getting error...... Traceback (most recent call last): File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module> File "C:\Python25\Lib\site-packages\xlrd\__init__.py", line 370, in open_workbook biff_version = bk.getbof(XL_WORKBOOK_GLOBALS) File "C:\Python25\Lib\site-pack

[JodyGnumeric]

On Dec 8, 9:02 pm, John Machin <sjmac... at lexicon.net> wrote:
> On Dec 9, 12:19 pm, JodyGnumeric <jody.goldb... at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> > On Dec 8, 5:54 am, John Machin <sjmac... at lexicon.net> wrote:
>
> > > On Dec 8, 6:48 pm, "Gabriel Genellina" <gagsl-... at yahoo.com.ar> wrote:
>
> > > > En Fri, 05 Dec 2008 02:31:01 -0200, pk sahoo <prasannaksa... at gmail.com>  
> > > > escribió:
>
> > > > > hallo everybody,
> > > > > when i am running the following command
>
> > > > >>>> import xlrd
> > > > >>>> book=xlrd.open_workbook("C:\\a.xls")
>
> > > > > i am getting the following error..
>
> > > > > *Traceback (most recent call last):
> > > > >   File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
> > > > >   File "C:\Python25\Lib\site-packages\xlrd\__init__.py", line 370, in
> > > > > open_workb
> > > > > ook
> > > > >     biff_version = bk.getbof(XL_WORKBOOK_GLOBALS)
> > > > >   File "C:\Python25\Lib\site-packages\xlrd\__init__.py", line 1323, in
> > > > > getbof
> > > > >     raise XLRDError('Expected BOF record; found 0x%04x' % opcode)
> > > > > xlrd.biffh.XLRDError: Expected BOF record; found 0x3f3c*
>
> > > > Looks like your a.xls file is not an Excel file (one of the formats  
> > > > supported by xlrd).
> > > > As 0x3f3c corresponds to the characters '<?' you probably have an XML file.
>
> > > This can be verified easily by opening the file with a simple-minded
> > > text editor (e.g. Notepad) ... if the first two lines are
> > > """
> > > <?xml version="1.0"?>
> > > <?mso-application progid="Excel.Sheet"?>
> > > """
> > > then it's an Excel 2003 XML Spreadsheet that's been manually(?)
> > > renamed from .xml to .xls.
>
> > > The current xlrd release supports only the binary ("BIFF") format .xls
> > > files created by Excel 3.0 to Excel 2003. The next release (due out
> > > Real Soon Now) will support Excel 2.1 and 2.0 formats [don't ask].
> > > Very soon after that will come support for Excel 2007 .xlsx which is a
> > > bunch of XML files inside a ZIP file. Support for Excel 2003
> > > "SpreadsheetML" is way down the to-do list.
>
> > > If the OP wants to be able to read the file with xlrd:
> > > (1) Open it with Excel 200[37] and save as a .xls file
> > > or (2) rename it to .xml, start OpenOffice.org Calc, click on File,
> > > click on Open, click on "Files of type", choose "Microsoft Excel 2003
> > > XML (*.xml)" from the (long, unsorted) drop-down list, ..., and save
> > > as etc etc. Gnumeric is not an option.
>
> > > HTH,
> > > John
>
> > Gnumeric can read this format. 'MS Excel (tm) 2003 SpreadsheetML'
>
> [Gnumeric 1.9.1 on Windows XP]
>
> I'm sorry; I thought I'd exhausted every possible way of trying to
> open it. After looking at the file open dialogue box again, I've
> spotted the "Advanced" button. Here is what you need to do:
>
> Have the file named whatever.xls. Click on File / Open , navigate to
> correct directory, click on Advanced, choose 'MS Excel (tm) 2003
> SpreadsheetML' from the File-type drop-down list, choose the file,
> click on OK. Anything else (Simple (non-Advanced), naming it
> whatever.xml, ...) produces no response, yes that's zero bits of
> information, not even a Bzzzzt! noise :-(
>
> *AND* when it does open up, a date cell defined by
>   <Style ss:ID="s21">
>    <NumberFormat ss:Format="Short Date"/>
>   </Style>
> ...
> <Cell ss:StyleID="s21"><Data
> ss:Type="DateTime">1999-12-31T00:00:00.000</Data></Cell>
>
> is displayed as "00ort 31at1999" :-(

Please send the file to bugzilla.gnome.org it sounds like I need to
improve the probe function function for this format and add support
for the magic named formats.