Error while accessing the Word Files from Citrix Servers

vivek4121

Hi Team,

One of our user, is getting the below error message while accessing (Opening / Creating) the Word File from Citrix Servers.

"Word Could not create the work file. check the temp environment Variable"

Can any one help in that?

vaprog

Did you do, what the message says? What was the result?

vivek4121

This is specific to a user only, as if it was some issue with MS word on Citrix servers then it might affect other users as well. As of now we have reset the affected user's Citrix profile and ask him to check on other machines / Systems as well but the issue still persists.

vaprog

So, check that user's TEMP (and TMP) Environment variable setting and make sure he has fill access to that path. Also make sure, that folder is in the Local zone, or internet access rights are set to allow unrestricted access to whatever zone that folder is in.

vivek4121

@Vaprog: As user is accessing the word through NAV and he login to the NAV on Citrix server, so there is no point checking the user's local TEMP environment variable.

Also if you can help out in how to check that folder is in the Local zone, or internet access rights are set to allow unrestricted access to whatever zone that folder is in.

Thanks in advance

vaprog

You say "while accessing (Opening / Creating) the Word File from Citrix Servers".

I said: "So, check that user's TEMP (and TMP) Environment variable setting"

You respond: "there is no point checking the user's local TEMP environment variable."

I did not say anything about local! The user's remote desktop or remote application has a profile for that user. So, you need to check the environment of whatever generates the error. I assume, the message is generated by Word (you should check this, if you can). So, it is Word's environment, which you should check, as it is launched by NAV. I assume this is a client side Word, that is attempted to be launched here, since the server usually uses Office Open XML to generate office files.

vivek4121 wrote: »

Also if you can help out in how to check that folder is in the Local zone, or internet access rights are set to allow unrestricted access to whatever zone that folder is in.

Put this one on hold until you know where Word (or whatever generates the error) thinks its TEMP folder is at and that the user running word has a connection to that folder, and sufficient network and file access rights to/in that folder.

I don't know, how to test / verify the zone a folder is in, but check the configuration on the security tab of Internet Properties. And don't trust the Local Intranet setting for anything that is not explicitly named there. I usually consider something different the LAN than Microsoft seems to do.

vivek4121

Hi Vaprog,

As per your statement : "The user's remote desktop or remote application has a profile for that user. So, you need to check the environment of whatever generates the error"

My Response: You are right, each user has a Citrix profile created on the Citrix servers. We have already reset his Citrix user profile quite a number of times, but it didn't resolve the issue.

As per your statement : So, it is Word's environment, which you should check, as it is launched by NAV. I assume this is a client side Word, that is attempted to be launched here, since the server usually uses Office Open XML to generate office files

My Response: The MS Word is installed on the Citrix server, so if there would be any issue with the Word's environment, than other users might also get the same issue but in this case no other user is getting the error.
Its not the Client side word, its the word installed on the Citrix server itself.

Slawek_Guzek

vivek4121 wrote: »

One of our user, is getting the below error message while accessing (Opening / Creating) the Word File from Citrix Servers.
...

Are you talking about a user not being able to access Word file from inside NAV? Or a user having problems with opening/creating a Word file directly in Word installed on the Citrix server?

Slawek

vivek4121

Hi Slawek,

Here, user is having problems with opening/creating a Word file directly in Word installed on the Citrix server.
And this specific to a user only.

Thanks
Vivek

Slawek_Guzek

Do you have the Word published as an application or the user is logging to the desktop and then fires the Word from there

vivek4121

User is logging to the NAV from Citrix application and then he tries to open the Word from NAV itself, and that word will be of the one installed on Citrix server.

Slawek_Guzek

I'm confused slightly here.

So it turns that the user is not firing the Word directly (clicking the icon of published application), but it runs some (bespoke) functionality in NAV, which in turn starts Word, right?

vivek4121

Exactly ! Now you are correct!
user is not firing the Word directly (clicking the icon of published application).
Rather the word is opened by some functionality in NAV.

Slawek_Guzek

Are both NAV Client and Word installed on the Citrix server?

vivek4121

Word is installed on Citrix
but NAV application is published on Citrix

Slawek_Guzek

Does the "NAV application is published" means that it is hosted on antother Citrix server?

vivek4121

NAV Application is published on the same Citrix Server

Slawek_Guzek

So to make it clear - both NAV and Word is installed on the same Citrix Server, but only NAV is published.

In that case I would follow Vaprog suggestion and try to check where TEMP and TMP variables as seen by NAV environment are pointing to.

The reason is that when Word is fired from NAV it is lanuched as a child process of NAV process, and it inherits NAV execution environment, including environment vars, drive mappings and security context.

The individual user profile may be setup as roaming, may have working folders redirected to some network location, including temp folders. Even if user's Active Directory profile has not been setup as roaming or does not have working folders redirected, still TEMP/TMP environment variables may get changed in user's logon script to a drive which is not mapped, or to non-existing or read only network location.

Since NAV is published app in your environment you won't be able to check environment vars directly. What you can do is to create a small report or codeunit with following function:

GetEnvironmentVar(EnvironmentVarName : Text)
MESSAGE( 'Var: %1 : %2', EnvironmentVarName, Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable(EnvironmentVarName));

The Environment is a DotNet variable of type System.Environment.'mscorlib, Version=4.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089', it needs to be marked as RunOnClinet = Yes

Use this function to display values of TEMP / TMP vars as they are seen by NAV:
GetEnvironmentVar('TEMP');
GetEnvironmentVar('TMP');

This will tell you what Word lanuched from NAV sees as its temp file location. Knowing the location you can investigate it further, checking if the user has full permissions to it etc.

vivek4121

Hi Slawek,
Could you please let me know what do you mean by "marked as RunOnClinet = Yes"

Thanks
Vivek

vivek4121

Hi Slawek,

Also just to update you once again, NAV is not installed as application on Citrix server. Rather NAV is packaged application, which is packaged through MS Appv tool then mounted on Citrix server and then published.

Only Word is installed and published on Citrix server.

Hope I am clear to you now!!

Thanks
Vivek

Slawek_Guzek

Hi,

When you create your test codeunit or report, and declare the DotNet variable, global or local doens't matter, while the cursor is focused on the variable definition click Properies (or press Shift+F4), and you will see RunOnClient property. Set it to Yes.

I 'm not sure if the fact that NAV is not installed in 'normal' way makes any difference. As far as I know when you run an appv application on a PC a copy is downloaded and "installed" temporarily just for the current user, and then run just like any other application.

NAV is certainly run within the Citrix server environment, otherwise it would not see the Word installed on the Citrix server.

Slawek