they can't get something this basic right?

1 - did this start as a google slide by any chance?
2 - that v1 was decades ago is pretty irrelevant. bugs get introduced.
3 - did you try updating to the latest release?

[Alan]

Post by ed

Post by Alan
At least, not PowerPoint for Mac, version 16.75 (23070901).
I just created a PowerPoint template for a client; set up some new slide
layouts based on old ones, fixed some formatting errors, and here is
I renamed a layout to make its intent more clear, and in the "Slide
Mast" view, sure enough: the name you see when you hover over that
layout is the new name ("No Content or Client Logo" in this case)...
...but go to select that layout from "New Slide" or from "Layout
[select]"... ...and the name of the layout is wrong!
It's an old name for the layout!
This is a piece of software that has existed since 1987, people (and was
originally a piece of Mac software from a company called Foresight)...
...and they can't get something this basic right?

1 - did this start as a google slide by any chance?

No.

Post by ed
2 - that v1 was decades ago is pretty irrelevant. bugs get introduced.
3 - did you try updating to the latest release?

Yes.

[John]

Post by Alan
At least, not PowerPoint for Mac, version 16.75 (23070901).
I just created a PowerPoint template for a client; set up some new slide
layouts based on old ones, fixed some formatting errors, and here is
I renamed a layout to make its intent more clear, and in the "Slide
Mast" view, sure enough: the name you see when you hover over that
layout is the new name ("No Content or Client Logo" in this case)...
...but go to select that layout from "New Slide" or from "Layout
[select]"... ...and the name of the layout is wrong!
It's an old name for the layout!
This is a piece of software that has existed since 1987, people (and was
originally a piece of Mac software from a company called Foresight)...
...and they can't get something this basic right?

In your case one always expects operator error to be involved.