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bengus_khan
Participant
November 29, 2022
Answered

Failure to connect to SharePoint Online repository

  • November 29, 2022
  • 2 replies
  • 1010 views

As stated in title, I'm having no luck connecting FrameMaker to our SharePoint Online document library. I've followed the instructions listed here to no avail, inevitably ending up with the error message:

 

"FrameMaker could not connect to the repository. Verify the connector installation and configuration."

 

Here's the exact sequence of events that get me there:

  1.  Open Connection Manager
  2.  Select "Microsoft SharePoint Online"
  3.  Fill in all fields (Name, Server [doc library URL], Local Path, and Repository)
  4.  Click "Connect" at bottom of Connection Manager window
  5.  Browser window appears, with Microsoft prompting me to sign in
  6.  Successfully sign in to Microsoft via browser window
  7.  Browser window closes
  8.  Error message appears: "FrameMaker could not connect to the repository..."

 

Not sure if this is relevant, but my FrameMaker license was purchased through my company’s VIP admin console. I was told by an Adobe rep that for multiple FM users to access the same repository, their licenses must be purchased through the same VIP admin console. This leads me to suspect that repositories must be set up on an admin level as well, but I haven’t seen any indication of this in FrameMaker’s documentation.

 

Has anyone here experienced the same issue and found a resolution?

 

I've reached out to Adobe's TCS support, waiting to hear back there. Our head of IT/Adobe admin is working with me on this as well, and I'll try to come back and share an update if/when we find a solution.

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer bengus_khan

Figured it out, largely thanks to this thread. The four fields that show up in Connection Manager for SPO needed to be filled out as follows:


Name: Whatever you want to name the root folder of the local backup (only use characters suitable for folder naming, e.g., no forward slash)

Server: URL of top-level SharePoint site only (not URL of document library). Example: https://megadodopublications.sharepoint.com/sites/HitchhikersGuide

Local Path: Desired location of local backup folder

Repository: Exact name of SharePoint document library you wish to connect to

 

Would be great if Adobe's documentation specified all of this, but luckily that's where support and forums come in. Who knows, maybe I'm just inept. Regardless, I'm glad to have figured it out finally.

2 replies

B
bengus_khanAuthorCorrect answer
Participant
November 30, 2022

Figured it out, largely thanks to this thread. The four fields that show up in Connection Manager for SPO needed to be filled out as follows:


Name: Whatever you want to name the root folder of the local backup (only use characters suitable for folder naming, e.g., no forward slash)

Server: URL of top-level SharePoint site only (not URL of document library). Example: https://megadodopublications.sharepoint.com/sites/HitchhikersGuide

Local Path: Desired location of local backup folder

Repository: Exact name of SharePoint document library you wish to connect to

 

Would be great if Adobe's documentation specified all of this, but luckily that's where support and forums come in. Who knows, maybe I'm just inept. Regardless, I'm glad to have figured it out finally.

LinSims
Community Expert
LinSimsCommunity Expert
Community Expert
November 30, 2022

Unfortunately, that hasn't worked for me.

 

I've created a folder (TechDocs) at the root level in my SharePoint Online site that we are using to test this out (because the actual directory has about 100,000 files in it). It is the same level as the Documents folder is on SharePoint Online.

I've created a "local" backup folder both on my personal hard drive and on the SharePoint Online cloud drive that is supposed to be "local" to me.

In the Connection Manager I:

  1. Give the connection a name.
  2. Provide the link to the SharePoint Online root directory: [https://[company domain].sharepoint.com/sites/TechnicalDocuments/TechDocs]
  3. I alternate between these two in case the hiccup is because Frame wants a truly local, local drive location although I'm assured that the OneDrive is "seen" as a local hard drive.
    • The local path when on my hard drive is: C:\Users\<$username>\Documents\TechDocs
    • The local path when on my business OneDrive is C:\Users\<$username>\OneDrive - <$companyname>\Documents\TechDocs
  4. I type in TechDocs for the Repository Name (yes, the same name as the connection and the folder).
  5. I click Connect

 

I either get no response at all or I get the Can't connect to repository message, and in both cases FrameMaker crashes. I've been trying variations on the above for months with no result, and at this point I just want someone to FIX it so I can stop beating my head against the concrete wall (the wall's not getting softer or dented, but my skull is!).

 

And annoyingly, the one time I got the Connection to save as a "Favorite" it did not save the value in the Repository Name. So every time I try to just double click on the favorite, I have to enter the Repository Name again.

 

What's the point of saving it as a favorite if all the information isn't saved?

 

 

B
bengus_khanAuthor
Participant
November 30, 2022

The only info I have to contribute at this point is:

 

- For the SharePoint Online root URL, I entered the equivalent of 

[https://[company domain].sharepoint.com/sites/TechnicalDocuments] - omitting [/TechDocs] from the URL. This is what worked for me, though who knows whether it will work in your case, as the crashes you've mentioned didn't occur with me.

 

- As for having to reenter the Repository name every time you reconnect, I was told by TCS support that this is normal behavior. The reasoning I was given was that the CMS contents could theoretically be updated by another user between your FM sessions, and forcing manual reentry of both the Repository name and Local Path during reconnection prevents previous versions from being overwritten/erased locally or on the CMS. To be quite honest this doesn't make much sense to me at this point - maybe I'll come around, but I haven't yet. The Local Path thing sorta makes sense because otherwise it does try to overwrite the previous local backup (I tested and confirmed this), but the Repository name reentry still doesn't jive with me.

 

At any rate, keep us posted on what works/what you learn. Best of luck.

LinSims
Community Expert
LinSimsCommunity Expert
Community Expert
November 29, 2022

Going through this now with Adobe. Same issue: FrameMaker can't connect to the SharePoint Online directory I set up for the repository.

 

I hope to be on a call with them sometime this week, but I don't know if the technician has found an answer yet, either. I'll let you know what I found out, if/when.

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