SharePoint GetListItems Return Keys Inconsistent

Question

When I call the SharePoint GetListItems web method, it returns some of the items with a GUID as the key, and the rest with a text ID as the key.

For example, if I have a form library with three columns, say UserName, EnvironmentName, and LastStatus, they might be returned as follows:

ows_b5acede2_x002d_ab94_x002d_470f_x002d_b9e9_x002d_cdf4d3fe4e01=\"John Doe\" ows_EnvironmentName=\"Windows\" ows__x0032_ef676c4_x002d_8f1c_x002d_4287_x002d_97c2_x002d_0d05ef782b83=\"Submitted\"

Why is it returning the column key as a GUID in some cases and how can I force it to return the text ID? Thanks.

Answer 1

Hi Anon

It could be that the InternalName of these columns is set to the Guid.

You can use SharePoint Manager on the server to look at how everything is set up (there is both 2007 and 2010 versions)