Encoded URL no longer opens a file in Word, Excel or PowerPoint online

I have resolved my own problem with a bit of a workaround.

To date, the programmatically Encoded Absolute URL generated by SPD and used in a notification email which is part of an SPD workflow no longer opens the file in Office Online anymore as it did less than a month ago. However, by adding ?web=1to the end of the encoded URL, it works perfectly. So, here's an illustration:

In SPD

In the email as I created it using SPD,

• Using just the Encoded Absolute URL option it looks like this:

[%Current Item:Encoded Absolute URL%]

• Adding the extra code to it, it looks like this

[%Current Item:Encoded Absolute URL%]?web=1

In Outlook

Then, what's the result in the actual email generated by the workflow and received in your Outlook inbox?

• Using only the Encoded Absolute URL, the URL is

https://tenantname.sharepoint.com/sites/sitename/libraryname/Test%20Spreadsheet%202.xlsx

But that will only open the file in the full functional Office application (in this case Excel) no matter what settings I set for the library regarding opening in a browser or not.

• But with the addition of ?web=1 at the end, the URL is

https://tenantname.sharepoint.com/sites/sitename/libraryname/Test%20Spreadsheet%202.xlsx?web=1

And that makes it open in the browser for the Office application (Read only).

It's not a fix; not sure why the Encoded Absolute URL provided by SPD no longer works, but it solved my problem so I could deliver the workflow to my customers.

Hi LisaJo,

Thanks for the details.

It is expected that the Absolute URL of the file (https://contoso.sharepoint.com/sites/sitename/libraryname/document.docx) will not be opened in Office Online. You can use your workaround above.

Regards,

James

I had already set 1 and 2 as you suggested which is why I am perplexed. It was working fine....before Ignite....and now it is not having made no changes. The URL was created via SPD workflow meaning it was a selection from the dropdown list for the library. So I didn't create it myself, just utilized that which was offered programmatically. Shared wouldn't do the trick since I am adding it to a notification email that is generated by the workflow processes.

And....no...Flow is not meeting the need at the moment. Maybe in the future it will and I will transfer the workflow actions to it as soon as possible but for right now SPD is still the better tool to arrive at my goal.

Hi LisaJo,

Could you share any updates with us?

Regards,

James

Hi LisaJo,

To force the document to be opened in Office Online, please make sure you have done the following:

1. Go to Site settings > Site collection features > make sure "Open Documents in Client Applications by Default" is NOT activated.
2. Go to Library settings > Advanced settings > select "Use the server default (Open in the browser)" in "Opening Documents in the Browser".

If the issue remains, may I confirm the following information?

1. How did you create the encoded URL?
2. Have you tried using the shared link? (In the library, select the document > "Share" > "Copy Link")?
3. Can you provide an example of the encoded URL?

Regards,

James