Add field to content type throws error content type has no children [BUG]

[pvranich]

Hi All, I will start but saying I think this is the right place to log the issue. If it should go in the pnp framework issues please let me know and i will move it there.

Reporting an Issue or Missing Feature

Ultimately the issue is when trying to add a list field\column to a list content type I get the following error

The content type has no children.

Cmdlet called is Add-PnPFieldToContentType

Now that being said, I have two content types in my library and it consistently adds the field to one content type, which happens to be the default content type, but consistently fails when trying to add the field to any other subsequent content types with the message above.

Neither content types have any children. So not really sure why it is even trying to do that and 2 it still works on the default content type even though it has no children.

There is no parameter on the cmdlet to updatechildren $true$false so I am guessing this is always set to $true? If I look at the source code this seems to be the case.

Expected behavior

The field is successfully added to the content type.

Actual behavior

When calling Add-PnPFieldToContentType with a field object it fails with the message The content type has no children.
and the field is not added to the content type.

Steps to reproduce behavior

Create two site content types, ContentTypeA and ContentTypeB, inheriting from Document and add both these content types to a library. Remove the Document content type from the library. Set ContentTypeA as the default content type.

I have a collection of fields and their schema xml that I am trying to add to the list and then to the content types. It doesn't matter what sort of field. for example:

$fieldSchemaXml = '<Field Type="Currency" DisplayName="ACurrencyField" Required="FALSE" EnforceUniqueValues="FALSE" Indexed="FALSE" LCID="3081" ID="{550c35a9-f880-454a-b2f0-cf0fa62de8bf}" SourceID="{18eea96c-3bb4-4c98-bfd7-7d5b1fdb63c0}" StaticName="ACurrencyField" Name="ACurrencyField" ColName="float2" RowOrdinal="0" />'

$connection = Conntect-PnPOnline -ReturnConnection .....
$destinationList = Get-PnPList -Connection $connection -Identity 'PnPIssueTest';
$field = Get-PnPField -Connection $connection -List $destinationList -Identity 'ACurrencyField' -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue;

if ($null -eq $field) {
     $field = Add-PnPFieldFromXml -Connection $connection -List $destinationList -FieldXml $fieldSchemaXml -ErrorAction Stop;
}
# assume here that ContentTypeA is the default content type
$contentTypeA = Get-PnPContentType -Connection $connection -List $destinationList -Identity 'ContentTypeA';
$contentTypeB = Get-PnPContentType -Connection $connection -List $destinationList -Identity 'ContentTypeB';

#This is the default content type and this works
Add-PnPFieldToContentType -Connection $connection -Field $field -ContentType $contentTypeA; 

#This fails
Add-PnPFieldToContentType -Connection $connection -Field $field -ContentType $contentTypeB;

What is the version of the Cmdlet module you are running?

1.7.0

Which operating system/environment are you running PnP PowerShell on?

• Windows

[pvranich]

Continuing on I just tried this thinking that maybe it had something to do with it being the default content type but this didn't work either

Set-PnPDefaultContentTypeToList -List $destinationList -ContentType $contentTypeB;

Add-PnPFieldToContentType -Connection $connection -Field $field -ContentType $contentTypeB;

I have since run another test, whereby I created a new document library in the same site collection PnPIssueTest2 and added the site content type ContentTypeB to the library first and then added ContentTypeA ran the same script as before and it successfully added the field to ContentTypeB but not ContentTypeA. ContentTypeA is still the default content type.

$fieldSchemaXml = '<Field Type="Currency" DisplayName="ACurrencyField" Required="FALSE" EnforceUniqueValues="FALSE" Indexed="FALSE" LCID="3081" ID="{550c35a9-f880-454a-b2f0-cf0fa62de8bf}" SourceID="{18eea96c-3bb4-4c98-bfd7-7d5b1fdb63c0}" StaticName="ACurrencyField" Name="ACurrencyField" ColName="float2" RowOrdinal="0" />'

$connection = Connect-PnPOnline -ReturnConnection ....;
$destinationList = Get-PnPList -Connection $connection -Identity 'PnPIssueTest2';
$field = Get-PnPField -Connection $connection -List $destinationList -Identity 'ACurrencyField' -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue;

if ($null -eq $field) {
     $field = Add-PnPFieldFromXml -Connection $connection -List $destinationList -FieldXml $fieldSchemaXml -ErrorAction Stop;
}
# assume here that ContentTypeA is the default content type
$contentTypeA = Get-PnPContentType -Connection $connection -List $destinationList -Identity 'ContentTypeA';
$contentTypeB = Get-PnPContentType -Connection $connection -List $destinationList -Identity 'ContentTypeB';

#This fails. Added second to the library but is still the default content type.
Add-PnPFieldToContentType -Connection $connection -Field $field -ContentType $contentTypeA; 

#This works
Add-PnPFieldToContentType -Connection $connection -Field $field -ContentType $contentTypeB;

[gautamdsheth]

Hi @pvranich , have added additional parameter -UpdateChildren to this cmdlet.
This allows users to control the pushing of fields to child content types.
It will be available in tomorrow's nightly