SharePoint 2013 Basic Search Center Navigation Settings Breaks in June 2013 CU

July 24, 2013

In the June 2013 Cumulative Update for SharePoint 2013, if you modify the navigation settings of a Basic Search Center (/_layouts/15/AreaNavigationSettings.aspx), the OK button generates the following error:

System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.   
 at Microsoft.SharePoint.Publishing.Internal.CodeBehind.AreaNavigationSettingsPage.OKButton_Click(Object sender, EventArgs e)    
 at System.Web.UI.WebControls.Button.RaisePostBackEvent(String eventArgument)    
 at System.Web.UI.Page.ProcessRequestMain(Boolean includeStagesBeforeAsyncPoint, Boolean includeStagesAfterAsyncPoint)

Getting Error Message for Exception System.Web.HttpUnhandledException (0x80004005): Exception of type 'System.Web.HttpUnhandledException' was thrown. ---> System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.    
 at Microsoft.SharePoint.Publishing.Internal.CodeBehind.AreaNavigationSettingsPage.OKButton_Click(Object sender, EventArgs e)    
 at System.Web.UI.WebControls.Button.RaisePostBackEvent(String eventArgument)    
 at System.Web.UI.Page.ProcessRequestMain(Boolean includeStagesBeforeAsyncPoint, Boolean includeStagesAfterAsyncPoint)    
 at System.Web.UI.Page.HandleError(Exception e)    
 at System.Web.UI.Page.ProcessRequestMain(Boolean includeStagesBeforeAsyncPoint, Boolean includeStagesAfterAsyncPoint)    
 at System.Web.UI.Page.ProcessRequest(Boolean includeStagesBeforeAsyncPoint, Boolean includeStagesAfterAsyncPoint)    
 at System.Web.UI.Page.ProcessRequest()    
 at System.Web.UI.Page.ProcessRequest(HttpContext context)    
 at System.Web.HttpApplication.CallHandlerExecutionStep.System.Web.HttpApplication.IExecutionStep.Execute()    
 at System.Web.HttpApplication.ExecuteStep(IExecutionStep step, Boolean& completedSynchronously)

System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.

at Microsoft.SharePoint.Publishing.Internal.CodeBehind.AreaNavigationSettingsPage.OKButton_Click(Object sender, EventArgs e)

at System.Web.UI.WebControls.Button.RaisePostBackEvent(String eventArgument)

at System.Web.UI.Page.ProcessRequestMain(Boolean includeStagesBeforeAsyncPoint, Boolean includeStagesAfterAsyncPoint)

Getting Error Message for Exception System.Web.HttpUnhandledException (0x80004005): Exception of type 'System.Web.HttpUnhandledException' was thrown. ---> System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.

at Microsoft.SharePoint.Publishing.Internal.CodeBehind.AreaNavigationSettingsPage.OKButton_Click(Object sender, EventArgs e)

at System.Web.UI.WebControls.Button.RaisePostBackEvent(String eventArgument)

at System.Web.UI.Page.ProcessRequestMain(Boolean includeStagesBeforeAsyncPoint, Boolean includeStagesAfterAsyncPoint)

at System.Web.UI.Page.HandleError(Exception e)

at System.Web.UI.Page.ProcessRequestMain(Boolean includeStagesBeforeAsyncPoint, Boolean includeStagesAfterAsyncPoint)

at System.Web.UI.Page.ProcessRequest(Boolean includeStagesBeforeAsyncPoint, Boolean includeStagesAfterAsyncPoint)

at System.Web.UI.Page.ProcessRequest()

at System.Web.UI.Page.ProcessRequest(HttpContext context)

at System.Web.HttpApplication.CallHandlerExecutionStep.System.Web.HttpApplication.IExecutionStep.Execute()

at System.Web.HttpApplication.ExecuteStep(IExecutionStep step, Boolean& completedSynchronously)

To work around this, on the Navigation Settings page, you can create a node under “Structural Navigation: Editing and Sorting”. By placing a node underneath the Global or Current Navigation nodes, the error is bypassed.