Hi everybody!

I'm pretty new to Inkscape, and I've run into a problem when trying to collaborate on the same .svg file with a colleague at work.

I am using Mac Snow Leopard 10.6.8 and running Inkscape 0.48.2. I created a graphic in Inkscape for a colleague (who is on Linux system, and using the latest build of Inkscape (0.48.2). He had asked me for the .svg file I created so that he could try to edit it on his computer as well. But that's where we hit a snag, because after I sent the file by email and he tries to open it on his end, he gets this error that the file cannot be opened. I'm afraid I don't have any more specifics on this pending more information from my colleague.

I tried searching on the forum and Google to find a solution, but I don't understand a lot of what is written (I admit I'm not much of a techie). Also, I have tried saving the file as both Inkscape svg as well as Plain svg, but it has not worked. I even asked him to try to opening Inkscape first, then "Import", but it also did not work. I was wondering if the problem could be because I sent it by email, or that we're using two different machine operating systems.

Am I missing something here? Or is this just impossible to do?

Hope that we can get some answers! Many thanks!

Welcome to InkscapeForum!

Hhhhm....no, there really should be no problem opening an SVG file across different systems. If the SVG contains any linked files, your colleague would see something like "Linked image not found" after opening the file. To solve that, you would just embed the file instead of linking it.

Are you both using the stable 0.48.2? I'm not sure if by "latest build" you mean the last stable release, or if your colleague might have a development version/build? If that's the case, there could be a bug, known or unknown. If he has a dev version, he might try installing the last stable.

If there is a bug, someone else will be able to address that. So hang it there

I don't think emailing the file should cause a problem (a serious problem). I'm not familiar with either Mac or Linux, but I know on Windows, often file attachments to email messages are blocked by Windows security. One can right-click on the file (in file manager) and choose Properties. Then there's an option to Unblock the file. That has almost always worked for me. Unfortunately, I can't tell you the equivalent steps for Macs or Linux. But maybe you or he can extrapolate?

Thanks for your reply Brynn!

Hmmm I'm not sure how to check if there are linked files to it. I'm not sure what you mean by linked files. Is it when you copy/paste a vector from another file? Or...when you import an image into it say for reference use? I don't remember doing anything of the sort as I drew everything in this file from scratch prior to emailing my colleague the file.

I'm still waiting for my colleague to provide more information on the error and his operating system.

I think I'm using the stable 0.48.2. If I open Inkscape and went to "Help>About Inkscape" This window with a lovely picture of Inkscape opens. On the top right corner it says "Inkscape 0.48.2 r9819". I've been using Inkscape for a few months now. My colleague on the other hand only just downloaded it last week, but I'll still check with him as to what version he's using. Do you think there will be a problem of opening .svg files created by a slightly older version of Inkscape?

I'm not familiar with Linux either, and it's the first time I've transferred the actual Inkscape .svg file to others. Could it be because I used Microsoft Outlook (it's the office email system) to send the file? I have confirmed with my colleague that he downloaded the file to his computer hard drive before attempting to open it, so perhaps it wasn't blocked?

Hhm, if the version includes "rxxxx" then it's a development version. The stable release doesn't have "r xxx". Usually there would not be such a bug, but it is a possibility

No, it doesn't matter that you might have 2 different versions. You should be able to open an SVG file with your version, even if it was made by someone else with another version. The only problem would be if a whole new feature had been introduced in the latest version. In that case, someone with an earlier version, let's say 0.44 would still be able to open the file, but they might not see the content made with the new feature. But it sounds like you two....well, it sounds like they are very similar versions. There really should be no problem with different Inkscape versions, or different operating systems. If his is pre-0.44, well maybe a problem. But I really doubt it. (unless there's a bug that I'm not aware of)

I'm not sure what you mean by

I have confirmed with my colleague that he downloaded the file to his computer hard drive before attempting to open it, so perhaps it wasn't blocked?

Was the file attached to the email? Or did you provide a link to the file in the message text, that perhaps is hosted somewhere on the internet? If it was attached....well this is on Windows, but I assume it's similar in all systems/email apps....if it was attached, I can double-click and open a file directly; or I can right-click > Save As, and save it somewhere on the hard drive. (And possibly I had to unblock it(as I previously described) before I could open it.) So that's really not the same as downloading.

But if it was on the internet, and he downloaded it, it wouldn't be blocked in the manner that I've been discussing. If that was the case, it's possible some of his security has blocked it. But you're right.....well, I think at least partially right. His security could have blocked him from downloading. And if he successfully downloaded it, it's possible some security app might be blocking him from opening it, as well. Usually though, when downloading from the internet, anti-virus or anti-malware apps could block the download. It is possible for some security apps to block the opening of the file, but most people don't use such strict levels of security. Once it's downloaded, I think most people scan the files to make sure they're safe. Then they open them.

So at this point, I think we need to be clear about how you shared the file -- attached to email, or linked to internet host?

If he truly downloaded from the internet, and can't open it, I would suggest he check to see if some of his security might be blocking him from opening it. Also, it's possible, if you might have accidentally used some rogue file host/file share website, that the SVG file was hacked and/or corrupted. Or somehow had malware attached to it. If that's the case, the logs in his security programs might be able to provide some clues.

Or the SVG might have otherwise become "innocently" corrupted during your upload or during his download. So if he truly downloaded, you could try creating and uploading a fresh new copy of the file (Use File menu > Save a copy, then upload it).

Hey Brynn!

Thank you so much for your help. We have found the problem! He found it was because his browser was downloading the link, rather than the actual file (I've not heard of this myself...maybe it's a Linux thing :p). Now he says he has no problem opening it. ^.^

Awesome, I'm glad you got it working!

My bad on the revision number. Thanks for clarifying that ~suv