InfoPath Dev

 I am using Infopath 2007.  I have an xml file as a secondary datasource.  The form needs to be able to be filled out when the pc is not connected to a network.  Therefore I located the xml file on the local c: drive.  If I open the form when not connected to a network I get the "Network Connection Unavailable" dialog box.  The form works if I click on the "Try to Connect" button.  However this will annoy the user if they have to do this everytime.  I do not want to use a resource file because the data in the xml file may update often.  Also I want the users to be able to update the form or create new forms like it, so I would prefer to not add custom code if possible.  Is there any way to disable the dialog box or capture it and bypass it?  Any other suggestions? 

Thanks

Hello and welcome!

I'm curious -- if you plan to keep the xml file on a local drive -- won't you have to have the same file in the same location on every machine the form will be filled out on? In that case, won't changing that file be a nightmare? If you do add it as a resource, at least you only need to change the resource file and republish your form -- then your data is in a single location.

I forgot to mention the forms are part of another application.  That application will build the xml file on startup from a local database, so it is always current.  I thought about referencing the database directly but I found the database connection stored in the form template.  The local db may not always have the same name, especially during testing.  The db is refreshed with replication.  If I can manipulate the db connection, that would work as well.

Have you tried recreating your data connection? I ask because I just put together a quick demo form that uses a local xml file, published it, and while I get a security warning, I didn't get the Network Connection Unavailable warning.

I have.  It works fine as long as I'm connected to the network.  It is when I don't have a network connection that it does it.  I had to create the form as a trusted form so it could read the local file.    I publish it "To a network location".  I publish it from the c: drive to a location on the c: drive so there shouldn't be any network references there.  I clear out the location on the third screen of the publish wizard, but I've published it with the location left in there as well.  It works fine with a network connection, but I get the dialog when the pc is not connected.

Wow -- not only that, but in IP 2007, even when I select store a copy for offline use while creating the data connection, I still get the pop-up asking if I want to work offline, which, when the file is local, is plumb annoying! I'll keep my eyes open for a work-around.

Thanks for looking at it.

I actually had another thought -- I'm wondering if the xml file could be added as a resource and then, when the application starts up, perhaps rebuilt? In the form code, or if the form is part of a Visual Studio solution, you may be able to do it from there -- this isn't anything I've personally tried, just conceptual....

 I tried the resource file and still get the message when the network is unavailable.  I just added the data as an optional part of the main datasource schema.  I then load it when the form needs it otherwise I leave it off. I totally removed the secondary datasource.