1. Real World InfoPath Usage in SharePoint 2010
– List vs. Library Forms

2. • Nik Patel
 Solutions Architect, Slalom Consulting
 M.S. in Computer Science, IIT, Chicago
 Working with SharePoint 2010 since TAP Summer 2009
,
 Working with SharePoint since SharePoint 2003 days
• Contact Info
 Twitter - @nikxpatel
 Email – nikunjp@slalom.com
 LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/nikspatel
 Slideshare - slideshare.net/patenik2
 Blog – Nik Patel’s SharePoint World -
http://nikspatel.wordpress.com/
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8.  List Forms -– New in SharePoint 2010
 Tied to the specific list, Not Reusable
 Form Schema tied to List Schema
 Form data stored in the SharePoint List
 Each control (e.g. text box) in the form is bound to a column in the list.
 Key Characteristics
 Supported on Simple SharePoint Lists like Custom List, Tasks, Announcements, Links,
Contacts from Browser Interface
 Not supported in Document Libraries and advanced SharePoint Lists like Calendar
 No support for custom code, repeated tables, custom submit behavior, and print preview
 Requires SharePoint Designer to customize the External Lists Forms
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9.  T customize the out of the box List New Form, List Edit Form, and List Display Forms
o
 Ideal for straightforward design and form management experience
 Ideal for Prototypes
 Ideal for No-code solutions using SharePoint Designer and Browser Customization for Pre-
Packaged Departmental SharePoint Sites designed on production farm.
 Do not use List InfoPath Forms in formal code management and deployment scenarios from
development to staging to production.
 T use forms offline with SharePoint Workspace
o
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10. • Have SharePoint 2010 Server Enterprise CAL Installed
Prepare • Have InfoPath Form Services Enabled (by default, it’s enabled)
• Have InfoPath Designer 2010 Installed
• Design SharePoint Lists (optionally Site Content Type)
Design • Customize List Forms using InfoPath Designer 2010 - UI, Views, Rules,
Receive Data Connections on the List Forms
• Publish List Forms to the SharePoint Lists
Deploy • Three New Forms (Add, Edit, and Display) and InfoPath Form Template
deployed to the Content Databases
• Update SharePoint Lists or Site Content Type Schema
Upgrade • Customize List Forms again using InfoPath Designer to Sync List Changes
• Republish the List Forms to the SharePoint Lists
Retract/Cleanup • Delete InfoPath List Forms from the Form Settings Page from List Settings
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12.  Library Forms – Tied to the form libraries – Same as SharePoint 2007
 Key Characteristics
 Form data stored as the XML document in SharePoint Form Library
 More complex and requires more disciplined/structured approach
 Can be deployed as Sandbox or Farm Level Solutions
 Publishing Mechanism
 Single Library
 Deploy to specific form library
 Not reusable in another library
 Only one form template per form library, Same benefits as list InfoPath forms
 Reusability across Site Collection - Multiple libraries or sites within Site Collection
 Deploy as a Content Type
 Enables deployment to multiple document libraries
 Supports multiple content type per library
 Reusability across Farm - Multiple Site Collections or Web Applications
 Deploy as a Administrator Approved
 Deploy as features and solutions framework, PowerShell, or manual upload
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13.  Form T emplates with Code
 Form T emplates with T abular Structure (Nested or Repeated Data) or Complex Schema
 Form T emplates with Printing Support from Ribbon Bar
 Form T emplates with Custom Submit Behavior
 Great fit for Enterprise Level Form Solutions with Advanced and Reusable Functionality
 Admin Approved forms eases future enhancements, upgrade, maintenance, and
deployment
 Fits perfectly in formal deployment process of moving features from development to
staging to production.
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14. • Have SharePoint 2010 Server Enterprise CAL
Installed
• Have InfoPath Form Services Enabled (by default, it’s
enabled)
Prepare • Have InfoPath Designer 2010 Installed
• Have Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Tools for
Applications Installed- Select VSTA in the InfoPath
Installation tree of the Office Professional Plus 2010
Installer
• Design browser compatible InfoPath Form Template
using InfoPath Form Designer 2010
• Define UI, Views, Rules, Code, and Publishing
Design
options
• Define the Receive and Submit Data Connections
• Promote Form Fields as SharePoint Fields and Web
Part Connections
• Run the Design Checker on the InfoPath Form
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15. • Convert the Data Connections as UDCX file
Package • Publish Form Template as Admin Approved as XSN
file
• Deploy UDCX in the Data Connection Library in Site
Collection or Central Admin
• Upload the Form Template using Central Admin
• Activate the Form Template on Site Collection from
Deploy Central Admin or Site Collection Feature
• Create the Form Library in SharePoint
• Add the new InfoPath form template content type
to document library
• Define the Form Library Views to display Form
Template Fields
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16. • Update InfoPath Form Template using InfoPath Form
Designer
• Re-publish the InfoPath Form Template as Admin
Upgrade Form
• Re-upload the InfoPath Form Template from Central
Admin. No need to activate to the site collection
and all the existing form libraries should be
upgraded.
• Deactivate the form template at the site collection
from Central Admin or Site Collection Feature
• Remove the form template from the Central Admin
Retract/ • Remove the WSP file from the Farm Solutions Page
• Cleanup - Delete following content from the Site
Cleanup Collection manually or programmatically.
• Delete the Forms Document Libraries
• Delete the Data Connections
• Delete the Site Content Types and Site Columns
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18.  Integrate InfoPath forms into SharePoint pages using the InfoPath Form Web Part
 Promote and Demote the InfoPath Fields to the SharePoint Document Library as a Site Columns to
build advanced views in SharePoint
 Promote InfoPath Fields as Web Part Connection Parameters to connect InfoPath Form Web Part with
other SharePoint Web Parts to build mash-ups
 Promoted fields can’t be used in Sandboxed Form T emplates with Code, It must be Admin
Approved Forms
 Integrate workflows on the SharePoint Lists or Document Libraries for business processes .(e.g.
Approval Workflow)
 Optionally customize the Workflow Association, Initiation, and User T forms
asks
 Custom Programming
 Integrate InfoPath Forms programmatically into custom application or site pages using the
XmlFormView control
 Extract InfoPath Forms programmatically to access the InfoPath data from InfoPath Object Model
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http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/infopath-help/infopath-2010-features-unavailable-in-web-browser-
forms-HA101732796.aspx
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