InfoPath Dev

Our InfoPath/SharePoint guru left our company and I'm struggling to update an InfoPath 2003 form that was modified with InfoPath 2007.  I'm not a developer or IT person, so I need help for a non-technical person.

We have been unable to open the form in design view for either version of IP.  Any ideas on HOW to open it so that we can modify the text?

 THANK YOU - Sandy

I can't imagine why you can't open either in design view.  Can you attach the XSN in a reply (use the options tab in the reply screen and don't use Quick Reply) so that we can take a look?

Ok, the form is saved on the SharePoint site and when I open the form and try to save it to my desktop so that I can attach it, it doesn't give me the option to save.  I'm not sure how I can attach the form.

Let's see if you can work with this. 

Thanks for your help.

Sandy

I am able to open it in design mode on the first try with no workarounds.  Are you sure you're right-clicking on the file and selecting "design" instead of just double-clicking the template?  If you double-click the template file (.XSN), then it opens in the client mode.

Thank you so much! 

I revised the saved form on my desktop, but can't seem to get it publish to sharepoint.  I reviewed the InfoPath Forms library and put in the url, but it tells me that no library exists.  I've checked the path about 10 times on our sharepoint site, but am not sure what I'm doing wrong now. 

Thanks again......

When you publish, it only asks for the name of the sharepoint site itself, so if you sharepoint site is http://samiam.sandy.com/sites/coolsite/infopathlibrary/forms/allitems.aspx, then you just use http://samiam.sandy.com/sites/coolsite.  After it connects to the site, it will ask you if you want to publish to a doc lib or site content type.  You choose doc lib, and then it presents you with a list of available doc libs.  You will select the existing form library and select the radio button for "update form template."  You then finish out the wizard, and it should work.

If you paste in the whole URL to the form library, it will cut off the end for you and just take the site.  I don't know where you'd get a message saying "no library exists," because it doesn't ask you to give the link to a library.  It only asks to give a link to the site, so is your error saying that the site doesn't exist, or are you getting this message through some other process other than File > Publish?

I've tried that....I click File > Publish - then chose where to publish......."To a SharePoint form Library", then choose "Modify an existing form library" - because I want to overwrite an existing form.  I put the site name http://...... right up to the point of /InfoPath_Forms/Forms/Allitems.aspx.....and it comes back with "No Form Libraries".  Should I create a new library?

I've tried only the root directory, then adding each next directory...but they all come back with No Form libraries.

Can I just upload and overwrite the file?

I'm confused by your dialogue.  That is not the text I get when publishing.  Here is the exact text I see when publishing:

• File > Publish
• To a SharePoint server with or without InfoPath Forms Services
• enter the location of your SharePoint or InfoPath Forms Services site: <Enter URL Here> (notice this does not mention a library yet).  Hitting next only works if the site URL is valid
• Document Library or Site Content Type (Advanced) - I choose Doc Lib
• Create a new doc lib or Update the form template in an existing doc lib?  I choose to update the template in an existing library, and I simply choose the library from the list in the window pane
• The rest is simple after that with nothing of note

samiam44:

Can I just upload and overwrite the file?

That would not be proper.  Yes, there is a template.xsn file in the hidden Forms library (only visible from Explorer View), and you could technically overwrite that file, but that is not proper.  The template needs to get published for full functionality, because the publishing process puts hooks into the template for association with the XML files that get created as a result of using the template.

I'm IP 2003.  Does that make a difference?

samiam44:

I'm IP 2003.  Does that make a difference?

Ah, yes it would.  I thought you said the current form was modified in IP2007 but with 2003 compatibility.  Must you use IP03 to interact with it?  What causes the discrepancy between 07 and 03?  By that, I mean to ask why you have a different version than was being used on that form by the person who left?  I don't know that it matters, but if the form was already published to this location, then you shouldn't even have to put that information in again.  It should still be saved with the template you pulled from the SharePoint library unless you got this template elsewhere.

If you didn't get the template directly from the library where it was previously published, then go to that library, click Settings > Form Library Settings > Advanced Settings > Edit Template.  That should pull up the true template.xsn file that you can modify and re-publish without changing the publishing settings.  If none of this makes sense, then maybe we have a disconnect on what this form actuall was doing before you got ahold of it.

Basically because my IT guy doesn't want to load IP 2007 on my machine.  I will try to remote desktop the other persons system and see if I can access his IP 2007. 

 The form was originally designed with IP2003 and the older version of SharePoint.  We updated to the latest version of SharePoint and the form needed to have some tweaks made.  He updated with 2007, but he was the only one running it here (everyone else is on 2003). 

 I'll give it a shot and see if I can publish from his desktop.

Thank you again!

Sandy

One thing you probably don't want to do is to mix IP07 (or any Office 2007 product) with Office 2003.  You would really want to get upgraded entirely to Office 2007 in order to use IP07.  03 is about to be two versions old very soon, so it would be advisable to get the organization moving at least towards 07, especially since MOSS 2007 is part of the Office 2007 suite.  There is much functionality not being realized with the users all on 03, and then we have both Office 2010 and SP 2010 on the way...

Anyway, I looked at your template again, and I saw that it was NOT published to SharePoint, but rather it was published to a Network Location, and that network location was someone's desktop.  Was your SP guru named dootndo2?  I don't know why it would be published there unless that is not the same template that was published to SharePoint.