Monday, July 28, 2008

InfoPath

Microsoft Office InfoPath 2007

  • Collect data in an efficient way.
  • Built using XML
  • Contains its own set of controls such as
    • repeating tables
    • repeating sections
    • choice groups.
    • You can create your own custom controls.
  • Controls that are not supported in browser-enabled form templates such as:
    • repeating recursive section
    • choice group
    • horizontal repeating table
  • You can publish the form template to the following locations:
  • Trust Levels
    • Security level determines which features are available to the InfoPath form.
    • Full trust context, or
    • Domain security context, or
    • Restricted security level context
      • Browser-enabled form cannot be published as a site content type in this context
  • Site content type
    • Can be used in more than one form library.
    • It is possible to use more than one form template per form library

Data Connection Files

  • One form template can have
    • one main data connection (primary connection) and
    • one or more secondary data connections.
  • One data connection file can be used by multiple form template
  • A data connection can submit to or receive data from an external data source
    such as
    • a web service,
    • SharePoint list, or
    • SQL Server database.
  • A data connection file is an XML file with an .xml or .udc(x) extension, where udc(x) stands Universal Data Connection.
  • Udc 1.0 files use the extension .odc, which stands for Office Data Connection. Udc 1.0 files cannot be used by InfoPath 2007.
  • Three ways to create data connection files:
    • via InfoPath
    • Excel
    • Create the UDC file manually via Notepad or UDC File Authoring Tool
      • Allows you to add authentication information to a data connection file.

Access Sharepoint List

  • You can access data that is stored in a SharePoint list within InfoPath form.
  • Data stored in a SharePoint list can be accessed via
    • SharePoint library
    • List data connection
      • Allows you to specify authentication information within the data connection itself.
    • SharePoint Lists web service
      • If use FBA, you cannot use the list directly. You need to use Lists web service.

Program InfoPath

  • You can update an InfoPath form programmatically and save it back to a SharePoint form library.
  • Steps
    • Read the InfoPath form into an XML document
    • Update the value in the XML document
    • Save the XML document as a InfoPath form to the form library.

Reference:

Pro SharePoint 2007 Development Techniques

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