Editing in Word using Wopi and Office Online Server

Question

I am working on a project in which we implemented content management with a word. We have several word files that are processed using OpenXML. Users can open these files in two ways - upload a copy or edit online. Online editing is done using Office Online Server and a custom Wopi server built from this example .

Online editing works fine, but Word Online has limited features compared to desktop Word.

I am trying to create a functionality similar to Sharepoint, where the user has 2 options - Edit in Word, Change in browser:

In Office Online Server, I do not have such parameters, I can only edit in the browser:

Even in edit mode, Sharepoint provides a link for Edit in Word:

while Office Online Server does not have this:

My question is how is it implemented in Sharepoint? In other words, did I miss something on the Wopi server to enable it, or did Microsoft build this feature in Sharepoint without the need for Wopi and / or OWA?

Any ideas would be appreciated!

Answer 1

I am sure that the functionality (Edit in Word) is not part of Office Online Server and that it does not use the WOPI protocol. In previous versions of SharePoint, it was implemented using WebDAV, and I assume this has not changed. If you want to support opening / editing / saving, you must implement your own WebDAV server. You can save a lot of time if you use a pre-built server, for example, from ITHit . They also have a JS framework to support opening files from the browser .

If you need a cheap cross-browser alternative that just calls up editing apps, I suggest you take a look at the Office URI .

Answer 2

To enable "Edit in Word" in Office Online Server when using the WOPI handler, you need to set the ClientUrl property in CheckFileInfo (and CheckFolderInfo if you implement this). ClientUrl must be set for a direct editable link for a document file, either WebDAV or FSHTTP, but you can even use the file: // link for testing.

When you set the ClientUrl property, the behavior of Office Online becomes very similar to OneDrive / SharePoint Online. The current WOPI documentation is a bit dated, it lists this property as Unused and future properties , but there is nothing secret about it. I asked [e-mail] , which is Microsoft's "Open Specifications Support" mailbox, mentioned in many of its presentations and publications about WOPI and Office Online.

Word Online Reading View:

Online text editing after pressing the OPEN IN WORD button: