I have confirmed that I too get an error when trying to import an XML form.

The problem must be in the creation of the XML file, because I happened to have an XML file that I created back on July 12th, 2007, and that imports without error.

While researching why XML files would not process properly, I found instructions that said
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Opening my files in MSIE and Firefox, I got the following messages:
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And I got this error with my other XML file:
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I also used this site: http://www.validome.org/xml/validate/ to validate the XML file and got the same error indications.  So it appears that there may be a problem with the XML code that is created?  Is there a Sesame XML parser that we can use to validate our files?

Bob,

It does appear to be an issue with the way Sesame is exporting certain characters from Mass Update specs. I noticed that "<=" is being changed to "&lt;=" in the XML file when it comes from regular programming events, but not being changed at all when it comes from a Mass Update spec event.

Try removing all of your Mass Update specs (on a backup, of course), and see if you can export/import an XML form.

Thanks guys. We'll take a look at the Mass Update Specs and let you know what we see.

Bob_Hansen wrote on Sep 17^th, 2007 at 2:13pm:


< and > are both used by XML, so you are likely correct.

Bob, maybe you could either temporarily changed the "<" and ">" to something else like "LessThan" and "GreaterThan" until the XML export/import is completed; or just export the entire programming for the form, delete all programming, export form to XML, import XML form to new location, and import programming back into the form after it's in its new location.

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Since the problem characters seem to be contained in your code, have you tried Carl's other suggestion?

We will indeed do diagnosis, but regardless of what we find, we are not releasing a solution within the next day or so. As it sounds like you need an immediate workaround, Carl's suggestion sounds likely.

Hammer wrote on Sep 20^th, 2007 at 5:42pm:

That still fails.  I looked inside the XML export for the form, and it includes functions code that was deleted from  the GLOBAL code.  GLOBAL secrion is definitely blank.  Must be getting from another form?

In any case, I used a text editor and removed the programming section from the XML file.  It was between tags for <specs> and </specs>.  At that point, I did import again, and the file was accepted.  I then opened up the form Program Editor and imported the code that had been exported earlier. 

So, I am able to use brute force to import XML form, but still see a major bug in the Export XML area.
I am not sure I am causing other problems by manually editing the XML file.  Taking some risks here.  Problem is these files are not for me, so I don't end up with the inherent possible problems.

So steps are:
1.  Copy the form to be exported to XML
2.  Export the programming
3.  Delete all programming.  Many sections to be done, may be import a blank file will be quicker ?)
4.  Save Programming Design
5.  Export form to XML
6.  Open XML file with text editor.
7.  Locate unwanted programming between <specs> .... </specs> and delete all in between, including those tags.
8.  Save the modified XML file.
9.  Open destination application.
10.  Use Database Manager, open the destination database.
11.  Import modified XML file.
12.  Open form design, open Program Editor, import the program file that was exported earlier.
13.  Close editor and Save Layout Design.
14.  Relink Form as needed,
15.  Save Layout Design.
16.  Test and troubleshoot as needed.

Thanks for pointing out "Delete All Programming".  Don't think I recall seeing that before.  So much new stuff!  That is great for this problem.

Erika, twp of these that are failing are really BASIC menu forms.  One has four buttons, no Mass Updates, no bound elements, buttons make calls to SelectTreeItems or ExitSesame.  Another form is simpler, only has one button that calls the four-button form.  I do have other more complex forms with multi tabs, subforms, 20+ buttons.  But don't even want to start until I can get these resolved.

I did do the two noted above manually, minor things to go through.  Still avoiding the larger one since even when "programming was removed", programming was still included in the XML file.  All of these are coming from the same application. 

Here is a section where I removed code.  Has extra lines that are part of the code that should not be here:
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Looks like Type = 5.

And I also recognize this code as coming from a Mass Update Spec in the application.  That is the code for Data Dictionary.  Those first lines are comments as I was modifying the Data Dictionary code.

Don't know why it is coming in the FORM export, would expect it with the Application export, but not the form.  This looks like the specific problem, getting Mass Update Code, not necessarily the "<=" values, they just happen to be in the code.  Carl had mentioned his problem code was also associated with Mass Update.  I feel good that a solution is close at hand.

AHA!
Now I see that the MassUpdate Spec is associated with the simple Menu Form. I just went into the preview mode, opened the menu tree that is normally closed for the menu form, and looked at the Spec Manager.  Even though there are no records, there was a Mass Update spec for the Data Dictionary.

Apparently I had inserted it there at one time, months ago, and then copied it to a form with bound elements, visible Menu Tree for Mass Updates, etc.  Never removed it from original menu form.  So I knew the Mass Update was associated with another form, (one of the complex forms that I cannot import), but thought this menu form was only buttons.

So now I see, that any Saved Specs associated with the form comes over with the XML.  Now that I said that, it is so obvious.  I was thnking that the layouts and programming was exported to XML, I never though of the Spec Manger codes.  That is great, that is how it should be, everything gets exported.

Now you only need to fix the parsing of the MassUpdate programming and we are good to go!

PS, you mentions Type 5 = Mass Update.  Is there a reference of the Type value meanings available somewhere? 
.........  AHhhh, so ,  <specs> ..... </specs> are the elements associated with Spec Manager! 
This is scary, I am beginning to understand the content of the Sesame XML files.


Thanks for help and explanation.