Knowledge Base

PRJ98: Error Message: "This Is Not a Valid Name for a Resource"

Article ID: 179791

Article Last Modified on 1/22/2007

Microsoft Project 98 Standard Edition

This article was previously published under Q179791

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Project 98, when you open a project file that was created in an earlier version of Microsoft Project, you may receive the following error:

This is not a valid name for a resource. Resource names cannot contain brackets ([ ]) or the list separator.

After clicking OK, some resource names may be missing.

NOTE: Only the resource name is missing. The rest of the resource information for that resource is present.

CAUSE

This problem occurs when all of the following conditions are true:

You create a project file in an earlier version of Microsoft Project.
-and-
The computer on which you created the file had a different list separator character than the one used to open the file in Microsoft Project 98.
-and-
The resource name contains the character that Microsoft Project 98 is using as a list separator.

WORKAROUND

In Microsoft Project 98, rename the resource without using the list separator character, and save changes to the file.

To view the List Separator setting on your computer, follow these steps:

On the Windows Start menu, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
Double-click the Regional Settings icon.
Click the Number tab.
Note the setting in the List Separator box, and then click OK.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the versions of Microsoft Project listed above.

Keywords: kbbug kberrmsg kbpending KB179791