InfoPath 2007 to PDF Conversion: So Groovy!

Ok, so I have been sitting here thinking about how to open this post very wittily but I eventually decided that since it is such a popular request and an important topic, I would just dive right in and save on writing time...

Bamboo Solutions recently released a new minor release of Office to PDF Conversion Solution Accelerator that now supports conversion of certain Office 2007 suite files using native apps.  Here is the updated list of supported files:

• .DOC; .DOCX - Microsoft Word 2007
• .XLS; .XLSX - Microsoft Excel 2007
• .PUB; .PUBX - Microsoft Publish 2007
• .XML - Microsoft InfoPath 2007

Office to PDF Conversion Solution Accelerator formerly only converted using OpenOffice.org as the conversion engine, which was known to cause distorition in some documents.  Now with the appropriate Microsoft Office 2007 application installed on the conversion server, users can produce more professional looking PDF files, INCLUDING InfoPath Forms stored in a Forms Library!

In this post, I will describe the required steps to configure Office to PDF Conversion Solution Accelerator to convert InfoPath forms to a PDF shadow library.

1. These instructions assume that you have successfully installed both the Activator and Conversion installations on the appropriate servers.  NOTE: If you only plan to convert file formats mentioned above using the Microsoft Office 2007 Applications, you are not required to install the OpenOffice.org suite.
2. We also assume that Microsoft Office InfoPath 2007 is installed on the same server where the Conversion Installation Package was installed.
   If Service Pack 2 of Microsoft Office InfoPath 2007 was installed, skip step 3 and move to step 4.
3. Install the 2007 Microsoft Office Add-in: Microsoft Save as PDF or XPS on the Conversion server.
4. Open the following directory on the Conversion server: C:\Program Files\Bamboo Solutions Corporation\Bamboo.Conversion.Service\bin  NOTE: if running a 64-bit OS, the directory will be C:\Program Files(x86)\Bamboo Solutions Corporation\Bamboo.Conversion.Service\bin
5. Locate and open in Notepad Bamboo.Conversion.ConversionService.exe.config.  Locate the following section of code:
   
      <providers>
       <!--
       If Office 2007 is installed on the conversion server you can uncomment this section to try the beta version of our Office converter
       Make sure to remove the doc extension from the other converter.
       Also make sure to start Word as the service account user one time to populate the user profile.
       <add name=".doc;.docx;" type="Bamboo.Conversion.WordConverter, Bamboo.Conversion.WordConverter" />
       -->    
       <add name=".ppt;" type="Bamboo.Conversion.OOfDoc2Pdf, Bamboo.Conversion.OpenOfficeConverter" />
       <!--
       This converter can be enabled if the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats is installed
       Download it from:
       http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=941b3470-3ae9-4aee-8f43-c6bb74cd1466&displaylang=en
         
       <add name=".docx;.pptx;.xlsx;.doc;.ppt;.xls;" type="Bamboo.Conversion.OOfDoc2Pdf, Bamboo.Conversion.OpenOfficeConverter2007" />
       -->
      </providers>
   
   You will notice a couple of things, the line in green defines which file types will be converted by Microsoft Office 2007 applications, while the line in red defines which files are converted by OpenOffice.org suite.  In order to have files converted using Microsoft Office 2007 applications, two things will need to happen: 1) Notice it has been commented out where the following is below the line --> move this above the line, and 2) You need to make a new line with a slight change for each file format you want to convert using Microsoft Office 2007 applications, and each is listed below:
   
   For Doc and Docx (Word):
   <add name=".doc;.docx;" type="Bamboo.Conversion.WordConverter, Bamboo.Conversion.WordConverter" />
   
   For XLS and XLSX (Excel):
   <add name=".xls;.xlsx;" type="Bamboo.Conversion.WordConverter, Bamboo.Conversion.ExcelConverter" />
   
   For Pub and Pubx (Publisher):
   <add name=".pub;.pubx;" type="Bamboo.Conversion.WordConverter, Bamboo.Conversion.PublisherConverter" />
   
   and finally, for XML (InfoPath):
   <add name=".xml;" type="Bamboo.Conversion.WordConverter, Bamboo.Conversion.InfoPathConverter" />
   
   If you were to include all conversion types listed above, an updated <providers> tag would look something like this:
   
      <providers>
       <!--
       If Office 2007 is installed on the conversion server you can uncomment this section to try the beta version of our Office converter
       Make sure to remove the doc extension from the other converter.
       Also make sure to start Word as the service account user one time to populate the user profile.
      -->
       <add name=".doc;.docx;" type="Bamboo.Conversion.WordConverter, Bamboo.Conversion.WordConverter" />
       <add name=".xls;.xlsx;" type="Bamboo.Conversion.WordConverter, Bamboo.Conversion.ExcelConverter" />
       <add name=".pub;.pubx;" type="Bamboo.Conversion.WordConverter, Bamboo.Conversion.PublisherConverter" />
      <add name=".xml;" type="Bamboo.Conversion.WordConverter, Bamboo.Conversion.InfoPathConverter" />
       
       <add name=".ppt;" type="Bamboo.Conversion.OOfDoc2Pdf, Bamboo.Conversion.OpenOfficeConverter" />
       <!--
       This converter can be enabled if the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats is installed
       Download it from:
       http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=941b3470-3ae9-4aee-8f43-c6bb74cd1466&displaylang=en
         
       <add name=".docx;.pptx;.xlsx;.doc;.ppt;.xls;" type="Bamboo.Conversion.OOfDoc2Pdf, Bamboo.Conversion.OpenOfficeConverter2007" />
       -->
      </providers>
   
6. After updating the appropriate providers in the Bamboo.Conversion.ConversionService.exe.config, go to Services on the Conversion server, and restart the Bamboo Conversion Service.
7. Login to your SharePoint site where you deployed the ConversionConfigurationList during the Activation Server installation.  Open List Settings of the ConversionConfigurationList and open the column properties for ConversionType.  Add the options XML to PDF and save the changes.
8. Create a new item in the ConversionConfigurationList, selecting the XML to PDF option, set the Master Library to the Form Library you want to convert, and enter all other appropriate details.

You are done!  Wait 'til the scheduled time to convert and PDFs versions of your InfoPath Forms will appear shortly thereafter!

As always, Office to PDF Conversion Solution Accelerator comes with a fully functional 15-day trial, which is available simply by clicking the button  located in the upper right-hand corner of the product page then proceeding through checkout.  Also note that our Application Notes are available online - http://store.bamboosolutions.com/onlinedoc/default.aspx?AppName=BW04%20TOC.html

Happy Downloading!