# failure to read xdmf files generated by Fenics
**URL:** https://discourse.paraview.org/t/failure-to-read-xdmf-files-generated-by-fenics/4928
**Category:** ParaView Support
**Tags:** vtk
**Created:** [July 23, 2020, 12:07am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/failure-to-read-xdmf-files-generated-by-fenics/4928 "2020-07-23T00:07:32Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@azerad](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/azerad)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2020, 12:07am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/failure-to-read-xdmf-files-generated-by-fenics/4928/1 "2020-07-23T00:07:32Z")
I am using Paraview-5.8.1-RC2 with a MacOS Mojave 10.14.5 with 16Gb Ram
I get errors message (see below) when I open the attached xdmf file (generated by Fenics). [velocity.xdmf](https://discourse.paraview.org/uploads/short-url/oKZ10vhWtHMu0ULot1G2zVdEiT1.xdmf) (24.1 KB)
The velocity.h5 companion file is present in the same directory. It is 9Mo so I don’t include it here. I can provide a link if necessary.
I tried to open the file with Paraview-5.8.0 and Paraview-5.6.2 and got the same issue.
I could not find an answer in the posts about xdmf.
Any help appreciated.
ERROR: In /Users/kitware/dashboards/buildbot-slave/88b2a88f/build/superbuild/paraview/src/VTK/IO/Xdmf2/vtkXdmfReader.cxx, line 476
vtkXdmfReader (0x7fbb45582580): Failed to read data.
ERROR: In /Users/kitware/dashboards/buildbot-slave/88b2a88f/build/superbuild/paraview/src/VTK/Common/ExecutionModel/vtkExecutive.cxx, line 753
vtkPVCompositeDataPipeline (0x600002298a80): Algorithm vtkFileSeriesReader(0x60000266cf00) returned failure for request: vtkInformation (0x60000059b780)
Debug: Off
Modified Time: 330481
Reference Count: 1
Registered Events: (none)
Request: REQUEST\_DATA
FROM\_OUTPUT\_PORT: 0
ALGORITHM\_AFTER\_FORWARD: 1
FORWARD\_DIRECTION: 0
---
### Author:  [@Dave\_DeMarle](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/Dave_DeMarle)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2020, 12:16am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/failure-to-read-xdmf-files-generated-by-fenics/4928/2 "2020-07-23T00:16:08Z")
Use the XDMF3 reader option.
---
### Author:  [@azerad](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/azerad)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2020, 12:28am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/failure-to-read-xdmf-files-generated-by-fenics/4928/3 "2020-07-23T00:28:42Z")
I can choose between XDMF Reader or xdmf3ReaderS or xdfmf3ReaderT.
But the last two make Paraview crash. So I can only open with XDMF Reader and I still have the same problem.
---
### Author:  [@azerad](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/azerad)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2020, 8:28am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/failure-to-read-xdmf-files-generated-by-fenics/4928/4 "2020-07-23T08:28:51Z")
Seems I didn’t generate the xdmf file correctly.
I did it in python with the following commands:
# First I create the file before my time loop
xdmffile\_u = XDMFFile(‘velocity.xdmf’)
# then I save the time values within the time loop to file (XDMF/HDF5)
```
xdmffile_u.write(u, t)
```
Thanks to [https://fenicsproject.discourse.group/t/loading-xdmf-file-in-paraview/2291](https://fenicsproject.discourse.group/t/loading-xdmf-file-in-paraview/2291)
# I solved the issue inserting the command
**xdmffile\_u.parameters[“flush\_output”] = True**
just after the file creation:
xdmffile\_u = XDMFFile(‘velocity.xdmf’)
xdmffile\_u.parameters[“flush\_output”] = True
Now all three xdmf readers work correctly. No need to use xdfm3 btw.
---
### Author:  [@DAnny03](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/DAnny03)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2022, 7:25pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/failure-to-read-xdmf-files-generated-by-fenics/4928/5 "2022-01-31T19:25:52Z")
Could you go through step by step on how to use this command. I’m currently extracting an xdmf file from a fenicsproject machine and I desperately need help on this topic. If you could please go through step by step on how to make this work that would be great.