All xlsx attachments (from appsheet "Create"d templates) to workflow and report emails error and get "repaired" when opened by MSExcel

hi, team.

i need to start using xlsx for emailed attachments in workflows and reports. have had this problem everytime. unlucky did not find previous reports in the community,

then

2X_f_fabcaf25f9fb3240c671d5774482632f3a8f5b6f.png
todayโ€™s xml from Excel reported repairs:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>

error345720_01.xml

Errors were detected in file 'C:\Users\mike\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\INetCache\Content.Outlook\HH7NLL06\INVOICING REPORT BY JOB_SURVEYOR_START TIME_DOCKET.xlsxโ€™Excel completed file level validation and repair. Some parts of this workbook may have been repaired or discarded.Repaired Records: Format from /xl/styles.xml part (Styles)

thanks in advance for your help.

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Can you submit a bug report for the problem?

When you do that, please provide the exact steps to recreate the problem.
It is often hard to reproduce a problem without very precise steps.
To often, I do something subtly different than you do, and then the I cannot reproduce the problem.
Having the exact repro steps saves me a lot of time and lets me solve the problem quicker.

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19 REPLIES 19

I will need to debug it.

Please provide:

  1. Your account id
  2. The application name
  3. The table name
  4. The workflow rule or report name
  5. A complete description of the problem
  6. The exact steps to reproduce the problem
  7. Please go to https://www.appsheet.com/account/account#_tab_acctConfig and check the option that enables support access.

Srikanth_S
Participant IV

I am also facing this issue.
each time xlsx file is received from app, has to be opened in google sheets first and then downloaded as xlsx file from there.

Otherwise, it shows as "File format or file extension is not validโ€ฆ Verify that file is not corrupted and the file extension matches format of the file. "

However, opens fine through google sheets and then can be downloaded.

Hi Shikanth,

Can you verify that you are using a Excel .xlsx file as the template?
If you are using an Excel .xlsx file as the template, then I will need to debug the problem and you should provide exactly the same information I asked for above.

No, I am using google doc as template. What is the best suited one for getting xlsx file as output, I am fine with any format as template.

You must use an Excel .xlsx file as the template if you wish to create an Excel .xlsx attachment.
Nothing else will work properly.

hi, Philip.
apologies for the delayed reply.

  1. Your account id 751991
  2. The application name DOCKET
  3. The table name several but for example: HRF16
  4. The workflow rule or report name INVOICING DOCKET DETAILS,
  5. A complete description of the problem
    **the email with xlsx attachment is received but cannot be previewed 2X_7_7c2d63b505ad958bb0096de27e8e9cc8ec093869.png **
    **when you open the attachment it always errs **
    if Yes to the repair the file opens thus 2X_5_5fc8114a9ba9580d0f666f63840aab16a951faf2.png
  6. The exact steps to reproduce the problem, just receive the email with attachment
  7. Please go to https://www.appsheet.com/account/account#_tab_acctConfig and check the option that enables support access. done

Finally, Philip, i get a repairs report by excel
2X_a_a586afde38d69e0b722a1f709f31cebfad07bbfd.png

the XML text is:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="true"?>

-

error333000_01.xml

Errors were detected in file 'C:\Users\mike moreno\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files\Content.Outlook\ZJ52CYUL\INVOICING DOCKET DETAILS (003).xlsx'

-

Excel completed file level validation and repair. Some parts of this workbook may have been repaired or discarded.

-

Repaired Records: Format from /xl/styles.xml part (Styles)

Your original Excel template seems to be invalid.
When I try to open your original template, Excel complains that the Styles in the worksheet are invalid.
Excel then attempts to fix up your template.
You should either recreate the Excel template file or fix the problems in it.

ok, Phil, but the template was created in/by appsheet Create button:
2X_c_c86e337d18a0049e5698042cda959b23e1e13809.png

i will be making many more of these XLSX, i planned to created all my templates within appsheet, can appsheet create the template without styles, as you suggest?

And, furthermore, just in case of doubt, i always edit these XLSX in google sheets, iโ€™m not downloading a copy to edit then uploading it.

I am not sure I understand. Are you really editing the .xlsx files in Google Sheets?

I would suggest editing the templates using Excel and not Google Sheets.
Editing .xlsx files in Google Sheets adds a whole new level of potential problems.

well, yes, @Phil ,

the xlsx files I use for Appsheets attachment templates are created by / inside Appsheets using the โ€œCreateโ€ button in the Behaviour>Reports>Attachment Template area.

Then I edit the template with the โ€œViewโ€ button next to that, which seems solid logical.

is this all the wrong thing to do?

when you say โ€œEditing .xlsx files in Google Sheets adds a whole new level of potential problems.โ€
are you recommending that i create xlsx files locally on my PC or only edit them after download to my PC, then upload to Google Drive, then link to Appsheets to use them?

this does not make sense to me.

I recommend that you keep the templates in Excel at all times.

Here is what I do:

  1. I let AppSheet create the .xlsx template and write it to Google Drive.
  2. If I want to edit the .xlsx template, I download the .xlsx template to my PC as an .xlsx file.
  3. I edit the .xlsx file using Excel
  4. I save the updated .xlsx file in Excel
  5. I upload the updated .xlsx file to Google Drive

thanks, @Phil .

Even a freshly appsheet-created xlsx attachment template immediately downloaded to my PC gives errors:

i click Yes, then Enable Editing, gives me this error:
2X_c_c5be01731602e715cd75cc3776854b43d28d9a1d.png

the excel list of repairs says:

the untouched template is:
TESO-751911 Content
PAYROLL REPORT BY STATE SURVEYOR START_AttachmentTemplate_20200220_023132.xlsx

if this is not happening to others, how do I fix this at the point of appsheet creation?

cheers, Mike.

Try a non appsheet created one.
Why not use google sheets?

thanks, @Jonathan_S and @Phil
i hope to continue using the create feature in appsheet, it should be the best option.
Iโ€™m not stuck with this problem. But I think there is a bug here that should be addressed.
it feels best practice and iโ€™ve been very happy to let appsheet create the xlsx attachment template in Drive, then edit in Google Sheets. No download/upload steps has to be better.
Further, unlike @ Srikanth_S my users can only open the xlsx attahment in Outlook, hence will always get the errors.
For this particular template, as you said, @Phil, i downloaded the raw appsheet-created xlsx attachment template, you do not say if you get the errors, i let Excel โ€œfixโ€ them saved that over the original and uploaded to Drive, this attachment does not give errors anymore.
But the root question is if no one else gets this error, while I and a few others do?
if so, there is a problem with appsheet creating some xlsx attachment templates.
Significantly, another appsheet created xlsx template never gave me the errors, here:
TESO-751991/Content
INVOICING REPORT BY JOB DOCKET_AttachmentTemplate_20200211_214016.xlsx

i think this needs to be fixed.
Cheers.

Can you submit a bug report for the problem?

When you do that, please provide the exact steps to recreate the problem.
It is often hard to reproduce a problem without very precise steps.
To often, I do something subtly different than you do, and then the I cannot reproduce the problem.
Having the exact repro steps saves me a lot of time and lets me solve the problem quicker.

thanks, @Phil
I agree, will do my best to reproduce and document.

John_Kent1
Participant I

This is an old thread and Iโ€™m not sure if this will help others.

I was getting this error. I fixed it by formatting the cell in the template. My date in the row was causing the error.

In the end I made the template in excel, formatted the date cell to date. Uploaded it to My Drive and done. I would assume you could do the same thing with a sheets file.

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