iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI · error · ArgumentException

'import' command requires 'text' field with the CSV/TSV cont

Error message

'import' command requires 'text' field with the CSV/TSV content.

What it means

Thrown by ExecuteBatchItem for a batch "import" step that has a parent but a null "text" field. The CSV/TSV payload rides the text field. Note this check is `item.Text == null`, so an EMPTY string ("") does NOT trigger it — only a missing text field does. This is a deliberate asymmetry from the parent/path checks which use IsNullOrEmpty.

Source

Thrown at src/officecli/CommandBuilder.cs:1116

                    }
                    return addMsg;
                }
            }
            case "import":
            {
                // CSV/TSV bulk import — batch counterpart of the standalone
                // `officecli import` command (CommandBuilder.Import.cs). The
                // CSV content rides the item's `text` field; `parent` is the
                // sheet path. This is the value-baseline carrier for
                // `dump --format batch` on .xlsx (ExcelBatchEmitter).
                if (handler is not OfficeCli.Handlers.ExcelHandler importXl)
                    throw new CliException("'import' batch command is only supported for .xlsx files")
                        { Code = "unsupported_type" };
                var importParent = item.Parent ?? item.Path;
                if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(importParent))
                    throw new ArgumentException("'import' command requires 'parent' field (sheet path). Example: {\"command\": \"import\", \"parent\": \"/Sheet1\", \"text\": \"a,b\\n1,2\"}");
                if (item.Text == null)
                    throw new ArgumentException("'import' command requires 'text' field with the CSV/TSV content.");
                // CONSISTENCY(import-vocabulary): props mirror the standalone
                // command's options — format=csv|tsv, header, start-cell.
                char importDelim = ',';
                if (props.TryGetValue("format", out var importFmt) && !string.IsNullOrEmpty(importFmt))
                {
                    importDelim = importFmt.ToLowerInvariant() switch
                    {
                        "tsv" => '\t',
                        "csv" => ',',
                        _ => throw new CliException($"Unknown format: {importFmt}. Use 'csv' or 'tsv'")
                            { Code = "invalid_value", ValidValues = ["csv", "tsv"] },
                    };
                }
                var importHeader = props.TryGetValue("header", out var importHdr)
                    && OfficeCli.Core.ParseHelpers.IsTruthy(importHdr);
                var importStart = props.TryGetValue("start-cell", out var importSc) && !string.IsNullOrEmpty(importSc)
                    ? importSc
                    : props.TryGetValue("startcell", out var importSc2) && !string.IsNullOrEmpty(importSc2)

View on GitHub (pinned to 1ced45e900)

Solutions

1. Add the text field with the CSV/TSV content: {"command":"import","parent":"/Sheet1","text":"a,b\n1,2"}.
2. Ensure the CSV source produces a non-null string (coalesce null to "" if an empty import is intended).
3. Validate every import step has a non-null text field before submission.
4. Check for misspelled field names (must be exactly "text").

Example fix

// before
{"command":"import","parent":"/Sheet1"}
// after
{"command":"import","parent":"/Sheet1","text":"a,b\n1,2"}

// Note: only null is rejected here — empty string "" is accepted.
if (item.Text == null)
    throw new ArgumentException("'import' requires a non-null 'text' field");
// if an empty import is unintended, also guard empty:
if ((item.Text ?? "").Length == 0) throw new ArgumentException("'import' text is empty");

static bool IsValidImportItem(BatchItem i)
    => !string.IsNullOrEmpty(i.Parent ?? i.Path) && i.Text != null;

When it happens

Trigger: {"command":"import","parent":"/Sheet1"} (no text); an import step where the text field was omitted; a generator whose CSV source returned null; a field misspelled as "txt".

Common situations: Forgotten text field; a CSV read that returned null on error; field misspelling; conditional logic that left text unset; an LLM-generated batch that omitted the payload.

Related errors

• unsupported_type
• 'import' command requires 'parent' field (sheet path). Examp
• invalid_input
• Path not found: {path}
• 'query' command requires 'selector' field. Example: {"comman

AI-assisted analysis of iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI@1ced45e900 (2026-08-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/05092b479e510feb. Report an issue: GitHub.