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[BUG] pptx: set width on a group silently scales height too (implicit aspect-ratio lock, no opt-out) #237
Description
Summary
set on a group silently locks the aspect ratio: setting only width also scales height (and vice versa). There is no way at L2 to resize a group along a single axis; the only workaround is raw-set on p:grpSpPr/a:xfrm/a:ext.
Repro (v1.0.136)
officecli create g.pptx
officecli add g.pptx / --type slide
officecli add g.pptx '/slide[1]' --type shape --prop geometry=rect --prop x=2cm --prop y=2cm --prop width=4cm --prop height=2cm
officecli add g.pptx '/slide[1]' --type shape --prop geometry=rect --prop x=8cm --prop y=5cm --prop width=4cm --prop height=2cm
officecli add g.pptx '/slide[1]' --type group --prop shapes=1,2
officecli get g.pptx '/slide[1]/group[1]'
# -> x=2cm y=2cm width=10cm height=5cm
officecli set g.pptx '/slide[1]/group[1]' --prop x=1cm --prop width=12cm
officecli get g.pptx '/slide[1]/group[1]'
# -> width=12cm height=6cm <-- height changed from 5cm to 6cm, was never requestedExpected
set width on a group should change only ext.cx (children scale horizontally via the chExt mapping), matching the behavior of set width on a plain shape. If the aspect lock is intentional, it should be opt-in (e.g. --prop keepAspect=true) and the default should honor exactly the properties the caller passed.
Workaround for others hitting this
officecli raw-set deck.pptx ppt/slides/slideN.xml \
--xpath "//p:grpSp[...]/p:grpSpPr/a:xfrm/a:ext" \
--action setattr --xml 'cy=<original EMU>'
Activity
fix(pptx,docx): group resize honors only the passed axes; aspect lock…
goworm commentedon Jul 19, 2026
Confirmed — the implicit aspect lock was intentional (it protected
add --type diagramgroups from single-axis squashing) but leaking it onto every group with no opt-out was wrong. Fixed on main (45e432b), will be in the next release:seton a group now changes exactly the axes you pass —--prop width=12cmleaves height untouched (children still scale horizontally via the chExt baseline). Same fix applied to docx groups.--prop width=12cm --prop keepAspect=truescales height by the same ratio and re-bakes child font sizes with the uniform resize.Verified against your repro:
Thanks for the precise repro and the raw-set workaround for others in the meantime.