iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI · error · ArgumentException

Chart at {parentPath} is not a standard chart (extended cx c

Error message

Chart at {parentPath} is not a standard chart (extended cx charts do not support add series).

What it means

Thrown by AddChartSeries when the target chart is an extended (cx) chart rather than a standard OOXML chart. Extended chart types (funnel, treemap, sunburst, histogram, boxWhisker, etc.) are backed by ChartExPart, which has a different XML structure (cx:nvChartSpace) and does not support the AddSeries operation. The check is chartInfo.StandardPart == null.

Source

Thrown at src/officecli/Handlers/Excel/ExcelHandler.Add.Chart.cs:391

    // range-referenced series (CONSISTENCY(chart-series-rangeref-cache)).
    private string AddChartSeries(string parentPath, Dictionary<string, string> properties)
    {
        var m = Regex.Match(parentPath, @"^/([^/]+)/chart\[(\d+)\]$");
        if (!m.Success)
            throw new ArgumentException(
                "series must be added to a chart parent: /SheetName/chart[N]");
        var sheetName = m.Groups[1].Value;
        var chartIdx = int.Parse(m.Groups[2].Value);
        var worksheet = FindWorksheet(sheetName)
            ?? throw new ArgumentException($"Sheet not found: {sheetName}");
        var drawingsPart = worksheet.DrawingsPart
            ?? throw new ArgumentException("Sheet has no drawings/charts");
        var excelCharts = GetExcelCharts(drawingsPart);
        if (chartIdx < 1 || chartIdx > excelCharts.Count)
            throw new ArgumentException($"Chart {chartIdx} not found (total: {excelCharts.Count})");
        var chartInfo = excelCharts[chartIdx - 1];
        if (chartInfo.StandardPart == null)
            throw new ArgumentException(
                $"Chart at {parentPath} is not a standard chart (extended cx charts do not support add series).");
        var chartPart = chartInfo.StandardPart;

        // Resolve range-reference values/categories against the workbook so
        // AddSeries seeds literal data (which becomes the cached snapshot).
        // Mutate `properties` in place instead of copying: enumerating a
        // TrackingPropertyDictionary into a fresh dict marks EVERY key as
        // consumed (see TrackingPropertyDictionary.GetEnumerator), which
        // silently swallows unsupported_property reporting for unknown keys.
        // TryGetValue / indexer / Remove are the tracked access routes.
        string? valuesRef = null, categoriesRef = null;
        List<string>? cachedCats = null;
        if (properties.TryGetValue("values", out var valRaw) && ChartHelper.IsRangeReference(valRaw))
        {
            valuesRef = ChartHelper.NormalizeRangeReference(valRaw, sheetName);
            var cells = ResolveRangeToCellValues(valRaw, sheetName);
            if (cells != null)
                properties["values"] = string.Join(",", cells.Select(v =>

View on GitHub (pinned to 1ced45e900)

Solutions

Recreate the chart as a standard type (bar, line, pie, etc.) if you need to append series dynamically.
Provide all series upfront when creating an extended-type chart via data= or multiple seriesN= properties.
If you must use an extended type, delete and recreate the chart with the full series set rather than appending.

Example fix

// before (treemap is an extended chart type)
add /Sheet1/chart --type chart --chartType treemap --data "S1:1,2,3"
add /Sheet1/chart[1] --type chart-series --data "S2:5,6,7"
// after (use a standard type, or supply all series at creation)
add /Sheet1/chart --type chart --chartType bar --data "S1:1,2,3;S2:5,6,7"

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

// Check whether the chart is an extended (cx) chart before appending series
var chartInfo = charts[chartIdx - 1];
if (chartInfo.StandardPart == null)
    throw new InvalidOperationException(
        $"Chart at {parentPath} is an extended (cx) chart; AddSeries is not supported. " +
        "Recreate with all series, or use a standard chart type.");

Type guard

static bool IsStandardChart(ChartInfo info) => info.StandardPart != null;

Try / catch

try { handler.AddChartSeries(parentPath, properties); }
catch (ArgumentException ex) when (ex.Message.Contains("not a standard chart"))
{
    Console.Error.WriteLine($"{ex.Message} Recreate the chart with all series upfront.");
}

Prevention

Only use standard chart types (bar, line, pie, etc.) if you plan to append series later.
Provide all series at creation time for extended chart types (treemap, funnel, sunburst).
Check chartInfo.StandardPart != null before calling AddSeries.
Document which chart types are extended so users know the limitation.

When it happens

Trigger: Creating a chart with an extended type (e.g. chartType=treemap) and then calling add /Sheet/chart[N] --type chart-series. The chart resolves successfully (index is valid) but its StandardPart is null because it is a ChartEx.

Common situations: User creates a modern chart type (treemap, funnel, sunburst) and then tries to append series the same way as for bar/line/pie charts. The error is explicit because AddSeries only works on ChartPart (standard charts), not ChartExPart.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI@1ced45e900 (2026-08-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/8a53d19a40b3963d. Report an issue: GitHub.