Why am I getting an error when copying a question or subsection?

When you copy a question or a subsection, the system requires you to specify whether the copy should be positioned Before or After an existing item in the destination. If the destination is empty, there is no existing item to anchor the new copy against, and the copy will fail.

Copying a question

The destination subsection must contain at least one existing question. To resolve the error, add a placeholder question to the destination subsection first, then complete the copy. The placeholder can be removed afterwards if it is no longer required.

Copying a subsection

The destination section must contain at least one existing subsection. To resolve the error, add a placeholder subsection to the destination section first, then complete the copy. The placeholder can be removed afterwards.

Why this constraint exists

The Copy dialog uses the position of an existing item as the anchor for placing the new copy. Without an anchor, the system cannot determine where to insert the new item within the destination's ordering.

For the full Copy workflow, see How do I copy a question to another subsection or assessment?