InfoPath Dev

Hello! I have been messing around with InfoPath with the help of the book from MS Press by Roger Jennings. I have been having some problems opening XML files with InfoPath because I have XMLSpy installed on my computer. Is there anyone out there who knows of conflicts between these two programs?

I've been running that combination of products for the last several years with no issues.

What kinds of issues are you experiencing?

I can't open an XML file with InfoPath because it tells me that it is not an InfoPath file. When I try to use "Open With..." I get this message: "InforPath cannot open the following file: <file name>. The file does not appear to be an InfoPath form. The when I open the details it reads: "The processing instruction in the file is missing or invalid."

Now I am such a greenhorn to all of this (even though I have been investigating XML for over two years), that that message means nothing to me. (XML and XSD are difficult to follow when I open them with Notepad and try to decipher the structures.... but that is beside the point.)

The XML file I am trying to open belongs to the Microsoft Press collection of tutorial files that are on a CD-rom which accompanies the book I am using.

Hey Shoal,

do the following: Go to Start -> Microsoft Office and select the InfoPath application.

From the Window which opens now slect form the left side "Design A Form". No InfoPath is open. On the right side in the task pane select "New form XML Document or Schema", browse to your xml file and follow the instructions of the wizard.

There you go. This should be it to get you started.
Hope it helps.

It sounds like the XML file you are trying to open is meant to be a secondary data source. The XML files that store the Main DOM of a form include a processing instruction at the top that states that. Without this processing instruction InfoPath does not know which form template to apply to the XML that you are trying to open.

Since this XML file is from an InfoPath book I would guess they are wanting you to use the file as a secondary data source, since these files do not require the processing instructions. Try designing a new blank form, go to Tools -> Data Connections, click Add, and then go through the wizard to add the XML Document to your new form template.

Open your XML file in a text editor and see if it starts with the following processing-instructions:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<?mso-infoPathSolution name="{NAME HERE}" href="{HREF HERE}" solutionVersion="{VERSION HERE}" productVersion="{INFOPATH VERSION HERE}" PIVersion="1.0.0.0" ?>
<?mso-application progid="InfoPath.Document"?>

Of course the text in the "{}" will be different per file, but if you don't have those PIs in your XML file, then its not an InfoPath file.

I'm having some (not all) users getting the same error Shoal is getting.  It doesn't really have any rhyme or reason to its occurrence, though, and none of these suggestions has offered any help.  Here's my situation, hopefully someone can help me.  http://www.infopathdev.com/forums/p/8658/31029.aspx#31029

Thanks!