Introduction to InfoPath 2010A SharePoint-centric look at InfoPath 2010

What is InfoPath 2010?

Form building tool for making standalone forms, and SharePoint list forms

InfoPath 2010 is actually 2 different products InfoPath Designer 2010 InfoPath Filler 2010

Only available in Microsoft Office 2010 Professional Plus Only the richest people get to play (slight downside, one might say)

SharePoint 2010 (and 2007 as well) have the capability to have a SharePoint document library (form library) contain a collection of InfoPath forms

Essentially, you associate a form with a document library, and the resulting answered forms are the contents of the library

More About InfoPath 2010

Types of Forms InfoPath based forms (to be filled in using “Filler”) Web based forms

SharePoint 2010 Licensing – You will require the Enterprise CAL to: Use a SharePoint list with InfoPath forms Publish SharePoint library forms as web based forms

Features of InfoPath Various UI controls Layouts (pre-designed table formats) Themes Multiple views Rules (the real bread and butter) Data connectivity (more of an advanced topic)

InfoPath Rules

Rules are like the application programming logic for your form Types of Rules

All of the rule logic is done without code, for example

Validation • Can be used to specify an error message that will be displayed if a condition is false

Formatting • Changes the “look and feel” of the UI elements (show/hide, color, fonts, etc.)

Action• Connect data connections to your form fields• Set input parameter values from form fields• Assign results back to the fields

Populate a drop down with values Pre-fill portions of a form with

existing data

Generate unique incrementing ID values Perform real-time validation of user

input

The Kinds of Data InfoPath Can Use

Web Services• Soap• Rest• WCF (.Net)• Azure

Databases• SQL Server• ODBC• OLE-DB• Oracle

XML Files • SharePoint• File Server

SharePoint Lists / Libraries • Convenient alternative to using a database table

SharePoint and FormsDoesn’t it already do forms without InfoPath?

Yes, SharePoint forms are great, they’re simple and easy to use

They’re available on every list and library

No need for any “client” side tools to create the forms – they’re automatically updated when you modify the list or library However, this may be a little too simple – no customization possible in SharePoint

For customization, you can download and install SharePoint Designer and modify your forms. However… Often people aren’t given access to SharePoint Designer (by their administrator) Lots of individuals aren’t comfortable with SharePoint Designer The tool can be hard to use/understand for novice users

Where does InfoPath differ? InfoPath allows you to create powerful, rich forms

The forms do not require you to write any code This allows non-developers to both create them and maintain them

You can create forms with Both out of the box and complex validation rules Lookups to external or SharePoint data Master / Detail lists Signed forms Essentially none of these are available with default SharePoint list forms

Can be used with SharePoint custom workflows and Nintex workflows (very easily)

And it’s simply just a really easy to use product to get the hang of

“InfoPath is very much a rapid development tool. SharePoint list forms cannot do even a fraction of what InfoPath does, and InfoPath does it all without writing code.”

- Clayton Cobb, (former) InfoPath MVP – Current SharePoint MVP

What’s new in 2010?

Ribbon interface Form Templates (when building a new form) Quick rules

pre-built conditions and actions Create forms for SharePoint lists Use SharePoint Workspace for offline form completion of SharePoint lists New controls

Picture Buttons, hyperlinks, date & time picker Publish form templates

Quick Publish (to SharePoint) Filler and Designer separated

Kind of similar to how Adobe has Acrobat and Acrobat Reader

Demo 1

Customizing SharePoint lists

Show off various features of InfoPathMultiple viewsVarious controlsLayouts (pre-designed table formats)ThemesRulesOther ribbon features

Demo 2

Rules – from the basic to the complex

The Setup…itgroove uses an InfoPath form for time entry records for

all their consultantsSome of the rules are basic, simple rules to perform

simple tasks (like change to a different view)Other rules are more complex and chain together to

make multiple actions appear to happen simultaneously

Other, more complex/cool forms

Tabs!

Multi-views (1/2)

Multi-views (2/2)

In Summary…

InfoPath Can: Be your form product of choice Enable easy rule logic and provides plenty of capacity for scaling that logic Powerful and extensive data connectivity

InfoPath combined with SharePoint Enables Easy form creation for both lists and libraries Very neat and tidy forms OOTB, with easy modifications to add themes and change

layouts Brings form design to anyone with a license to Microsoft Office Professional Plus

Q&A + Contact

Any Questions?

Contact Details:Colin Phillipscphillips@itgroove.netitgroove.net

InfoPath:http://office.microsoft.com/en-ca/infopath/