Update list Item returns ErrorCode 0x80004005

Question

I have a sharepoint list with around 75 columns and there are about 1800 records. I am trying to update an item using Update List Item Web Service but it fails showing errorcode : 0x80004005 and errorText : Cannot complete this action. However, when I try to manually update my item from EditForm.aspx the update happens successfully.

Below is my code to update list item :

<Batch OnError="Continue" ListVersion="1">
        <Method ID="1" Cmd="Update">
            <Field Name="ID">1819</Field>
            <Field Name="Title">xyz</Field>
        </Method>
</Batch>

I get the following response on executing the above query.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<soap:Envelope xmlns:soap="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/"   xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">
<soap:Body>
<UpdateListItemsResponse xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/soap/">
 <UpdateListItemsResult>
   <Results>
     <Result ID="1,Update">
       <ErrorCode>0x80004005</ErrorCode>
       <ErrorText>Cannot Complete this action</ErrorText>
     </Result>
   </Results>
 </UpdateListItemsResult>
 </UpdateListItemsResponse>

Answer 1

I haven't used BatchCmd that much, because there's very little help from SharePoint when it goes wrong (as it's executed directly in owssvr.dll, not in any managed code), but I notice a lack of SetVar nodes in your XML.

Try using the example on this page to format your XML: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc404818(v=office.12).aspx

Such that your XML looks like this:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
  <ows:Batch OnError="Return">
    <Method ID="[YOUR ITEM ID]">
      <SetList>[YOUR LIST GUID]</SetList>
      <SetVar Name="Cmd">Save</SetVar>
      <SetVar Name="ID">[YOUR ITEM ID]</SetVar>
      <SetVar Name="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office#Title">xyz</SetVar> 
    </Method>
  </ows:Batch>

Answer 2

If this is truly your XML, then you are missing a forward-slash on the end </Field> tag for ID.