Possible DR relating to chart titles

[Charlie Clark]

Am .02.2019, 01:22 Uhr, schrieb Francis Cave <francis at franciscave.com>:

> The chart in the sample spreadsheet is schema-valid.
>
> If the spreadsheet is opened and the chart style is changed before  
> attempting to save the file, Excel reports a problem.
>
> If the spreadsheet is opened and saved without making a change, then  
> re-opened and then the chart style is changed before attempting to save  
> the file, Excel is happy. This implies that Excel silently fixes the  
> problem on save, provided no change has been made to the file.
>
> If the chart part is edited manually (using a package editor) to add  
> <a:pPr>...</a:pPr> as Charlie states below, this time the spreadsheet  
> can be opened, the chart style changed, and saved without complaint from  
> Excel.
>
> This is probably a bug in Excel and I don't see any evidence of a defect  
> in the file format. On that basis, it probably isn't worth logging a DR,  
> but it sounds as if an implementer note would be helpful to explain what  
> further constraints Excel places on chart representations.

Hi Francis,

thanks for reviewing this. I agree that this is a bug in MS Excel.  
However, having reviewed the current specification with regard to  
paragraph formatting, I don't think that an implementer note would be  
helpful. The specification explicitly states that the default paragraph  
style can be left undefined.

"""
21.1.2.2.2 defPPr (Default Paragraph Style)

This element specifies the paragraph properties that are to be applied  
when no other paragraph properties have been specified. If this attribute  
is omitted, then it is left to the application to decide the set of  
default paragraph properties that should be applied.
"""

This makes sense when man considers that there are virtually no default  
values for the child objects. I think it would be opening a real can of  
worms by suggesting that the default style is required but that it doesn't  
have any default settings.

So, no DR required for the specification and, while I've made a change to  
my library in the interests of interoperability, I'd really like to see  
this bug in MS Excel fixed, at some point.

Charlie
-- 
Charlie Clark
Managing Director
Clark Consulting & Research
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