iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI · error · ArgumentException

Invalid {field} '{value}': row '{cm.Groups[2].Value}' is out

Error message

Invalid {field} '{value}': row '{cm.Groups[2].Value}' is outside Excel's grid (1..1048576).

What it means

Thrown by ValidateSqref when a shape-valid token has a row component outside Excel's grid (must be 1..1048576). Real Excel refuses files with out-of-grid sqref (0x800A03EC), so the library bounds-checks every row component after the shape check.

Source

Thrown at src/officecli/Handlers/Excel/ExcelHandler.Helpers.Validation.cs:68

        // rejects. Bounds-check every cell/row/column component.
        foreach (var tok in trimmed.Split(' ', StringSplitOptions.RemoveEmptyEntries))
        {
            foreach (System.Text.RegularExpressions.Match cm in
                System.Text.RegularExpressions.Regex.Matches(tok, @"\$?([A-Z]+)?\$?([0-9]+)?",
                    System.Text.RegularExpressions.RegexOptions.IgnoreCase))
            {
                if (cm.Length == 0) continue;
                if (cm.Groups[1].Success && cm.Groups[1].Value.Length > 0)
                {
                    var colIdx = ColumnNameToIndex(cm.Groups[1].Value.ToUpperInvariant());
                    if (colIdx < 1 || colIdx > 16384)
                        throw new ArgumentException(
                            $"Invalid {field} '{value}': column '{cm.Groups[1].Value}' is outside Excel's grid (A..XFD).");
                }
                if (cm.Groups[2].Success && cm.Groups[2].Value.Length > 0)
                {
                    if (!long.TryParse(cm.Groups[2].Value, out var rowNum) || rowNum < 1 || rowNum > 1048576)
                        throw new ArgumentException(
                            $"Invalid {field} '{value}': row '{cm.Groups[2].Value}' is outside Excel's grid (1..1048576).");
                }
            }
        }
        // Canonicalize inverted tokens (F5:D3 → D3:F5, per axis) — merge
        // rejects them and table normalizes them, but CF/DV wrote them
        // verbatim, leaving a non-canonical sqref whose behavior in real
        // Excel is undefined. Same convention as the drawing-anchor and
        // table-range normalization.
        var normTokens = trimmed.Split(' ', StringSplitOptions.RemoveEmptyEntries)
            .Select(tok =>
            {
                var cm = System.Text.RegularExpressions.Regex.Match(tok,
                    @"^(\$?)([A-Z]+)(\$?)([0-9]+):(\$?)([A-Z]+)(\$?)([0-9]+)$",
                    System.Text.RegularExpressions.RegexOptions.IgnoreCase);
                if (cm.Success)
                {
                    var c1 = ColumnNameToIndex(cm.Groups[2].Value.ToUpperInvariant());

View on GitHub (pinned to 1ced45e900)

Solutions

1. Clamp row numbers to 1..1048576 when generating.
2. Reject row 0 explicitly — rows are 1-based.
3. Validate with the validationCode before sending.

Example fix

// before
string sqref = $"A{row}"; // row could be 0 or > 1048576
// after
long r = Math.Clamp(row, 1, 1048576);
string sqref = $"A{r}";

static bool RowInGrid(string digits)
    => long.TryParse(digits, out long r) && r >= 1 && r <= 1048576;

null

try { ValidateSqref(value, field); }
catch (ArgumentException ex) when (ex.Message.Contains("row") && ex.Message.Contains("outside Excel's grid"))
{ /* clamp the offending row to 1..1048576 and retry */ }

When it happens

Trigger: Calling a CF/DV API with sqref='A1048577' (row past the ceiling), sqref='A0' (zero is invalid), sqref='A9999999', or any token with a row number outside 1..1048576.

Common situations: Generating ranges programmatically with an unbounded row counter; user input with very large numbers; off-by-one from a loop that includes the ceiling+1.

Related errors

• Invalid {field} '{value}': column '{cm.Groups[1].Value}' is
• Invalid {field} '{value}': empty A1 range.
• Invalid {field} '{value}': expected an A1 reference (e.g. 'A
• Unknown CF type '{cfTypeRaw}'. Valid: databar, iconset, colo
• Unknown CF type '{cfTypeProp}'. Valid: databar, iconset, col

AI-assisted analysis of iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI@1ced45e900 (2026-08-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/873955817c8240c9. Report an issue: GitHub.