Can't read xml to Excel (dataset.WriteXml)

21 Apr 2006 8:57 AM

Morten Snedker

I'm using this code to generate an XML-file:

        If File.Exists("d:\k2b.xls") Then File.Delete("d:\k2b.xls")
        Dim fs As New System.IO.FileStream("d:\k2b.xml",
IO.FileMode.CreateNew)

        dsP.WriteXml(fs)

        fs.Close()
        fs.Dispose()

When importing to Excel 2000 (10.0) it shows the entire xml-code (as
if opened with text editor). What am I doing wrong?

--
I've posted this question before, but forgot to follow up. Andrew
Morton kindly responded and asked:

"If you save it with an extension of .xls instead, does Excel then
"understand" it?"

The answer is no. The result can be seen at
www.dbconsult.dk/ms/xls.jpg.

/Snedker

21 Apr 2006 12:47 PM

Andrew Morton

Morten Snedker wrote:
Show quoteHide quote

> I'm using this code to generate an XML-file:
>
>        If File.Exists("d:\k2b.xls") Then File.Delete("d:\k2b.xls")
>        Dim fs As New System.IO.FileStream("d:\k2b.xml",
> IO.FileMode.CreateNew)
>        dsP.WriteXml(fs)
>        fs.Close()
>        fs.Dispose()
>
> When importing to Excel 2000 (10.0) it shows the entire xml-code (as
> if opened with text editor). What am I doing wrong?

>> "If you save it with an extension of .xls instead, does Excel then
>> "understand" it?"

> The answer is no. The result can be seen at
> www.dbconsult.dk/ms/xls.jpg.

Something less than an ideal result :-(

Unless someone has a better idea, perhaps you could save an xml file from
Excel (I only have Excel 2000, so I can't) and have a look at what Excel
expects to see.

Does it help if you use the WriteXml(Stream, XmlWriteMode) method to save
the schema with it?

Or you could write out the data in CSV format and Excel will happily read
that, although I don't know what it'll do with a date in that format.

Andrew