InfoPath Dev

 Hi,

We'd like automate our InfoPath form deployments. We currently have several environments for our InfoPath solution (dev, QA and production/live). We are using the InfoPath Office client, and SharePoint libraries. Deploying the InfoPath forms manually, by updating the data sources' connection settings by hand is very cumbersome and error prone.

Our problem is that we do not know of an automated wayor tool to update the connection settings. I have done some searches on the web and have found nothing that solves this problem. I'm looking for any ideas, tools, or methods that can help us automate the deployment of our InfoPath forms to SharePoint libraries. This will allow us to automate it for formal deployment into production and include the forms in our continuous integration process. Any help is greatly appreciated in this regard.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Hi JacquesDP,

This question comes up a lot recently. We have a tool that we used to sell 3-4 years ago, but we haven't had time to finish retesting it on ShP 2007. You could look at creating your own STSadm.exe script. Do you know how to use stsadm.exe? If not, please take a look at it. It supports various options. Here's a link: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc263494.aspx

Hi Patric,

Patrick Halstead:

You could look at creating your own STSadm.exe script. Do you know how to use stsadm.exe? If not, please take a look at it. It supports various options. Here's a link: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc263494.aspx

I use stsadm to deploy my SharePoint features and solutions on a regular basis. However, I'm still a bit in the dark as to how I would use stsadm to modify a form's datasource connections and deploy it to SharePoint. What steps, or sequence of stsadm commands, does this process require of?

Also keep in mind that we're not using InfoPath Form Services, we're using InfoPath Office client and then just publish the form to a SharePoint library so users can access it. I assume that I need to configure InfoPath Form Services first before using the Form Services stsadm commands and that they stsadm commands will work with Office client forms as well?

 Thank you for your help so far. At least I know where to start looking now.