# TecplotReader() causes pvpython crash (5.8.0, Windows)

**URL:** https://discourse.paraview.org/t/tecplotreader-causes-pvpython-crash-5-8-0-windows/4861
**Category:** ParaView Support
**Tags:** python
**Created:** [July 16, 2020, 4:37pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/tecplotreader-causes-pvpython-crash-5-8-0-windows/4861 "2020-07-16T16:37:07Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![jclai](https://discourse.paraview.org/user_avatar/discourse.paraview.org/jclai/32/4482_2.png) [@jclai](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/jclai)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2020, 4:37pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/tecplotreader-causes-pvpython-crash-5-8-0-windows/4861/1 "2020-07-16T16:37:07Z")

</div>

Hi, I am trying to open one .dat file using [TecplotReader()](https://kitware.github.io/paraview-docs/latest/python/paraview.simple.TecplotReader.html#paraview.simple.TecplotReader) in pvpython.

I wrote the following command:  
`reader = TecplotReader(FileNames=['<filename>.dat'])`

Every time I do this, pvpython crashes and closes. Am I using the correct syntax and is this the correct function to be used to open my file? I assumed so since when I use the stand-alone application, I open my DAT files using TECplot Reader.

I also tried to use [TecplotTableReader()](https://kitware.github.io/paraview-docs/latest/python/paraview.simple.TecplotTableReader.html#paraview.simple.TecplotTableReader) to see if this was able to open my file but I still couldn’t.

I wrote the following commands:  
`reader = TecplotTableReader(FileName=['<filename>.dat'])`  
`display = Show(reader)`

And I got this error:

( 145.907s) [main thread]vtkTecplotTableReader.c:420 ERR| vtkTecplotTableReader (00000232D06BAD50): Unable to open input fileSwimmerTest\_1\_-20Hz-0mms-p50.dat  
( 145.925s) [main thread] vtkExecutive.cxx:753 ERR| vtkPVCompositeDataPipeline (00000232D06BAE40): Algorithm vtkTecplotTableReader(00000232D06BAD50) returned failure for request: vtkInformation (00000232D0707DE0)  
Debug: Off  
Modified Time: 300999  
Reference Count: 1  
Registered Events: (none)  
Request: REQUEST\_DATA  
FORWARD\_DIRECTION: 0  
ALGORITHM\_AFTER\_FORWARD: 1  
FROM\_OUTPUT\_PORT: 0

I also tried running this code in Anaconda Prompt and it terminates my \*.py after the TecplotTableReader() function call too.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![mwestphal](https://discourse.paraview.org/user_avatar/discourse.paraview.org/mwestphal/32/17_2.png) [@mwestphal](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/mwestphal)
#### Post date: [July 17, 2020, 7:42am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/tecplotreader-causes-pvpython-crash-5-8-0-windows/4861/2 "2020-07-17T07:42:01Z")

</div>

Can you share your file ?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![jclai](https://discourse.paraview.org/user_avatar/discourse.paraview.org/jclai/32/4482_2.png) [@jclai](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/jclai)
#### Post date: [July 18, 2020, 12:42am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/tecplotreader-causes-pvpython-crash-5-8-0-windows/4861/3 "2020-07-18T00:42:56Z")

</div>

Yes, here is a [link](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OBV8WZFMrdHBNcgXNzMNQVPYyqzTAIKd/view?usp=sharing) to it since the file is pretty large.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![mwestphal](https://discourse.paraview.org/user_avatar/discourse.paraview.org/mwestphal/32/17_2.png) [@mwestphal](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/mwestphal)
#### Post date: [July 20, 2020, 8:37am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/tecplotreader-causes-pvpython-crash-5-8-0-windows/4861/4 "2020-07-20T08:37:33Z")

</div>

The following works perfectly.

```auto
r=TecplotReader(FileNames=['/home/glow/Downloads/Negative0.75Simple-100Hz-0mms-p50.dat'])
s=Show(r)
Render()

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![jclai](https://discourse.paraview.org/user_avatar/discourse.paraview.org/jclai/32/4482_2.png) [@jclai](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/jclai)
#### Post date: [July 20, 2020, 5:46pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/tecplotreader-causes-pvpython-crash-5-8-0-windows/4861/5 "2020-07-20T17:46:01Z")

</div>

Thank you for the quick response! I didn’t realize I still had to include the file address if the folder was included in my Path variable.