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TYPE_E_INVALIDID
Invalid inherited member identifier in type metadata
TYPE_E_INVALIDID is HRESULT 2147649743 (0x800288CF) from winerror.h. AllStat describes it as “Incorrect inheritance depth in standard OLE hmember.” The result belongs to type-library validation of inherited MEMBERID or DISPID values. The important boundary is not merely failure but which object and state transition established: the encoded identifier does not describe a valid inheritance depth or member position.
The decisive meaning of this result is that the encoded identifier does not describe a valid inheritance depth or member position. The severity bit does not decide handling; the controlling fact is that the encoded identifier does not describe a valid inheritance depth or member position. Interpret it at the native boundary before a wrapper hides the condition that the encoded identifier does not describe a valid inheritance depth or member position.
Where the result appears
- This result can surface in a type-library compiler, importer, registration step, proxy generator, or Automation metadata consumer.
- map the failure to one concrete operation among LoadTypeLib, RegisterTypeLib, ITypeInfo, ICreateTypeInfo, FUNCDESC, TYPEDESC, and imported LIBID versions.
- Preserve LIBID, type-library version, LCID, SYSKIND, TYPEKIND, GUID, MEMBERID, HREFTYPE, and the producer toolchain before releasing or replacing the object that returned this result.
An incident record for this HRESULT must distinguish caller, runtime, provider, and backing resource while testing whether the encoded identifier does not describe a valid inheritance depth or member position.
Typical causes and interpretation boundary
The immediate contract boundary is specific: the encoded identifier does not describe a valid inheritance depth or member position. Common cause branches include the following:
- A generator encoded an inherited member with the wrong depth.
- A hand-authored type description reused a reserved identifier form.
- A damaged or mismatched type library changed the inheritance graph.
Confirm the cause branch that explains why the encoded identifier does not describe a valid inheritance depth or member position by using call arguments, object state, metadata, device information, or provider traces.
Correct handling and recovery
The primary recovery is to regenerate the type information from a stable interface hierarchy and preserve published member identifiers. The result failure report should expose enough type-library validation of inherited MEMBERID or DISPID values state to understand why the encoded identifier does not describe a valid inheritance depth or member position without a production debugger.
Retry this result only when evidence shows the state behind “the encoded identifier does not describe a valid inheritance depth or member position” can change and the operation is repeatable. Reconcile persistent, remote, device, or ownership state before repeating it.
Practical scenario
A proxy generator imports a base interface through two different metadata versions and emits an hmember whose inheritance depth no longer matches the deployed type library. Record the decisive state for this HRESULT and verify recovery on a fresh object or request generation.
Difference from related HRESULTs
TYPE_E_DUPLICATEID reports reuse of a valid identifier, whereas it says the identifier encoding itself is invalid Tests and telemetry should preserve that boundary for this HRESULT.
Developer and administrator guidance
Developers handling it should make object lifetime and state transitions explicit, preserve the native HRESULT, and keep cleanup paths safe when initialization or output is partial. Use a minimal IDL or metadata fixture that reproduces the exact graph, then validate both 32-bit and 64-bit generated artifacts.
Administrators should repair the component owning type-library validation of inherited MEMBERID or DISPID values as a versioned unit instead of copying arbitrary DLLs. Repair for this HRESULT should target only the evidence-backed component, provider, document, device, or configuration.
References
- Microsoft: COM error codes for TYPE_E and OLE
- Microsoft: LoadTypeLib
- Microsoft: CreateTypeLib2
- Microsoft: ITypeInfo
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