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Webflow publishing issues

Common Webflow error messages, what they mean and how to solve them.

Gregory Claeyssens avatar
Written by Gregory Claeyssens
Updated over a week ago

Below you'll find listings of the most common Webflow errors.

If your error isn't listed here, try to take a look into the general publishing errors: Websites publishing errors


Start solving your publishing errrors

1. The collection structure changed since the last publish

‼ Error message

err: CollectionSchemaChangedError: The collection structure changed since the last publish

📔 Explanation:

Your collection's structure changed on Webflow and it needs to be published again.

Why does that happen:
It is simply a restriction from Webflow's API. They do not allow publishing through the API if the structure is out of sync.

✅ Solution:

We added a setting that automatically publishes all sites to all domains. You will have to enable this in the StoryChief channels settings. If you don't like to enable this setting, you can follow the manual decision.

2. Site is published to multiple domains at different times

‼ Error message:

Error: InconsistentPublicationsError: Site is published to multiple domains at different times

📔 Explanation:
This means your Webflow website is published to different domains at different times.

Why does that happen:

It is simply a restriction from Webflow's API. They do not allow publishing through the API if the domains are out of sync.


✅ Solution:
We added a setting that automatically publishes all sites to all domains. You will have to enable this in the StoryChief channels settings. If you don't like to enable this setting, you can follow the manual decision.

3. Validation Failure

📔 Explanation:
This means certain fields failed the validation on your Webflow website.

Why does that happen:

Webflow allows you to put certain validation rules on fields. For example, the excerpt might be required, to have a maximum length of 400 characters and a minimum of 100 characters.

✅ Solution:
​Step 1: Click on view details on the StoryChief error report
​Step 2: Read the listed problems, and do the required changes to your article

4. Conflict with server data: The item can't be published if the site is not published

📔 Explanation:
This means your Webflow website is not published.

Why does that happen:
It is simply a restriction from Webflow's API. They do not allow publishing through the API if the website isn't published.


✅ Solution:
We added a setting that automatically publishes all sites to all domains. You will have to enable this in the StoryChief channels settings. If you don't like to enable this setting, you can follow the manual decision.

5. Collection not found

📔 Explanation:
This means that StoryChief could not find your configured collection on Webflow.

Why does that happen:
Typically, this is caused by restoring a backup on Webflow. Webflow resets every ID of your collections, this is a known issue of Webflow and they warn you about this when restoring a backup.

✅ Solution:
​Step 1: Head over to your Webflow channels on StoryChief
Step 2: Click on the disconnected channel to edit it
​Step 2: Depending on the situation you might have to select the correct collection name and press Restore

6. Field 'slug': Unique value is already in database

📔 Explanation:
This means that Webflow has another item with that slug in its database.

Why does that happen:
There are 2 possible reasons.
First, you have another article with the same slug already on Webflow. Simply changing your slug on StoryChief will solve it so that it remains unique.

Second, you previously had an article with that slug, but it has already been removed / unpublished.

✅ Solution:

We added a setting that automatically publishes all sites to all domains. You will have to enable this in the StoryChief channels settings. If you don't like to enable this setting, you can follow the manual decision.
​

7. CMS Items not found

📔 Explanation:
This means that the blog post you are trying to update has been deleted in Webflow ( not via StoryChief).

Why does that happen:
If you publish a blog post via StoryChief to Webflow and then deleted it in Webflow, StoryChief does not know about the fact that you deleted the post, we try to update a post that actually does not exist anymore.

✅ Solution:

** Please try not to delete posts that have been published via StoryChief directly in Webflow, unpublish them via StoryChief instead.

Step-1: Unpublish your Webflow site ( all domains )

Step-2: Publish the Webflow site ( all domains )
Step-3: In your StoryChief account, duplicate the article and publish it again to Webflow

The reason you need to Unpublish and then publish your site is that Webflow keeps the slugs cached, which means the post will not be created using the same old slug.

8. Field not described in schema

‼ Error message:

Validation Failure:
Field "my-custom-field": Field not described in schema

📔 Explanation:
This means a field was added to your Webflow website but wasn't propagated to all of your domains.

Why does that happen:

It is simply a restriction from Webflow's API. They do not allow publishing through the API if the schema isn't in sync across all of your domains


✅ Solution:
We added a setting that automatically publishes all sites to all domains. You will have to enable this in the StoryChief channels settings. If you don't like to enable this setting, you can follow the manual decision.
​

9. Remote image failed to import: File size limit reached

‼ Error message:

Remote image failed to import: File size limit reached

📔 Explanation:
This error happens when your article contains an image larger than 4MB. Typical images should never reach this file size, but GIF's can, as they can't be optimized by us.

✅ Solution:
Review any used GIF in the article that is below 4MB in size

10. Publish website manually

Step 1: Log into your Webflow account
​Step 2: Publish your website to all your domains at the same time


📚 Next steps

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