InfoPath Dev

Hi:

I have a extensively long Application Form Published to a Form Library Content Type namely: Construction1617 in SharePoint. The data for FY1617 is collected with Construction1617 Application Form.

Thereafter, I updated the form with FY1718 changes and inadvertently published the changes to the same Construction1617 content type. And, then collected data for FY1718. Now I have mixed data from two fiscal years under the same content type.

I have been able to create separate respective year's content types with the pertinent form templates. 

i.e.,: I have now two content types:

• Construction1617
• Construction1718

However, I have FY1718 data under the tag of container of content type Construction1617 instead of Construction1718.

The FY1718 form library forms are tagged with Construction1617 content type. How do I separate the content types for two different Fiscal Years. Another words, how can I change the content type of the existing Application forms for FY1718 to the pertinent Construction1718 content type without changing the existing data? 

Any thoughts?

Thanks.

Sue 

 I think you can temporarily change the default content type and then from the relink view, relink the forms that you need to associate with it. I hope I'm understanding your question correctly? You can always try with just one form and make sure this does what you hope.

 Thank you for your guidance Hillary!

However, I am trying to see the Relink View and I do not see anywhere. I am just a Site Collection Administrator. So, I may not have an access to those views unlike Server Admins.

In the meantime alternately, what I have tried is that for the first two years I have linked them to the two views of the template published to the one content type. Made FY1516 view as default and assured the pertinent applications are opened and closed to establish the connection. Then, made the second year FY1617 view as a default and repeated the same process to establish that year's data connection to the correct template. Now, I am able to open the form in the correct template, no matter which year the application is submitted! And, starting FY1718, I will have a separate content type.

This approach is just to resolve the correct template connection for the FY1617 year's 100+ submitted Application forms..

I hope this would be a stable solution and would not create issues in the future.

Any thoughts?  Thanks,
Sue

Site collection admins should be able to see the relink view in the view menu for the form library. I don't understand your explanation, I'm sorry - I'm not sure what an "application" is this scenario - are you talking about saved XML files?

I think I finally understood the steps and found the links that were mentioned in your earlier post.

I just tried to do a test with the following steps:

• I created a test case by submitting a TEST Application with a template saved on Construction1718 Content Type.
• In the Form Library Site Settings, I changed the default to be Construction Content Type (before it was Construction1718).
• In the Form Library Site Settings, under Permissions and Management I clicked on "Relink documents to this Library".
• then in the Relink View that opened, I clicked on the checkbox next to my test case.
• Clicked on Relink button under Files tab on the same view.
• Nothing happened apparently. But thought it needed a refresh.
• So, I closed and reopened the site and tried opening the Test Application.
• Again, no change seemed to have happened. It still opened in the same template where it was created. The URL did not change....

This methodology perhaps works if the template is not published in different content types (guessing...). Not sure what I am doing wrong. Thanks!

 I'm so sorry - I just tested this and you are right - relink did NOT set the form to the default content type! However, in my test form library, I was able to change the content type under the file's properties in SharePoint - see attached screenshot.

 I should add, if you have a lot of forms you need to change, you could always copy them locally and use PowerShell to replace the href (or another tool of your choice) with the correct one, and then copy them back into the library. 

Thank you!

However, Since we did not want users to have an access to changing of the metadata, we have modified Edit form where Content Type is not included and made that modified Edit form as a default form. IN SPD, if I changed back to the original Edit Form to do my content type change as desired and then make my modified form as default again, would that affect the existing data?

This is a production environment, where data for the past two years exist.

Thanks, 

No clue - you should set up a test for this in a test environment.