OrchardCMS/OrchardCore · error · ValidationException

,

Error message

, 

What it means

ImportAsync validates each imported content item version; when validation fails, all errors are logged and rethrown as a ValidationException whose message is all errors joined with ', '. The bracketed 'message' here is that join separator — the actual message contains the validation error texts.

Solutions

1. Inspect the joined ValidationException message and the log entry for the specific errors
2. Ensure target site has the required features/content definitions enabled before import
3. Fix the source JSON (required fields, valid types) and re-run the import
4. Import in dependency order (types/parts before content items)

Example fix

null

bool hasDefinition = await cm.GetContentDefinitionManager().GetTypeDefinition(item.ContentType) is not null;

try { await cm.ImportAsync(items, results); } catch (ValidationException ex) { foreach (var e in ex.Errors) { /* surface per-field message */ } }

When it happens

Trigger: Calling ImportAsync with a content item that fails handler validation (e.g., missing required parts, invalid values), producing one or more errors in result.Errors.

Common situations: Importing recipes/JSON exported from a different site version; missing content type/field definitions on the target site; duplicate ContentItemVersionIds in the import batch.

Understand the failure class

Background: Schema validation failed / invalid input schema: payload rejected because its shape doesn't match the expected schema — this error's family across 28 libraries.

Related errors

• The 'Default' tenant can't be removed.
• Content part name must start with a letter
• Content part name contains invalid characters
• Content field name must start with a letter
• Content field name contains invalid characters

AI-assisted analysis of OrchardCMS/OrchardCore@4306c0717f (2026-09-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/3e20ce20558489da. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at src/OrchardCore/OrchardCore.ContentManagement/DefaultContentManager.cs:745

                }

                if (originalVersion == null)
                {
                    // The version does not exist in the current database.
                    var context = new ImportContentContext(importingItem);

                    await Handlers.InvokeAsync((handler, context) => handler.ImportingAsync(context), context, _logger);

                    var evictionVersions = versionsThatMaybeEvicted.Where(x => string.Equals(x.ContentItemId, importingItem.ContentItemId, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase));
                    var result = await CreateContentItemVersionAsync(importingItem, evictionVersions);
                    if (!result.Succeeded)
                    {
                        if (_logger.IsEnabled(LogLevel.Error))
                        {
                            _logger.LogError("Error importing content item version id '{ContentItemVersionId}' : '{Errors}'", importingItem?.ContentItemVersionId, string.Join(", ", result.Errors));
                        }

                        throw new ValidationException(string.Join(", ", result.Errors));
                    }

                    // Imported handlers will only be fired if the validation has been successful.
                    // Consumers should implement validated handlers to alter the success of that operation.
                    await ReversedHandlers.InvokeAsync((handler, context) => handler.ImportedAsync(context), context, _logger);

                    importedContentItems.Add(importingItem);
                }
                else
                {
                    // The version exists in the database.
                    // It is important to only import changed items.
                    // We compare the two versions and skip importing it if they are the same.
                    // We do this to prevent unnecessary sql updates, and because UpdateContentItemVersionAsync
                    // may remove drafts of updated items.
                    // This is necessary because an imported item maybe set to latest, and published.
                    // In this case, the draft item in the system, must be removed, or there will be two drafts.
                    // The draft item should be removed, because it would now be orphaned, as the imported published item

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