An open community 
of Macintosh users,
for Macintosh users.

FineTunedMac Dashboard widget now available! Download Here

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
No way to edit Excel files that reside from icloud
#48199 03/11/18 08:43 PM
Joined: Dec 2009
kevs Offline OP
OP Offline

Joined: Dec 2009
I love Files, and I see Excel files across platforms. But no way to edit them correct?

Microsoft now has excel as app, but I think you have the file reside with them. One drive. right?

An Apple store employee was saying you can edit them if you have Google Drive or Docs on you iphone, but I think he is implying you'd have to have the file reside there right?

I really like the icloud home base.. But we are helpless keeping the word/ excel files there? right? Always be read only?

Re: No way to edit Excel files that reside from icloud
kevs #48201 03/12/18 08:17 AM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 1
Offline

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 1
If you have Excel, you can edit files that reside anywhere, including on iCloud.


Photo gallery, all about me, and more: www.xeromag.com/franklin.html
Re: No way to edit Excel files that reside from icloud
tacit #48203 03/12/18 12:55 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Moderator
Offline
Moderator

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
You can even edit your Excel files on iCloud with Numbers, OpenOffice (or any of its siblings), as well as Excel. As far as your Mac, iPad, and iPhone are concerned iCloud is simply another storage media little different from local storage media.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: No way to edit Excel files that reside from icloud
joemikeb #48207 03/12/18 07:28 PM
Joined: Dec 2009
kevs Offline OP
OP Offline

Joined: Dec 2009
Thanks guys, no, excel files, in files, that you open on the iphone (the is about iphone, sorry), are not editable.

It's been that way for the 3 years I've used an iphone and files was invented.

I like my important excel files residing in icloud (which is files on the iphone)

But they are still not editable...

Is there a way to keep them in files, open them from files (on iphone), and then edit onto them?

Last edited by kevs; 03/12/18 07:30 PM.
Re: No way to edit Excel files that reside from icloud
kevs #48209 03/13/18 01:39 AM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Moderator
Offline
Moderator

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
The problem is Files is not a complete implementation of Finder and several things are missing or very limited. The Launch Services database is among the very limited. So limited in fact that only Apple app's files are correctly associated with the appropriate app. So in Files you can click on a Numbers file on iCloud and it will dutifully open in Numbers. Click on files from non-Apple app and Files doesn't know what app to open.

You can open files from within an app without using Files. As an example, by default Numbers only looks at the files in the Numbers folder, however if you click on "browse" at the bottom of the window you can browse freely through all the files on the iCloud Drive to find and open any particular Numbers (or Excel) file you are looking for.

As I don't have Excel on either my Mac or iPad I have no way to test my assumption, but I would assume Excel would work the same way as Numbers.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: No way to edit Excel files that reside from icloud
joemikeb #48213 03/13/18 02:32 AM
Joined: Dec 2009
kevs Offline OP
OP Offline

Joined: Dec 2009
ok Joe, so for excel/ word files that's it. If in icloud, they are non editable.

I'd have to get them into OneDrive, or Google drive.. and open then there... (Sad as I like Files, and having everything under one roof)

Re: No way to edit Excel files that reside from icloud
kevs #48214 03/13/18 03:39 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Moderator
Offline
Moderator

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Originally Posted By: kevs
ok Joe, so for excel/ word files that's it. If in icloud, they are non editable.

I am trying to figure out how to tell you politely that you are WRONG in your assertion. The files can either be opened through Files, although it is a two-step process rather than one, or they can be opened through the App. NOTE: I just ran a few tests to verify my assertion (and grab the accompanying screenshots) using PagesAfor iPad and a Word file, but Numbers for iPad works exactly the same way with Excel files.
  1. Using Files:
    1. Files will show the Word .docx file but it does not show an icon for it, just a preview. (See this image)
    2. Touching the .docx file opens the MacOS equivalent of a Preview of the files content (See this image which cannot be edited.)
    3. touching the share icon at the top right corner of the screen will bring up an amazing list of apps the file can be copied to INCLUDING PAGES. So although it is not a direct opening of the file it is the functional equivalent of "Open With" on the MacOS context menu.
  2. Using the App:
    1. In Pages for iPad if you touch the "Browse" bar at the bottom of the window it opens a screen that looks almost exactly like Files but headed Pages. From there you can Navigate anywhere on the iPad/iPhone/iCloud Drive to find and open a file.
    2. When I opened the .docx file I got this warning which is not surprising.
  3. NOTE: When open in Pages this edit screen looks like this and at first glance could be mistaken for the preview screen.
Without having either Word or Excel I have no way to verify whether either of these methods on Microsoft products for iPad, but based on other non-Apple apps on my iPad, I would be surprised if it did not — especially given Apple's requirements on any software going through the App Store.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: No way to edit Excel files that reside from icloud
joemikeb #48219 03/13/18 07:33 PM
Joined: Dec 2009
kevs Offline OP
OP Offline

Joined: Dec 2009
Thanks Joe, good info.
Ok starting to test this on ipad first. I don't even have pages or Numbers, never used them even once, so downloading those now to test.

When do "copy" I wonder does it save the work you do and then keep it in Files ok where is started?

I did open Word on ipad, browse, it found the file and then said, sign up for monthly 365 to edit...bummer....

PS Joe, while waiting on app downloads, is there a way to move around files in ios/ ipad/ iphone as one does in finder?

Ok Joe, got Pages going on ipad, brought up a file I have in icloud file on ipad Pages, I added word test, but then each time I opened that file in Pages ipad in made a new versions, so after a few opens, I have 4 versions.. some had word test, some did not. I opened in Files on desktop and the new version with test was not there. I then opened the file in Files on ipad, and nothing changed.. So I'm not sure this works well.

Last edited by kevs; 03/13/18 08:00 PM.
Re: No way to edit Excel files that reside from icloud
kevs #48222 03/13/18 10:40 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Moderator
Offline
Moderator

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Originally Posted By: kevs
When do "copy" I wonder does it save the work you do and then keep it in Files ok where is started?
First you do not store anything in Files the files are stored on your iPad's local storage or the iCloud Drive. Files like Finder is simply a tool for navigating the local storage and iCloud Drive. Copying a file it is equivalent to Finder's Duplicate. It creates a copy of the file in the same folder where the original was located but adds "copy" to the file name.

The same thing happens when you make a copy of a file in Pages/Numbers/etc.

Originally Posted By: kevs
I did open Word on ipad, browse, it found the file and then said, sign up for monthly 365 to edit...bummer....
Certainly this is not the only reason I do not have Microsoft or Adobe products on either MacOS or iOS, but it is definitely the reason I didn't do any testing with Word or Excel in working on my reply to your questions.

Originally Posted By: kevs
PS Joe, while waiting on app downloads, is there a way to move around files in ios/ ipad/ iphone as one does in finder?
Files is a bit different in how you do that, if for no other reason than it is limited by touch screen operation and not only are there millions of iOS devices out there that predate 3D touch, a lot of users who have devices that support 3D touch eschew its use for one reason or another. However in Files...
  1. At the upper right of the Files window, touch the word "select"
  2. a samll empty circle will appear below each of the files in the current folder. Touch that circle for each of the files you wish to move to a single location
  3. At the bottom of the Files window four options will appear: Share, Duplicate, Move, and Delete
  4. Select Move
  5. from there you can navigate through locations "On My iPad" or "iCloud Drive"
  6. Once you have selected the destination folder for the file(s) touch "Move" at the top right of the navigatiopn window.
Originally Posted By: kevs
Ok Joe, got Pages going on ipad, brought up a file I have in icloud file on ipad Pages, I added word test, but then each time I opened that file in Pages ipad in made a new versions, so after a few opens, I have 4 versions.. some had word test, some did not. I opened in Files on desktop and the new version with test was not there. I then opened the file in Files on ipad, and nothing changed.. So I'm not sure this works well.

It works, but remember that when you open a Word file in Pages, Pages converts it to the Pages format. If you simply click Save it dutifully saves the Pages copy of that file. To save it in Word format you must export the file by...
  1. Touching the elipsis (...) at the far right top of the Pages window...
  2. Selecting Export from the extensive list of actions in the drop down menu
  3. Then choosing Word from the list of export formats you will be presented with.
  4. from the list of location options that will the appear, choose Files
  5. Then navigate to the folder you want to place the edited file in and select it
  6. Touch "Add" at the top of the Navigation window and assuming you have not changed the file name you will get the familiar "Replace existing item" with the options: Repace, Keep both, and Stop.
A bit more than you are accustomed to in MacOS but once you done it a few times it gets to be automatic. All in all a not unreasonable substitute for the lack of drag and click navigation in iOS. (I will be surprised if Files doesn't get more Finder-like features in iOS 12 when it ships this coming fall or early winter, but drag and drop will reamin problematic.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: No way to edit Excel files that reside from icloud
joemikeb #48225 03/14/18 03:18 PM
Joined: Dec 2009
kevs Offline OP
OP Offline

Joined: Dec 2009
Joe, Thanks, that's last bit burdensome, unless I really had to work on someone on iphone or ipad.... which is rare. Often it's just a quick cell or file, I'd like to change one little thing excel file.. 5 steps... geez! Hopefully excel/ word can give a free version one day.. or maybe I'll just remove a few files from files and put them in the Google eco-system.

Lastly: How do you save a file in Pages? I don't see a save button on ipad.

Re: No way to edit Excel files that reside from icloud
kevs #48227 03/14/18 05:20 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Moderator
Offline
Moderator

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Originally Posted By: kevs
Lastly: How do you save a file in Pages? I don't see a save button on ipad.

No need to save the file. The changes are made in place as you edit. No further action is required on your part. Not only is there no Save, but Save as… is also among the missing. To do that you would have to know in advance that you were going to make changes, create a copy of the file and edit that, then do as you will with the original file.



If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein

Moderated by  cyn, dianne 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.4
(Release build 20200307)
Responsive Width:

PHP: 7.4.33 Page Time: 0.026s Queries: 36 (0.017s) Memory: 0.6320 MB (Peak: 0.7367 MB) Data Comp: Zlib Server Time: 2024-03-28 10:56:07 UTC
Valid HTML 5 and Valid CSS