InfoPath Dev

In IP2007 and IP2010 when a user opens a template they have opened before it will open from their local cache.

Then it will look for an update and if the template has been updated it will give them the 'Save and Update' button/yellow bar at the top.

This will happen *even if* the automatically update template/form option is enabled for a form.

As a result we were getting users still being able to fill out their old cached form template at least once before the cache updates.
Sometimes they wouldn't see the yellow bar.

This is my workaround:

1.       New view called Version to just display a message saying ‘NOPE, close the form and re-open please!’

2.       A secondary datasource xml file with a version number in it.

                   <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><version ver="11"/>

3.       A Form open rule:  If secondary datasource @ver attribute != “11” Then Switch to “Version" view

Every time you publish a form update you must update the rule version check and the xml file to have the same version number.
When user opens a pre-existing cached form on their PC their template’s open rule will be looking for an older version number in the secondary datasource.
Because they don’t match, they’ll be moved to the Version view.

As Infopath should then auto update the cache/template in the background, when they close and reopen the form as the view instructs, it will have been updated their local cache template will now be looking for the right version number and the view won’t switch. If you forget to update the rule/xml they will just get the usual behaviour of the yellow bar at the top.

This seems like a fairly straight forward method to make the update process a bit cleaner/forced (even though they still have to open at least once - annoying change from IP2003) it helps prevent accidental completing of the form.

If it's been suggested before, sorry.