InfoPath Dev

My form was successfully published to a SharePoint form library and included a data connection to a SharePoint list called "Contacts."

The site that list resided on was deleted, as was the folrm library. I saved my form with a new name and reconstructed it, deleted old data connections, added new ones, and all seemed fine until I tried to publish it to a new location.

When I run design checker, I get the error  "Invalid Form Template" whose details state, "The data source 'Contacts' referenced in the form template is not valid or cannot be found."

How can I resolve this? That data connection is gone and I can't figure why it's still trying to call up that connection.

Caveat- I am NOT a developer or programmer; my expertise in solely InfoPath and SharePoint. If accessing the form's source files are involved, please be VERY explicit and dummy-level in your replies. Thank you!

It seems like there is still a reference to the "Contacts" data connection on a Rule for a Control, a Button, or for the Submit Options. So, essentially you will need to change the Rule on the item that the Design Checker is pointing to from "Contacts" to your new data connection.

Agree.  Deleting a data connection does not delete all reference to that data connection.  You need to go everywhere you know it was referenced and delete the reference (or change to the new DC).  This can be in rules, conditional formatting, data validation, and it can be in the Form Options > Open and Save rules that the Design Checker can't point to but can error out because of...

Easiest way to do this is send me the XSN, and I can fix it.

Next easiest way is send it to me, I can find the problems, and instruct you on how to fix it for learning purposes.

Hardest way but best for your learning and best for my time is for you to try it yourself by using 2 methods:

1) Go through it all and remove all references from memory or by clicking on everything

2) Look for references in the manifest.xsf:

• Open the form template in design mode, click File > Save As Souce Files (choose a location)
• Go to the source file location, find manifest.xsf, right-click and say Open in Notepad
• Use Ctrl-F to find any reference to Contacts and use those nuggets to help you find all references...even hidden ones.
• Instead of modifying the manifest.xsf, go find the areas in the form where you see the Contact references in the manifest and change them in the gui
• If you can't find some, you'll have to consider deleting them from the manifest.xsf
• If you end up doing that, then when you SAVE the manifest.xsf, make it overwrite your XSN file when doing so
• Then, open the new XSN in design mode and test it out via preview or by publishing

Hi, I have the following problem. Hope someone can provide me with some hints.

I have developed and designed forms and a site in SP fitting my requirements. Currently the site is test mode, but users have been using it without any back up of their information. Now the site has to be migrated to a new server. This is why I have to migrate the site. Even though that I have been working with InfoPath and SharePoint for the last six months, I am still not so experienced to do everything striaght away. This is the reason why I requested someone who can provide me some bakcup. Here I have created a small schedule about how I intend to move the template, the existing forms and the data connections. 

I will change the data connection to the new site (Submiting, etc) - they represent mirrored lists of the existing ones, but their location is different. My question here is if this is going be a problem for the template and for the existing forms. I have to choose either to delete the data connections and to make the new ones, or to simply rework the existing ones. Using the first technique I might have samo problems with the references of the old data connections, conditional formatings, etc. later. Using the 2nd methor I have to overwrite the template, not to update it! Will it damage my existing forms. I fear that it can happen. When the data connections are reworked, I will move the template to the new location and publish it. I will copy all the existing forms, move them to the new site and paste them there. Then I will redirect the existing forms to the new templates location so that the existing forms will look for the template in the new site. In between I will adjust the code to the new hyperlinks and data connections. Grant permissions to the users for the new site and start working.

Hello Svetoslav,

the best thing i would suggest is to, rework the connections and make them point to the new location.

Hello Qazi ,

thank you VERY MUCH for your quick responce. Considering your answer, I also thought it would be better. But on the other hand, I tried with a different form and when an existing data connection is altered, saving (updating already published form) is not available. The form with the edited data connections should be republished to the location. So it will overwrite the old template. So my question is, can this harm in any way the already existing forms, based on the old template? My opinion is that it will not, because I havent altered the XML structure. But when I see these OVERWRITE message I am really scared about losing the existing forms.

 Regards,

Svetoslav

well this will just over write the template, not your data, any ways before proceeding take a site template of the library as back up.