iWorkTipsnTricks

[PeterBreis]

"Missing index.xml file"

Occasionally Pages seems to either mislay its internal index.xml file or wrongly name it. This file binds together all the resources (images etc) inside the .pages file.

The .pages file is actually a zipped (compressed) package and it is possible to reconstruct the .index.xml file

in Finder > control click on your.pages file > Show Package Contents

In a normal .pages document there should be a file called index.xml.gz

If that is missing there may be Index-new.xml or Index_xml.gz

Rename it to Index.xml or Index.xml.gz

Close the package and it should work, if not the document may simply be damaged beyond repair.

Alternative method

If you do not see an option to open the package when you control click on the .pages file in Finder:

Menu > File > Duplicate (in case something goes wrong) > change the extension from .pages to .zip

Double click on the zip file and it will extract it to a folder with the same name as the file.

Follow the steps above > right click on the folder > Compress "XXX" > change the .zip extension back to .pages

[lisa]

Hi there Peter thanks for taking the time to answer. I am trying alternative method but do not know how to change the extension name from .pages to.zip. Have duplicated but that is as far as I have got. Please can you advise?
On another note my partner took it to the Genius bar at apple store and they said it was corrupted - do you think that is right or could your methods work do you think? Am willing ton give it a go as I have nothing to lose that I haven't already!
regards
Lisa

[PeterBreis]

Just select the file name in Finder and retype the extensions.

It'll ask you if you really want to do that, Click on Use .zip/.pages

With luck Pages should recreate the .xml file if it is missing.

Failing that it just may be irreversibly damaged.

[simkhele]

I had the same problem -- and your fix worked. So THANK YOU, PeterBreis.
I wonder whether you know why this problem happens in the first place? What would corrupt a file in this way? Is it something one needs to worry about more generally?
Thanks again!

[PeterBreis]

A Pages file is a zipped bundle of everything that makes up the final document, including all the placed graphics. The index.xml keeps track of all the included elements, but every now and then Pages either doesn't write the file, or doesn't write it correctly.

When you go through these steps you force Pages to reassemble the package, reconstructing the index.xml as it does so.

The problem seems to hit every now and then, like many things in OSX, for no discernible reason. I haven't had it happen to me but obviously you are not alone.

[Guest]

tried your solution and worked perfectly.

genius!

[PeterBreis]

That's what we like, Happy Campers!

[Kelly-Ann]

Hi...same problem only with a numbers document...
I followed your first set of instructions...however when I open the package contents the index.xml file is not there...only a file called contents????
Any suggestions?

[PeterBreis]

Not so sure about Numbers documents.

Try on a duplicated copy:

1. Just rezipping the folder and changing the extension back to .numbers

or

2. Add a dummy empty text file from TextEdit labeled index.xml and again rezip it and change the extension, then open in Numbers. With luck it may replace the index file with its own.

or

3 As pointed out above, it may be damaged beyond repair.

[Twilly7]

Hello Peter, I have followed your advice one many pages often linking to a page that has you duplicate the .Pages file, then remove the extension (or change to .zip), open in finder (or decompress) and then with the created folder change the extension again to .pages.

So far no luck. when the new folder is created, the index.xml file isn't located anywhere. All of the other files are there, but not that. Is there another way to trick pages to re-create the index.xml file? if this method doesn't recover the file, am I out of luck?

Tyler

[Twilly7]

Oh, and I'm using pages 09 4.1 (923) and OSX 10.6.8, if that helps.

Tyler

[PeterBreis]

How big is your file? If it is tiny or nothing there probably is nothing to recover.

The above method is just a last resort, sometimes it works, sometimes the patient is with the choir eternal.

[Edson1007]

Hello everyone!
I'm also the problem with this file "is missing Index.xml" In my case it did not work! Not because it has to retrieve (control> click> file number) does not appear to show case contents! How can I retrieve this file?

[Guest]

Edson1007

When you control click on the .pages file you should get the contextual menu which will offer you "Show Package Contents".

If it doesn't, then the file is not a package, and this is not a solution. The file may just be damaged beyond repair.

[guest]

Thanks for this help discussion. Although it hasn't saved my file (the index file is gone and I haven't been able to trick my system into re-creating it), it has still helped, indirectly. Inside the contents folder, I found a file called preview.pdf. It's a pdf version of my last document. Although I still have to re-type all my edits, at least there's a way for me to VIEW the edits I made!