Error Message - Field type Publishing Image is not installed properly. Go to the list settings page to delete this field

Question

When I goto Site Settings > Site Columns, I get this error message

Field type Publishing Image is not installed properly. Go to the list settings page to delete this field.

How do I get to the list settings page?

For context, the error message is probably related to a new content type I've just tried to create using VS2010.

Update - I updated the web.config to get the error message displayed in the browser,

Server Error in '/' Application.

Field type Publishing Image is not installed properly. Go to the list settings page to delete this field. Description: An unhandled exception occurred during the execution of the current web request. Please review the stack trace for more information about the error and where it originated in the code.

Exception Details: Microsoft.SharePoint.SPException: Field type Publishing Image is not installed properly. Go to the list settings page to delete this field.

Source Error:

An unhandled exception was generated during the execution of the current web request. Information regarding the origin and location of the exception can be identified using the exception stack trace below.

Stack Trace:

[SPException: Field type Publishing Image is not installed properly. Go to the list settings page to delete this field. ]
Microsoft.SharePoint.SPFieldCollection.CreateSPFieldFromSafeArray(Int32 index) +1957
Microsoft.SharePoint.SPFieldCollection.CreateSPField(Int32 ifld) +95
Microsoft.SharePoint.SPFieldCollection.EnsureSPField(Int32 index) +167
Microsoft.SharePoint.SPFieldCollection.ItemAtIndex(Int32 iIndex) +9
Microsoft.SharePoint.ApplicationPages.FieldListRenderer.OnPreRender(EventArgs e) +213
System.Web.UI.Control.PreRenderRecursiveInternal() +108 System.Web.UI.Control.PreRenderRecursiveInternal() +224 System.Web.UI.Control.PreRenderRecursiveInternal() +224 System.Web.UI.Control.PreRenderRecursiveInternal() +224 System.Web.UI.Control.PreRenderRecursiveInternal() +224 System.Web.UI.Control.PreRenderRecursiveInternal() +224 System.Web.UI.Control.PreRenderRecursiveInternal() +224 System.Web.UI.Page.ProcessRequestMain(Boolean includeStagesBeforeAsyncPoint, Boolean includeStagesAfterAsyncPoint) +3394

Update 2 - I've tried the following without success,

1. I've deleted all my sandbox solution from the solution gallery
2. I've used stsadm enumsolutions / retractsolutions / deletesolutions

Answer 1

This looks like a possibility - social.msdn.microsoft.com/forums/en-US/sharepointdevelopment/thread/

Paraphrasing that answer,

• going direct to db is bad idea, but if its not production...
• write a small console app to get the offending field Ids.
• search for the name of the field - "Publishing Image" and get GUID
• goto db and run SELECT * FROM ContentTypes WHERE Definition Like ('%xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx%').

Answer 2

It sounds like you have a column whose type is Publishing Image, but that type does not exist. So, I'm assuming you created a feature in Visual Studio which included that custom field type, site column, and content type. Retracting & removing your solution can fail to clean everything up because SharePoint will not remove a content type that is being used by a list anywhere on your site. Is it possible that you added your content type that uses this broken site column to a list? If so, can you delete the list (including from the Recycle Bin)?

Another option is to use SharePoint Designer. Open your site from there and click on Site Columns. See if there is a column with a type of Publishing Image and try to delete it.

Answer 3

This is what worked for me, based on @Paul Rowland answer;

I wrote the console app with the following code,

    using (SPWeb spWeb = spSite.RootWeb) 
    { 
         //spWeb.AvailableFields.SchemaXml
    } 

In the visual studio watch window I got the SchemaXml which had 558 fields in it and copied into notepad. I then searched for "Publishing Image" and found the offending site column I had tried to add in my content type.

<Field ID="{1407584a-1f17-4b1d-a040-27133132c8aa}" Name="Z1PublishingImage" DisplayName="Zone 1 Publishing Image" Type="Publishing Image" Required="FALSE" Group="Custom Ltd Columns" SourceID="{63a6ed97-f715-4f42-ae5c-1f43063bbea1}" StaticName="Z1PublishingImage" />

I then ran the following sql after checking only one row was affected.

delete from ContentTypes WHERE Definition Like ('%1407584a%')

And I can now navigate to my Site Settings > Site Columns page