XML files download

Question

To Internet File Transfer our T4 slips to the government, in our accounting software (Lone Wolf), I go to Efile, fill in the contact information and save it, it downloads the XML file. I then click on the download file and drag it to my desktop to upload it to the government site. When I click on it I get these messages: Microsoft Word - This command is to available on this platform andThis file has custom XML elements that are no longer supported in Word. Saving the file will remove these elements permanently. I do I fix this so I can upload the XML file to the government.

Answer 1

It sounds like your computer is trying to open the XML file with Microsoft Word by default. Word cannot handle the custom XML structure that your accounting software (Lone Wolf) generates for T4 slips, which is why you see the warnings about unsupported XML elements. Opening and saving it in Word can actually corrupt the file, making it unusable for the government site.

To fix this, you need to make sure the XML file is not opened in Word at all. Instead, you should upload it directly to the government site from your file system. Typically, after Lone Wolf downloads the XML file, you can leave it on your desktop or in your Downloads folder and use the government site’s upload function to select it. Do not double-click the file.

If you want to ensure that XML files open with something safer (like a text editor) when double-clicked, you can change the default program on Windows:

Right-click the XML file, choose Open With, then Choose another app, select Notepad, and check Always use this app to open .xml files.

Once you do this, double-clicking the file won’t launch Word, preventing it from trying to modify the XML. You can then upload the file to the government site without any errors.

You do not need to edit the XML itself - the issue is purely that Word is interfering.

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hth

Marcin