HRESULT 0x80000011 (RO_E_METADATA_INVALID_TYPE

Status / error code:		Category:

Constant name:
Source:		Operating System:
Description: WinRT metadata type name has invalid syntax

Could be also:
Constant	Type	OS
STATUS_DEVICE_BUSY	NTSTATUS	Windows

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RO_E_METADATA_NAME_IS_NAMESPACE	RO_E_INVALID_METADATA_FILE

RO_E_METADATA_INVALID_TYPE_FORMAT

WinRT metadata type name has invalid syntax

RO_E_METADATA_INVALID_TYPE_FORMAT is HRESULT 2147483665 (0x80000011) from winerror.h. AllStat describes it as “Typename has an invalid format.” In the Windows Runtime metadata, object lifetime, asynchronous operation, activation, and apartment model, the code identifies a specific failure boundary and should not be replaced by a generic COM exception.

The hexadecimal value and symbolic name this result should remain attached to the originating API and operation generation.

Where it is encountered

C++/WinRT, WRL,.NET projections, or native WinRT ABI calls. Record the interface, method, component version, thread, apartment, process, and correlation ID.
Runtime-class activation, WinMD reflection, asynchronous objects, observable state, or view lifecycle.
Cross-thread and cross-apartment handoff between UI, ASTA, STA, MTA, broker, and background work.

The immediate focus for it is a malformed metadata type expression, including invalid namespace separators, generic arity, nested-type notation, or forbidden characters. Keep it attached to that operation; the same numeric severity outside the owning API does not supply enough context.

Decisive interpretation boundary

Before choosing recovery, verify that the input is validated against WinRT type-name grammar before metadata files or deployment are blamed. The decisive boundary for it determines whether the same object can continue, a new object is required, or policy must change.

Also confirm that all observed objects, tokens, buffers, proxies, metadata files, or ACLs belong to the current operation generation and were not retained from an earlier attempt.

Correct handling and recovery

Normalize the generated name at its source, reject untrusted malformed names, and add tests for generic and nested forms used by the projection.

Reconcile partial output and server-side effects before attempting the operation again.

Lifetime, retry, and cleanup rules

After it, determine whether the current object, interface pointer, call context, token, stream, metadata reader, asynchronous operation, or access-control instance remains valid. Release only resources owned by the failing attempt, cancel callbacks through their documented mechanism, and avoid double close, double commit, repeated activation, or replay of a non-idempotent remote method.

The retry policy for it should state the trigger, maximum attempts, cancellation owner, and reconciliation step for effects that may have completed elsewhere.

Difference from nearby HRESULTs

It is syntactic; RO_E_METADATA_NAME_NOT_FOUND is a well-formed lookup that found no symbol.

The distinction around it should be represented explicitly in control flow and operational dashboards.

Practical scenario

A code generator emits a generic type name with CLR backtick syntax where WinRT metadata expects a projected form. The generator is corrected and its output snapshot-tested.

A regression test should reproduce it, assert the raw HRESULT and all relevant outputs, then correct only the decisive condition and verify the intended success or neighboring failure result.

References

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