iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI · error · ArgumentException

Invalid '{propertyName}' value '{value}'. Expected a non-neg

Error message

Invalid '{propertyName}' value '{value}'. Expected a non-negative integer.

What it means

Thrown by ParseHelpers.SafeParseUint when the value is not a valid non-negative uint (culture-invariant parse). Rejects negatives, non-integers, decimals, locale grouping, and any non-numeric text. Used for properties that must be whole non-negative counts: Excel rotation/indent/zoom/paperSize/padding/width and calc.iterateCount.

Source

Thrown at src/officecli/Core/ParseHelpers.cs:532

    /// (e.g. 99999° wraps to a garbage 1.7e9 angle that real Excel refuses
    /// with 0x800A03EC). Reducing modulo 360 first keeps the value in the
    /// spec range [0, 21600000) — geometrically identical, overflow-proof,
    /// and always producing a file Excel accepts. Shared by the shape and
    /// chart gradient builders so their angle handling stays consistent.
    /// </summary>
    public static int GradientAngleToOoxmlUnits(int degrees)
    {
        var normalized = ((degrees % 360) + 360) % 360;
        return normalized * 60000;
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Safely parse a string as uint, throwing ArgumentException with a clear message on failure.
    /// </summary>
    public static uint SafeParseUint(string value, string propertyName)
    {
        if (!uint.TryParse(value, CultureInfo.InvariantCulture, out var result))
            throw new ArgumentException($"Invalid '{propertyName}' value '{value}'. Expected a non-negative integer.");
        return result;
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Safely parse a string as byte, throwing ArgumentException with a clear message on failure.
    /// </summary>
    public static byte SafeParseByte(string value, string propertyName)
    {
        if (!byte.TryParse(value, CultureInfo.InvariantCulture, out var result))
            throw new ArgumentException($"Invalid '{propertyName}' value '{value}'. Expected an integer (0-255).");
        return result;
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Normalize a hex color string to 8-char ARGB format (e.g. "FFFF0000").
    /// Accepts: "FF0000" (6-char RGB → prepend FF), "#FF0000" (strip #), "F00" (3-char → expand),
    /// "80FF0000" (8-char ARGB → as-is). Always returns uppercase.
    /// </summary>

View on GitHub (pinned to 1ced45e900)

Solutions

Supply a whole, non-negative integer with no units, e.g. zoom="120".
Strip '%' or other suffixes before the value reaches the parser (zoom paths expect a plain int).
For Excel text rotation use 0-180; negative or >180 are invalid here (this is the Excel uint rotation, distinct from PPT degrees).

Example fix

// before
zoom="120%"
// after
zoom="120"

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

static bool IsNonNegativeInt(string value)
    => uint.TryParse(value, System.Globalization.CultureInfo.InvariantCulture, out _);

Prevention

Pass whole non-negative integers with no units for uint fields.
Strip '%' and other suffixes before the value reaches the parser.
Handle special tokens like 'auto' on width/padding BEFORE calling SafeParseUint.

When it happens

Trigger: Passing a negative number, a decimal ('1.5'), a percent/unit suffix, or text to any uint property: rotation, indent, zoom, paperSize, padding, width, calc.iterateCount.

Common situations: Passing 'auto' to a width/padding field whose caller did not pre-handle it (some width paths special-case 'auto' before calling SafeParseUint); passing '-10' for indent/rotation; passing '120%' for zoom with '%' still attached; passing a decimal font/size value where a uint is required.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI@1ced45e900 (2026-08-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/bbe46c790c65c75b. Report an issue: GitHub.