Drawing Objects¶

Discover the intended worksheet objects before updating or deleting them. Names belong to a worksheet, not the whole workbook. Use current CLI help or MCP tool descriptions for supported object settings and inputs.

Drawing layout¶

Alignment and distribution use the selected objects' extent, not the page or whole worksheet. Leave unselected objects alone, and keep enough space for labels, tables, and charts.

Grouping, ungrouping, and duplication can change native names and membership. Excel can flatten groups when regrouping. Inspect returned names, members, positions, and stacking order instead of assuming the old hierarchy survived.

Geometry uses points. Cell widths and heights vary, so do not assume a fixed conversion between cells and object coordinates.

Drawing layout rejects protected drawing objects, charts, ActiveX/OLE, and unknown types. Use chart guidance for charts. Duplication does not copy macro-bound objects or group members as a workaround.

Rejected input¶

Malformed font_color, fill_color, or line_color values (CLI: --font-color, --fill-color, --line-color) are rejected before objects are created or changed. Invalid sparkline colors do not change existing sources, types, or markers or leave newly created groups behind.

For update-object, linked_cell and input_range (CLI: --linked-cell and --input-range) on a non-Forms object are rejected before changing its name, position, text, or formatting. This input validation is not a general rollback guarantee for failures while Excel applies valid settings.

Bindings unsupported by a Forms-control subtype are also rejected before add-form-control creates an object or update-object changes it.

Safe Forms controls¶

Choose a supported Forms control only when the task needs worksheet interaction. Some controls can link to a cell or list range; others cannot. Inspect actual bindings instead of assuming the control has written its intended value.

ActiveX/OLE and macro assignment are intentionally unavailable. Do not bypass that boundary through VBA.

Sparklines¶

Keep source data and destination cells aligned. Sparklines show compact trends, not a replacement for labeled charts when units or comparisons need explanation. Preserve neighboring content when choosing their locations, and inspect the result after source or layout changes.