This message is inadequately specific and should be updated with a more detailed error message. A brief description of the underlying issue follows, as well as proposed wording for the message.
Problem: A user sent us a file that returned the above error message at integrity check, but without detectable errors in the input. On closer inspection, we found hidden (white font) text in columns outside of the range of data.
Solution: I found this by going to “File”>”Check for Issues”>”Check Accessibility” (this checks for difficult to read entries). This pointed me to the two columns in the file that had text written in white font, which we were unable to see before. I deleted those two columns and was then able to run the file.
Proposed text for error message:
Please check file for extra data entries outside of the range of the data—particularly hidden entries in white font. In Excel, you can check this at file>check for issues>check accessibility.
Attached are two files that will help highlight the issue.
Sample_file_altered is a stripped down version of the sample file.
Error_white_font is the file that they sent us, but stripped down exactly like the file above. We deleted their entries and copied/pasted entries from the sample file. We assumed the two files were identical, but this one was giving us the error message and the sample_file_altered was running without an error message. After doing the “Check Accessibiility” trick, we realized that there was one entry of text in white font in an area of the SubjectData tab (column U row 2) that normally does not have text, and this was enough to cause the error.
Sample_file_altered.xlsxError_white_font.xlsx
This message is inadequately specific and should be updated with a more detailed error message. A brief description of the underlying issue follows, as well as proposed wording for the message.
Problem: A user sent us a file that returned the above error message at integrity check, but without detectable errors in the input. On closer inspection, we found hidden (white font) text in columns outside of the range of data. Solution: I found this by going to “File”>”Check for Issues”>”Check Accessibility” (this checks for difficult to read entries). This pointed me to the two columns in the file that had text written in white font, which we were unable to see before. I deleted those two columns and was then able to run the file.
Proposed text for error message:
Please check file for extra data entries outside of the range of the data—particularly hidden entries in white font. In Excel, you can check this at file>check for issues>check accessibility.
Attached are two files that will help highlight the issue.