PHPOffice/PhpSpreadsheet · error · SpreadsheetException

Invalid datatype: $dataType

Error message

Invalid datatype: $dataType

What it means

setValueExplicit() switches on the datatype string and only accepts the DataType constants: 's'/'str' (string), 'f' (formula), 'n' (numeric), 'b' (bool), 'null', 'inlineStr', 'e' (error), 'd' (ISO date), 'drawingCell'. Any other string reaches the default arm and throws, echoing the offending value. There is no dynamic type registration - the set is closed.

Source

Thrown at src/PhpSpreadsheet/Cell/Cell.php:361

            case DataType::TYPE_ISO_DATE:
                $this->value = SharedDate::convertIsoDate($value);
                $dataType = DataType::TYPE_NUMERIC;

                break;
            case DataType::TYPE_DRAWING_IN_CELL:
                if ($value instanceof BaseDrawing) {
                    $this->value = $value;
                } else {
                    throw new SpreadsheetException('Item is not a drawing');
                }

                break;
            case DataType::TYPE_ERROR:
                $this->value = DataType::checkErrorCode($value);

                break;
            default:
                throw new SpreadsheetException('Invalid datatype: ' . $dataType);
        }

        // set the datatype
        $this->dataType = $dataType;

        $this->updateInCollection();
        $cellCoordinate = $this->getCoordinate();
        self::updateIfCellIsTableHeader($this->getParent()?->getParent(), $this, $oldValue, $value);
        $worksheet = $this->getWorksheet();
        $spreadsheet = $worksheet->getParent();
        if (isset($spreadsheet) && $spreadsheet->getIndex($worksheet, true) >= 0) {
            $originalSelected = $worksheet->getSelectedCells();
            $activeSheetIndex = $spreadsheet->getActiveSheetIndex();
            $style = $this->getStyle();
            $oldQuotePrefix = $style->getQuotePrefix();
            if ($oldQuotePrefix !== $quotePrefix) {
                $style->setQuotePrefix($quotePrefix);
            }

View on GitHub (pinned to 65b080eef4)

Solutions

1. Always pass DataType::TYPE_* constants, never literals
2. Use DataType::TYPE_NUMERIC for all numbers (there is no separate integer/float type) and DataType::TYPE_STRING for text
3. Whitelist config-provided types by mapping them to the constants in one place

Example fix

// before
$cell->setValueExplicit($value, 'integer'); // throws: Invalid datatype: integer

// after
$cell->setValueExplicit((int) $value, DataType::TYPE_NUMERIC);

$allowed = [
    DataType::TYPE_STRING, DataType::TYPE_STRING2, DataType::TYPE_FORMULA,
    DataType::TYPE_NUMERIC, DataType::TYPE_BOOL, DataType::TYPE_NULL,
    DataType::TYPE_INLINE, DataType::TYPE_ERROR, DataType::TYPE_ISO_DATE,
    DataType::TYPE_DRAWING_IN_CELL,
];
if (!in_array($dataType, $allowed, true)) {
    throw new InvalidArgumentException("Unsupported datatype: $dataType");
}
$cell->setValueExplicit($value, $dataType);

function isValidDataType(string $type): bool
{
    return in_array($type, [
        DataType::TYPE_STRING, DataType::TYPE_STRING2, DataType::TYPE_FORMULA,
        DataType::TYPE_NUMERIC, DataType::TYPE_BOOL, DataType::TYPE_NULL,
        DataType::TYPE_INLINE, DataType::TYPE_ERROR, DataType::TYPE_ISO_DATE,
        DataType::TYPE_DRAWING_IN_CELL,
    ], true);
}

null

When it happens

Trigger: Hand-written type strings like 'integer', 'float', 'text', or wrong-cased 'N'/'String'; constants copied from PHPExcel-era code (e.g. 'TYPE_NUMERIC' instead of DataType::TYPE_NUMERIC); types concatenated from user config.

Common situations: Migrating old PHPExcel projects; config-driven writers where the type comes from a YAML/DB column instead of code; examples found online targeting a different spreadsheet library.

Related errors

• Invalid numeric value for datatype Numeric
• Item is not a drawing
• Invalid value $calculateDateTimeType for calculated date tim
• Unknown trend type {$trendType}
• Conditional is not a Cell Value CF Rule conditional

AI-assisted analysis of PHPOffice/PhpSpreadsheet@65b080eef4 (2026-08-17). Data as JSON: /api/errors/312a543902a165a0. Report an issue: GitHub.