Creating new folders inside Modern Document Sets - One or more field types are not installed properly

[Dudditz]

The scenario,

Around 9 Modern Document LIbraries spread across 9 modern team sites.   We use the default SharedDocuments library as this is the only one that has the full integration within Teams.  These libraries have been renamed to "Department-Active Projects" Flow creates a series of subfolders inside various modern document sets across these libraries.  All libraries have around 12 custom site columns which 10 are simply single line text and 2 are person coumn.  Document sets are created using the standard document set content type.  Folders are created using the new flow create folder action.

When flow executes to create the subfolders the following error occurs.

"status": 400,

"message": "One or more field types are not installed properly. Go to the list settings page to delete these fields.\r\nclientRequestId: 1c3ad8b3-abff-4bc9-9157-bd50c389c757\r\nserviceRequestId: 1c3ad8b3-abff-4bc9-9157-bd50c389c757"

If you start deleting the various custom columns eventually it will start working however there is no consistancy in which ones need to be deleted.  For example sometimes if you delete 7 it will work, other times you have to delete all custom columns for it to start working, other times delete 3 it works, really makes no sense at all.  We have tested creating new modern sites all new libraries, all new custom columns, etc. and the issue just continues.  And once you add them all back its broken again or working for a while and than stops again with the errors.

We have been troubleshooting this for two weeks with no luck including a ticket open with Microsoft and no progress yet except providing some basic logs.  I am at a loss here, this is part of a very large integrated solution we are building for our ERP project Dynamics finance and operations that integrates sharepoint document mangement into Dynamics through the use of an integrated powerapp however without being able to create the subfolders within the document sets we are at a stand still.  I have included a screenshot of a very basic flow that fails.  If I create a new library, not the default shareddocuments library and attach the same flow to it, same columns, and same doc set content type it works most of the time or at least much more consistant than the default library however even new libraries start failing.  Any help or ideas is much appreciated.

PRJ-000659 in the photos is the document set.

[v-alzhan-msft]

Hi @Dudditz ,

I have made a test on my side and the issue couldn't be reproduced on my side.

Please take a try with the "Create file" action to create the folder and then add a "Delete file" action to delete the file.

Best regards,

Alice       

Community Support Team _ Alice Zhang
If this post helps, then please consider Accept it as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly.

[Dudditz]

Hello there, it does work using the create file action however this would add great length and complexity to the flow as there are quite a few folders used.  I would prefer to use the Create folder action considering this is what it was specifically meant to do.

I just simulated the situation again, new site, new libraries, added 12 columns or so, problem exists.  Created a new flow,   Seems like a bug to me.

[Dudditz · Accepted solution]

I believe we have isolated the issue. The create folder seems to fail often whenever the document set feature shared columns specifically when columns with spaces are selected. This however does not seem to be 100% of the time as one of the columns with spaces does work with the action however most others cause it to fail. It however does work when only columns that contain no spaces work as seen in the images. In all testing a new site was create with all new columns, no columns were ever renamed. This seems buggy and inconsistent in its behavior. Considering Document sets one would often want to create sub folders and one of the main reasons people often use Doc sets is for the shared column feature I would really like to see this work together as expected. A side not the create file action works fine which can create sub folders however not desirable if your creating lots of folders and also plumsail action works fine when creating subfolders with shared columns. So it seems to be specifically the new create folder action has the issue with modern doc sets shared columns. I have a ticket open with the SharePoint group and they seem uninterested and confused as to what I am showing them. Flow Fails on the left and works on the right.

This is a configuration of the document set, specifically the shared columns which I believe is where the issue is and causing the flows to fail.

FailsWorks

[sfranchini]

I ran into the same issue and unfortunately am unable to resolve it due to the internal naming convention of the fields.   However, I found a suitable workaround by using the Copy Folder Function.     Here are the steps I completed:

1. Created a new document library named Folder Structure
2. Added the desired folder structure I wanted added to new Document Sets
3. Added ‘Copy Folders’ Action Step to Flow:
• Current Site Address:   Current Site
• Folder to Copy:   <Folder Structure Library>/<Folder>
• Destination Site Address:   Current Site
• Destination Folder:  <Document Library>/<Name - Name of Document Set>
• If another folder is already there:  Fail this action

[Dudditz]

Hi sfranchin thanks for the feedback.  I guess your method is another work-around.  It also seems to work when using the create file action however you than have to have followup actions to remove the folders.  That said, I threw in the towel and learned how to create folders using send http requests which allows for the creation of many folders with less steps once you get the hang of it.  Also, I have had a ticket open with Microsoft regarding the create folder action for several months and they have also been able to reproduce the issue and provide me weekly updates that the engineering team continues to look into it.

Obviously it's a bug and for those who work with document sets and shared columns its dead on arrival. 

[JanSchumann]

Hi Dudditz,

We are also struggling with this stupid behaviour and can confirm the following:

Create a folder in a library or a sub-folder - works

Create a folder in a doc set, no additional column - works

Create a folder in a doc set with additional columns, but these are not shared- works

Create a folder in a doc set with additional columns and these are shared- does not work

We would also open a case, since we need this functionality of sharing the column information of the folder and yes the behaviour literally screams for a bug or not designed for

[danbert1973]

I have had the exact same issue today and thanks to @Dudditz I at least have a clue now.

I think the spaces are the cause of the problem, but this can't be fixed by renaming your column to remove the spaces, you need to create a new column (without spaces of course).

If that messes up your naming convention, ironically, you can then rename the new column and put the spaces back in, and it will continue to work.

This is just in my limited experience and it may fail again, but the above seems to be working for me.

[Spinner]

I'm receiving the same error message with a custom content type based on Document Set. However, in my case, even removing every column (whether with a space or not) from the content type doesn't make a difference.

The flow works on normal folders, and on uncustomised Document Sets, but not on my custom content type.

Any advice welcomed.

[danbert1973]

Hi @Spinner 

It's a while since I did this so can't recall all the testing I did, but do your columns have any special characters in them other than spaces (i.e. underscores, dashes etc.)?  I wonder if it's special characters (not only but including spaces) that is the problem? 

Obviously when you create your column for the first time with special characters/spaces, but then rename them, it will still retain the original column name in the background (i.e. 'this column' renamed to 'thiscolumn', would still be called 'this_x0020_column'), hence my suggestion that all columns need to be created without them.

[Spinner]

Thanks for the reply @danbert1973 . No, there are no special characters in the names of the remaining columns of the list content type - I've stripped all columns out except for the standard Title, Name, and Description ones. I did have some columns whose names had spaces (and hence _x0020_ parts) but I removed all of them from the list content type (though they do remain in the site content type, which I can't readily modify, as it's used in production.)