Evan Beasley

Oct 16, 2024, 23:50 EDT

The .csv file downloaded for attendance appears to be a .xlsx file with the tabs and formatting that entails. .csv files are simply values separated by commas and lines, but the attendance file is a lot more complicated than that with formatting - presumably so it’s easier on the eye.

Most versions of excel, when opening it, determine that it is actually a .xlsx file, prompt the user to ask if they still want to open it, and open it in that file format, but this function is actually a feature that can be turned off.

UWA’s desktop engineering team have it turned off for our enterprise managed devices as it’s a measurable security risk. it is not something we’re likely to be able to change on our end given it would expose UWA to more technological risk than we seem to have an appetite for.

I imagine from here our only recourse is to ask for a feature request for a parallel download button for .xlsx or something like that…? I’m not sure why it downloads in .csv format anyway, given it’s clearly not a typical .csv file, but I imagine there’s a reason.

I cannot even upload the file as an attachment in this instance :(