Powerpoint shows as attachments [pps & ppsx]

[Hermit]

Is it possible to add PowerPoint slide shows, pps and ppsx, to the list of files able to be attached to posts?

It's a very useful and convenient way to present a WIP, since it can be prepared in advance, pics and all, then uploaded when it's presentable for all to view.

On top of that, then it's just one or two clicks and the viewer can see the entire WIP in one go as a slide show, without the distraction of heaps of comments, thankyous etc.

I think most of us have PowerPoint, since it's a part of MS Office.

The WIP could still be presented in the usual way as well. This would just be one extra feature.

I've started making PP slide shows for my own use to view my work in the future, which gave me the idea.

[Hermit]

I thought this was a reasonable enough question to warrant a mod response at the least. Yes, no, maybe?

[A Duke]

Hi,
They're probably looking for a round tuit.
Regards

[Big Shed]

OK, here is a mod response

First of all a WIP is short for Work In Progess, so it would normally be over a number of posts over a period of time. So would you upload a pps file for each instalment? IMHO it would be easier for members to just read the text and look at the pics in each post, not in a pps file, which would require them to have extra software on their computer.

It may be part of MS Office, but not everyone has MS Office or the free alternatives on their computer.

Personally I have MS Office but never install PowerPoint, hate it with a passion, have sat through too many dot point PP presentations to last me 2 lifetimes. It may be good for a presentation to a meeting, but I feel that it doesn't lend itself too well for other things.

Whenever I want to show a WIP or a tutorial I use the pdf format, easy to read (most people have it in one form or another) easy to make, just do a Word document and print to a pdf file, done.

Going by the lack of responses, there aren't too many other people that prefer PP.

[Hermit]

Thanks for the reply Fred.

[BobL]

I just tried it and it appears not possible.

I dislike using propriety software for forums as there is every chance that the product will not be supported in just a few years time. I have powerpoint presentations that go back as far as 1994 that cannot be opened with the latest versions especially if they were cross platform presentations. Some of those from 1996 - 1998 will open but the images may not show correctly or at all. At the other end of the scale not all of us will have the latest version of PPT so some of us may not be automatically able to view a presentation saved in the latest version. Sure there may be yet another converter that can be down loaded that will convert a new version to one that can be read by an older version but if I have to do that I won't bother.

If you have something in Powerpoint it is perhaps better to save it as a low level PDF. While similar issues may arise at the front end, at the other end of the scale the latest PDF readers will still read all my old PDFs and there are no problems with older images as the PDF conversion process converts these into the lowest common denominator.

[EDIT : Looks like Fred posted while I was typing]

[Hermit]

I just tried it and it appears not possible.

I dislike using propriety software for forums as there is every chance that the product will not be supported in just a few years time. I have powerpoint presentations that go back as far as 1994 that cannot be opened with the latest versions especially if they were cross platform presentations. Some of those from 1996 - 1998 will open but the images may not show correctly or at all. At the other end of the scale not all of us will have the latest version of PPT so some of us may not be automatically able to view a presentation saved in the latest version. Sure there may be yet another converter that can be down loaded that will convert a new version to one that can be read by an older version but if I have to do that I won't bother.

If you have something in Powerpoint it is perhaps better to save it as a low level PDF. While similar issues may arise at the front end, at the other end of the scale the latest PDF readers will still read all my old PDFs and there are no problems with older images as the PDF conversion process converts these into the lowest common denominator.

[EDIT : Looks like Fred posted while I was typing]

I guess pdf it is.

It was just a thought, and personally I was only planning to upload pps files and not ppsx, so they'd be viewable by versions from '97 to 2013.

Of course, I was still thinking of presenting the WIP in the usual form, with a PP slideshow uploaded as an attachment at the end for those that might want to download it for convenient step-by-step viewing. Not to worry.

Edit: If small enough, it can still be uploaded compressed in zip format.