Microsoft Office InfoPath
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About Microsoft Office InfoPath
This lens is all about Microsoft Office InfoPath.
InfoPath forms enable the quick collection of information in a consistent, structured way that can then be validated against predefined business rules. InfoPath forms are XML-based. Therefore, important business data can be shared and reused across the organization.
The goal of this lens is to give you a taste of what you can do with InfoPath. If you have already bought the software product and need help or examples on how to use it, I've written and published many InfoPath tutorials, articles, and solutions, maintain an InfoPath blog, and produce InfoPath video tutorials.
InfoPath forms enable the quick collection of information in a consistent, structured way that can then be validated against predefined business rules. InfoPath forms are XML-based. Therefore, important business data can be shared and reused across the organization.
The goal of this lens is to give you a taste of what you can do with InfoPath. If you have already bought the software product and need help or examples on how to use it, I've written and published many InfoPath tutorials, articles, and solutions, maintain an InfoPath blog, and produce InfoPath video tutorials.
It's All About Collecting and Sharing Data
![Microsoft InfoPath 2007 [Old Version]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/411B-l3XUtL._SL160_.jpg)
Microsoft InfoPath 2007 [Old Version]
Amazon Price: $199.88 (as of 02/14/2012)
InfoPath is an information-gathering program that helps you create and deploy electronic forms to consolidate information efficiently and reliably.
InfoPath delivers electronic forms that reach the necessary participants easily, reduces redundant data entry, and improves the quality of collected data.
InfoPath offers advanced form design and development to help streamline complex processes by connecting users to the right data.
InfoPath fully integrates with Office SharePoint Server 2007 to help ensure that organizations can centrally manage and deploy electronic forms.
What's in a Name?
Why is InfoPath called "InfoPath"?
The folks at Microsoft are very clever at coming up names for their products. So why did they call InfoPath "InfoPath"? Here's my theory...
InfoPath was born out of a necessity to replace paper-based forms. And what do we do with such forms? We gather information and then either send the forms off to someone else or store them somewhere.
InfoPath follows this same concept:
Info-Path, information that follows a path.
InfoPath forms are XML files that contain information that can follow a path by being passed from person to person, from person to system, from system to system, or a finite combination of the two through a workflow.
Disclaimer: This is my personal defintion of InfoPath and does not in any way reflect how Microsoft came up with the name for their product.
InfoPath was born out of a necessity to replace paper-based forms. And what do we do with such forms? We gather information and then either send the forms off to someone else or store them somewhere.
InfoPath follows this same concept:
- Information is gathered by selecting and filling out fields on a form.
- That form is then saved as an XML file (a text file that has a certain structure).
- That XML file can then be emailed, stored on the file system, stored in a database, stored in SharePoint, or shared between systems/applications that understand XML and follow a workflow.
Info-Path, information that follows a path.
InfoPath forms are XML files that contain information that can follow a path by being passed from person to person, from person to system, from system to system, or a finite combination of the two through a workflow.
Disclaimer: This is my personal defintion of InfoPath and does not in any way reflect how Microsoft came up with the name for their product.
“Collect and manage data with ease. Extend the reach of your business with rich electronic forms.”
What is InfoPath?
Not sure whether InfoPath is right for your organization? Learn what InfoPath is all about...
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Getting Started with InfoPath
There are 5 things you may want to do when getting started with InfoPath:
- Understand InfoPath
- Learn how to use the user interface of InfoPath
- Work with InfoPath form controls
- Get data in or out of InfoPath
- Deploy InfoPath form templates
Create a Simple InfoPath Form Template
In this InfoPath 2007 video tutorial you'll learn how to create a basic InfoPath form template in InfoPath 2007, how to add layout tables and text box controls to the form template, and how to publish the InfoPath form template to a network location. You'll also learn which files an InfoPath form template consists of and how to extract these files from the XSN.
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InfoPath 2007 Quick Tour
Using Data Validation in InfoPath
How to tell users that they entered invalid data
One of the strong points of InfoPath is that you can quickly and easily add data validation to controls without writing a single line of code.
Data validation is the act of determining whether invalid data was entered into a control. For example, if you want users to enter a date into a field and they enter a piece a text, you want to be able to tell them that they entered an invalid date.
The way InfoPath tells users they entered invalid data is by displaying a red dashed border around the control (see the Validating a date in InfoPath figure below).
There are 3 ways to validate data in InfoPath:
Data validation is the act of determining whether invalid data was entered into a control. For example, if you want users to enter a date into a field and they enter a piece a text, you want to be able to tell them that they entered an invalid date.
The way InfoPath tells users they entered invalid data is by displaying a red dashed border around the control (see the Validating a date in InfoPath figure below).
There are 3 ways to validate data in InfoPath:
- Set a specific data type on a control
- Use data validation rules (or write code in a Validating event handler)
- Use rules (or write code in a Changed or Clicked event handler)
Validating a Date in InfoPath
List of Functions in InfoPath
Descriptions and examples of all functions you can use in formulas in InfoPath
With InfoPath functions you can perform calculations (such as add days to a date or count the amount of rows in a Repeating Table), manipulate and format text, and retrieve other information without writing a single line of code.
The following list of functions in InfoPath gives you the full descriptions of all of the functions as well as examples of each function that you can use within formulas in InfoPath.
You can use this list as a reference when you are looking for a function to perform a certain calculation or when you want to know how to use a particular function within InfoPath.
The following list of functions in InfoPath gives you the full descriptions of all of the functions as well as examples of each function that you can use within formulas in InfoPath.
You can use this list as a reference when you are looking for a function to perform a certain calculation or when you want to know how to use a particular function within InfoPath.
Writing Code in InfoPath
Getting started with programming in C# or Visual Basic in InfoPath 2007
There are basically 3 programming tools you can use if you want to write .NET managed code (C# or Visual Basic) for InfoPath form templates:
If you want to use Visual Studio 2005, you'll have to download and install Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Tools for the 2007 Microsoft Office System, which will provide you with an InfoPath project template you can use to create projects in Visual Studio.
If you want to use Visual Studio 2008, the InfoPath project template will already be included, so you won't have to install anything extra.
Take a look at the following two videos listed below for examples on how you can write code in InfoPath 2007 to set the value of a field on an InfoPath form using either VSTA or Visual Studio 2005.
- Visual Studio Tools for Applications (better known as VSTA)
- Visual Studio 2005
- Visual Studio 2008
If you want to use Visual Studio 2005, you'll have to download and install Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Tools for the 2007 Microsoft Office System, which will provide you with an InfoPath project template you can use to create projects in Visual Studio.
If you want to use Visual Studio 2008, the InfoPath project template will already be included, so you won't have to install anything extra.
Take a look at the following two videos listed below for examples on how you can write code in InfoPath 2007 to set the value of a field on an InfoPath form using either VSTA or Visual Studio 2005.
Use Visual Studio Tools for Applications (VSTA) to Start Writing Code in InfoPath
Use Visual Studio 2005 to Start Writing Code in InfoPath 2007
How InfoPath and SharePoint Work Together
InfoPath is not SharePoint and SharePoint is not InfoPath
InfoPath is a Microsoft Office desktop application just like Microsoft Office Word. Microsoft created InfoPath as a way to enable users to replace paper-based forms with electronic forms. So InfoPath is to electronic forms like what Word is to documents and Excel is to spreadsheets.
InfoPath is the forms tool of SharePoint, which means that you can use InfoPath to create forms that can be stored in a SharePoint library or shown on a SharePoint site. Thus SharePoint can be seen as a container for InfoPath forms. You can also use InfoPath forms as forms that participate in SharePoint workflows.
To glue InfoPath and SharePoint together and be able to show InfoPath forms on web pages within SharePoint, you need a SharePoint component called Forms Server.
To learn more about InfoPath, SharePoint, and Forms Server, see:
You can also browse articles about integrating SharePoint and InfoPath or read a brief introduction on what workflow is.
InfoPath is the forms tool of SharePoint, which means that you can use InfoPath to create forms that can be stored in a SharePoint library or shown on a SharePoint site. Thus SharePoint can be seen as a container for InfoPath forms. You can also use InfoPath forms as forms that participate in SharePoint workflows.
To glue InfoPath and SharePoint together and be able to show InfoPath forms on web pages within SharePoint, you need a SharePoint component called Forms Server.
To learn more about InfoPath, SharePoint, and Forms Server, see:
You can also browse articles about integrating SharePoint and InfoPath or read a brief introduction on what workflow is.
Are You Currently Using InfoPath Together with SharePoint?
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InfoPath - SharePoint Video
Popular InfoPath and SharePoint Vids
These videos are a small sample from a collection of over 30 InfoPath and SharePoint videos posted by S.Y.M. Wong-A-Ton on YouTube.
For more InfoPath videos, visit http://www.youtube.com/symwongaton
For more InfoPath videos, visit http://www.youtube.com/symwongaton
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InfoPath Online Resources
- InfoPath on Office Online
- This web site is for everyday users of Microsoft Office products. If you have a question about using the interface of any Office application, here's where you have to perform your search.
- InfoPath Developer Portal
- This is the Microsoft Office InfoPath developers' home on MSDN. Here will find information about customizing electronic forms to collect and move information through an organization.
- InfoPath 2003 on MSDN
- This is InfoPath 2003 home page on MSDN. MSDN is a site for developers. You'll find in-depth content, code walkthroughs, downloads, product information, and more at this one-stop resource for InfoPath developers.
- InfoPath 2007 on MSDN
- This is the InfoPath 2007 home page on MSDN. MSDN is a site for developers. This section will help you get started using Microsoft Office InfoPath 2007 to develop solutions that take advantage of InfoPath and the 2007 Microsoft Office system.
- Forms Server 2007 on TechNet
- This is the Forms Server 2007 home page on TechNet. TechNet is a site for IT professionals. This section contains technical information about Forms Server 2007.
InfoPath 2007 Book - Reader's Choice
Designing Forms for Microsoft Office InfoPath and Forms Services 2007
Amazon Price: $30.00 (as of 02/14/2012)
More InfoPath Books
Books about InfoPath 2003, InfoPath 2007, and InfoPath 2010
For a more comprehensive list of InfoPath books and InfoPath-related (SharePoint, Workflow, VSTO) books, see InfoPath books.
Are You Looking to Learn InfoPath 2010?
InfoPath 2010 Cookbook - 101 Codeless Recipes for Beginners
This InfoPath 2010 book covers the basics of designing form templates using InfoPath 2010, and is geared towards semi-technical professionals who want to master the basics by following step-by-step instructions without writing code. It consists of 101 step-by-step tutorials spread across 9 chapters.
InfoPath 2010 Cookbook: 101 Codeless Recipes for Beginners
Amazon Price: $39.95 (as of 02/14/2012)
Get details about InfoPath 2010 Cookbook and read whether this InfoPath 2010 book.is a good fit for you.
Want to Learn InfoPath 2010 with SharePoint 2010?
InfoPath 2010 Cookbook 2: 101 Codeless Recipes for SharePoint 2010
InfoPath Online Communities
Getting InfoPath help online
Here's a list of the places you can go to on the Internet if you happen to have questions about working with InfoPath.
- Microsoft Answers: Microsoft Office for Business Users: Visio, Project, InfoPath, and Access
- Ask general questions about InfoPath.
- SharePoint - InfoPath Forms Services Forum
- Discuss topics and ask questions about InfoPath Forms Services capabilities in Office SharePoint Server.
- InfoPathDev Forums
- Ask questions about InfoPath. This forum supports English and several other languages.
Share Your Thoughts Here...
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success4ever
Nov 29, 2011 @ 1:19 pm | delete
- Hi... Can you please tell me how to submit the form data in infopath form to a list in sharepoint? I did it using web srevic. But I am getting Soapserver exception. Is there any other wway to do it? ALso can we filter the list data from sharepoint, that we display in infopath view?
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SYM_Wong-A-Ton
Nov 29, 2011 @ 3:39 pm | delete
- Go to my web site and search for "5 ways" in the search box at the top of the page or search for "5 ways infopath" on Google. You will find a post listing 5 ways to submit data to a SharePoint list. I've listed 4 ways you can filter a SharePoint list without writing code in my new book "InfoPath 2010 Cookbook 2: 101 Codeless Recipes for SharePoint 2010". But bear in mind that the techniques I discuss are for SharePoint 2010. If you are writing code, you have more options; search my web site for "filter".
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christinsword
Nov 23, 2011 @ 10:44 pm | delete
- great! Informative and focused
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Caleb
Aug 7, 2011 @ 12:31 am | delete
- You do a great job at sharing what you have learned in InfoPath Development. Drinks on me. : )
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chris weber
Jul 19, 2010 @ 10:07 pm | delete
- great lens and awesome info. Now I actually know what infoPath is and what is for. Thanks
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SYM_Wong-A-Ton
S.Y.M. Wong-A-Ton is the owner and editor of BizSupportOnline, a website featuring tons of InfoPath articles, tutorials, and videos. more »
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InfoPath 2010 Book
InfoPath 2010 Cookbook: 101 Codeless Recipes for Beginners
Amazon Price: $39.95 (as of 02/14/2012)
