the name in the end tag of the element must match the element type in the start tag error

Anonymous
2010-10-28T11:18:41+00:00

I too am having the problem many people seem to be having on this forum. I have created a fairly large and important document which includes a lot of maths equations and some graphics. Now every time I try to open it it says there is an error with a mismatch between the start and end tags. I have never worked with XML but have tried to find what feels like a needle in a haystack and can't really see how to proceed. Is there any chance you could help? I have uploaded the document to:

http://www.sendspace.com/file/0ecfpu

Many thanks,

Andrew

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows

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Anonymous
2010-11-01T19:04:17+00:00

Hi Andrew,

The fixed file is at http://www.wordarticles.com/temp/AH%20Statistics%201%20Notes%20-%20Outcome%202.docx

To try to answer your questions:

There is no easy way to do it in Notepad - I generally use Visual Studio; Yves Dhondt - the only other person here, AFAIK, who fixes these documents - has some tool he wrote himself. It isn't very difficult but there is no guarantee of what you will find when you look. Usually - and I'm sure you're right - it happens when equations and graphics are together and an oMath end tag, and perhaps part of the equation it ends, gets misplaced within a structure that is meant to enable the equation be correctly displayed in earlier versions of Word that do not support the new equation engine.

The structure should be:

<mc:AlternateContent>

<mc:Choice>

<m:oMath>

Start of equation

End of equation

</m:oMath>

<mc:Choice>

<mc:Fallback>

Probably some graphics

</mc:Fallback>

</AlternateContent>

but ends up as:

<mc:AlternateContent>

<mc:Choice>

<m:oMath>

Start of equation

<mc:Choice>

<mc:Fallback>

Probably some graphics

</mc:Fallback> </AlternateContent>

End of equation

</m:oMath>

This is a bug so nothing is for certain, and I don't know what circumstances trigger it, or what you can do to avoid it. I also don't know if Microsoft are working on it, although I have informed them and they have replied that 'it has been passed to the appropriate team' or some such.

For my own amusement I am working on an AddIn that will attempt to mend these documents but I don't know how well it will work, yet.

Enjoy,

Tony

www.WordArticles.com

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  1. John Korchok 235.9K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2015-10-23T15:47:40+00:00

    The only tidbit I've ever found about this bug is a theory that it occurs when several objects are anchored to the same paragraph, but I can't verify that.

    I've noticed that if the <w:pict> element actually has content, this malformed XML doesn't occur, but when <w:pict /> is self-closing and has no content, Word may write incorrect tags, omitting </mc:AlternateContent> and </w:r>.

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  2. Doug Robbins - MVP - Office Apps and Services 323.6K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2015-10-23T08:54:11+00:00

    Your document and an instance of invalid:

    <mc:Fallback>

    <w:pict/>

    </w:p>

    tags that have been replaced by:

    </mc:AlternateContent>

    </w:r>

    </w:p>

    As I do not know what causes the problem, I do not know of any way that it can be avoided.

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  3. Anonymous
    2015-10-23T01:30:07+00:00

    A repaired copy of your document with the filename 245453 151020 Hang Lung Kunming FSSAR- Issue 2 (1) - Repaired.docx is being uploaded to the following folder of my OneDrive:

    http://1drv.ms/1KhADxl

    Please let me know when you have retrieved it so that I may delete it from that folder.

    Thanks very much, Doug. I have downloaded it from your OneDrive.

    It works now.

    BTW, what is the problem and how can I prevent it next time?

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