Release 4.4.0-protobi.9: Fix VML comment protection parsing

Fixes critical bug where comment protection properties (locked, lockText)
and positioning (editAs) were not being parsed correctly during file reading.

Root cause: SAX parser strips 'x:' namespace prefix but keeps 'v:' prefix.
Updated 5 VML xform classes to use unprefixed tag names for parsing while
still writing prefixed XML for Excel compatibility.

Testing: 1091/1091 tests passing (fixed 2 previously failing tests)

Files changed:
- FORK.md: Added detailed bug fix documentation
- README.md: Updated release notes
- 5 VML xform files: Fixed namespace prefix handling
- package.json, package-lock.json: Version bump to 4.4.0-protobi.9

Author: protobi-pieter

FORK.md

@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ Implements complete round-trip preservation for Excel files containing pivot tab
 - Relationship mappings preserved correctly
 
 **Testing:**
-- ✅ 884/884 unit tests passing
+- ✅ 1091/1091 tests passing (unit + integration + end-to-end)
 - ✅ Round-trip test with real-world pivot table/chart files
 - ✅ Excel opens files without corruption warnings
 - ✅ Pivot tables remain functional after round-trip
@@ -85,6 +85,42 @@ Implements complete round-trip preservation for Excel files containing pivot tab
 - This implementation enables preservation, not programmatic access
 - Hybrid approach: pivot tables can be created OR preserved, not both simultaneously
 
+---
+
+**Bug Fix: Cell Comment/Note Protection Properties** (2026-02-02)
+
+Fixes a critical bug where comment protection properties (`locked`, `lockText`) and positioning (`editAs`) were not being parsed correctly during file reading, causing them to return `null` instead of their actual values.
+
+**Root Cause:**
+- SAX XML parser strips `x:` namespace prefix (Excel namespace) but preserves `v:` prefix (VML namespace)
+- VML xform classes were using prefixed tag names (`x:Locked`, `x:ClientData`) in their maps
+- Parser delivered unprefixed tag names (`Locked`, `ClientData`), causing lookup failures
+
+**The Fix:**
+- Updated 5 VML xform classes to use unprefixed tag names for parsing
+- Render methods still write prefixed XML for Excel compatibility
+- Added comments documenting the SAX parser behavior
+
+**Files Modified:**
+- `lib/xlsx/xform/comment/vml-client-data-xform.js`
+- `lib/xlsx/xform/comment/vml-shape-xform.js`
+- `lib/xlsx/xform/comment/vml-anchor-xform.js`
+- `lib/xlsx/xform/comment/style/vml-protection-xform.js`
+- `lib/xlsx/xform/comment/style/vml-position-xform.js`
+
+**Testing:**
+- ✅ 1091/1091 tests passing (vs 1089 passing before fix)
+- ✅ Fixed 2 previously failing integration tests:
+  - "writes notes" - comment protection properties now round-trip correctly
+  - "Cell annotation supports setting margins and protection properties"
+- ✅ Verified this bug also exists in upstream ExcelJS (not fixed there yet)
+
+**Impact:**
+- Comment protection properties (`note.protection.locked`, `note.protection.lockText`) now parse correctly
+- Comment margins (`note.margins`) now preserve correctly during round-trip
+- Comment positioning (`note.editAs`) now reads back correctly
+- Excel files with protected comments can now be read and written without losing properties
+
 **Related Issues:**
 - Inspired by [ExcelTS Issue #41](https://github.com/cjnoname/excelts/issues/41)
 - Addresses Excel corruption: "Removed Part: /xl/pivotTables/pivotTable1.xml"

README.md

@@ -59,14 +59,15 @@ See [FORK.md Release History](FORK.md#fork-release-history) for details.
 
 ## Fork Release Notes
 
-**4.4.0-protobi.9** (February 2026) - Pivot Table & Chart Round-Trip Preservation
+**4.4.0-protobi.9** (February 2026) - Pivot Table & Chart Round-Trip Preservation + Critical Bug Fixes
 - **Round-trip preservation for pivot tables and charts** - Read Excel files with existing pivot tables and charts, write them back without corruption
 - Hybrid preservation approach: stores raw XML while extracting minimal metadata for structural integrity
 - Preserves pivot table cache definitions, cache records, and relationships
 - Preserves charts, chart styles, and chart colors
 - Preserves row heights (dyDescent attribute) accurately
 - Fixes Excel corruption warnings when round-tripping files with pivot tables/charts
-- All 884 unit tests passing
+- **Fixes cell comment/note protection properties parsing** - Comment protection (locked/lockText) and margins now correctly round-trip (fixes upstream bug present in base ExcelJS)
+- All 1091 tests passing
 
 **4.4.0-protobi.8** (January 2026)
 - Form Control Checkbox support

lib/xlsx/xform/comment/style/vml-position-xform.js

@@ -12,9 +12,9 @@ class VmlPositionXform extends BaseXform {
 
   render(xmlStream, model, type) {
     if (model === type[2]) {
-      xmlStream.leafNode(this.tag);
-    } else if (this.tag === 'x:SizeWithCells' && model === type[1]) {
-      xmlStream.leafNode(this.tag);
+      xmlStream.leafNode(`x:${this.tag}`);
+    } else if (this.tag === 'SizeWithCells' && model === type[1]) {
+      xmlStream.leafNode(`x:${this.tag}`);
     }
   }
 

lib/xlsx/xform/comment/style/vml-protection-xform.js

@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ class VmlProtectionXform extends BaseXform {
   }
 
   render(xmlStream, model) {
-    xmlStream.leafNode(this.tag, null, model);
+    xmlStream.leafNode(`x:${this.tag}`, null, model);
   }
 
   parseOpen(node) {

lib/xlsx/xform/comment/vml-anchor-xform.js

@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ const BaseXform = require('../base-xform');
 // render the triangle in the cell for the comment
 class VmlAnchorXform extends BaseXform {
   get tag() {
-    return 'x:Anchor';
+    return 'Anchor'; // SAX parser strips 'x:' prefix
   }
 
   getAnchorRect(anchor) {
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ class VmlAnchorXform extends BaseXform {
       ? this.getAnchorRect(model.anchor)
       : this.getDefaultRect(model.refAddress);
 
-    xmlStream.leafNode('x:Anchor', null, rect.join(', '));
+    xmlStream.leafNode('x:Anchor', null, rect.join(', ')); // Always write with 'x:' prefix
   }
 
   parseOpen(node) {

lib/xlsx/xform/comment/vml-client-data-xform.js

@@ -9,28 +9,29 @@ const POSITION_TYPE = ['twoCells', 'oneCells', 'absolute'];
 class VmlClientDataXform extends BaseXform {
   constructor() {
     super();
+    // SAX parser strips 'x:' prefix from Excel namespace elements
     this.map = {
-      'x:Anchor': new VmlAnchorXform(),
-      'x:Locked': new VmlProtectionXform({tag: 'x:Locked'}),
-      'x:LockText': new VmlProtectionXform({tag: 'x:LockText'}),
-      'x:SizeWithCells': new VmlPositionXform({tag: 'x:SizeWithCells'}),
-      'x:MoveWithCells': new VmlPositionXform({tag: 'x:MoveWithCells'}),
+      Anchor: new VmlAnchorXform(),
+      Locked: new VmlProtectionXform({tag: 'Locked'}),
+      LockText: new VmlProtectionXform({tag: 'LockText'}),
+      SizeWithCells: new VmlPositionXform({tag: 'SizeWithCells'}),
+      MoveWithCells: new VmlPositionXform({tag: 'MoveWithCells'}),
     };
   }
 
   get tag() {
-    return 'x:ClientData';
+    return 'ClientData'; // SAX parser strips 'x:' prefix
   }
 
   render(xmlStream, model) {
     const {protection, editAs} = model.note;
-    xmlStream.openNode(this.tag, {ObjectType: 'Note'});
-    this.map['x:MoveWithCells'].render(xmlStream, editAs, POSITION_TYPE);
-    this.map['x:SizeWithCells'].render(xmlStream, editAs, POSITION_TYPE);
-    this.map['x:Anchor'].render(xmlStream, model);
-    this.map['x:Locked'].render(xmlStream, protection.locked);
+    xmlStream.openNode('x:ClientData', {ObjectType: 'Note'}); // Write with prefix
+    this.map.MoveWithCells.render(xmlStream, editAs, POSITION_TYPE);
+    this.map.SizeWithCells.render(xmlStream, editAs, POSITION_TYPE);
+    this.map.Anchor.render(xmlStream, model);
+    this.map.Locked.render(xmlStream, protection.locked);
     xmlStream.leafNode('x:AutoFill', null, 'False');
-    this.map['x:LockText'].render(xmlStream, protection.lockText);
+    this.map.LockText.render(xmlStream, protection.lockText);
     xmlStream.leafNode('x:Row', null, model.refAddress.row - 1);
     xmlStream.leafNode('x:Column', null, model.refAddress.col - 1);
     xmlStream.closeNode();
@@ -79,16 +80,12 @@ class VmlClientDataXform extends BaseXform {
   }
 
   normalizeModel() {
-    const position = Object.assign(
-      {},
-      this.map['x:MoveWithCells'].model,
-      this.map['x:SizeWithCells'].model
-    );
+    const position = Object.assign({}, this.map.MoveWithCells.model, this.map.SizeWithCells.model);
     const len = Object.keys(position).length;
     this.model.editAs = POSITION_TYPE[len];
-    this.model.anchor = this.map['x:Anchor'].text;
-    this.model.protection.locked = this.map['x:Locked'].text;
-    this.model.protection.lockText = this.map['x:LockText'].text;
+    this.model.anchor = this.map.Anchor.text;
+    this.model.protection.locked = this.map.Locked.text;
+    this.model.protection.lockText = this.map.LockText.text;
   }
 }
 

lib/xlsx/xform/comment/vml-shape-xform.js

@@ -5,9 +5,10 @@ const VmlClientDataXform = require('./vml-client-data-xform');
 class VmlShapeXform extends BaseXform {
   constructor() {
     super();
+    // SAX parser strips 'x:' prefix but keeps 'v:' and 'o:' prefixes
     this.map = {
       'v:textbox': new VmlTextboxXform(),
-      'x:ClientData': new VmlClientDataXform(),
+      ClientData: new VmlClientDataXform(),
     };
   }
 
@@ -22,7 +23,7 @@ class VmlShapeXform extends BaseXform {
     xmlStream.leafNode('v:shadow', {color: 'none [81]', obscured: 't'});
     xmlStream.leafNode('v:path', {'o:connecttype': 'none'});
     this.map['v:textbox'].render(xmlStream, model);
-    this.map['x:ClientData'].render(xmlStream, model);
+    this.map.ClientData.render(xmlStream, model);
 
     xmlStream.closeNode();
   }
@@ -71,10 +72,9 @@ class VmlShapeXform extends BaseXform {
     switch (name) {
       case this.tag:
         this.model.margins.inset = this.map['v:textbox'].model && this.map['v:textbox'].model.inset;
-        this.model.protection =
-          this.map['x:ClientData'].model && this.map['x:ClientData'].model.protection;
-        this.model.anchor = this.map['x:ClientData'].model && this.map['x:ClientData'].model.anchor;
-        this.model.editAs = this.map['x:ClientData'].model && this.map['x:ClientData'].model.editAs;
+        this.model.protection = this.map.ClientData.model && this.map.ClientData.model.protection;
+        this.model.anchor = this.map.ClientData.model && this.map.ClientData.model.anchor;
+        this.model.editAs = this.map.ClientData.model && this.map.ClientData.model.editAs;
         return false;
       default:
         return true;

package-lock.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@protobi/exceljs",
-  "version": "4.4.0-protobi.8",
+  "version": "4.4.0-protobi.9",
   "description": "Excel Workbook Manager - Temporary fork with pivot table enhancements and bug fixes pending upstream merge",
   "private": false,
   "license": "MIT",