InfoPath Dev

Our current expense requests need to be completely re-worked and we would like to archive everything we currently have to a new document library.   We are over the limit of using Site Templates and Include Content.

Thoughts?

Would you be able to just make a template (without the content) of the document library; then change the name of the original document library; then create a new document library using that template with the original name....?

BUMP!!!

 We can't really take that multiple library route because the libraries would be so expansive.   We essentially need the XML to be independent of the Template.xsn but still include the attachments.

I'm surprised this hasn't come up before.  When a user changes a controlled form........

Are you wishing to archive because you need to change the form so much that the xml structure will be changed which would then throw an error when an older version is opened?  If that's the case I would assume that you published your form template directly to the form library.  The best approach is to create a form library to hold versions of the form.  Then what you do is publish your form as a "Site Content Type".  Then in the form library that is currently hosting your form, go to library settings > advanced settings > allow management of content types (change to yes).

Then you can have multiple form templates in one library.  Oh and another piece of advice is on the form library that you use to store the form templates (the form content types) enable versioning in the settings.  That way if you publish a new version to overwrite an existing one and it didn't work out as expected you can quickly revert to the last working version.

You nailed it... we were making lots of structural changes. 

We hadn't gone down the Site Content Type path until now.   THANK YOU for pushing us that direction!!!!

Glad I could help  :)   If you have troubles implementing this and need my help just post a comment on this thread so that I get notified.  I don't check this forum as much as others so I may not see your question if you post it as a new one. 

Thank you so much for that.   We started using the method you described, but have come across another issue.   We have 6 forms on the same site (Expenses, Purchase Requests...).   When we publish the forms, how do we get the fields into the views?  We add the columns to be listed available in the SharePoint sites... but now they dont just show up in the default view.  They have to be added in the content type.    We standardized the fields in the forms.  Purchase Request and Expenses both have a 'Total' field.    How do you handle all these 'list columns'  ??

Were the fields promoted during publishing?  You need to promote them when you publish to make them follow the content type.  As far as getting the two to use the same Total field the only way to do that is when you publish the 2nd form (say you published Purchase Request already and you're going to publish Expenses now):  In the publishing wizard you tell it to be based on content type Purchase Request.  Then in your property promotion for the Total field you would select "This content Type" and then the Total field.  The rest of the fields that are unrelated would be new site column.

Yes, the fields were promoted when posting but we were more concerned with having a Total field for each form and not knowing how to differentiate which Total goes to what form.   But... selecting "This Content Type" I'm assuming will address our concern.   

Thank you again!