multiple word processors

Hello Forums
This is my de-lima out of Iworks, microsoft for mac,as well as open office.org. I need to get back to the setting that prompts me to chose on of my three systems that I am running. As of now if I open a new document my system is defaulting to open office. And that is not what I want. I need all of them because I have important documents filled that I can not do without. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Right click a document > Get Info > "Open With:" > choose the application you want > "Change All...".

Note that doing that will change the application default for all documents of that format. For instance, if you do that on one word document (doc), all .docs will be associated with your app of choice.

That won't prompt you when you open a doc but at least you can change the default to something more appropriate.

Just a question but why not open a new document with the app you wish to use ? I mean If you are going to use Oo then why not start it then open the doc ?


Clay

Yeah, Clay, that puzzled me as well. The OP says "if I open a new document my system is defaulting to open office". System!? A new or existing document is opened from ...
a) within an application or
b) by 2x-clicking or
c) by dragging across an application icon
... as far as I'm aware.

Secondly, does the OP have the application icons in the dock? There it/they is/are, waiting to be of service with a single click!

It seems the problem is that ipsdude only knows how to open files by double clicking them which then opens the application software that can use the file. To add to what hughvane said the 4th way that I open files is by right clicking the file and then go the "open with" option and you will get a list of applications to open the file with. I prefer doing it this way when I open the same file with more than one application.

Sorry Guys

To be a little more specific the issue has been bugging me because at my job we use Microsoft. So it puzzled me when Im emailed a word document, open office will automatically open the document. Hope that better explains my de-lima

Yes there are icons on my desktop