PHP Excel Radar and Scatter charts won't open in Excel 2007

[petehenshall]

Running the default origin/1.8 develop/1.8 example file 33-createdchart-radar.php from linux PHP 5.6, windows PHP 5.6 and macos PHP5.6 and PHP7 throws an error.
All these environments at least create an error in Excel when opening the file:

"Excel found unreadable content in'file.xlsx'. Do you want to recover the contents of this workbook?"
If you click Yes you get the result of another error:
"Repaired records: Drawing from /xl/drawings/drawing1.xml part (drawing shape).
When the xlsx file open ups you get the "Test Radar Chart" from 0 to 1.5 but with no data points plotted.

The file opens correctly on Open Office.

The log files for the repairs is as follows:

error087680_01.xml

Errors were detected in file 'C:\Users\Pete\Sites\File.xlsx'

Repaired Records: Drawing from /xl/drawings/drawing1.xml part (Drawing shape)

Any assistance appreciated. All the files you will need to reproduce this issue are in the origin/1.8 as long as you open on Excel 2007 you will see the problem. There are various reports on stackover flow to this problem but none present a solution.

Extra info: I tried useing jpgraph to create the radar chart but it errors with a:
"JPGraph Error: 25044 = Cannot use auto scaling since it is impossible to determine a valid min/max value of the y axis (only null values)."
unless I output the chart first into the worksheet in which case it will then run.

[petehenshall]

Similar to this issue: #645 but that reports that it is fixed but it isn't for Excel 2007.

[TheoBaart]

I was experiencing the same issues with my scatterplots. I think I found a solution to it:

In 33chartcreate-scatter.php building the dataseries is given as follows:

$series = new PHPExcel_Chart_DataSeries(
    PHPExcel_Chart_DataSeries::TYPE_SCATTERCHART,   // plotType
    NULL,                                           // plotGrouping (Scatter charts don't have any grouping)
    range(0, count($dataSeriesValues)-1),           // plotOrder
    $dataSeriesLabels,                              // plotLabel
    $xAxisTickValues,                               // plotCategory
    $dataSeriesValues,                              // plotValues
    NULL,                                           // smooth line
    PHPExcel_Chart_DataSeries::STYLE_LINEMARKER     // plotStyle
);

However, if you look in the source code PHPExcel/Chart/DataSeries.php shows that the constructor for a PHPExcel_Chart_DataSeries has an extra element ($plotDirection) between $plotValues and $smootLine

public function __construct(
    $plotType = null, 
    $plotGrouping = null, 
    $plotOrder = array(), 
    $plotLabel = array(),
    $plotCategory = array(), 
    $plotValues = array(), 
    $plotDirection = null, 
    $smoothLine = null, 
    $plotStyle = null)
    {
   /* The constructor code */
}

So if you update your $series to look as follows (note the inserted plotDirection )it should work:

$series = new PHPExcel_Chart_DataSeries(
    PHPExcel_Chart_DataSeries::TYPE_SCATTERCHART,   // plotType
    NULL,                                           // plotGrouping (Scatter charts don't have any grouping)
    range(0, count($dataSeriesValues)-1),           // plotOrder
    $dataSeriesLabels,                              // plotLabel
    $xAxisTickValues,                               // plotCategory
    $dataSeriesValues,                              // plotValues
    NULL,                                           // plotDirection
    NULL,                                           // smooth line
    PHPExcel_Chart_DataSeries::STYLE_LINEMARKER     // plotStyle
);

I quickly looked at 33chartcreate-radar.php and it is also missing the $plotDirection field, so I believe the same fix should work for radar plots as well.

[petehenshall]

Great stuff @TheoBaart can't believe I missed that! I burnt about 8 hours looking in the end.. frustratingly it was opening in OpenOffice so I was looking way deeper than just the example in the source code file being fundamentally wrong!
I can't thank you enough sir.
Kind regards!

[petehenshall]

p.s. to anyone else reading this obviously change:

$series = new PHPExcel_Chart_DataSeries(
PHPExcel_Chart_DataSeries::TYPE_SCATTERCHART, // plotType

to

$series = new PHPExcel_Chart_DataSeries(
PHPExcel_Chart_DataSeries::TYPE_TYPE_RADARCHART, // plotType

If you want a RADAR chart.

then include the extra NULL in the constructor before
PHPExcel_Chart_DataSeries::STYLE_LINEMARKER // plotStyle

as thoebaart pointed out.

Then it should all work.

[MarkBaker]

Thanks for identifying that problem; I've fixed it in the develop branch on github