Please recommend a basic program for working with MS Word documents

[Bert Coules]

Can anyone recommend a basic program for reading and editing MS Word files? I'd like to be able to transfer a document to my tablet from my PC, read it and do some straightforward text editing, save it locally on the tablet, then later transfer it back to the PC. I'm trying Kingsoft Office but I don't get on with it and it doesn't help that the illustrations in the online manual bear scant resemblance to the program as it runs on my Nexus. I'd be grateful for any pointers to alternatives.

Many thanks.

 

[ramandeepghuman]

Quick office is good. Plus Microsoft has office app now for 365 users for work power point and excel I believe!

ttps://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microsoft.office.officehub

Sent from my Nexus 5 using AC Forums mobile app

 

[Bert Coules]

Thanks for the speedy reply. I'll check those two out.

 

[Bert Coules]

One curiosity with Kingsoft Office: when I was trying it out I edited a Word file and saved it, and the program reported that it had been saved to /storage/emulated/0/documents/ - but I can't find that location on my tablet. Is it likely to be a hidden directory or similar? The Kingsoft prog is supposed to have a built-in file browser, but I can't find that either! Have the changes I made to my test document been lost?

Many thanks.

 

[Algus]

You might need to download a 3rd party file manager. I think Kingsoft cam browse your files in - app but to just find it, you need another app. I use file manager by rhythm but there are several other good ones.

Sent from my Galaxy Note 3 using Tapatalk 4

 

[Bert Coules]

Thanks for that; I'll try a third party file manager, but it's odd that browsing the Nexus files with my PC via a USB connection doesn't display the directory either.

As I said, the Kingsoft online manual has screenshots which are quite different to how the prog looks on my Nexus: I have a whole menu bar missing - and unfortunately, it seems to be the menu bar which includes not only the file browser but also the settings options (which possibly includes hiding and restoring the menu bars!). I'm reluctant to reinstall the program in case that loses the edited file (though if it has been saved somewhere, I suppose that might be OK). I shouldn't have used an important file for the initial test...

 

[Bert Coules]

Algus, the Rhythm file manager did the trick - I've now found the elusive /storage/emulated/0/documents/ folder and with it my edited file. So many thanks for that advice.

Now what I have to investigate is how to transfer it back to my PC.

 

[Nana Helen]

WOW!
Sorry to gate crash
But to be able to edit ms word documents on an android is huge!
I had no idea
Thanks guys I will subscribe to this link and investigate some of this too

Wow-the potential is huge, my head is all of a whizz lol
Helen

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[Bert Coules]

Hi Helen,

I was pleased too, when I found out that you could do this. I've only been trying Kingsoft Office for a day, and it's obviously going to be useful, but it's pretty fiddly and there are some key features which aren't exactly obvious, like how to call up the keyboard (long-press on a word and a pop-up menu appears, but even then "keyboard" isn't a visible option - you have to scroll sideways along the menu to find it). And as I said, I still haven't discovered how to import and export files to my PC.

If you try Kingsoft I'd be really interested to hear how you get on. Good luck!

 

[Nana Helen]

Hi Helen,

I was pleased too, when I found out that you could do this. I've only been trying Kingsoft Office for a day, and it's obviously going to be useful, but it's pretty fiddly and there are some key features which aren't exactly obvious, like how to call up the keyboard (long-press on a word and a pop-up menu appears, but even then "keyboard" isn't a visible option - you have to scroll sideways along the menu to find it). And as I said, I still haven't discovered how to import and export files to my PC.

If you try Kingsoft I'd be really interested to hear how you get on. Good luck!

Thanks Bert,
I'll keep you posted, and vice versa

I was tossing whether to get a window's or android wen I decided to get a tablet.
But I love android and I was rewarding myself lol
If I can work it out, this will be extremely handy

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[gardenersassistant]

Thanks for that; I'll try a third party file manager, but it's odd that browsing the Nexus files with my PC via a USB connection doesn't display the directory either.

As I said, the Kingsoft online manual has screenshots which are quite different to how the prog looks on my Nexus: I have a whole menu bar missing - and unfortunately, it seems to be the menu bar which includes not only the file browser but also the settings options (which possibly includes hiding and restoring the menu bars!). I'm reluctant to reinstall the program in case that loses the edited file (though if it has been saved somewhere, I suppose that might be OK). I shouldn't have used an important file for the initial test...

Is this the menu bar you are not seeing?

On the Kingsoft Home page



Within a Kingsoft module



You show/hide it by tapping on the tab at the top left. (Actually, I generally click rather than tap because I find it far easier, quicker and more precise to use a (bluetooth) mouse and keyboard when that is practical.)

Algus, the Rhythm file manager did the trick - I've now found the elusive /storage/emulated/0/documents/ folder and with it my edited file. So many thanks for that advice.

Now what I have to investigate is how to transfer it back to my PC.

You may find it helpful to use ES File Manager. This lets you do file transfers, wirelessly, to and from a PC, controlling it from the tablet rather than the PC. For example, here are the two PCs and router on my home network visible in ES File Manager.



You have to make the appropriate folder on the PC Shared with read/write access. Here is a screenshot from my Hudl showing three of the PNG screenshots used in this post. They are shown, using ES File Manger, in a shared drive on the PC, to which they have been copied, wirelessly, using ES File Manager. (To make things simple at the PC end I have put a shared folder called "Transfer" on to my desktop. It is that folder that is shown in the following screenshot.)

 

[Algus]

There are a few different good word processor apps for Android as well that all support word docs. I use OfficeSuite Pro 7 but Kingsoft is another good one.

Android supports bluetooth mice and keyboards so with the right setup you can have a working office environment on your tablet. I find working on the small screen to cumbersome for prolonged work but if you have a device that supports video out you can plug right into a monitor.

Compatibility with Word formatting can be a mixed bag. I recommend to always inspect your docs on Word . If you must have full compatibility there is an Office 365 app but that requires a subscription.

Sent from my Galaxy Note 3 using Tapatalk 4

 

[Bert Coules]

Is this the menu bar you are not seeing?

Yes, that's it. When I open Kingsoft Office, what I see is this:

​

and if I tap the "W" tab, then what I get is this:

​

I'll take a look at ES file manager.

(Sorry about the poor quality images, which I produced by photographing the screen of my Nexus - how low-tech can you get?)

Edited to add:

Ha! I've just discovered, completely by chance, that tapping the large X at the top right-hand corner of the screen brings up the missing menu bar. Now to investigate what I can do with it. Will it let me export the file to my PC, I wonder?

 

[gardenersassistant]

it's pretty fiddly

I find that with fingers or stylus for all the apps I've tried that need precise positioning,for example for the cursor position. My finger/stylus stops me seeing where the cursor is as I'm trying to position it. Kingsoft helps with this by providing a magnifying glass that sometimes pops up, but all the same as I mentioned above I find it far easier to use a mouse.

and there are some key features which aren't exactly obvious, like how to call up the keyboard (long-press on a word and a pop-up menu appears, but even then "keyboard" isn't a visible option - you have to scroll sideways along the menu to find it).

I'm finding Kingsoft inconsistent in its responses to taps. In the word processor sometimes a tap will bring up the keyboard, and sometimes it brings up the pop-up menu, and sometimes it does nothing. In the spreadsheet a double tap on a cell usually brings up the keyboard. In presentations it is inconsistent too. (I don't have any problems when using a physical keyboard.)

If you are going to carry on using a virtual keyboard you might want to look at the alternatives. I have rather taken to SwiftKey (the only one I have tried so far, and this isn't a recommendation because I don't know what the others are like). I am using the trial version at the moment but I suspect I will be buying it when the trial runs out.

 

[Bert Coules]

I'm finding Kingsoft inconsistent in its responses to taps.

Yes, my experience is the same.

If you are going to carry on using a virtual keyboard you might want to look at the alternatives. I have rather taken to SwiftKey...

Thanks for that. I particularly like the idea of having proper, if virtual, navigation arrow keys.

 

[Adamsberg]

I use DocumentsToGo for MS Office docs. The app syncs via USB cable with the PC. For that is to install a host app on PC, I didn't tried that because I sync with the app FolderSync to my NAS via WiFi and the MS Office on PC accesses the NAS via home network.

BTW, using FolderSync to syn via WiFi to a network share on your PC it's a way to using the Android office app of your choice

 

[Bert Coules]

Well, I finally managed to get my file back onto my PC, but the only way I could do it from within Kingsoft was by attaching it to an email - and even then, although Kingsoft reported that it had been sent, I discovered that it hadn't and I had to send it manually, as it were.

There's got to be something better than this: emailing a file to myself when the sending tablet and the receiving PC are sitting within one foot of each other and are connected by a cable is absurd. I'll check out the alternatives that have been suggested.

 

[Nana Helen]

Well, I finally managed to get my file back onto my PC, but the only way I could do it from within Kingsoft was by attaching it to an email - and even then, although Kingsoft reported that it had been sent, I discovered that it hadn't and I had to send it manually, as it were.

There's got to be something better than this: emailing a file to myself when the sending tablet and the receiving PC are sitting within one foot of each other and are connected by a cable is absurd. I'll check out the alternatives that have been suggested.

Yes i agree
Keep us (or me) updated, i would love to follow yr progress,including what you try and what end up happy with.
It all sounds very complicated and i think i would manage an app much better if id followed this thread.
Besides, its very interesting.

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[Algus]

I like airdroid for transferring files. You turn the app on with your phone and connect on your pc via your browser.

Gives you a pseudo desktop, you can even send SMSes, to pull work from.

Sent from my Galaxy Note 3 using Tapatalk 4

 

[zedorda]

Well, I finally managed to get my file back onto my PC, but the only way I could do it from within Kingsoft was by attaching it to an email - and even then, although Kingsoft reported that it had been sent, I discovered that it hadn't and I had to send it manually, as it were.

There's got to be something better than this: emailing a file to myself when the sending tablet and the receiving PC are sitting within one foot of each other and are connected by a cable is absurd. I'll check out the alternatives that have been suggested.

I have found an app called X-plore to be a great file manager. It has a dual pane setup so u can browse two locations. It also has nice network abilities and can scan your network for any computer connected to your LAN. It found my Windows 7 system just fine all I had to do was enter my login name/password and I was able to browse all my shared folders transfer file from one pane to the other.

https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...om.lonelycatgames.Xplore&hl=en&token=oUDi5r9Z