Error while saving a workflow via sharepoint designer: Server-side activities have been updated. You need to restart SharePoint Designer to use the updated version of activities.

While saving a workflow using SharePoint designer on a SharePoint site, I get the following error: 

Server-side activities have been updated. You need to restart SharePoint Designer to use the updated version of activities.

Steps to recreate error:

  • Login to the WFE server hosting IIS and workflow manager, open SharePoint Designer 2013 and login to a SharePoint site.
  • Access the list using SharePoint Designer 2013, in the workflow section, click new workflow. 
  • In the new workflow dialog, enter workflow details, click save (see screenshot below).
  • Error message is displayed as below:
  • After restarting SharePoint Designer, the saved workflow is not seen in the site/workflows or list/workflow section.

Workaround

When the above steps are repeated while accessing the site via SPD from any other box besides the WFE/Workflow manager host server, the error is not encountered and its possible to save/publish workflows.

Notes

  • Workflow Manager 1.0 is installed.
  • The site has been registered with Workflow manager using Register-SPWorkflowService cmdlet.

Any clue on why is this happening?

October 29th, 2013 10:27am

Hi Vivek,

Please close your SharePoint Designer application, clear/delete the cached files and folders under the following directories from your server installed SharePoint Designer, then check results again.

<user profile>\appdata\roaming\microsoft\SharePoint Designer\ProxyAssemblyCache
<user profile>\appdata\local\microsoft\websitecache\<sitename>

http://www.andreasthumfart.com/2013/08/sharepoint-designer-2013-server-side-activities-have-been-updated/

Thanks

Free Windows Admin Tool Kit Click here and download it now
October 30th, 2013 7:07am

I did both the above clearing/deleting steps. Still the same error. Any help appreciated.
November 7th, 2013 6:45pm

I'm getting same error.
Free Windows Admin Tool Kit Click here and download it now
February 14th, 2014 3:14pm

I spent all morning wrestling with this problem. I installed SPD to another machine and it worked fine from there. I proceeded to delete my user profile on my machine (where it didn't work) and create a new profile. After a new installation of SPD, as well as clearing all the cache directories it still did not work.

Finally I copied the files from the working machine in

<user>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WebsiteCache\<website>\15.0.0.4571

to the corresponding directory on my non-working machine. After that, I was able to edit the workflow once again. I suppose the dll's in that directory get copied down from the server and my machine wasn't able to do so. I'm assuming that I will need to copy those same files in to any other website directory that has non working workflows as well.

May 15th, 2014 8:54pm

I got a new PC and ran into this issue as well.  I also followed the directions supplied and resulted with the same error.  Luckily I still had my old PC so, as with Chandler, I also copied all of the cache files from my old PC to my new PC and was able to access all of the projects that I had opened with my old PC.

Free Windows Admin Tool Kit Click here and download it now
March 10th, 2015 8:19pm

The link you posted is dead.  I've also cleared the cache, uninstalled, reinstalled, and still get the same error message.  Does this have something to do with BUILTIN\Administrators?  I can't change the (Get-WFFarm).AdminGroup to 'MYDOMAIN\Users' in PowerShell and have Register-'d the WFService as 'https://my.company.domain' to 'http://spservername:12291' 

Doesn't matter how many times the cache has been cleared, what is the proper way to configure Workflow Manager?  Does it have anything to do with the ServiceBus?

Do people actually answer forums with steps instead of just linking to some random person's blog?

July 30th, 2015 3:56pm

Excellent comment, Steven. 

This error has stopped our Sharepoint/WF development dead in the water for a week now.  The links to blogs here--incorrectly marked as "correct answer" by MSFT itself--DO NOT PROVIDE A SOLUTION. 

Free Windows Admin Tool Kit Click here and download it now
September 4th, 2015 12:20pm

This commonly-proposed solution DOES NOT WORK.  Given that this is such a common error, and has been known for years now, doesn't MSFT have any further insight?

I've lost count of the number of times I've cleared the cache locations described here, along with reinstalls of SharePoint Designer.  The problem will not go away.  Every attempt to save is met with "server side activities has been updated..."

Rather unfair for MSFT to have marked this as the correct answer when the problem is so common :-(

September 4th, 2015 12:25pm

This topic is archived. No further replies will be accepted.

Other recent topics Other recent topics