Error Generating Surface .XLS report (C3D 2020)

[JamieVJohnson2]

I am following along the tutorials and find the report generator for the surface report.  Using the tutorial file supplied, I generated a default report in html, and doc, but the xls keeps throwing error reports ("Failed to execute 'Surface Report').  The corrupted file is created that can not be opened in Excel (2016 desktop version).  Notepad views the file as pure xml (version 1.0).  It appears to contain all the data in xml structure, but the format must not be compatible with Excel .  I renamed to xml, and opened in Visual Studio.  The document formatter hangs up on the Surface points <PntList2D> where some lines are very long (with manual text wrapping it takes 110 lines).  When I manually wrapped the text, the editor properly recognized the ending tag, until the next point list.  So I repeated the process counting lines.  When I reduced the single line to 22 wrapped lines and one longer line, it fixed that xml comment recognition.  This leads me to think the issue is length of line (the length of the remaining line is 32724 characters)  The length of the failed lines are greater than 32000, one is 34242.  This sounds like a bit error issue and would co-align with the 'short' integer data type limit (32768).

So if the report generator is not checking for this issue, it should.  The number of points in the list makes a list of characters longer than the standard xml interpreter can handle in a single line, and simply adding a character return in the xml solved that problem.  It is likely this is the problem that causes the snag in the entire conversion from raw data to xls to stop short of completion.

Also I would like to throw into the hat the fact that this system is generating doc and xls files today, when it should be generating the docx and xlsx format files instead.  Perhaps the XML file data is attempting to do so, but the file extension is not correct.  Also xlsx files are compressed archives, this file is not that it is uncompressed text.

Is this an expected failure (with a known work around)? 

If so then why wasn't it fixed by now? 

If not, then it needs to get fixed ASAP.

Thank you,

jvj

[rl_jackson]

The two report functions located in the toolbox for surfaces work as they should.

The first report function is just writing out a CSV file (which is a plain ASCII file) "SURFACES POINTS TO CSV" that if you have excel installed on the PC will open the file that you can then save as a xlsx file if you like. So there is nothing to fix. 

The second report function just provides simple statics about the surface if you want that html information can be saved and opened or copy-pasted to word.

For most of your first paragraph I'm not exactly sure what function or were your getting the XML errors and long lines and such, as when I go to the a surface and export it in LANDXML 1.2 it also works as expected.

Please provide a little more info regard your command process.

[JamieVJohnson2]

from:

https://www.ASCENTed.com/getfile?id=soca

installed training files into c:\ as default win-zip executable wants too.  Then open:

"C:\Civil 3D Projects\Civil3D-Training\Interface\INTRO-Introduction.dwg"

Then run command:

from Toolspace\Toolbox\Reports Manager\Surface\Surface Report\Execute...

Press ok on the Export to XML Report

Select "Excel 97-2003 Workbook (*.xls)" file format, and place file on desktop.

Error exporting file... message will get displaed

It obviously can create the xml file, but not without errors that prevents excel from opening it.

xml file is called "CivilReport.xls" - notice the Excel extension.  The file can not be opened or imported into excel.

I repaired the long lines and attempted to import into excel, and got a lot of imported data, then an error.  Then excel closed the partially loaded file.

That's how it happed for me.

[Jeff_M]

I am seeing the same issue in C3D 2020, yet the report runs perfectly fine in C3D 2018. The xsl files are identical in both report folders, so not sure why 2020 is having an issue with it. 

[rl_jackson]

After review your command process I as @Jeff_M  can confirm that I'm getting the same error in 2020 but not in 2018 or 2019.

[Jeff_M]

@TimYarris another bug in C3D 2020 for your review.

[abd_eng_001]

Hi,

I have just installed CIVIL 3D 2020, I have the same problem with pointlist.xls. When I create reports with html, txt, pdf, doc there is no problem. The only trouble I face is that when I choose the create report as excel file, which excel file is corrupted and Civil 3D gives an error "failed to execute point list"

I hope Autodesk will solve this bug quickly. We really use this report a lot.

[spear_kevin_pe]

Has this been addressed? I'm still seeing it in 2020.2. I wasn't sure if my install was corrupt or not.

[abd_eng_001]

I have installed the 2020.2 recently. I am afraid that I still get the same error. Autodesk did not address the issue yet.

I have attached the video that shows the steps of the error. 

[Lance_White]

I just posted again about this problem, the Toolbox is only generating XML files despite whatever extension you ask it to create.

[abd_eng_001]

I am guessing Autodesk is ignoring this fact to divert our interest towards Dynamo. They prefer users to get used to Dynamo as it is more flexible and much more powerful. For example, this link  (https://www.autodesk.com/autodesk-university/class/Mundane-Civil-3D-Tasks-Automate-Dynamo-Civil-3D-2...) is a great example to generate reports.  

[neilyj666]

Any solution to this as I don't have time to learn Dynamo...!!!!!

[Anonymous]

Bump

looking for a resolution to this...….

[Anonymous]

Hi

Did someone found any solution or alternative for this bug? 

[abd_eng_001]

I think this might solve the problem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvODOnHUU3A