Open files on Client Side Issues

[Robert]

Hi
I have been testing TSplus version 7.30.4.1 with an application that we wish to sell internet access to. On of the features that we really need to utilize is the “Open files on Client Side”. This feature is not working very well for us with HTML5 clients and strangely on generated clients. The “Open files on client side” has been set to open office documents and I added .pdf to the list.
I have created two Windows users and have assigned the uses only to run our single application. In our application there are functions that uses Windows’s ShellExecute API with a path and filename of a office or PDF file. Our the application uses this functions to tell MS windows OS to start the program associated to the file such as Adobe PDF reader for PDF files and display the file. This feature works fine in regular Windows.

HTML5 clients.
Problem A
I have added two web logins to start the two Windows users. Starting the application from the web page works fine. In one of the user, the ShellExecute API function will download and open small (< 1MB) PDF on the client. When larger PDF files are requested, the browser opens an new tab showing word “Forbidden” and the PDF file does not open on the client. Also a fragment of the file is copied to the user’s “My Documents” folder, which I have set as the set as the user’s Upload/Download preference folder. If this copy of the file is downloaded, the reader says the file is damaged. This problem also occurs with larger office files (word, excel, etc.) as well. Is there any setting that can correct this problem?

Problem B
“Open files on client side” works with Firefox and Chrome but does not work with Internet Explorer. In IE 11, a message appears saying “Cannot open this file remotely, because you are not using a generated client”. However the universal printer that opens the PDF on the client works fine in IE.

Problem C
When I use the other user, the ShellExecute API function opens PDF files using the Adobe reader on the server and not on the client. Office files are attempted to be opened by the client but the same problem occurs as in Problem A. The two Windows users have identical security and user profile settings. I have restarted the server, deleted and rebuilt all the web credentials for HTML5 client, assigned application, and application publishing for these users and application. But the same user opens PDF files on the server. So why does one user open PDF files on the server, when it should be opening the file on the client?

Generated Clients.
Problem D
The ShellExecute API function in our application opens all sizes of office files and PDFs will open on the client with the seamless client. However after the program associated to the file is closed, the program associated to the file is started again with the file. The user cannot stop the file from reloading on the client, until the seamless client is stopped. Also, when the user starts the seamless client again, even before logging on, the program associated to the file is started again with the file on the client. I found out this reloading of file will continue until the office file is deleted in “webtmp” folder that appeared on my C drive. Also one user continues to load the PDF files on the server instead of on the client.

So “Open files on Client Side” has issues with both HTML 5 and generated clients. I have been testing TSplus on an Amazon server, and if you wish to have the access to the server to see problems, let me know. I have only 3 more days left on the TSplus trial, if we can get the “Open files on Client Side” side issues fixed for the HTML5 clients, we will definitely be purchasing at least a twenty user license to start.

Thanks
Robert.

[Robert]

OK, I have resolved Problem D. Our software set the read-only attribute on the file, because we wanted to remind users that editing the office file was not going to update the document on the server. Once we did not set the read-only attribute on the file that was opened on the client, the reloading of the program associated to the file after the program was closed once was fixed. However the one user still opens PDF files on the server not on the client for no apparent reason. Also, I really would like to use the "Open files on Client Side" feature with the HTML client and Problems A to C of my earlier post still exist.

Thanks,
Robert.