opening XSN template file from OpenText LiveLink

[ckc]

Our client machines are running InfoPath 2003 with SP1. We want to
store the XSN template file in our LiveLink document repository so all
users can access it there. LiveLink needs a MIME Type for each
document, and I can't find the right one for an XSN file. We have
found the correct MIME type for the .xml file that uses the XSN
template file, it open as 'application/ms-infopath.xml', albeit it
gives us that read-only message, per design I understand. But, alas,
we can not find the correct MIME type for the XSN template file, which
is really the file that we want to put into the LiveLink document
management system. I have tried 'application/octet-stream' to no
avail. InfoPath thinks it is an XML file and barfs during the open.
We can always put the XSN file into LiveLink and download it and save
it, but we don't want that behavior. We want the user to be able to
retrieve the file the same way they do all other files, which is to do
an Open operation, not a Save operation.

 

[Kalyan Reddy]

Hello,

As I understand from your question above, it seems you want the user to
click a livelink to directly open the XSN template form to Fill out the form.
Read the discussion at the link below where the click on live link opens the
XSN template directly without asking to save it.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/newsgroup...&p=1&tid=4c413256-7c7a-44bc-a2fa-c3751677358a

Is this what you are looking for?

 

[ckc]

Kalyan,

Thanks for your quick response. Yes, what you say in your first
sentence below is true: we want to store the .xsn inside LiveLink,
then have user click it and 'fetch' it, which, for example with a MS
Word doc, downloads the file onto the client, into some temporary cache
place, and opens it in Word. We want that same behavior for the
InfoPath forms. The other thing I forgot to mention is that you can
not 'publish' to LiveLink. The publishing wizard inside InfoPath does
not like special characters, and to get to any location inside LiveLink
requires a URL that has special characters in it. The reason I need to
know the MIME type is that for all files stored inside LiveLink, they
require a MIME type, and I believe it is that information that LiveLink
sends to the client when I 'fetch' the document. As I said, I found
the MIME type for the XML file, 'application/infopath.xml', and it now
opens up a filled-out form correctly, even though it has that read-only
message, at least it opens it without an error. But, no such luck for
an XSN file. The client brings up InfoPath, then says the file is not
a valid XML file, so I think it THOUGHT it should have been the XML and
not the XSN.

I went to the link you listed below, but the discussion was not what I
expected. It talks about InfoPath 7 and a SharePoint library. Is that
the link that you intended to send me? If it is, we are not using
InfoPath 7 nor SharePoint, we are using OpenText LiveLink for the
'library' repository. I simply 'add' the XSN file there via the
LiveLink application, since I can't publish it. Thanks so much for
your help on this. Seems like it should be trivial to do, but it is
not turning out to be that way!

 

[Bruce Sandeman]

Hi ckc,
I work with Livelink myself and clearly Kalyan has misunderstood your
question.
Having worked with both SharePoint and Livelink I doubt very much that you
can do what you want. The XSN file is actually a cab file and therefore it
needs to be specially presented so that infopath reads the correct part of
the cab file and knows what to do. SharePoint clearly knows what to do with
it.

The important file is template.xml within the XSN/CAB file. If you upload
the XML file to Livelink and then download it and click on open instead of
save then it works. However, if you just click on the template.xml file in
Livelink it will not work due to the way that Livelink works. To pursue
this I suggest either logging a call with Open Text or if you have a
customer account with them access knowledge.opentext.com and search for some
answers. Best thing is probably contacting Open Text customer support.

Alternatively, you may be able to customise Livelink to do what you
need.....
hope this helps
cheers
Bruce
PS: We have in depth experience of Open Text Livelink as a company and if
you wish to find out what we could do in terms of customisation (if you
don't have the skills/time for this), then feel free to contact us. Please
see website www.deltascheme.com for contact details.

 

[ckc]

Bruce,

Thanks so much for your response. I appreciate and will consider the
options you specified. I did post this question in the OpenText
community forum area, but the answer I received was 'use eForms'.
Thanks again.

ckc