SharePoint – InfoPath / Forms Library missing

Testing InfoPath, I try to do the simplest thing – publishing an InfoPath form to a SharePoint as a template, and allowing it to create a new library based on this template - I got this error:

The following computer running windows SharePoint Services does not contain the required InfoPath form template:
http://vm-spdev-xxxx/
A generic form template will be used instead

Warning: This is very bad

You should not continue – because if you do…

1. InfoPath will create a new Document Library instead of a Forms Library and deploy the InfoPath file as a template in this document library. 
2. It will appear as if everything’s working – you can do New –> InfoPath Form (as a document), fill it out and save it back to the list.
3. And when you want to update the template it will complain that the default document isn’t based on a Form template.
   
   InfoPath failed to publish because the default content type in the document library is not based on the Form content type
4. You got confused – you went to check the Library and sure enough it says the default content type is a Document
5. You add a Form content type, and switch it over as the default content type… only to discover SharePoint now publishes two different sets of columns in this list – one set for Forms, another set for Documents.
6. And it doesn’t appear as if the second publish worked…  I think this may be a different problem – because if I view as web page I see the new updated template

Instead, back out right now – delete that list in SharePoint and start over…  By the way… where’s – hmm where’s my Forms Library?

Went to site settings and activated:

• Site Collection Features –> Office SharePoint Server Enterprise Site Collection features
• Site Features –> Office SharePoint Server Enterprise Site features

No good, still no forms library.

More stumbling around, finally figured it out – I need to activate:

• Site Features –> Team Collaboration Lists

Personally I didn’t think this was obvious – but I did know Forms Library is part of WSS…  so may be it made some sense.

Now go back to InfoPath again and try to publish.

Comments

[ptrck]

Thanks! this saved me a lot of heart ache!!!

[gopal]

Thanks, saved me hours!

[Snigdha]

Thanks!! this is exactly what i was lookin for.

[Hank]

You're a genius! I've been searching all over for a solution. Thanks!!

[Kenneth]

Hi John, thanks for refreshing the fundamentals! Cheers

[Murat]

Wow, thanks very much. This one would be tough to find.

[Shiri]

This was exactly how it happened!! Thank you!!

[Stef]

Thanks, this post saved me... how unfriendly is that kind of an approach!

[JohnLiu.NET]

A Forms Library is essentially a Document Library, but with additional event receivers attached that handles all the promoted columns and updating existing form XML files. So while a normal document library can definitely store forms, a forms library does so much more!