There has been a problem trying to replace ${} with the XPath to the survey element named ‘’. There is no survey element with this name

[TPS1879]

Hi there,

I have tried to deploy a survey and the error message: ‘There has been a problem trying to replace ${} with the XPath to the survey element named ‘’. There is no survey element with this name’ appears.

I have no idea how to resolve this as the error message does not specify what the actual survey element is that is causing the problem. I would appreciate any assistance with this issue as the survey needs to be deployed soon.

Thanks

[hakan_cetinkaya]

Hi @TPS1879 and welcome to the community!

This error message occurs mostly because of two reasons:

• You used a variable in your form which you’ve not defined.
• You used a variable which KoBo uses for something else. (So far we think: data, model, start, end)
• You used a variable which is too long (awaiting confirmation on this one)
• You’ve used some non-latin characters (awaiting confirmation on this one too)

Most recommended solution is to check name and list_name in your form, and try to see if there are possible problems.

And if you share a screenshot of your choices tab in your xlsform, community might help you.

[TPS1879]

Hi there,

Thanks for your prompt response!

Here is a screenshot of the choices tab also showing name and list_name.

Please can you also advise on how to resolve these issues in the Kobo webpage version of the survey. Once changes are made to the downloaded XLS form, I am not sure what happens next with the online version i.e. whether changes are automatic, whether I can re-upload the XLS form to update the online version or whether I need to start a new survey

Thanks for your support

[TPS1879]

Here is another screenshot of the choice tab

[hakan_cetinkaya]

Hi @TPS1879,

@TPS1879

I am not sure what happens next with the online version i.e. whether changes are automatic, whether I can re-upload the XLS form to update the online version or whether I need to start a new survey

You need to upload your XLS form to update the online version of your form, you can find more information in the help article: Getting started with XLSForm — KoboToolbox documentation

There is a post from @stephanealoo, which in your case gives a valuable explanation about ending names with underscore ( _ )

Unable to deploy survey form

Hi @olasteven When I look at your form, I notice that there are general mistakes which would not allow you to use your form. I strongly suggest that you should take a very thorough look at your form to ensure that you correct each error ; this will avoid the back and forth where support is looking at each instance of error and pointing it for you. I will thus generalize the following issues on your form. A name must conform to the following parameters Each variable name must be unique; dup…

I think they are created by the KoBo Form Builder automatically, but erasing the underscores at the end of your names, might help you. For example, can you try changing:

• respondent_has_a_productive_activity_in_ to respondent_has_a_productive_activity_in

to see if that works.

[TPS1879]

Hi,

I’ve removed underscores for names for both the survey and choice tab and then re-uploaded the XLS form but unfortunately the error message is still appearing when I try to deploy the survey. I also checked for the variable terms you highlighted (data, model, start, end) and removed ‘start’ but unfortunately that also didn’t have an effect.

[hakan_cetinkaya]

@TPS1879,

Can you also check your form in here: ODK - XLSForm Online v2.x to see any syntax errors?

[TPS1879]

I submitted the XLS form to the ODK online validator and it highlighted several rows lacking a label e.g. [row : 19] Group has no label: {‘name’: ‘group_ud5ge80_header’, ‘type’: ‘begin_group’}

I’ve attached a screenshot of the XLS form where the syntax issue is highligthed

[TPS1879]

I tried deleting the rows with the syntax errors (lack of labels) but that didn’t seem to work when I re-uploaded the form. Would you recommend giving the rows arbitrary labels or is there something else I should do to resolve the syntax errors?

Thanks

[hakan_cetinkaya]

@TPS1879

Would you recommend giving the rows arbitrary labels or is there something else I should do to resolve the syntax errors?

Group rows shouldn’t affect your problem, but I suggest changing names to shorter ones.

[TPS1879]

Okay thank you

Just to clarify, do you mean the names on the survey tab or the names on the choice tab or both?

[hakan_cetinkaya]

@TPS1879 I would suggest both. But starting out with choices tab would help to troubleshoot the main problem.

[TPS1879]

I’ve shortened the names for both. Now when I try to deploy, a different error message appears: ‘There has been a problem trying to replace ${What_best_describes_the_type_o} with the XPath to the survey element named ‘What_best_describes_the_type_o’. There is no survey element with this name.’

I’m not sure how to fix this or whether the original problem has been fixed

[wroos]

Welcome @TPS1879,
maybe @Kal_Lam can configure that you can upload your xlsx here. I would suggest with the initial version which created the ${} error.
(Pay attention, please, not to publish sensitive data with the xlsx here.)

[TPS1879]

Hi there @wroos , I’d like to but when I try to upload the file it says that new users cannot upload attachments! Do you know a way round this?

[Kal_Lam]

@TPS1879, you should now be able to upload your XLSForm in the forum.

[TPS1879]

Original enterprise survey.xlsx (43.5 KB)
Hi there, here is the original version of the XLS form. I’d appreciate any help you can give in identifying the problem!

Thanks

[TPS1879]

@Kal_Lam or @wroos , I’d appreciate any help you can give!

[wroos]

Hello @TPS1879,
you can easily find the places by searching the survey sheet with ${} as search token. For ex. rows 488 to 497. As the error message indicated the variable names in the reference are missing.