iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI · error · CliException

invalid_render

invalid_render

Error message

Invalid --render value: {renderMode}. Valid: auto, native, html

What it means

The --render flag for 'view' screenshot mode accepts exactly auto, native, or html. 'auto' picks native on Windows-with-Word/PowerPoint and html elsewhere; 'native' forces OS-native (errors if unavailable); 'html' forces the browser path. Any other value is rejected with the valid set surfaced.

Source

Thrown at src/officecli/CommandBuilder.View.cs:81

            var maxLines = result.GetValue(maxLinesOpt);
            var issueType = IssueSubtypes.Validate(result.GetValue(issueTypeOpt));
            var limit = result.GetValue(limitOpt);
            var colsStr = result.GetValue(colsOpt);
            var pageFilter = result.GetValue(pageOpt);
            var browser = result.GetValue(browserOpt);
            var outArg = result.GetValue(outOpt);
            var clipArg = result.GetValue(clipOpt);
            var screenshotWidth = result.GetValue(screenshotWidthOpt);
            var screenshotHeight = result.GetValue(screenshotHeightOpt);
            // --grid has three states: absent → off (0), present with no value
            // (bare --grid) → auto (-1), present with a value → parse it.
            var gridResult = result.GetResult(gridOpt);
            var gridCols = gridResult is null ? 0
                : gridResult.Tokens.Count == 0 ? -1
                : ParseGridSpec(gridResult.Tokens[0].Value);
            var renderMode = (result.GetValue(renderOpt) ?? "auto").ToLowerInvariant();
            if (renderMode is not ("auto" or "native" or "html"))
                throw new OfficeCli.Core.CliException($"Invalid --render value: {renderMode}. Valid: auto, native, html") { Code = "invalid_render", ValidValues = ["auto", "native", "html"] };
            var withPages = result.GetValue(withPagesOpt);

            // pdf mode runs entirely through an exporter plugin (no handler
            // open, no resident hop — the plugin gets a snapshot of the
            // source and writes the PDF). Handled before TryResident
            // because exporter invocation needs the file lock released, and
            // ExporterInvoker closes the resident itself when present.
            if (mode.ToLowerInvariant() is "pdf")
            {
                var pdfPath = outArg ?? Path.ChangeExtension(file.FullName, "pdf");
                var exp = OfficeCli.Core.Plugins.ExporterInvoker.Run(file.FullName, ".pdf", pdfPath);
                if (json)
                {
                    Console.WriteLine(OutputFormatter.WrapEnvelopeText(exp.OutputPath));
                }
                else
                {
                    Console.WriteLine(Path.GetFullPath(exp.OutputPath));

View on GitHub (pinned to 1ced45e900)

Solutions

1. Use --render auto (let it choose), native, or html.
2. Omit --render entirely — auto is the default.

Example fix

// before
officecli view deck.pptx screenshot --render canvas
// after
officecli view deck.pptx screenshot --render html

static readonly HashSet<string> RenderModes = new(StringComparer.OrdinalIgnoreCase) { "auto", "native", "html" };
if (!RenderModes.Contains(renderMode))
    throw new ArgumentException($"--render must be one of: {string.Join(", ", RenderModes)}.");

static bool IsValidRenderMode(string? r) =>
    r is null || r.ToLowerInvariant() is "auto" or "native" or "html";

When it happens

Trigger: 'officecli view deck.pptx screenshot --render canvas' or any --render value outside {auto, native, html}.

Common situations: Typo; guessing a render backend name; passing 'pdf' or 'svg' (those are separate view modes, not render backends).

Related errors

• invalid_value
• unsupported_type
• native_unavailable
• range_target_not_found
• no_screenshot_backend

AI-assisted analysis of iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI@1ced45e900 (2026-08-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/bcaa885eda29ce7f. Report an issue: GitHub.