iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI · error · ArgumentException

series must be added to a chart parent: /SheetName/chart[N]

Error message

series must be added to a chart parent: /SheetName/chart[N]

What it means

Thrown by AddChartSeries when the parentPath does not match the required chart-parent pattern /SheetName/chart[N]. The regex ^/([^/]+)/chart\[(\d+)\]$ requires a leading slash, a sheet name, the literal 'chart[', a 1-based index, and a closing bracket. This guards against appending a series to a non-chart or a malformed path.

Source

Thrown at src/officecli/Handlers/Excel/ExcelHandler.Add.Chart.cs:378

        drawingsPart.WorksheetDrawing.Append(anchor);
        drawingsPart.WorksheetDrawing.Save();

        // Legend is already handled inside BuildChartSpace

        var chartIdx = CountExcelCharts(drawingsPart);
        return $"/{chartSheetName}/chart[{chartIdx}]";
    }

    // BUG-002: `add /SheetName/chart[N] --type chart-series` — append a data
    // series to an existing chart. Mirrors PowerPointHandler.AddChartSeries
    // (R22-1); additionally resolves xlsx cell-range values/categories into
    // numRef/strRef + cached snapshot, matching what chart Add emits for
    // 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).

View on GitHub (pinned to 1ced45e900)

Solutions

1. Use the exact format /SheetName/chart[N] where N is the 1-based chart index, e.g. /Sheet1/chart[1].
2. First run a list/get to find the correct chart index for the target sheet.
3. If the parent is not a chart, remove --type chart-series and use the appropriate element type.
4. Ensure the leading slash and square brackets are present.

Example fix

// before
add /Sheet1/chart1 --type chart-series --data "S2:5,6,7"
// after
add /Sheet1/chart[1] --type chart-series --data "S2:5,6,7"

// Validate chart-series parent path format before calling AddChartSeries
var pathRegex = new System.Text.RegularExpressions.Regex(@"^/([^/]+)/chart\[(\d+)\]$");
if (!pathRegex.IsMatch(parentPath))
    throw new InvalidOperationException(
        $"Invalid chart-series parent path '{parentPath}'. Expected /SheetName/chart[N].");

static bool IsChartSeriesParentPath(string path) =>
    System.Text.RegularExpressions.Regex.IsMatch(path, @"^/([^/]+)/chart\[(\d+)\]$");

try { handler.AddChartSeries(parentPath, properties); }
catch (ArgumentException ex) when (ex.Message.Contains("series must be added to a chart parent"))
{
    Console.Error.WriteLine($"{ex.Message} Correct format: /SheetName/chart[N]");
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling add with --type chart-series on a parentPath like '/Sheet1', '/Sheet1/chart', '/Sheet1/chart1', '/Sheet1/shape[1]', or 'Sheet1/chart[1]' (missing leading slash). Only the exact pattern /<sheet>/chart[<number>] is accepted.

Common situations: User confuses the chart-series add path with a top-level add path. User writes chart index without brackets (chart1 instead of chart[1]). User targets a shape or picture path by mistake.

Related errors

• dataRange resolved to 0 series columns: a single-column rang
• Chart requires a 'data' property. Use: data="Series1:1,2,3;S
• Sheet not found: {sheetName}
• Sheet has no drawings/charts
• Chart {chartIdx} not found (total: {excelCharts.Count})

AI-assisted analysis of iOfficeAI/OfficeCLI@1ced45e900 (2026-08-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/ad7d06da46b1eb73. Report an issue: GitHub.