OLE Objects inserted into multiple worksheets become icon-only (non-functional) with incorrect position at A1

[GARY-ZA]

EPPlus usage

Noncommercial use

Environment

.NET Framework: 4.8 OS: Windows11

Epplus version

8.4.0

Spreadsheet application

Excel

Description

Steps to Reproduce

1. Create or open an Excel package
2. Loop through multiple files (10+ files recommended for testing, pdf, docx, xlsx,txt,...)
3. For each file:
   • Create a new worksheet
   • Insert an OLE object using AddOleObject() with DisplayAsIcon = true
   • Set position using SetPosition(11, 0, 0, 5) (targeting row 12)
4. Save the package (either after each file or once at the end)
5. Open the resulting Excel file and inspect each worksheet
   Expected Behavior
   • All OLE objects should be fully embedded and double-clickable to open with the associated application
   • All OLE objects should be positioned at the specified location (row 12, column A)
   Actual Behavior
   • Attachments 1-3: OLE objects work correctly (embedded, clickable, correct position)
   • Attachment 4: OLE object is icon-only (not a real embedded object), positioned at A1
   • Attachments 5-8: OLE objects work correctly
   • Attachment 9 and beyond: All OLE objects are icon-only, positioned at A1
   Above attachment index maybe different

The problematic OLE objects:
• Display only as a static icon image
• Cannot be double-clicked to open the embedded file
• Are positioned at A1 regardless of SetPosition() calls
• The actual file content is NOT embedded (only the icon graphic)

[karlkallman]

Hello. To help us investigate and resolve the issue, we would appreciate it if you could provide a reproducible test case or a small example project where the issue occurs. Thanks!

[GARY-ZA]

ExcelReportWithEPPlus - Copy.zip

Hello, Please find the project code and test files.
(Notes: The packages folder has been removed to reduce file size)
Thanks!

[karlkallman]

Thank you, we will look into this and get back to you!

[AdrianEPPlus]

This is a strange bug. I haven't figured out why, but if I remove the data validation and the two check boxes in the QUERIES worksheet it works.

My suggestion to make it work now is for you to remove these elements. If you need them you can try to add them after you have inserted all OLE objects to see if that works.

[GARY-ZA]

Thank you so much