Top SyteLine IDO Errors with Step-by-Step Fix Guide
IDO (Intelligent Data Objects) errors are the most frequently encountered issues in SyteLine development and administration. From cryptic LoadCollection failures to property validation exceptions, these errors halt customizations and disrupt production workflows. This guide documents the exact error messages you will see, their root causes, and proven resolution steps.
LoadCollection and UpdateCollection Failures
The error "IDO runtime error: LoadCollection failed for IDO [IDOName]" is the single most common SyteLine IDO error. It typically surfaces when a custom IDO references a view or stored procedure that does not exist, when column mappings are incorrect, or when the IDO metadata cache is stale after a deployment. The UpdateCollection variant—"UpdateCollection failed: Cannot insert duplicate key"—occurs when unique index constraints are violated during batch inserts.
- Error: "LoadCollection failed for IDO SLItems" — verify the IDO's base view exists in the database and column names match the IDO property definitions in IDO Metadata
- Error: "UpdateCollection failed: Cannot insert duplicate key in object dbo.item" — check for duplicate item values in the staging data and validate unique index constraints on the target table
- Error: "IDO request timed out after 300 seconds" — increase the IDO timeout value in Utility Configuration under Application Settings > IDO Runtime Timeout, or optimize the underlying SQL query with proper indexing
- Run IDO Metadata Refresh from the SyteLine Utility to clear stale IDO cache after any schema change or IDO XML deployment
- Enable IDO tracing in web.config by setting <add key="IDOTraceLevel" value="Verbose"/> to capture full IDO request/response payloads for debugging
Property Validation and Type Mismatch Errors
The error "Property [PropertyName] failed validation: Value does not fall within the expected range" appears when form input violates business rules defined in the IDO's property-level validation. Type mismatch errors such as "Cannot convert value of type String to type Decimal for property UnitCost" indicate incorrect data binding between form controls and IDO properties. These errors are especially common after SyteLine upgrades where property data types change.
- Error: "Value does not fall within the expected range" for quantity fields — check the IDO property's MinValue and MaxValue attributes in the IDO extension class, and verify the form control's data type matches
- Error: "Cannot convert value of type String to type Decimal" — ensure the form control's DataType attribute is set to 'Decimal' and the regional number format matches the server locale setting in SyteLine Configuration Manager
- Error: "Required property [PropertyName] cannot be null" — add a default value in the IDO's SetDefaultProperties method or make the form field mandatory with proper UX feedback
- Use the Event Handler debugger in SyteLine Form Designer to step through property change events and identify where validation fails in the event chain
IDO Extension and Custom Method Errors
Custom IDO extensions produce errors like "Method not found: CalculateCustomPrice" when the compiled DLL is not deployed to the correct directory, or when the assembly version in the IDO metadata does not match the deployed binary. The error "Object reference not set to an instance of an object" in IDO extensions almost always indicates a null GetPropertyValue call where the expected collection row does not exist. These issues require systematic validation of the entire deployment pipeline.
- Error: "Method not found" — verify the DLL is deployed to the SyteLine Server\IDO Extensions folder and the assembly name and version in IDO Metadata matches the compiled DLL exactly
- Error: "Object reference not set to an instance of an object" — add null checks on every GetPropertyValue and GetCurrentObjectPropertyValue call; wrap critical sections in try-catch blocks with detailed logging to the SyteLine Application Event Log
- Error: "Could not load file or assembly 'CustomExtension'" — check the .NET Framework target version matches the SyteLine runtime (typically .NET 4.6.2 or 4.8), and verify all dependent assemblies are present in the same directory
- Always deploy IDO extensions using the SyteLine Deployment Utility rather than manual file copy to ensure metadata, cache, and binary are synchronized
- Test custom IDO methods in the IDO Request Tester utility before deploying to production to validate input/output parameters in isolation
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