Infopath cannot open form definition xsf. Form contains errors

Question

While trying to open an InfoPath form (manifest.xsf) in design mode I am getting this message:

InfoPath cannot open the following form: D:\ABC\InfoPath form Template\manifest.xsf

The form definition(.xsf) file contains errors.
Details : The Following file is referenced in the .xsf file but is not part of the form : Microsoft.Office.Interop.Excel.dll

Because the form is not ready to open I can't go into the code editor and add references. How do I fix this error?

Please provide a bit more information on your environment and what you've tried already to resolve the issue. — Adam B
Few days ago, I have designed an InfoPath form Template in an InfoPath designer 2010 on local machine and now I want modify some design part of form, for this purpose I am opening the form that opened manifest.xsf file and I got the above message. And this template is opening on another machine but not ready to open on my machine. Please tell me if you want any more information. — Aashu

Chris Chris · Accepted Answer · 2015-06-11T13:23:58

If it opens on another machine like you say, you could make the change there and copy it over.

Alternatively, if the template is saved as 'source files' you can edit the .xsf with a text editor as it is just an XML file. The entry you're looking for will probably be something like this:

<xsf:file name="Microsoft.Office.Interop.Excel.dll">
    <xsf:fileProperties>
        <xsf:property name="fileType" type="string" value="refAssembly"></xsf:property>
    </xsf:fileProperties>
</xsf:file>

Infopath cannot open form definition xsf. Form contains errors

1 Answers