matlab - Excel Range object throws error 0x800A03EC because of a string longer than 255 characters -

using activex server matlab, trying highlight many cells in excel sheet @ once. these not in specific columns or rows use range('a1,b2,...') access them. string accepted range object has less 255 characters or error:

error: object returned error code: 0x800a03ec

is thrown. following code reproduces error empty excel file.

hactx = actxserver('excel.application'); hwb = hactx.workbooks.open('c:\book1.xlsx'); hsheet = hwb.worksheets.item('sheet1');  col = repmat('a', 100, 1); row = num2str((1:100)'); %' cellind = strcat(col, strtrim(cellstr(row))); str1 = strjoin(cellind(1:66), ','); %// 254 characters str2 = strjoin(cellind(1:67), ','); %// 258 characters  hsheet.range(str1).interior.color = 255; %// works hsheet.range(str2).interior.color = 255; %// error 0x800a03ec  hwb.save; hwb.close(false); hactx.quit; 

how can around this? found no other relevant method of calling range, or of otherwise getting cells want modify.

if start string, can test length determine if range() can handle it. here example of building diagonal range:

sub diagonalrange()     dim bigstring string, bigrange range     dim long, howmany long, ln string      howmany = 100      = 1 howmany         bigstring = bigstring & "," & cells(i, i).address(0, 0)     next     bigstring = mid(bigstring, 2)     ln = len(bigstring)     msgbox ln      if ln < 250         set bigrange = range(bigstring)     else         set bigrange = nothing         arr = split(bigstring, ",")         each in arr             if bigrange nothing                 set bigrange = range(a)             else                 set bigrange = union(bigrange, range(a))             end if         next     end if      bigrange.select end sub 

for i = 10, code the direct method, if code i=100, array method used.