Post on 16-Apr-2017
Maarten Visser
Email : mvisser@meetroo.comTwitter : @mvisserWeb: maartenvisser.com
FORMS BIOOutlook/Exchange Forms in 1999SharePoint Forms since 2001InfoPath Forms since 2007Third party tools (now)
Product ManagerStandard Intranets,Workflows and Dashboardsfor Office 365
SharePoint Forms15 years ago Microsoft gave us List Forms
• Patent June 2000 (XSLT gen)• InfoPath released in 2003• Multiple data sources• Offline use
• New InfoPath versions in 2007, 2010, 2013
InfoPath
• Microsoft announced InfoPath was discontinued on January 31, 2014
The InfoPath/FoSL drama story
March 3, 2014, 13:00 PTLas Vegas
InfoPath Funeral #SPC14
The next day
FoSL (Forms on SharePoint Lists )
Forward to February 2015….
InfoPath support confirmed for SharePoint 2016
Office client & InfoPath Services support were (again) confirmed until 2023
And a couple of days later… Vlad Catrinescu makes a discovery on the Office 365 roadmap page: FoSL is dead!
Forms on SharePoint Lists (FoSL) was a set of functionality to allow users to customize the look and feel of a SharePoint list. The prototype was created and demonstrated at the SharePoint conference several years ago. The hope was that it was low hanging fruit, and an easy "win" for getting users some basic functionality as a replacement to InfoPath in regards to customizing the look and feel of SharePoint forms. However, it didn't accomplish all the things they had hoped it would. We started thinking about an overall forms strategy, and realized FoSL didn't really fit into the big picture, either.
Summary written by Becky Bertram
Summary of AME with Sonya Koptyev
InfoPath is alive!But…
Forms Services will be maintained in SharePoint Online at least 12-18 months after the release of SharePoint 2016. So the InfoPath story for Office 365 might end after 2017…
So what to do?
InfoPath Alternatives
• Form Designer• Form Filler• Form Publishing• Microsoft Specials
What is InfoPath? (InfoPath Core Features)
Form Designer• WYSIWHG Form designer• Drag and drop interface• Large library of controls• Rules for Formatting and validation• Get data from data sources (SharePoint)
Form Filler• Desktop client• Embeded in SharePoint (Online)• Offline usage• Mobile Support (missing, but available in alternatives)
Form Publishing • SharePoint List / DocLib• File (XML) / email• Database (Access / SQL)• Webservice
Microsoft Specials• Outlook/SharePoint Task Integration• Custom Actions (Custom Code)
How can we build Form Solutions today?Excel Online ServicesAccess Apps FormsBuild Custom formsOpen Source SolutionsSharePoint Third Party AppsVarious Online services
Excel Online Services
ProsEverybody knows ExcelData can be manipulated easily
ConsOnly useful for very basic formsNo design optionsNot mobile friendly
ExcelForm Designer• WYSIWHG Form designer• Drag and drop interface• Large library of controls• Rules for Formating and validation• Data connectionsForm Filler• Desktop client• Embeded in sharePoint (Online)• Mobile Support• Offl ine usageForm Publishing• SharePoint List / DocLib• File (xml) / email• Database (Access / SQL)• WebserviceSpecialsTask IntegrationCustom code
GREEN 0RED 10
Access Apps Forms
ProsCan handle relational data (SQL Server/Azure)Easy-to-use and buildPowerful!
ConsLimited design optionsNot built for single lists or tablesNo way to do workflow (linked list is read only)Enterprise feature (E3/Plan 2)No Search No Security trimming
AccessForm Designer• WYSIWHG Form designer• Drag and drop interface• Large library of controls• Rules for Formating and validation• Data connectionsForm Filler• Desktop client• Embeded in sharePoint (Online)• Mobile Support• Offl ine usageForm Publishing• SharePoint List / DocLib• File (xml) / email• Database (Access / SQL)• WebserviceSpecialsTask IntegrationCustom code
GREEN 5RED 6
Custom forms in SharePoint
ProsVery extensible and reusableYou can pick the technology you like
ConsYou need to be a developer Maintenance (costs!)
CustomForm Designer• WYSIWHG Form designer• Drag and drop interface• Large library of controls• Rules for Formating and validation• Data connectionsForm Filler• Desktop client• Embeded in sharePoint (Online)• Mobile Support• Offl ine usageForm Publishing• SharePoint List / DocLib• File (xml) / email• Database (Access / SQL)• WebserviceSpecialsTask IntegrationCustom code
GREEN 8RED 3
OpenSource: Forms7
Spbiz Session
OpenSourceForm Designer• WYSIWHG Form designer• Drag and drop interface• Large library of controls• Rules for Formating and validation• Data connectionsForm Filler• Desktop client• Embeded in sharePoint (Online)• Mobile Support• Offl ine usageForm Publishing• SharePoint List / DocLib• File (xml) / email• Database (Access / SQL)• WebserviceSpecialsTask IntegrationCustom code
GREEN 4RED 3
• Nintex Forms (*)• K2 SmartForms (*)• Formotus• KwizCom Forms (*)• Infowise Ultimate Forms • Dell Quick Apps• PDF ShareForms• SPForm
* OnPrem + SharePoint online App
Third party solutions
SharePoint Appstore
Third Party AppsProsQuick to learnMost work on mobile devices
ConsA third party tool will require licensesCan be difficult to reuse / migrate
ThirdpartyForm Designer• WYSIWHG Form designer• Drag and drop interface• Large library of controls• Rules for Formating and validation• Data connectionsForm Filler• Desktop client• Embeded in sharePoint (Online)• Mobile Support• Offl ine usageForm Publishing• SharePoint List / DocLib• File (xml) / email• Database (Access / SQL)• WebserviceSpecialsTask IntegrationCustom code
GREEN 8RED 1
And many more (combined) SaaS services could help you build forms that post to SharePoint!
Think IFTTT for business services
Online ServicesOnline Services
Form Designer• WYSIWHG Form designer• Drag and drop interface• Large library of controls• Rules for Formating and validation• Data connectionsForm Filler• Desktop client• Embeded in sharePoint (Online)• Mobile Support• Offl ine usageForm Publishing• SharePoint List / DocLib• File (xml) / email• Database (Access / SQL)• WebserviceSpecialsTask IntegrationCustom code
GREEN 8RED 2
PowerAppsPowerApps
Form Designer• WYSIWHG Form designer• Drag and drop interface• Large library of controls• Rules for Formating and validation• Data connectionsForm Filler• Desktop client• Embeded in sharePoint (Online)• Mobile Support• Offl ine usageForm Publishing• SharePoint List / DocLib• File (xml) / email• Database (Access / SQL)• WebserviceSpecialsTask IntegrationCustom code
GREEN 11 !RED 0
PowerApps!
What is it?• No InfoPath replacement accoring to Microsoft, but..
• Most core InfoPath features are supported
• Most important missing: No Web Forms (to embed in SharePoint)• Only Native apps in current preview
• Windows 8• Windows 10,• iOS (iPad and iPhone)• Android (coming later)
• Webforms are in the Roadmap (currently in development)• All forms are based on HTML5/JavaScript/CSS
Datasources?!• Excel file• SQL Server• SharePoint lists/libraries• OneDrive• Dropbox• Google Docs• SendGrid• SAP• Oracle• Safesforce.com• Dynamic CRM• Twitter• Bing
Schedule
The future?
Now hoping for a Spring 2016 release
Office 365 RoadmapThe office roadmap said:
"The ability to create custom SharePoint List forms is an important scenario. We are refining our plans in this space as part of a more comprehensive set of forms investments. We will update the roadmap when we have more information to share.“
Now hoping for a Spring 2016 release
What I learned at Ignite 2015The ‘Forms Session’ was te only session scraped from the Ignite conference.
Team is working on something but was not ready to launch.
When the solution is there, tools will be supplied to migrate InfoPath forms to the new ‘Forms vNext’.
Thanks.
That was it!
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