Errors that Occur when Opening a Report
Error opening report (ID) (file path) Line: # Char: #
Occurs when: opening a report
Why it happens: The report file contains invalid characters that the software cannot interpret. Certain laptops, such as the HP Envy, have been known to add these characters occasionally.
Solution: Please email the report and template files to Support so we can repair the file and remove the invalid characters.
Error opening report. The following tags were not closed: report, template(...)
Occurs when: opening a report
Why it happens: This error often occurs when the device used to write the report is low or out of storage when the report was saved. Check your computer or Companion's free space and free up more as necessary to avoid the issue.
Solution: If you encounter this error when trying to open a report, it means the report file is corrupted. Follow these steps to restore a backup of the report:
Open HomeGauge Software: Launch the application to access your report list.
Select the Problematic Report:
Click the Open icon in the interface to bring up your report list.
Highlight the report that is showing the error by clicking it once.
Access Backup Options:
Locate the gear icon, usually found near the report list.
Click the gear icon and choose the option labeled Open Backup for Selected Report.
Choose a Backup File:
A list of available backups for the selected report will appear.
Select the most complete or most recent backup based on its date, time, or version number.
Confirm and Open:
If prompted to confirm, click Yes or select OK to proceed.
The report should open using the backup file, allowing you to continue working or publish it.
Additional Tips:
Regularly save and back up your HomeGauge reports to minimize data loss.
If restoring a backup does not resolve the issue, contact HomeGauge Support for further assistance.
The template that was used to create this report has been modified
When it can happen: When opening an old report
Why it happens:
When you save a report, the template is merged into the report so that the template as it was that day stays the same, in other words no changes you make to the standalone template will affect that finished report.
The reason the software prevents you from editing the template of an older report is to prevent your current templates from being overwritten. For example: You fine-tune your template exactly how you want it. You then write a report using your template. Over the next month, you make further changes to your template. You end up needing to open the report you wrote a month ago, and try to make edits to the template. If the software allowed this, the entire month that you've spent improving your template would be overwritten with this older report's version of the template.
Solution:
You can absolutely still edit the template that was used to create this report. To do so, you'll need to by save a copy of the template and give it a new, unique name.
Open the report that contains an older version of a template that you want to edit.
Click File Save Template As.
Give it a new name (if you use the name of an existing template, it will overwrite it. Just add a date to the name, e.g. John's Template 09-08-2017)
You'll see that you are now able to fully edit the template without running the risk of overwriting your current templates. Any changes you make will impact only the new template you've just named.
OLE database error (of any kind)
Occurs when: clicking through sections of the report.
Why it happens: An antivirus program, especially Trend Micro, prevents HomeGauge from functioning correctly.
Solution: Open your antivirus software and navigate to the location where you can add exclusions. You will need to exclude this file: C:\Program Files (x86)\HomeGauge5\HomeGauge5.exe
Every antivirus program is different, and they update frequently making it difficult for us to maintain a comprehensive list of instructions for excluding files. You will want to seek out support from your antivirus software provider directly if you are unable to exclude files.
If your antivirus software allows you to exclude entire folders, we always recommend excluding both your HomeGauge Data Folder as well as C:\Program Files (x86)\HomeGauge5.
Errors that Occur when Adding Contacts
Failed to Create Customers Account 2 different users are already using the supplied email addresses for this one person
Occurs when: creating a customer username in the Desktop Report Writer
Why it happens: When updating a user to use a different e-mail address, the software may be prevented from saving that change due to antivirus interference which can cause this message.
Solution: Exclude your Documents\HomeGauge folder and your C:\Program Files (x86)\HomeGauge5 folder from your antivirus. If you cannot exclude folders, exclude C:\Program Files (x86)\HomeGauge5\HomeGauge5.exe and Documents\HomeGauge\people4.csv
Every antivirus program is different, and they update frequently making it difficult for us to maintain a comprehensive list of instructions for excluding files. You will want to seek out support from your antivirus software provider directly if you cannot exclude files.
Software cannot open people4.csv for writing (message may vary)
When it can happen: While trying to add or edit a contact in the software
Why it happens: An antivirus software, especially AVG's ransomeware protection module, has blocked certain functions within HomeGauge.
Solution:
Close HomeGauge
Open AVG's settings and create an exception or whitelist for your Documents\HomeGauge folder as well as C:\Program Files (x86)\HomeGauge5.
Re-open HomeGauge an attempt to do the action that caused the error again. AVG should prompt you to block or allow the action. Allow it and AVG should not prompt you again.
Every antivirus program is different, and they update frequently making it difficult for us to maintain a comprehensive list of instructions for excluding files. You will want to seek out support from your antivirus software provider directly if you are unable to exclude files.
If your antivirus software allows you to exclude entire folders, we always recommend excluding both your Documents\HomeGauge folder as well as C:\Program Files (x86)\HomeGauge5.
Errors That Occur when Writing a Report
Completed Inspection Item Has Blank Status
Description of Issue: Normally, an inspection item has a checkmark or similar symbol in the Status (S) column when it's complete. However, the Status column stays blank.
Possible Causes and Solutions
The item has not been given a normal status (inspected, repair/replace, etc.).
If the item is marked Repair/Replace, or any status that sends it to a summary, it requires a comment.
The comment for the inspection contains an asterisk (*) that needs to be removed.
Copy/Paste Function Doesn't Work
If your copy/paste functionality is not working in HomeGauge on Windows 10, follow the troubleshooting steps below:
Try making a small change to your template and click the Save T button. This may resolve the issue.
Click File > Save Template As and save a new copy of your template. Start a new report with this template and see if the issue persists.
If the issue persists, it may be caused by Webroot or another antivirus/antimalware software. Try disabling your antivirus software for a few minutes to see if this restores the copy/paste functionality. If this helps, we recommend either whitelisting or excluding HomeGauge from your antivirus software or using Windows Defender instead.
If none of these solutions helps, you may need to contact Windows Support at 1-800-Microsoft (642-7676).
Open a Backup Copy of a Report
If you can no longer open a report due to a problem such as a power outage, computer crash, or other device failure, your software keeps regular backups that will allow you to open the most recently saved version of a report.
HomeGauge 5:
Click the Open button.
Select the report you'd like to restore to an earlier version.
Click on the gear button and choose Open Backup for Selected Report.
HomeGauge 3/4
The first step is to identify where the report is kept. If you give your reports a report ID, the folder will use this as its name. However, if you don't use Report IDs, follow the next step to identify its location.
In the Open Report window, click on the report in the list, and look at the information box at the bottom, where you will see the folder name, for example:....\HomeGauge\Reports\0000001 — this is where it is stored.
Open the folder in Windows to recover the report. To do so, click Start>My Documents>HomeGauge>Reports>0000001 (for example, the folder name will either be a number or the Report ID).
Here you will see the report files. We will be working with the *.hr3 or *.hr4 files, determined by the version of HomeGauge you are running.
The file "report.hr4" or "report.hr3" is the file that is having the issues. Rename it to "reportbad" by right-clicking and clicking "Rename". Then select the first backup, "report-bak1", and rename it "report". You may or may not see the *.hr3 or *.hr4 extension. This is not an issue. The files will still have the same name.
Try opening the Report in HomeGauge again. If it does not open, repeat the process with report-bak2, 3, etc., until it does.
Tags Not Closed Message/Error
If you receive an error message when trying to open a report that says "Tags not closed," follow the steps below:
Check and see if HomeGauge is running in the background somewhere on your computer.
Exit the HomeGauge software if it is open.
Press Control-Alt-Delete
Run Task Manager
End all HomeGauge tasks that may be running.
Open HG again and try to open the report.
If the above actions didn't work, you can access a backup report either by following the steps at the beginning of this article or by manually following the steps below.
Navigate to your Documents\HomeGauge\Reports folder.
Navigate to the report in question. Double-click to open up that report. You will see a series of report.bak documents. These are the backups for your report. On the far right of these backups is a size. You will want to choose the backup with the largest size.
Double-click the backup, and it will bring up that report in HomeGauge.
Make a small change to the report and click the SAVE disk. This will override the report that would not open for you.
Restoring a Report Folder from the Recycle Bin
If you mistakenly delete a report, it will be in your recycle bin. Right-click on the report folder and select Restore.
Open HomeGauge and click Open. If you do not see the restored report, click Refresh Database.
Restore a Report From the Inspector Dashboard
If you no longer have a local report copy, you can download it from your Inspector Dashboard by following the steps in this article Inspector Dashboard: Downloading Uploaded Report.
Errors that Occur when Sending Report to Cloud
"Failed to send report to the cloud" Unable to resolve host www.homegauge.com. No address associated with host name.
Ensure the clock on your phone or tablet is set to the correct date and time. We use a secure connection for file transfers; if the date and time are wrong, the secure connection won't work.
If you are not on WiFi, check to see if you have the option selected only to allow transfers over WiFi. You can find this in the HomeGauge Companion by going to the menu More General and un-check the box only to allow connections over WiFi.
Fully reboot your mobile device and try again.
"Failed to send report to the cloud. Posted content length of (xxxxxxxx) exceeds limit of (xxxxxxxx).
This error (and occasionally the first error message) indicates that your report exceeds the 600MB Cloud Transfer limit, and you will need to transfer the report manually.
We recommend photo sizes of approximately 1280 x 720 or 1 MP. If you include videos in your report, set your video resolution to a lower resolution.
Note: The reason why we limit the transfer to 600 MB is to prevent timeouts during the cloud transfer process. There is currently no way to increase this limit.
FAQs
What do I do if the error I'm receiving is not listed here?
If you are seeing an error message that is not listed in this article, reach out to HomeGauge Support using the help widget located at the bottom right of the page.