WorldServer - error at Save step after import of a Return package - "Root element is missing"

In worldServer, a task is in Autoeror at a Save or Save target step. The error is 

Root element is missing

Note: There was no error initially and the file/task does not have 0 words. Mentioning this because a similar error can happen when OPENING a WSXZ package exported from WorldServer in Trados Studio if the source task has 0 translatable words), see also article:

WorldServer: WorldServer (WSXZ) package cannot be opened because one the sdlxliff files is empty and has 0 KB file size - 'Root element is missing' error

 

Here are the workarounds to fix the issue:

Workaround 1

1- Use the original WSXZ package that was exported the first time to create a correct Return package that will overwrite the error. Following this example, if the Task History reports this first entry related to an export in WSXZ format:

2/16/24, 2:57 PM Translator 1 Assets exported Exported asset(s) to WSXZ

ask the translator to send you the original WSXZ package exported on February 16 2024.

2- Moreover: export the task in Autoerror to a new WSXZ package

3- Once you receive the original WSXZ package, open it in Studio and open the relevant file.

4- Extract the WSXZ package that you have exported from the Task in Autoerror using 7zip (WSXZ packages are archive files so they can be extracted with a tool like 7zip or others) and find the SDLXLIFF

5- In Trados Studio, use the SDLXLIFF from step #4 to Apply Perfect Match to the WorldServer project created when opening the original WSXZ package (step 3). Your file should now be fully translated.

6- In Trads Studio, go to File > Save target as... and confirm that you can create a target file without errors.

7- Now create a new WorldServer Return package and upload it to WorldServer. The upload/import will have no error.

8- Finally, complete the Autoerror.

Workaround 2 

This workaround is more technical.

1- Export the Task in Autoerror to a WSXZ package
2- If the project contains another task with the same format that is not in Autoerror, export that as well.
3- Now you have 2 WSXZ packages: one containing the SDLXLIFF file coming from the file in Autoerror and one coming from a task in the same format that has no issue.
4- Extract each package to a folder using 7.Zip and open the folder. You will find the content of the WSXZ package, including the bilingual SDLXLIFF file. Example:










5- Open the SDLXLIFF files from each package folder in Notepad++ and set them next to each other. When looking at the beginning of the SDLXLIFF file from the task in Autoerror, you might notice that the encrypted content after <internal-file form="base64"> is quite short and seems truncated if compared with the same encrypted content in the SDLXLIFF file from the task that has no error. Example from the encrypted content of the damaged sdlxliff file:
 

<internal-file form="base64">UEsDBBQAAAgIAPyEU1gAAAAAAgAAAAAAAAAQAAAAYWIyZnNwd2cuMnJ2LnhsZgMAUEsBAjMAFAAA
CAgA/IRTWAAAAAACAAAAAAAAABAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGFiMmZzcHdnLjJydi54bGZQSwUG
AAAAAAEAAQA+AAAAMAAAAAAA
</internal-file>

Example from the not-damaged SDLXIFF file:
 

<internal-file form="base64">UEsDBBQAAAgIAAd3TFjjxAtnYQMAAM8NAAAQAAAAb2hxdzNsMHQudnZ3LnhsZu1XzW7bOBC+F+g7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</internal-file>

5- Copy the encrypted content from the not-damaged SDLXLIFF file to the damaged SDLXLIFF file. Save the changes in the damaged SDLXLIFF file.

6- Now re-create a WSXZ package by selecting all files and folders inside the folder extracted from the WSXZ package, creating a ZIP file with 7-Zip and then renaming the ZIP file to *.WSXZ

7- Open the WSXZ package from step 7 in Trados Studio and open the sdlxliff file belonging to the WorldServer (Studio) project created after opening the WSXZ package. It should open without issues. 

8- Check that the file is fully translated and try to create a target file (File/Save target as...). If you can create a target file without errors, the problem is fixed.

9- Create a WorldServer Return package and upload it/import it. The import should be successful.

10- Complete the Autoerror. The Save operation will be successful and the Task will move to the next step.

 

If you look at the Task History, you will notice that while there is a record of an export in WSXZ format, there is no record of a successful import of a Return package during the previous human step (i.e. the "Translate" step) and that the Task has been completed anyway. Here is an example of such entries in the Task History:

2/16/24, 2:57 PM Translator 1 Assets exported Exported asset(s) to WSXZ
3/4/24, 9:14 AM Translator 1 Step completed Completed Translate step of task 6 in time [402:17:08] with result Translation Completed.

Since there is no record of a successful import of a Return package. this means that the error that you see now in WorldServer already happened during the import of the Return package, but it was ignored by the translator who completed the task anyway. The error comes from a corruption of the bilingual SDLXLIFF file included in the imported Return package, corresponding to the task currently in Autoerror. Somehow the file got corrupted outside of WorldServer. Due to the import, the error has been transferred to WorldServer.

A translator can prevent this issue from happening by always generating target files in Trados Studio before creating and uploading a Return package to WorldServer. If a file cannot be generated as target, that file should be fixed. Until it is fixed and the target file can be created without errors in Trados Studio, it should not be included in the Return package and uploaded to WorldServer.

Relevant article:

WorldServer: WorldServer (WSXZ) package cannot be opened because one the sdlxliff files is empty and has 0 KB file size - 'Root element is missing' error