InfoPath Dev

A brief overview of my project:

I am using InfoPath to bring together several schema throughout our organization. Each of these schema have been added to the schema that InfoPath has created. The organization updates its schema regularly and I need to update the form accordingly. I know that you can use the convert main data source command to update an entirely external schema. Is there a way to update schema incorporated within the InfoPath Schema?

I have tried to delete the modified schema and reassociate it, but this does not work because the controls do not rebind.


Thank you,

Hi Ren,
I strongly recommend against the "kitchen sink" approach of adding all of the schema to the same form. Create separate forms for each logically separate schema in your organization and use simple open, import and routin to control moving between forms.

quote:

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Originally posted by Patrick Halstead

Hi Ren,
I strongly recommend against the "kitchen sink" approach of adding all of the schema to the same form. Create separate forms for each logically separate schema in your organization and use simple open, import and routin to control moving between forms.

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Patrick,

Sorry, I didn't explain that well. We are not using InfoPath to bring the schema together, I am using a schema made of several imported subschema. I chose to add the schema to the InfoPath-made Main Source schema (as opposed to basing the form soely on this schema) because I wanted to seperated the elements needed for form business logic from the organizational schema. The problem is, if there is a change to the organizational schema, it seems that I can't reload it. Is there a way?


Once again thank you,

Hi Ren,
Thanks for clarifying and sorry if I was dense (major lack of sleep today). Where does the organizational schema reside? Is it a relational DB or is it other XML schemas (XSDs). If it's a DB, I recommend looking at our Qdabra Database Accelerator Suite which abstracts the DB schema and allows you to change either the form's or the DB's without breaking the submit (you can remap asynchronously later and re-shred the forms to the DB). If your sub schemas are XSDs, you have several options:

- import the schemas - point to them within your XSD using manual reference (need to extract source files and manually modify) - InfoPath will cache a version of this and then if it changes, you should be able to use the Convert Main Data Source feature.
- if you can't import the schemas consider using the Import functionality in InfoPath which allows you to pull XMLs into your schema even if they have different schemas. This gives you an option until you have time to manually update the schema.
- use a Web service - put the schemas behind a Web service and use secondary data sources (2DSs) for them and then you can use Convert Main Data Source, but the 2DS is more difficult to manage....

Why not use import and just import the schemas?