File Viewer Application Limitations (Windows CE 5.0)
The Microsoft file viewers in Windows CE do not provide all of the functionality that is available in their corresponding Windows desktop applications. Typically these limitations result in a different document layout or presentation; however, in some cases, document content may not be visible.
General Limitations
There is no support for files created in versions of Microsoft Office earlier than Office 97; there is no support for the Microsoft Visual Basic® macro programming language.
If sufficient memory for temporary file storage is not available on a Windows CE–based device, very large documents or documents that contain large graphical elements may not open, or may not display all of the content.
File viewers do not use ClearType by default. You can change this behavior though a registry setting. For more information, see File Viewers Registry Settings.
Font recommendations
Windows CE does not provide the same set of fonts that is available on Windows-based desktop operating systems. If the original font used in a document is not available, the file viewers show the closest possible approximation of the original format.
The following list shows fonts that you should include in your OS design for optimal performance with the file viewers:
- Arial
- Arial Italic
- Times New Roman
- Times New Roman Italic
- Courier New
- Symbol
- Wingding
In addition, you should include these fonts for the Microsoft PowerPoint® viewer:
- Impact
- Verdana
- Comic Sans MS
Microsoft Excel Viewer
The following list shows functionality not supported by the Microsoft Excel viewer:
- Hyperlinks.
- Data tables in charts.
- WordArt. Plain text is substituted.
- Surface charts. An image representing an unsupported chart appears in the chart's location.
The following list shows some of the additional limitations:
- Certain types of 3D charts are mapped to equivalent 2D charts.
- Supported 3D charts are only shown at a fixed camera angle.
- Vertical text in a worksheet is mapped to 90-degree rotated text.
Microsoft PDF Viewer
The Microsoft PDF viewer does not support the following functionality:
- Encrypted files.
- Annotations.
- Transitions.
- CCITTFaxDecode images.
- Acrobat Forms. Content from forms, including images, is not displayed.
- Clip paths.
- Predictive GZIP decoding and CMYK JPEGs.
The Microsoft PDF viewer operates with the following limitations:
- Poly-polygons are treated as polygons and therefore may have the interiors filled.
- Embedded TrueType fonts are not used; instead theyare mapped to existing fonts already installed on the system.
- Colors from unsupported color spaces, such as ICCBased or DeviceN color, may be displayed incorrectly.
- Text rotation is only shown in 90-degree increments.
- Type 1 fonts are mapped using either the encoding or Unicode mappings if possible.
- Type 3 fonts are not supported, but some attempt is made to map them if a Unicode mapping exists.
Microsoft PowerPoint Viewer
The following list shows functionality not supported by the Microsoft PowerPoint viewer:
- Hyperlinks.
- WordArt. Plain text is substituted for WordArt.
In addition, some animations and transitions from PowerPoint XP are not supported. These are mapped to a supported animation or transition.
Microsoft Word Viewer
The Microsoft Word viewer does not support the following functionality:
- WordArt.
- Hyperlinks.
- Some types, styles, and groupings of AutoShapes.
- Word forms for text boxes. Elements from the form may be visible but are not available for input.
See Also
File Viewers OS Design Development
Send Feedback on this topic to the authors