Deploying InfoPath forms – idiosyncrasies
- by PointsToShare
Well, I have written a sophisticated PowerShell script to expedite the deployment of InfoPath forms - .XSN file. Along the way by way of trial and error (mostly error and error), I discovered a few little things. Here they are. • Regardless of how the install command is run – PowerShell or the GUI in Central Admin – SharePoint enwraps the XSN inside a solution – WSP, then installs and deploys the solution. • The solution is named by concatenating “form-“ with the first 16 characters (or less if the file name is shorter than 16) of the file name and the required WSP at the end. So if the form name was MyInfopathForm.xsn the solution name will be form-MyInfopathForm.wsp, but for WithdrawalOfRequestsForRefund.xsn it will be named form-WithdrawalOfRequ.wsp • It only gets worse! Had there already been a solution file with the same name, Microsoft appends a three digit number to the name, like MyInfopathForm-123.wsp. Remember a digit is a finger, I suspect a middle finger, so when you deploy the same form – many versions of it, or as it was in my case – testing a script time and again, you’ll end up with many such digit (middle finger) appended solutions, all un-deployed except the last one. This is not a bug. It’s a feature! Well, there are ways around it. When by hand, remove the solution from the solution store before deploying the form again. In the script I do the same thing. And finally - an important caveat; Make sure that all your form names are unique in the first 16 characters. If you also have a form with the name forWithdrawalOfRequestForRelief.xsn, you’re in trouble! That’s all folks!
