ISSUE WITH THE form_id VARIABLE IN KOBO

Support
1

I am a kobo collect user and it is a tool that helps me a lot in collecting, processing and analyzing data. However since I use the new version there are tasks that I can no longer do to download data using ODkBriefcase production based on an sql server query. The constant is that the form_id variable is no longer accessible to allow me to execute the query so when my query is executed I receive an error message saying that the “Form ID doesn’t exist”.

I noticed when I develop a form using xlsform in the settings part the form_id variable is changed to id_string when I load and deploy the form on the kobo server.
So I don’t know if in the new version the form_id variable has been removed or not and if so what variable is the equivalent of form_id that we must use to download the data using the query below that I use in previous versions to download data from ODKBriefcase production.
Here is the query that I have always used but which no longer works with the new version of kobo collect :
Exec xp_cmdshell ‘java -jar D:\ODK\ODKBriefcaseProduction.jar -id name_of_form_id -sd D:\ODK -url https://koboserver -u username -p password’

The above query allowed me to download the data in the xml file.

2

dear @Jles001

Support questions about Kobo should go to the Kobo team at http://help.kobotoolbox.org

Please as well be aware about Briefcase is no longer being updated

3

In Kobo Forum, they said me to ask this question in the ODK forum because kobo is not involved in the development of Collect or Briefcase.

4

Syntax looks ok.

Briefcase has not been updated since Nov 2020, so this is more of a formalization of what has already happened. Effective immediately, the core team will no longer fix bugs, add features, review PRs, improve documentation, release new versions, or answer support questions about Briefcase.

1 Like
5

@Jles001, what specifically are you doing with Briefcase that you can't do via KoBo's user interface or API?

6

I just want to use this query " Exec xp_cmdshell ‘java -jar D:\ODK\ODKBriefcaseProduction.jar -id name_of_form_id -sd D:\ODK -url https://koboserver -u username -p password’ " to download data from kobo server using ODKBriefcase production. My query above worked fine but after the Kobo update the form_id variable is no longer accessible. If the xlsform form or the xlsform file is deployed on the kobo server the form_id variable is converted to id_string. But according to what I noticed ODKBriefcase uses the id variable (form_id) to download the data as an xml file. Since I have automated my tools, I need to download the data in xml format.
In any case before the update of Kobo at least the last version my query worked without problem.

7

If the only thing that has changed is KoBo, then it's likely the issue is with KoBo.

8

Yes I think that also but I don't know what to do now because I need to download data in xml format

9

Sorry @Jles001,

but as it is likely the issue is with KoBo and as mentioned before that Briefcase is no longer being updated, you need to go back on KoBo forum to look for help.