pentaho/pentaho-kettle · error · KettleException

PurRepository.FailedDirectoryCreation.Message

PurRepository.FailedDirectoryCreation.Message

Error message

PurRepository.FailedDirectoryCreation.Message

What it means

saveRepositoryDirectory refuses to save (i.e., create) a directory whose parent is the repository root, since root-level folders are managed by the system. It throws a localized KettleException keyed by PurRepository.FailedDirectoryCreation.Message.

Solutions

1. Ensure new directories are created under /home or /public, never as children of root.
2. Re-parent the directory to a valid parent before calling saveRepositoryDirectory.
3. Use createRepositoryDirectory (which validates /home//public paths) instead of saving a root child.

Example fix

// before
repo.saveRepositoryDirectory(dir); // dir.parent == root
// after
if (!"/".equals(dir.getParent().getName())) { repo.saveRepositoryDirectory(dir); } else { /* re-parent under /public first */ }

if (dir.getParent() == null || "/".equals(dir.getParent().getName())) throw new IllegalArgumentException("cannot save a directory whose parent is root; re-parent under /home or /public");

When it happens

Trigger: Calling saveRepositoryDirectory(dir) with dir.getParent() being the root (parent name "/") — typically reached from createRepositoryDirectory or UI "new folder" flows when the target parent is root.

Common situations: UI/tooling letting users pick the root as destination for a new folder; programmatic migration code saving directories whose parent is root.

Understand the failure class

Background: "Invalid state transition" errors: "status must be X, actually Y", "already rejected/charging/uninstalled", "cannot ... while running" — what they mean when a library rejects your call — this error's family across 31 libraries.

Related errors

• PurRepository.invalidRepositoryDirectory
• Unable to create directory with path [
• Unable to delete directory with path [
• Unable to get list of object names from directory [
• Unable to save repository directory with path [

AI-assisted analysis of pentaho/pentaho-kettle@f3058517a1 (2026-09-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/16265dd1aebd1f43. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at plugins/pur/core/src/main/java/org/pentaho/di/repository/pur/PurRepository.java:441

          // create this one
          child = new RepositoryDirectory( follow, path[level] );
          saveRepositoryDirectory( child );
          // link this with the parent directory
          follow.addSubdirectory( child );
        }

        follow = child;
      }
      return follow;
    } catch ( Exception e ) {
      throw new KettleException( "Unable to create directory with path [" + directoryPath + "]", e );
    }
  }

  @Override public void saveRepositoryDirectory( final RepositoryDirectoryInterface dir ) throws KettleException {
    // id of root dir is null--check for it
    if ( "/".equals( dir.getParent().getName() ) ) {
      throw new KettleException( BaseMessages.getString( PKG, "PurRepository.FailedDirectoryCreation.Message" ) );
    }

    readWriteLock.writeLock().lock();
    try {
      RepositoryFile
        newFolder =
        pur.createFolder( dir.getParent().getObjectId() != null ? dir.getParent().getObjectId().getId() : null,
          new RepositoryFile.Builder( dir.getName() ).folder( true ).build(), null );

      dir.setObjectId( new StringObjectId( newFolder.getId().toString() ) );
    } catch ( Exception e ) {
      throw new KettleException( "Unable to save repository directory with path [" + getPath( null, dir, null ) + "]",
        e );
    } finally {
      readWriteLock.writeLock().unlock();
    }
  }

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