Info Path

Some new MicrosoftOffice tool which apparently has similarities to Wiki.

Actually, OneNote bears more resemblance to Wiki than InfoPath.

InfoPath does for Xml what tools like PowerBuilder did for databases. Point it at your Xml or WebService and you get a draggy-droppy forms editor.

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Ten Things InfoPath does

• 01 Quickly and efficiently create forms while it reduces training time.
• 02 Allows Creation of sophisticated forms without having to write code.
• 03 Gives the user the ability to fill out forms online or offline.
• 04 Userrs can build modular, extensible, and portable SharePoint applications.
• 05 Make browser forms conform to standards.
• 06 Makes the following functions available:
  • bulleted, numbered, and plain lists
  • multiple-selection list boxes
  • combo boxes
  • picture buttons
  • hyperlink capabilities
  • choice group and section
  • filtering functionality
  • date and time controls
  • people pickers
• 07 Embed forms in Web Parts.
  • simply add the InfoPath Form Web Part to a Web Part page and point it to your published form.
• 08 Enhance forms by adding your own code
• 09 Connect forms with line-of-business information and REST Web Services.
  • integrates with the Business Connectivity Services (BCS) of SharePoint Server
• 10 Easily manage forms on the server.
  • forms can be monitored as a true component of SharePoint Server, and manage forms using Windows PowerShell command line shell and scripting language.
• More info at
  • http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/infopath/top-10-reasons-to-try-infopath-2010-HA101809016.aspx

-- DonaldNoyes.20111008

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InfoPath screwed our org over royally. When somebody "saves" their form data locally, it hard-wires a file server path into the local document that references the template file. If the server dies and a replacement with a matching path is not possible, all those form instances are suddenly useless. (Maybe with some config knowledge somebody could have set it up right, but the default is fuckage.) OmniForms? and Adobe Forms (PDF) appear to work just fine if the network is down or changed, carrying the form "template" with them. Microsoft fucked it up. I can see where centralizing the template source can make it easier to change the template globally, but the local version should at least carry a spare copy to not depend on the network.

In other words, the client side processing of a form file should resemble:

  formdataX = self.formdata   // data in local file
  if a network template is available then
    templateX = get network template
    update local template copy for future reference
  else
    display warning   // optional design
    templateX = self.template  // local copy of template
  end if
  open and display formdataX using templateX

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CategoryMicrosoft