Password for read-write mode

User Support
1

Hello, I have loaded an excel file with password protection for editing it. When I open it in Collabora Online, the message that the user suggest to open in read mode appears in the window. If I accept it, it is fine and it is possible only to view the file.
If the user doesn’t accept and open the document in write mode, the password is not asked to be verified, the user has all the options but cannot modify the document on line but can download it and he got a file without any password protection.
So in my opinion there are 2 points:

  • Where is the possibility to type the password on line in order to modify the file in Collabora?

  • When download a file with password protection, the password must be saved again with the document and not lose the protection.

Thanks a lot and best regards
Francesco

2

Hey @Franzca71. Welcome to the forum + thanks for the question. :slight_smile:

Would also help to get your exact Collabora:

  • Help > About info.

And do you happen to have a:

  • Sample password-protected XLSX (with zero sensitive information) to share so we could test?

Then we could submit that as an issue to the Collabora Office Github and get more eyes on it right away!

Hmmm… so if I’m understanding you correctly. You are:

  1. Loading a password-protected XLSX.
  2. DENY popup for “read-only mode”.

And can now:

  • Get into the password-protected XLSX file.
    • File > Download it with no problems.

That does sound like a potential issue. Great catch!

Side Note: There are also many different TYPES of “password-protected” files:

  • Some don’t allow any opening at all without password.
  • Some allow opening to read, but no editing without password.
  • Some have locked/hidden Sheets/cells.
  • […]

So depending on which one you ran across here, it could be leading into all sorts of strange edge-cases.

But let’s definitely get samples so we could test and be sure! :slight_smile:

Hmmm… well, I just tested with a simple password-protected ODS from LibreOffice 24.2.

Opening the ODS in Collabora, I got a:

  • “Document requires password to view” popup.
    • Has a “Cancel” and “OK” button.

I then did:

Case A: “Cancel” button

  • Get a completely blank screen.
    • No further loading or anything.
    • Good!

Case B: Type Password + “OK” button

  • Document loaded as expected.
    • Good!

Case C: Type Password + “OK” button + File > “Download” As ODS

  • Document downloaded as ODS.
  • New ODS loaded back in with no password!!!

I tested this all in:

COOLWSD version: 24.04.2.1 (git hash: 70a89a4d)
LOKit version: Collabora Office 24.04.2.1 (git hash: 07c93a6)
Served by: Linux Mint 21.3
Server ID: c4c4f084

(About a week old. I’ll retest on the latest when I get a chance.)

3

Dear Tex,

thank you for your email. Please find below the details of the Collabora version that I am using:

  • COOLWSD version: 23.05.7.5 (git hash: e09a622 (E))
  • LOKit version: Collabora Office 23.05.7.5 (git hash: efa47c2)
  • Served by: Debian GNU/Linux 11 (bullseye)
  • Server ID: ad92f1bc

Yes, you understood correctly what I mean. Please find attached an excel file with password protected for update it. The password is Pippo22.

Thanks for your support and waiting for your check.

Best regards

Francesco Camagni

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Test_password.xlsx (8.88 KB)

1 Like
4

Thanks for the test XLSX file.

I’ll poke around with it when I can. :slight_smile:

(Within a few minutes, I already found some… let’s say “pain points”… in LibreOffice 24.2.3 with all the read-only/password dialogs.)

COOLWSD version: 23.05.7.5

Thanks for that info. That one is from January of this year.

Latest is 23.05.12 which had quite a bit of fixes since then.

For exact details, see:

Or, even better, the new 24.04 that just released!

Probably good to pop a quick update! :slight_smile: