Paul Galvin: Introduction to Infopath and Best Practices

Introduction to InfoPath and Best Practices

Paul Galvin

AgendaQuick ApologyAbout the speakerIntroduction to InfoPathBuilding a templateTemplate featuresTips and tricks- Including FBA

About the Speaker

Paul GalvinSharePoint MVPComputer Generated SolutionsTwitter: @pagalvinBlog: http://www.mstechblogs.com/paul/

Objective: Build a TemplateConsistency

Users will love itDevelopers more productive

Save time!

Intro to InfoPathInfoPath Client on desktop/laptop

Design formsFill out forms (red-headed step child)Creating a template (XSN file) (really, a CAB)

Browser-enabled FormsMOSS EnterpriseReduced functionality

Demo

Quick Form from scratch

Intro to InfoPath

Overall ProcessDesign the form with the clientPublish the form to SharePointEnd users fill out the form

PublishingPublish as the template for a libraryPublish as a content type (becomes template for the CT and re-use the CT wherever CT’s are accepted)

Building Forms Best Practices

Designing forms badly is very easyDesigning forms well is fairly easyMaintaining badly designed forms challenges the patience of Zen masters

Best Practices - Consistency

Buttons- Save/Exit/Discard

Behavior- Confirmations- Explain consequences

Common functionality (views)

ViewsMain Page- Embed instructions

Default hide?Consider an Instructions Page view

Naming Convention1. Main2. ApprovalP. PrintZ. Dev Notesetc.

Version numbers- Place directly on the form

Views - Demo

Quick demo of views

Form as a DatabaseStatusRecord ApprovalsInternal flags for dynamic hide/viewSave manager hierarchy"WasEmailed" flags

Form as a Database

Quick demo

Trick – Security via Custom ListsBusiness scenario:

- Don’t want to use AD or SharePoint groups to define business level approval groups

- (little kids)

Technique- Create a custom list- Item level permissions- Query the data source- Check to see if a result was returned

Demo

Trick – Case Insensitive Comparisons

Use the translate() function

Demo

ResourcesCase-insensitive comparisonshttp://paulgalvin.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!

1CC1EDB3DAA9B8AA!5664.entryhttp://tinyurl.com/yec655n

Thank You!

Email: [email protected]: http://www.mstechblogs.com/paulTwitter: @pagalvin