xlswrite fails to write an excel file when a Matlab process is ran from Jenkins.

We have a series of tests here that puts their results into an excel spreadsheet. We have been running these test for a few years by hand inside of a Matlab interactive session. I have been brought in to automate the process and I have set up jenkins and configured a jenkins job to run the matlab session on a local test server.

1) I can log into the system start up a matlab session and the tests will run fine and the excel spreadsheets get created correctly.

2) The jenkins client process on the test server is running as a service using my name and password.

3) When running under Jenkins the same set of tests will fail withe the following exception:

 pre-formated

Error using xlswrite (line 220)
Invoke Error, Dispatch Exception: 
Source: Microsoft Excel
Description: SaveAs method of Workbook class failed
Help File: xlmain11.chm
Help Context ID: 0

I debug the code and it appears that the Excel datatype is getting created and then a empty workbook is added. Then when the saveas is done it fails. If anyone has any ideas on what is going on, I appreciate it.

MATLAB Version: 8.1.0.604 (R2013a)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Version 6.1 (Build 7601: Service Pack 1)
Java Version: Java 1.6.0_17-b04 with Sun Microsystems Inc. Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM mixed mode
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MATLAB                                                Version 8.1        (R2013a)
Embedded Coder                                        Version 6.4        (R2013a)
MATLAB Coder                                          Version 2.4        (R2013a)
MATLAB comment stripping toolbox                      Version 1.0                
Signal Processing Toolbox                             Version 6.19       (R2013a)
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[Walter Roberson]

Is it possible that the jenkins job is in a different directory than you expect and you have not given a full path for the file to save?

[Joe Davis]

The path to the excel file is a full path and is stored on the network. I also went into the xlswrite routine itself and hardcoded it to always use c:\temp\joe.xls and got the same issue.

Answer 1

[Sam Oliver]

I was running into the same issue and fixed it with the following solution. The automatic process that launches MATLAB from Jenkins calls Excel when using xlswrite. It uses a Windows system user account to launch the process and Excel is looking for the 'Desktop' directory within this system account.

For x64 processes create the following folder:

C:\Windows\SysWOW64\config\systemprofile\Desktop

For x86 processes create the following folder:

C:\Windows\System32\config\systemprofile\Desktop

[Greg]

Thanks! I was having the same problem and this fixed it. I spent hours trying to figure it out.

[shradha bhat]

I have created the desktop folder and still i am not able to edit the excel file using Matlab script in Jenkins, Is there any other solution?