Formatting fails due to error “The input file already contains formatting styles”

[tstolle94]

Hi all,

I have the same issue as one other member in the following post:

Formatting fails due to error "The input file already contains formatting styles"

Hello, I want to format an Excel file I previously created via the “Excel Writer” node. My workflow looks like this: Read existing Excel-file Transform the data Write into new file Format the new file But when I try to load the file via “XLS Formatter (apply)” node, I always receive the “Execute failed: The input file already contains formatting styles. This is currently unsupported in our extension beyond a degree that KNIME’s XLS Writer and Sheet Appender nodes would utilize.” error. I don…

I also tried to apply the suggested workaround but it does not work for me. Does anybody else have an idea to overcome this error message?

Thanks a lot in advance!

BR,

Tim

[ScottF]

Hi @tstolle94 -

So, the same issue where the Continental nodes are unable to write formatting to a freshly created Excel file?

Can you upload your workflow so someone can try to reproduce the error?

[tstolle94]

Hi @ScottF,

thanks for taking the time. Since I am working with confidential data, I cannot share the workflow as it is. So before I try to make a duplicate that also works for sharing in the forum, maybe the screenshot helps you and some further explanations from my side:

So I am trying to transform an Excel sheet (following referring to as Sheet1) which is basically done after the concatenate node on the left side. Then I am pulling in an Excel file (following referring to as File1) with the transfer files node from sharepoint into the workflow are as this File1 has three tabs that are all currently preformatted and only one of those I am trying to exchange with the edited Sheet1 coming from the left side.
So with the Excel writer I am appending the transformed Sheet1 to the existing File1 from Sharepoint. Then I apply the Excel formatting, still in the workflow area. And then I am writing it altogether back to the Sharepoint location.
The problem is apparently located here:

So if I just try to pull in the adjusted Sheet1, then it works. But then the Excel formatter completely overwrites the File1 that I just want to append this sheet to. If I try to pull in File1, I get the mentioned error message. But I also made clear to the Excel formatting sub-workflow on the bottom that I just want to edit this one sheet by selecting it through the XLS Sheet Selector node.

Thanks a lot in advance, hope that helps!

BR,

Tim

[tstolle94]

Hi @ScottF,

any ideas on this!

Thanks!

BR,
Tim

[mlauber71]

@tstolle94 OK I have added that to the wrong thread but mabye you can use it anyway:

Add "read" sheet protection to Excel file

@tstolle94 OK how about this. This program is designed to apply the formatting from one Excel sheet (‘default_1’) to another sheet (‘default_2’) without copying the content. It takes the formatting from the header (first row) of ‘default_1’ and applies it to the header of ‘default_2’. Then, it applies the formatting from the first data row (second row) of ‘Sheet1’ to all other rows in ‘default_2’. The content of ‘default_2’ remains unchanged, only the formatting is updated. The program is imp…