instructure/canvas-lms · error

unknown format type: #

Error message

unknown format type: #{settings[:format_type]}

What it means

Guard in Course#publish_final_grades: the grade_export plugin's settings specify a format_type not present in Course.valid_grade_export_types, i.e. an unsupported/unknown publishing format, so this error aborts grade publishing.

Solutions

1. Set format_type to a valid key from Course.valid_grade_export_types (e.g. 'isis', 'csv' depending on installed plugins)
2. Install/enable the plugin that provides the requested export format
3. Log Course.valid_grade_export_types.keys to confirm acceptable values before changing settings

Example fix

// before
settings['format_type'] = 'BannerXml'
// after
settings['format_type'] = Course.valid_grade_export_types.keys.first # a valid registered format

valid = Course.valid_grade_export_types
raise "invalid format_type" unless valid.key?(Canvas::Plugin.find!('grade_export').settings[:format_type])

null

begin
  course.publish_final_grades(user)
rescue RuntimeError => e
  raise unless e.message.start_with?('unknown format type:')
  # correct format_type to one of Course.valid_grade_export_types.keys
end

When it happens

Trigger: publish_final_grades running with settings[:format_type] set to a value not registered in Course.valid_grade_export_types (typo, plugin format removed, or format supplied by an uninstalled export plugin).

Common situations: Changing SIS export format to one provided by a plugin that is no longer installed; typo'd YAML/DB setting; Canvas version change dropping a legacy format.

Understand the failure class

Background: Invalid enum value errors: "Unknown type", "Invalid scope", "must be one of" — when a string is not on the library's allowed list — this error's family across 23 libraries.

Related errors

• endpoint undefined
• final grade publishing disabled
• grade publishing requires a grading standard
• [Accessibility::CategoryBreakdownService] dropping unknown…
• assessor and assessee required

AI-assisted analysis of instructure/canvas-lms@1c9f0bb801 (2026-09-15). Data as JSON: /api/errors/21b6369d696f9e1e. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at app/models/course.rb:2642

    # 'publish_final_grades'

    recompute_student_scores_without_send_later(user_ids_to_publish)
    enrollments = student_enrollments.not_fake.eager_load(:user).preload(:course_section).order_by_sortable_name
    enrollments = enrollments.where(user_id: user_ids_to_publish) if user_ids_to_publish

    errors = []
    posts_to_make = []
    posted_enrollment_ids = []
    all_enrollment_ids = enrollments.map(&:id)

    begin
      raise "final grade publishing disabled" unless Canvas::Plugin.find!("grade_export").enabled?

      settings = Canvas::Plugin.find!("grade_export").settings
      raise "endpoint undefined" if settings[:publish_endpoint].blank?

      format_settings = Course.valid_grade_export_types[settings[:format_type]]
      raise "unknown format type: #{settings[:format_type]}" unless format_settings
      raise "grade publishing requires a grading standard" if !grading_standard_enabled? && format_settings[:requires_grading_standard]

      publishing_pseudonym = SisPseudonym.for(publishing_user, self)
      raise "publishing disallowed for this publishing user" if publishing_pseudonym.nil? && format_settings[:requires_publishing_pseudonym]

      callback = Course.valid_grade_export_types[settings[:format_type]][:callback]
      posts_to_make = callback.call(self, enrollments, publishing_user, publishing_pseudonym)
    rescue => e
      Enrollment.where(id: all_enrollment_ids).update_all(grade_publishing_status: "error", grade_publishing_message: e.to_s)
      raise e
    end

    default_timeout = Setting.get("send_final_grades_to_endpoint_timelimit", 15.seconds.to_s).to_f

    timeout_options = { raise_on_timeout: true, fallback_timeout_length: default_timeout }

    posts_to_make.each do |enrollment_ids, res, mime_type, headers = {}|
      posted_enrollment_ids += enrollment_ids

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