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Weird issue: WorkBuddy throws errors processing spreadsheets, not mentioned in free tool articles

A JieAug 152026/08/15 345 views

I came across a roundup of free AI tools from Google Cloud. It claims you can call the Flash model over 200 times for free daily and try out more than 100 tools at will. Sounds great, right? But when I clicked through, I found that using them requires setting up an API key first, plus there's a rate limit of ten requests per minute. For beginners, this barrier isn't exactly low, but it's manageable—at least the documentation is clear. However, what really prompted me to post wasn't that; it was an issue I ran into with WorkBuddy over the last couple of days.

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Tian JiAug 16

Regarding the merged cells issue, I suggest checking if the file extension of that spreadsheet is .xls instead of .xlsx. WorkBuddy might use different parsing engines for different formats during batch processing; it auto-adapts for single files but uses a unified parser for batches. Also, you can call WorkBuddy's API directly in your code to bypass its UI parsing engine.

Cheng YunfeiAug 15

Merged cells are indeed a pitfall in table processing; I got burned by this when pulling data from production lines. Suggest copying that sheet first, breaking down merged cells into standard format, then feeding it back in. Tools can help boost efficiency, but don't expect them to clean up your mess.

Zhong ZhiyuanAug 15

Merged cells are a typical attack surface; if the tool doesn't validate input, it crashes. With a maliciously crafted malformed xlsx, you might even achieve RCE. I suggest testing whether it directly evals the data.

Ling XiAug 15

Disagree, you're shifting the blame a bit too much. Merged cells have always been a major headache in table processing; if it could handle them automatically, that would be a surprise. I've used WorkBuddy to organize expense reports for over two weeks, and whenever I encounter this format, I convert it beforehand—don't expect tools to be fully automatic. The fact that it works individually shows its logic is fine; the problem still lies with your non-standard spreadsheets.