Error: Object not associated with an object identity

Question

After newly creating a content type via JSOM, I'm getting the following error when calling contentType.update() or context.load(contentType):

The object is not associated with an object identity or the object identity is invalid.

Can you explain what this means, and how to avoid it?

I know (by inspecting the source of sp.js) this is happening because contentType.get_path().$d_0 is false, but I don't know what that means, or how to make it true again.

// excerpt from SP.ClientQueryInternal, where the error is thrown
// a is the content type in this case
if (!a.get_path() || !a.get_path().$d_0)
    throw Error.create(SP.ResResources.getString("NoObjectPathAssociatedWithObject"));

However, I've tracked when that value becomes false.

Here's how I'm creating the content type. This is where the $d_0 property becomes false.

// Create the content type
ctInfo = new SP.ContentTypeCreationInformation()
// Set up the info
// ...
contentType = contentTypes.add(ctInfo);
contentType.update()
context.load(contentTypes)
context.load(contentType) // This works, although it is superfluous
// contentType.get_path().$d_0 is true at this point
context.executeQueryAsync(successHandler, failureHandler)
// contentType.get_path().$d_0 is now false; this is before the success handler is called!
context.load(contentType)   // Fails here (although it is superfluous at this point)
context.executeQueryAsync()

After successHandler returns, $d_0 is still false, and contentType.update() or context.load(contentType) still fails (e.g. while trying to add site columns to contentType.

Answer 1

I figured out the problem. There was a problem with the way I was created the content type, but that error was swallowed. SharePoint did actually return an error message for the original issue, aside from this obscure error message:

Invalid request.

Unfortunately, the issue wasn't in the abbreviated code I posted. I was setting the parentContentType property of the ctInfo object to an empty array [], which is definitely an invalid content type!

I should have caught this, of course, but my success handler was being called anyway, due to another issue; and I am re-using the same failure-handler for many requests, making it even harder to pin down where "Invalid Request" was coming from.

---

Here is the line in the request (to create the content-type) which was incorrect:

<Property Name="ParentContentType" Type="Array"/>

Here is the entire request which was generated to create the content type.

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<Request xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/clientquery/2009" SchemaVersion="15.0.0.0" LibraryVersion="15.0.0.0" ApplicationName="Javascript Library">
  <Actions>
    <ObjectPath Id="288" ObjectPathId="287"/>
    <ObjectIdentityQuery Id="289" ObjectPathId="287"/>
    <Query Id="290" ObjectPathId="267">
      <Query SelectAllProperties="true">
        <Properties/>
      </Query>
      <ChildItemQuery SelectAllProperties="true">
        <Properties/>
      </ChildItemQuery>
    </Query>
  </Actions>
  <ObjectPaths>
    <Property Id="267" ParentId="38" Name="ContentTypes"/>
    <Method Id="287" ParentId="267" Name="Add">
      <Parameters>
        <Parameter TypeId="{168f3091-4554-4f14-8866-b20d48e45b54}">
          <Property Name="Description" Type="String">IPAC Program Proprosal</Property>
          <Property Name="Group" Type="String">IPAC</Property>
          <Property Name="Id" Type="Null"/>
          <Property Name="Name" Type="String">IpacProprosal</Property>
          <Property Name="ParentContentType" Type="Array"/>
        </Parameter>
      </Parameters>
    </Method>
    <Identity Id="38" Name="740c6a0b-85e2-48a0-a494-e0f1759d4aa7:site:4b2682a6-2589-4acd-a6b4-37538cf731bd:web:7eeee2d4-e551-44a0-aa71-b045b67c9e87"/>
  </ObjectPaths>
</Request>

Here is SharePoint's response:

[
{
"SchemaVersion":"15.0.0.0","LibraryVersion":"15.0.4763.1000","ErrorInfo":{
"ErrorMessage":"Invalid request.","ErrorValue":null,"TraceCorrelationId":"a2a5189e-834c-20bc-026e-db3059cb3269","ErrorCode":-1,"ErrorTypeName":"Microsoft.SharePoint.Client.InvalidClientQueryException"
},"TraceCorrelationId":"a2a5189e-834c-20bc-026e-db3059cb3269"
}
]