Resolving Save Errors Caused by Hidden Layout Code in Pasted Content

Overview

This article explains a known issue where a dashboard in Kahootz fails to save after changes are made, typically showing an error when copying and pasting from elsewhere.

The root cause, as identified in a recent support case, was the inclusion of hidden layout code through copying and pasting content from another dashboard or online source.

It also provides guidance on how to avoid this issue and general best practices when copying and pasting content online and into workspaces\dashboards via Kahootz.

Symptoms

Users may experience the following symptoms when editing a dashboard:

• An error message is displayed when attempting to save changes to the dashboard.

• The error appears to be specific to one or more dashboards, while other dashboards function normally.

• After saving, additional blank or empty sections appear at the bottom of the dashboard or within an accordion.

• Newly added sections may appear corrupted or not display correctly, and keep reappearing when trying to remove them.

• In some test/workspace scenarios, accordions may duplicate unexpectedly and cannot easily be deleted via the normal editor tools.

These issues have been identified and observed in dashboards with complex layouts and in those with content copied from other dashboards.

Root Cause

The problem was traced to hidden layout code introduced by copying and pasting content from another workspace\dashboard or online site.

Key technical points:

• The copied content included hidden layout markup used internally by the dashboard editor (for example, section/row/column layout definitions).

• When pasted into a different context (inside an accordion panel on another dashboard), the editor interpreted this hidden markup as additional sections.

• This caused:

  • A corrupted section to be inserted on save.

  • Dashboard save operations to fail with an error message.

  • Multiple blank/empty sections to appear under the accordion item.

In short, copying dashboard content that contains layout or structural code from one dashboard and pasting it into another can corrupt the receiving dashboard’s layout.

How to Recognise Problematic Pasted Content

From the user interface alone, it is not obvious which specific links or paragraphs contain hidden layout code.

In the above case, the development team had to inspect the underlying markup to pinpoint the problem.

However, there are some indicators and patterns you can watch for:

1. Timing of the error

   • If the dashboard starts failing to save shortly after content has been copy-pasted from another dashboard, website, or rich text source, that new content is a likely suspect.

2. Location-based issues

   • If the error occurs only when editing or saving a particular accordion panel or section, focus your investigation on the content within that specific area.

3. Unexpected blank sections

   • Extra, empty sections appearing at the bottom of the page (or within an accordion) after a save attempt strongly suggest that layout markup has been pasted in.

4. Content that was copied from another dashboard

   • Any text, links, or blocks that were copied directly from another dashboard page (rather than manually recreated) are more likely to contain hidden layout or structural code.

Because the hidden layout code is not visible in the WYSIWYG editor, the most reliable practical method at the user level is to:

• Identify recently pasted content; then

• Gradually remove or re-create it as plain text/links until the error stops occurring.

Recommended Workarounds and Preventive Steps

1. Avoid direct copy–paste from dashboards or complex web pages

Where possible, do not copy directly from one dashboard (or complex web page/email) and paste straight into another dashboard’s editor.

Instead:

• Copy the content into a plain text editor first (for example, Notepad).

• This strips out most/all hidden formatting and layout code.

• Then copy it from the plain text editor into the dashboard and apply formatting (bold, headings, links, etc.) using the dashboard editor tools.

2. Use “paste as plain text” where available

On many systems and browsers, you can:

• Use keyboard shortcuts like Ctrl + Shift + V (Windows) or Cmd + Option + Shift + V (macOS) to paste as plain text.

• Or select any “Paste as plain text” / “Keep text only” option in the editor if provided.

This reduces the risk of importing external layout or styling markup.

3. Rebuild problematic sections manually

If a dashboard is already affected:

1. Identify the panel or section after which the save error started.

2. Copy the visible text from that panel into Notepad (or a similar editor) to strip formatting.

3. Delete the problematic content/section/accordion panel from the dashboard.

4. Recreate the panel and re-add the text and links manually from the plain text.

5. Save the dashboard and check whether the error is resolved.

6. Remove any blank or empty sections at the bottom of the dashboard, then save again.

4. When to contact support

Contact Kahootz Support if:

• You cannot delete a problematic accordion or section (for example, it duplicates itself or refuses to be removed).

• Save errors persist even after you have removed recently pasted content and obvious blank sections.

• Multiple dashboards show the same behaviour without a clear user action causing it.

Providing the following information will help speed up resolution:

• The workspace and dashboard name/URL.

• Which specific accordion panel or section were you editing when the error occurred?

• Whether you recently pasted content and from where (another dashboard, an external website, a PDF, an email, etc.).

General Guidance on Copying and Pasting Online

Although this incident was specific to dashboards, it highlights broader risks associated with copying and pasting content from online or rich sources.

Hidden formatting and layout

Copying from:

• Websites

• PDFs

• Rich emails

• Word processing documents

can bring across hidden styles, layout elements, tables, and other markup that does not display clearly in the target editor. This may result in:

• Unexpected extra spacing or columns.

• Broken or misaligned layouts.

• Corrupt or non‑functional sections in structured editors (such as dashboards).

Security-related risks (general IT context)

While not specific to Kahootz workspaces or dashboards, users should also be aware that:

• Copying commands from untrusted websites into a terminal or command prompt can conceal malicious code.

• Malware or malicious browser extensions can manipulate clipboard contents.

As a general IT best practice, always inspect sensitive or executable content in a plain text editor before using it.

Summary

• Dashboard save errors accompanied by extra blank sections or corrupted accordion content can be caused by hidden layout code introduced via copy–paste from other dashboards or complex online sources.

• The content may look normal in the editor, but internally it may contain layout markup that the dashboard editor misinterprets as additional sections.

• To prevent this:

  • Avoid direct copy–paste between dashboards or from rich web/email content.

  • Use a plain text editor (such as Notepad) as an intermediate step.

  • Rebuild problematic sections/accordions manually when errors arise.

• If you are unable to resolve the issue or cannot remove corrupted sections, contact Support with the dashboard details for further investigation.