GraphAPI WorksheetProtection: unprotect function fails with: "The argument is invalid or missing or has an incorrect format.", but follows API specification?

Question

GraphAPI WorksheetProtection: unprotect function fails with: "The argument is invalid or missing or has an incorrect format.", but follows API specification?

Sean-2001 16

When calling the unprotect function via the Graph Explorer, I'm getting an error: "The argument is invalid or missing or has an incorrect format.", but I believe I'm following everything that the api says it needs?

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/graph/api/worksheetprotection-unprotect?view=graph-rest-1.0&tabs=http#example

I've included a copy of the URL I'm using in Graph Explorer and pictures of the request, headers, body JSON, and an export of the request / response from Graph Explorer.

Any assistance is very much appreciated at this point as I can't seem to find anyone examples anywhere of a successful POST against this API.

Thanks in advance.

URL: https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/me/drive/root:/test/TC2.xlsx:/workbook/worksheets/{5A374F5A-FFF4-4602-96AB-67073C354218}/protection/unprotect

{"log":{"version":"4.0","creator":{"name":"Graph Explorer","version":"4.0"},"entries":[{"startedDateTime":"2021-04-30T15:06:46.894Z","time":2153,"request":{"method":"POST","url":"https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/me/drive/root:/test/TC2.xlsx:/workbook/worksheets/{5A374F5A-FFF4-4602-96AB-67073C354218}/protection/unprotect","httpVersion":"HTTP/1.1","cookies":[],"headers":[{"name":"Athorization","value":"Bearer eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLC................."},{"name":"accept","value":"application/json"},{"name":"Content-type","value":"application/json"}],"queryString":[{"name":"","value":""}],"postData":{"mimeType":"application/json","text":{"password":"XXXXXXXXX"}},"headersSize":-1,"bodySize":-1},

"response":{"status":400,"statusText":"Bad Request","httpVersion":"HTTP/1.1","cookies":[],"headers":{"cache-control":"no-cache","client-request-id":"cfe3aa70-d446-0877-82b6-4d46d6477f94","content-type":"application/json","request-id":"0c36de81-1bf5-4352-8107-701c0bd6e3f7"},"content":{"text":"{\"error\":{\"code\":\"InvalidArgument\",\"message\":\"The argument is invalid or missing or has an incorrect format.\",\"innerError\":{\"code\":\"invalidArgument\",\"message\":\"The argument is invalid or missing or has an incorrect format.\",\"date\":\"2021-04-30T15:06:49\",\"request-id\":\"0c36de81-1bf5-4352-8107-701c0bd6e3f7\",\"client-request-id\":\"cfe3aa70-d446-0877-82b6-4d46d6477f94\"}}}","size":366,"mimeType":"application/json"},"redirectURL":"","headersSize":-1,"bodySize":-1},"cache":{},"timings":{"send":0,"wait":0,"receive":0},"connection":""}]}}

Sean-2001 16 Reputation points

2021-05-10T12:51:38.347+00:00

Does anyone have a working example in Graph Explorer or Power Automate Flow, of a successful unprotect call to an Excel Workbook via the Graph API? Searched for many hours and have nothing! Seems like the API documentation should include a real working example.
Saurabh Sharma 23,866 Reputation points Microsoft Employee Moderator

2021-05-13T16:11:21.3+00:00

Hi @Sean-2001 ,

Thanks for using Microsoft Q&A !!
I am able to reproduce this issue and checking internally with the products team. I will update you as soon as I hear back.

Thanks
Saurabh
Saurabh Sharma 23,866 Reputation points Microsoft Employee Moderator

2021-05-19T18:25:52.357+00:00

Hi @Sean-2001 ,

Products team is able to reproduce this when using Graph Explorer and investigating it further (potential product bug) and I will update you once this issue is mitigated.

Thanks
Saurabh

1 answer

Your answer

Sean-2001 16 Reputation points

2021-05-10T12:51:38.347+00:00

Does anyone have a working example in Graph Explorer or Power Automate Flow, of a successful unprotect call to an Excel Workbook via the Graph API? Searched for many hours and have nothing! Seems like the API documentation should include a real working example.
Saurabh Sharma 23,866 Reputation points Microsoft Employee Moderator

2021-05-13T16:11:21.3+00:00

Hi @Sean-2001 ,

Thanks for using Microsoft Q&A !!
I am able to reproduce this issue and checking internally with the products team. I will update you as soon as I hear back.

Thanks
Saurabh
Saurabh Sharma 23,866 Reputation points Microsoft Employee Moderator

2021-05-19T18:25:52.357+00:00

Hi @Sean-2001 ,

Products team is able to reproduce this when using Graph Explorer and investigating it further (potential product bug) and I will update you once this issue is mitigated.

Thanks
Saurabh

Answer 1

Saurabh Sharma 23,866 Microsoft Employee Moderator

Hi @Sean-2001 ,

After further investigation it turns out to be a documentation issue as Excel Graph doesn't currently support the "password" parameter (as described by https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/$metadata), and unfortunately they don't yet have plan to release it. They are working internally to update the documentation on the same.

Could you please us provide more information such as your scenario and the impact of the issue to his scenario, etc. so that I can take it forward with the products team.

Thank you,
Saurabh

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Please do not forget to "Accept the answer" wherever the information provided helps you to help others in the community.

Sean-2001 16 Reputation points

2021-05-26T22:37:10.483+00:00

Yeah, think this is a needed function as many business spreadsheets are locked to prevent needed field validation from being circumvented. Without this, we can't do much in the way of manipulation to the spreadsheet - only read.
Sean-2001 16 Reputation points

2021-05-27T14:52:43.977+00:00

The specific scenario I'm working with now is one where I'm trying to split a Workbook with multiple sheets into multiple Workbooks with a single sheet for an accounting team to then work on. The solution to get this done was to make a copy of the workbook for each of the number of sheets inside and then go through each one and delete all the sheets except for the one needed. So Workbook copy 1 - delete all other sheets; Workbook copy 2 - delete all but the second sheet, Workbook 3 - delete all sheets except the 3rd sheet...............etc. However, I'm unable to delete a sheet when it is locked.

I could think of many scenarios where a sheet modification is needed, but many business spreadsheets used in workflows are locked to prevent needed field validation from being circumvented by the editors of the sheets. Without the unlock feature, we can't do much in the way of manipulation to the spreadsheet via GraphAPI - only read operations seem to work.
Sean-2001 16 Reputation points

2021-05-27T17:23:13.41+00:00

Is there a case # associated with this bug (or documentation issue - really either would be true) as my customer would like to push Microsoft from their side on a fix here!
Saurabh Sharma 23,866 Reputation points Microsoft Employee Moderator

2021-05-27T17:31:06.75+00:00

@Sean-2001 Yes, I have an internal Incident ticket for this issue and a documentation bug as well. Please send an email to azcommunity[at]microsoft[dot]com with this Q&A thread link and subject as "Attn: Saurabh' and I will share the details to you over email.

Thanks
Saurabh
Roger Ripley 0 Reputation points

2024-11-22T09:54:37.7033333+00:00

Are there any updates on this bug? It has been over three years and I am encountering the same issue.
Alisson Nunes 5 Reputation points

2026-02-15T22:15:35.5566667+00:00

I'm glad to document that it has passed 5 years, and we're still not able to programmatically manipulate protected worksheets. This must be a joke

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GraphAPI WorksheetProtection: unprotect function fails with: "The argument is invalid or missing or has an incorrect format.", but follows API specification?

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