Issue with XLSB to XLSM conversion when Using structured references with Excel tables

Aspose.Cells Product Family
1

Hi @amjad.sahi,

I am using the Aspose.Cells v25.4.0 NuGet package to convert the attached IssueTemplate.xlsb file to xlsm format.
This xlsb file contains a table with a column name that includes the @ char, and this column is referenced in a formula.

The output file generated by Aspose is ConvertedUsingAspose.xlsm

Upon inspecting the worksheet in the output file ConvertedUsingAspose.xlsm\xl\worksheets\sheet1.xml, I noticed that cell B2 contains the formula: <f>Table1[[#This Row],[Col '@ 1]]</f>
However, when I use Microsoft Excel to manually convert the same XLSB file to XLSM, the formula in cell B2 appears as: <f>Table1[[#This Row],[Col @ 1]]</f>

As you can see, the Aspose-generated file includes a single quotation mark before the @ character , whereas the Excel-generated file does not. This discrepancy is causing issues in my application.

I have also attached the Excel-converted file as ReSavedUsingExcel.xlsm for comparison.

TableHeaderSpecialCharIssue.zip (20.4 KB)

According to this Microsoft documentation, Using structured references with Excel tables - Microsoft Support
this issue might not be limited to the @ char, but could also affect other special characters such as: Left bracket ([), Right bracket (]), Pound sign (#), Single quotation mark (').

This behavior does not match Excel’s output and needs to be fixed. Please do the needful to resolve this issue.

Thanks.

2

@vedavyas.velaga
By testing on the latest version v25.6 using sample files, we can reproduce the issue. After saving the xlsb file to xlsm, extra single quotes were added to the formula.

We have opened the following new ticket(s) in our internal issue tracking system and will deliver their fixes according to the terms mentioned in Free Support Policies.

Issue ID(s): CELLSNET-58620

You can obtain Paid Support Services if you need support on a priority basis, along with the direct access to our Paid Support management team.

3

Hi @John.He

Thanks for the quick response.

Upon further testing, I observed that for the other special characters I mentioned earlier
— left bracket ([), right bracket (]), pound sign (#), and single quotation mark (') —
even the Excel-converted file includes single quotes in the formula. So, that behavior appears to be expected and is not an issue.

The only inconsistency remains with the @ character, where Aspose adds a single quote but Excel does not. That’s the specific case that needs to be addressed.

4

@vedavyas.velaga
Thank you for your feedback and more detailed explanation. We also found that inconsistencies only occur when dealing with the @ symbol. We will conduct a detailed study and fix any issues found, and once there are any updates, we will notify you promptly.