Scenario
When adding files to Workshare via the desktop app, you can select to clean them of metadata or convert them to PDF.
Note: The clean/convert functionality is only available when Protect is installed.
In desktop app versions before 2.18, the clean/convert options are displayed when browsing for files; they are not available when using drag and drop to add files. This is because in these versions, the desktop app uses on-screen rendering.
Note: In these versions, files are still added to the location when dragging and dropping, but it is not possible to clean or convert them.
From version 2.18, if Protect/Professional is installed, the desktop app will, by default, use off-screen rendering (OpenGL rendering).
What are on-screen and off-screen rendering?
With on-screen rendering, the desktop app window is a native browser window which handles what is displayed. When you switch to off-screen rendering, the desktop app does not create a native browser window; it creates an "off-screen" pixel buffer which is then painted on to the screen in place of the native browser window. Off-screen (or OpenGL) rendering means the desktop app uses different bits of the GPU which is why some older graphics drivers may not support off-screen rendering.
Issues
Off-screen rendering may cause issues in some environments, namely:
-
GPUs with older graphics drivers may not support the underlying API calls from the desktop app
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In some virtual environments, for example VirtualBox, the graphics drivers do not support the underlying API calls from the desktop app
In these scenarios, the user is presented with a white screen and the desktop app will not work at all.
Workaround
By default, the desktop app (version 2.18 and above) will use off-screen rendering. However, in cases where there is a problem with off-screen rendering, the desktop app will automatically switch to on-screen rendering. As a result, the clean/convert options will not be available when using drag and drop to add files. Users will receive an informative message:
In the scenarios where the desktop app cannot recognize that there is a problem with off-screen rendering and the user sees a white screen, the user should manually switch to on-screen rendering.
To switch to on-screen rendering:
- Click the desktop app system tray icon and select Preferences, or from the File menu in the desktop app main window, select Preferences.
- Select General.
- Deselect the Enable OpenGL rendering checkbox.