filemaker->excel->xml, invisible characters cause the parse error.

[searain]

Hello, my client used an old version filemaker, export the data to excel doc. I saved the excel doc to csv and then covert the csv to xml.

Here is my problem.

1) the filmaker generated excel has some weird character, one looks like the female sign. These weird characters cause the parse xml parse error. What are these weird characters? How to get rid off them?

2) in the filemaker generated excel sheet. there are some invisible characters (usually it is in the end of the data in a cell. This cell may have the data merged from different cell of the fileMaker database.), causing the xml parsing error, when I covert this excel to xml. The xml parsing error pointing to a position where there is no data actually. I have to remove the character before and after that position and then retype these characters back and then the parsing error is fixed.

Any ideas how to get rid off these weird or invisible characters that cause the problem when I cover the filemaker generated excel to xml?

Thanks!

[comment]

Why don't you (a) state the client's version, and ( post a sample file showing the problem?

BTW, from version 6 and up you can export XML directly from Filemaker.

[searain]

Yeah. I should give more detailed info.

a)

The client only told me that it was a very old version of filemaker.

The data is not supposed to go public yet. But I would try to cut a piece of the data and post it to see if anyone can help me out. Thanks!