System.ArgumentException exception when you sign out of a web application

  • Article
  • Applies to:
    SharePoint Server 2013

Symptoms

When you sign out of a SharePoint 2013 web application that is configured by multiple authentication providers (for example, Windows Claims and FBA Claims authentication providers), the following call-stack exception message is displayed on an exception page:

Exception of type 'System.ArgumentException' was thrown. Parameter name: encodedValue at  
Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.Claims.SPClaimEncodingManager.DecodeClaimFromFormsSuffix(System.String)  
Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.Claims.SPClaimProviderManager.GetProviderUserKey(Microsoft.IdentityModel.Claims.IClaimsIdentity, System.String)  
Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.Claims.SPClaimProviderManager.GetProviderUserKey(System.String)  
Microsoft.SharePoint.Utilities.SPUtility.GetFullUserKeyFromLoginName(System.String)  
Microsoft.SharePoint.ApplicationRuntime.SPHeaderManager.AddIsapiHeaders(System.Web.HttpContext, System.String, System.Collections.Specialized.NameValueCollection)  
Microsoft.SharePoint.ApplicationRuntime.SPRequestModule.PreRequestExecuteAppHandler(System.Object, System.EventArgs)

Cause

This issue occurs because an invalid user context is left in the IIS cache.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, replace the Sign Out link with the Sign-in As Different User link for all web front end-servers on the SharePoint farm by following these steps:

  1. In the following folder, open the welcome.ascx file in a text editor such as notepad:

    C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\15\TEMPLATE\CONTROLTEMPLATES

  2. Replace the old text with the new text as follows:
    Old text

    <SharePoint:MenuItemTemplate runat="server" id="ID_Logout"  
Text="<%$Resources:wss,personalactions_logout%>"  
Description="<%$Resources:wss,personalactions_logoutdescription%>"  
MenuGroupId="100"  
Sequence="400"  
UseShortId="true"  
/>

    New text

    <SharePoint:MenuItemTemplate runat="server" ID="ID_LoginAsDifferentUser"  
Text="<%$Resources:wss,personalactions_loginasdifferentuser%>"   
Description="<%$Resources:wss,personalactions_loginasdifferentuserdescription%>"   
MenuGroupId="100"   
Sequence="400"   
UseShortId="true"   
/>

    Note The text and description attributes are changed to mimic the logoff button.

More information

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