Sep 08 2017 04:52 AM - edited Sep 08 2017 07:18 AM
Hi all - weird one for you!
We've got a load of Word files in a document library in SharePoint (Office 365). The files use 2 content types (which may or may not be relevant) - here's the problem / symptoms:
I've tried repairing Office 2016, cleaned out cached files from the upload centre and so on, but to no avail. I've also tried checking files out before editing them, but they still open in read-only mode in Word 2016. It can't be a permissions thing as I can rename files and edit them in Word online. It's as if the link between Word 2016 and the files on SharePoint is completely broken. Has anyone experienced this or got any ideas please as this is causing us significant problems.
Thanks as always, Oz
Sep 11 2017 04:07 AM
Got to the bottom of this at last! I was syncing this library to OneDrive and apparently syncing libraries which include different content types causes problems and prevents updating of the documents from OneDrive. I've stopped the sync and all now works fine ... other than from OneDrive.
Really hoping Microsoft resolve the issues of syncing SharePoint doc libraries which utilise content types as it's killing adoption of their tools for us.
Jan 03 2018 12:50 PM
Oz,
Thanks for posting your findings. I've also been experiencing this issue for a library that only has the default Document content type. Once i stopped syncing the library to my OneDrive client, Word now opens the document in edit mode.
Jan 03 2018 01:15 PM
Another update:
By unchecking the following option within the OD4B client, i was able to keep my document library syncing and still edit files in Word from SharePoint Online.
Jan 03 2018 02:35 PM
Thanks Ryan. So, we can either not sync files and collaborate on them online, or sync files and not collaborate on them!
Microsoft, I haven't seen anything in your advertising that says you lose either the sync or the collaboration functionality if you use content types - is this a bug that you're working on?
Jan 03 2018 02:49 PM
Oz,
Turns out the issue i ran into was related to the document library having a required column. The following article talks about the limitation of this; open the article and search for read-only:
We'll most likely instruct our users to just not sync and collaborate online for those libraries.
The next thing I'm interested in testing out is the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update and the files on demand feature for OneDrive. If we can't sync offline, can we use the placeholders to easily navigate our libraries using Files on-demand? I personally like having access to the file structure in Windows Explorer vs. having to open a browser and navigate to a site.
Jan 03 2018 10:44 PM
It's so disappointing that if you use even the most basic of SharePoint functionality (i.e. required columns) that syncing doesn't work and I hope that this is something Microsoft will work on. I'm not sure that the Fall Creators update will help as I think that when you access an online only file from Windows Explorer it downloads the file to your C: ... and if that file has required meta-data I'd assume it will do it as read-only. I'm hoping I'm wrong so please let us know what you find.
Feb 01 2019 01:15 AM
Check document settings -
Document Library --> Settings --> Advanced Settings --> Allow management of content types? should be set to NO.
Setting to No worked for me.
Feb 19 2019 02:35 AM
After serious digging on my own and struggling I implemented both solutions proposed by @MonicaJ and @Ryan Steeno and finally found a solution that worked for me.
Disable in Sharepoint:
Allow management of content types? found in:
Document Library --> Settings --> Advanced Settings
as well as:
Disable in OneDrive:
Use Office to sync (something like that)
found in Office tab in OneDrive app settings
This solution resulted in ability to edit files in Word app when opened in Sharepoint and sync/save them no longer creating local copy as well as (this confused me the most) not losing ability to work on document with another person even though option is unchecked in OneDrive app.
Jul 08 2019 08:03 AM
On my end, I didn't turn off "Allow management of content types?". I only turned off the option in OneDrive "Use Office applications to sync files that I open".
Now when a user want to edit a file that has required columns in the application when browsing on the sync folder in File Explorer:
This detour via the online application allow editing the file. It covers the majority of the use cases here where I work. Still I'm not impressed by this lack of support for required columns with OneDrive :(
Feb 13 2023 02:33 PM