Symptoms
When opening a file, a dialog appears stating that the file is in use or is specified as read-only.
Cause
This message is intended to warn a user that if they edit an in-use or read-only file that they will not be able to save their work back to the original file after they've made the edits.
This can happen in a few cases:
- The file is already open in WordPerfect - this is the most common cause
- The file is in use by another application
- The file is set to Read-only in Windows, or the file permissions are set such that you cannot change its contents.
- Another user on a network has the file open for editing.
Resolution
Initially, click "No" on this dialog. The file can always be opened later once we determine the cause of this message!
In the first case, check the Application Bar at the bottom of WordPerfect or the Window menu at the top of WordPerfect. See if the file is listed there. If it is, click on the file which is already listed, click on it. Check the title bar. Provided you don't see "Read-only" at the end of the file name, you can edit the file without worry.
If you don't see it listed, hover over your task bar icon for WordPerfect. If you have additional instances of WordPerfect, click on each one on turn and check for your file.
In the second case, wait a few moments and try again. This is often a momentary lock by a backup program or an antivirus scanner.
In the third case, you can right-click on the file in Windows and check its properties. Setting Windows file permissions is beyond the scope of this article
Finally, if the file is network accessible, it is possible that someone else on the company network is editing it.
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