Linking Image Files

[JRF]

I was recently upgraded from Office 2000 to Office 2003. I have a
presentation / report that is 20 pages long with each page containing 12
linked PNG images. The PNG images were originally inserted using
Insert...Object...Create from File...Link. After the upgrade my images no
longer appear when the links are updated.

I have tried creating a new blank presentation and inserting a link to a PNG
file and I receive the following message:
"It isn't possible to create a link to filename.png"
When I don't select the Link checkbox a blank placeholder is inserted.

I have found that I can link the PNG file if I use the
Insert...Picture...From File...Link to file option. This will of course
require me to reinsert 240 images. I am also not fond of the fact that I am
no longer prompted whether I want to update links. This does take a bit of
time and is unecessary when I know the images have not changed.

Could this be because PNG is not listed as an object type in the
Insert...Object...Create from file dialog box?

Any ideas that will prevent me from having to rebuild my presentatin will be
greatly appreciated.

- Joe

 

[Echo S]

As a side effect of something else, probably so.
I'm guessing that PNGs were handled as objects by MS PhotoEdit, which
the Office 2003 installer probably removed. Yes I agree. Dumb
(re)move on the installer's part.

FWIW, I don't get anything listed but "all files" and PPT/PPS files when I
use Insert/Object/Create from File/Browse. So I don't think that it's a
concern that PNG isn't listed there. (And my PNG files are associated with
MS Photo Editor.)

Echo

 

[JRF]

:

What happens when you doubleclick a PNG file in Windows Explorer?

The file is opened in Windows Picture and Fax Viewer.

As a side effect of something else, probably so.
I'm guessing that PNGs were handled as objects by MS PhotoEdit, which the
Office 2003 installer probably removed. Yes I agree. Dumb (re)move on the
installer's part.

If I have MS PhotoEdit or a comporable product installed will that fix the
problem? I assume that the MS PhotoEdit software will register PNG as an
object type.

 

[JRF]

Steve,

Thank you very much. You have confirmed my suspicions. My corporate
help(less) desk has been less then brilliant at diagnosing this problem.

The good news is I that I rebuilt my presentation today using the
Insert...Picture...From file...Link to file method and it appears to be
working very well. Updating the links is near instantaneous when I open the
file and the file itself is less than half the size. I am guessing that this
is a result of eliminating the OLE overhead, which I don't need since the
files are generated outside of PPT and don't need to be editable in PPT. The
only downside is I can't figure out how to refresh a linked image without
closing and reopening the PPT file. Now that it works so quickly I guess
that's not a major inconvenience.

Thanks again,

Joe