Hey everyone,
I’m in a bit of a pickle. We’ve been using Google’s document viewer to show files on our website. It was working great, but now it’s acting up. Most of the time, we’re getting 204 responses instead of the usual 200.
I did some digging and found a forum post suggesting Google might have stopped supporting this service. Has anyone heard anything official about this?
If it’s true, I’m looking for other options. Ideally, I want something that:
- Works like the old Google viewer
- Lets me use a simple URL to show documents
- Doesn’t require the files to be on their servers
- Is free to use
I need to display Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and PDF files in the browser without users needing those programs installed.
Any ideas or alternatives you can suggest? I’d really appreciate the help!
Thanks in advance!
Been there, done that with Google’s viewer. What a headache! After pulling my hair out for days, I stumbled upon ViewerJS. It’s been a game-changer for my projects. Handles PDFs, Word docs, and more right in the browser. No need to upload files to their servers either - just point it to your own. Best part? It’s open-source and free.
Setup was pretty straightforward, though I did hit a few snags with certain file types. Nothing a bit of tweaking couldn’t fix. Performance has been solid so far, even with larger files. Only downside I’ve noticed is it can be a bit resource-hungry on older devices.
If ViewerJS doesn’t float your boat, you might want to check out OpenDocument Reader. Haven’t used it myself, but I’ve heard good things. Whatever you choose, make sure to test thoroughly across different browsers and devices. Nothing worse than thinking you’ve solved the problem only to have users complain about compatibility issues later on.
I’ve encountered similar issues with Google’s document viewer recently. It’s frustrating when a service you rely on suddenly becomes unreliable. While I haven’t seen an official announcement, the consistent 204 responses suggest there might be changes afoot.
As for alternatives, I’ve had success with PDF.js for handling PDF files directly in the browser. It’s open-source and quite flexible. For other document types, you might want to look into converting them to PDF server-side before display. This approach has worked well for me in past projects.
Another option worth exploring is Microsoft’s Office Online viewer. It supports various file types and can be embedded via a simple URL. However, do check their terms of service to ensure it fits your use case.
Remember to consider factors like load times and compatibility across different browsers when choosing a solution. Good luck finding a suitable replacement!
yo, i had the same problem. google’s viewer is a pain now. try usando Mozilla’s PDF.js for PDFs, it’s pretty good. for other stuff, maybe look at Awesome-Viewer? heard it handles different file types. not sure if it’s free tho. good luck finding somethin that works!