Compatibility issue opening an .xlsx file with calc: Err:509

users
#1

Hi,

I have a compatibility issue opening an .xlsx file with calc (LO
4.2.5.2): instead of different choices in a pull-down menu, I only get
Err:509 when for example I click on the arrow .

For example if I click in the first column (B2), there is a little arrow
on the right. It's supposed to open a pull-down menu if I click it, but
I only see a 509 error. Of course it works flawless in Excel 2013.

I'm not the creator of this file (otherwise it would have been an .ods
one) but I have to find a solution to fill it with LibreOffice

According to LO's help it's related to "Missing operator Operator is
missing, for example, "=2(3+4) * ", where the operator between "2" and
"(" is missing.". But I can't see how to solve it in this file, do you
have an idea?

I've attached the xlsx file, hope it helps.

Best regards

#2

Hi :slight_smile:
Don't worry. The xlsX file probably gives users of other versions of MS
Office (such as 2010, 2007, let alone 2003 and others that can't use it)
similar problems because each version of MS Office that can use xlsX has a
slightly different "transitional" version. In this particular case though
it's probably a misbehaving macro rather than simply the format. Many
places block the use of macros because MS Office macros have been used to
spread malware all too often.

You have a limited range of options such as;
1. try to get someone to use MS Office 2013 to "Save As ..." in the older
MS formats (for MS Office 2003, Xp, '97) = but if it IS a macro then this
wont help (in which case see 3)
2. buy MS Office 2013 and either buy a computer with Windows already on it
or buy and install Windows (perhaps inside a Virtual Machine?). Probably
requires at least Win7 or Win8
3. find some way of opening the macros and re-write, or pay someone to
re-write them for you, these are then highly likely to work smoothly in all
different versions of LibreOffice and OpenOffice

Use of ODF is not some theoretical ethical nicety. It's about
cost-reduction, interoperability (even cross-platform) and security. You
have bumped into one of the reasons for rejecting XlsX although whoever you
got the file from will probably claim it's a reason for everyone having to
buy 2013 (and then later on will insist everyone buys 365 for the same
reasons).
Regards from
Tom :slight_smile:

#3

Hi,

I have a compatibility issue opening an .xlsx file with calc (LO
4.2.5.2): instead of different choices in a pull-down menu, I only get
Err:509 when for example I click on the arrow .

Just have a glance at this document:
https://joinup.ec.europa.eu/elibrary/case/complex-singularity-versus-openness
so that you get an idea of the mess that's behind .xlxs (resp. .docx)
and the burden which is on the LibO programmers shoulders to be
compatible with the said mess.

I've attached the xlsx file, hope it helps.

Note that this list can't accept attachments. Please upload your file to
some repository so that others here can reach it.

#4

Hi,

I have a compatibility issue opening an .xlsx file with calc (LO
4.2.5.2): instead of different choices in a pull-down menu, I only get
Err:509 when for example I click on the arrow .

Just have a glance at this document:
https://joinup.ec.europa.eu/elibrary/case/complex-singularity-versus-openness
so that you get an idea of the mess that's behind .xlxs (resp. .docx)
and the burden which is on the LibO programmers shoulders to be
compatible with the said mess.

I can imagine, as for me I'm convinced by FOSS and I try to convince my
coworkers to go on using LO, that's why I'm so willing to find a solution.

I've attached the xlsx file, hope it helps.

Note that this list can't accept attachments. Please upload your file to
some repository so that others here can reach it.

Sorry I didn't know, so here is the file online:
http://demo.ovh.eu/fr/e4d727f5135591b7baabb173d2bddb2f/

Any idea?

Kind regards

#5

Xbot:

I found that if I saved your file in Calc as an ods, the err:509 would go away.
I then re-saved as the xlsx file and still did not get the Err:509.
I do not know if anything in the file is lost during the file type changes.

TomW

#6

Hi Eric,

I think the problem is with what I guess are the table fields, not supported
by LibreOffice, as range of named ranges.

<http://nabble.documentfoundation.org/file/n4114219/Captura.png>

Miguel Ángel

#7

Hi :slight_smile:
I think the file needs a data-source.

For XlsX and Ods you should be able to rename the file-ending to zip and
then open with an archive-manager. However the XlsX file would not open
that way and grumbled about a loading error. When i used LO to "Save As
..." i ended up losing the drop-downs in each cell :frowning:

Regards from
Tom :slight_smile: