Format error in sub-document

[viking55]

Hello and help. For some reason my open office spreadsheet was corrupted. I get a message saying "read-error. Format error discovered in the file in sub-document content.xml at 2,72092". The document will no longer open. I have tried several programs but nothing seems to want to open the file. Is there something else I can do?

Thanks -

Gary

[RusselB]

See [Tutorial] Format error discovered in sub-document

[viking55]

Can you give me an idea of an archive manager to use? Thanks. I tried the change to a zip file method, but it didn't work.

[robleyd]

How did it “not work”? What did you do and what was the result?

If I recall correctly the file manager in Windows 7 will open zip files.

[RoryOF]

If you are getting the error in subdocument message, this indicates that the file has a possibility of being rescued and the archive manager used by OO, a built in version of 7zip I think, has been able to open it. As you have not managed to open the file yourself, the quickest solution may be to upload it to the Forum for another to handle; if it is too large to upload (>128KB) use a file sharing site and post the URL on Forum.

[viking55]

First, thanks for the help, let me explain where I am... I downloaded a file manager 7-zip file manager, which deconstructed the original .ods file into a new folder which contained the content.xml file. I was able to locate, and, I think, correct the error (small though it was) with the XML copy editor program. In any event, the XML program proclaimed the .ods file to now be "well formed". My problem now is that while the 7-zip manager program was able to deconstruct the .ods file, it will not, or I have not been able to make it open the .ods file so I can transfer the now "well formed" corrected content.xml file. Yes, 7-zip will create a folder, but not just open the file so I can change out the content.xml file. Perhaps I need a different file manager program? Hopefully I am sufficiently communicating what my problem is at this step. Without being able to crack open the ods file, I can't replace the corrected content file.

Ok, I figured out how to open the .ods file and replaced the corrupt content file with the "fixed" one. However, the new .ods file will not open. I don't even get the read-error message. So I must have done something wrong. Any ideas? Repeat the process?

Thanks.

Gary

[Lupp]

How I do such things on Windows:
I mostly use an old 32-bit-WinZip 9.0 I bought decades ago, but it works for me the same way with 7-Zip (7zFM.exe).

I don't expand the ODF archive, but simply open it with the archiver program. There I select the content.xml and call my xml editor (Notepad++ with XML-tools add-in in my case) for this wrapped-in file. Having edited it, I save it back to its place (which is inside the archive). Done.

[RoryOF]

I do much as Lupp does - I rename a file to type zip, then open it with my system archiver, open content.xml with XML Copy Editor and make whatever corrections I need, verify with XML Copy Editor that it is "well-formed", then Save it. XML Copy Editor then offers to reinsert it into the expanded archive, which I then close and rename to .odt (or as needed).