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The text value is invalid, probably because it exceeds the 255 character limit
The text value is invalid, probably because it exceeds the 255 character limit
Updated this week

Symptoms

When attempting to copy an item, the app displays the following error:

The text value is invalid, probably because it exceeds the 255 character limit.

Error code

  • IN-013-118

  • IN-098-118

  • IN-791-118

  • Any error code ending with: -118

Details

The error occurs because the specified value is not valid for a text column.

The most common cause for this error is when the text value exceeds 255 characters, which is the limit set by SharePoint for the value of a Single line of text column type.

Solution

There are 2 possible solutions for this issue.

Edit the destination column type

From the destination SharePoint environment, you can change the column type to Multiple lines of text. This column type does not have a value limit of 255 characters.

Depending on the version of SharePoint (on-premises or Microsoft 365), the method to edit a column type may vary. Following are some common ways to edit a column. In SharePoint:

  • Navigate to Site Settings and select Site columns. Select the column you want to update, and change the Type.

  • Navigate to Site Settings and select Site libraries and lists. Select the column you want to update, and change the Type.

  • Edit the column directly from the list or library by selecting List or Library from the top toolbar (SharePoint Server 2013). Select List settings or Library settings. Select the column you want to update, and change the Type.

  • Edit the column directly from the list or library. See the Microsoft article, Edit a list column (SharePoint Server 2019, Microsoft 365).

When the column type has been changed at the destination, perform the item migration again.

Export and edit the metadata

Verify that the source value does not exceed 255 characters by analyzing the data in Excel.

To do this, follow the directions for exporting the metadata to Excel. Analyze the values to make sure that they are not over the limit, and edit any values that are over 255 characters.

When all the values are under 255 characters, import the Excel file to ShareGate and perform the item migration using the updated metadata.

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