OrchardCMS/OrchardCore · error · InvalidOperationException

The UpdateContentTask failed to evaluate the…

Error message

The UpdateContentTask failed to evaluate the 'ContentItemId'.

What it means

UpdateContentTask evaluates its ContentItemId expression via GetContentItemIdAsync; when it yields null the activity throws InvalidOperationException because it has no target content item to update. The message notes the 'ContentItemId' evaluation specifically failed.

Solutions

Configure a valid ContentItemId expression on the UpdateContentTask.
Verify the referenced workflow variable is set by an earlier activity.
When triggered by content events, use the event's content item output directly.
Add a preceding condition to ensure the value exists before this task runs.

Example fix

// before
ContentItemId: "" 
// after
ContentItemId: "{{ Workflow.Input.ContentItem.ContentItemId }}"

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

var contentItemId = await GetContentItemIdAsync(workflowContext);
if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(contentItemId)) throw new InvalidOperationException("UpdateContentTask: ContentItemId expression must resolve before execution.");

Try / catch

try { await task.ExecuteAsync(workflowContext, activityContext); }
catch (InvalidOperationException ex) when (ex.Message.Contains("failed to evaluate the 'ContentItemId'"))
{
    logger.LogWarning(ex, "UpdateContentTask skipped: ContentItemId unresolved.");
}

Prevention

Configure the ContentItemId expression on every UpdateContentTask.
Use event output variables instead of free-text IDs.
Validate the expression with a Log task before the update.
Add a condition step verifying the variable is non-empty.

When it happens

Trigger: The activity's ContentItemId expression is empty, references a missing workflow variable, or the expression evaluates to null (e.g. workflow input lacks a content item).

Common situations: Workflow triggered by a non-content event; variable misspelled in the designer; preceding task that should set the variable was removed or failed.

Understand the failure class

Background: "missing required argument" and "the following required arguments were not provided": what required-argument errors mean and how to fix them — this error's family across 20 libraries.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of OrchardCMS/OrchardCore@4306c0717f (2026-09-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/9c786f2607a21c8d. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at src/OrchardCore.Modules/OrchardCore.Contents/Workflows/Activities/UpdateContentTask.cs:75

    }

    public WorkflowExpression<string> ContentProperties
    {
        get => GetProperty(() =>
            // new WorkflowExpression<string>(JsonConvert.SerializeObject(new { DisplayText = S["Enter a title"].Value }, Formatting.Indented)));
            new WorkflowExpression<string>(JConvert.SerializeObject(new { DisplayText = S["Enter a title"].Value })));


        set => SetProperty(value);
    }

    public override IEnumerable<Outcome> GetPossibleOutcomes(WorkflowExecutionContext workflowContext, ActivityContext activityContext)
        => Outcome(S["Done"], S["Failed"]);

    public override async Task<ActivityExecutionResult> ExecuteAsync(WorkflowExecutionContext workflowContext, ActivityContext activityContext)
    {
        var contentItemId = (await GetContentItemIdAsync(workflowContext))
            ?? throw new InvalidOperationException($"The {nameof(UpdateContentTask)} failed to evaluate the 'ContentItemId'.");

        var inlineEventOfSameContentItemId = string.Equals(InlineEvent.ContentItemId, contentItemId, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase);

        if (inlineEventOfSameContentItemId)
        {
            if (InlineEvent.Name == nameof(ContentPublishedEvent))
            {
                throw new InvalidOperationException($"The '{nameof(UpdateContentTask)}' can't update the content item as it is executed inline from a '{nameof(ContentPublishedEvent)}' of the same content item, please use an event that is triggered earlier.");
            }

            if (InlineEvent.Name == nameof(ContentDraftSavedEvent))
            {
                throw new InvalidOperationException($"The '{nameof(UpdateContentTask)}' can't update the content item as it is executed inline from a '{nameof(ContentDraftSavedEvent)}' of the same content item, please use an event that is triggered earlier.");
            }
        }

        ContentItem contentItem = null;

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