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INFOPATH FORMS FOR OUTLOOK, SHAREPOINT,

OR THE WEB

GINI COURTER, TRIAD CONSULTING

If you currently create forms using Word, Excel, or even Adobe Acrobat, it’s time to step up to a best-in-class form designer: Microsoft InfoPath. With InfoPath, you can create beautiful, efficient forms that transfer data directly to Access, SQL Server, or SharePoint. With InfoPath you can create forms that are filled out using InfoPath (just as you use Word to fill out a Word form) but you can also use SharePoint Form Services to create forms that users fill out in a web browser. InfoPath forms are easy to create using the powerful InfoPath design tools. In this session, we will:

 Learn the differences between InfoPath 2007 and InfoPath Designer/Filler 2010  Open and fill in an InfoPath form

 Customize an InfoPath form template  Use layout tables

 Use controls

 Create an InfoPath form template from scratch  Publish an InfoPath form on a network share  Distribute a form using Microsoft Outlook  Publish an InfoPath from on a SharePoint site

 Display values from InfoPath forms in a SharePoint list

Many large organizations have InfoPath; some even have it installed on each user’s desktop, but don’t know how to use this incredible tool to make everyday business processes easier. Come find out what all the excitement is about.

NOTE: Consider also attending the SharePoint session. We’ll use the site created in that session to publish and display the form created in this session.

WELCOME TO INFOPATH

Like most people, you probably fill out business forms on a regular basis, including expense reports, time cards, surveys, or insurance forms. You may even be responsible for designing, distributing, and maintaining these forms in your organization. You can use Microsoft Office InfoPath to design and fill out electronic forms. InfoPath is based on Extensible Markup Language (XML). When a user fills out a form in InfoPath, the data in that form is saved as XML, which can make it easier for your organization to use and reuse the data. For example, a single InfoPath form template for trip reports can be used to provide data to a customer

relationship management system, a petty cash system, and a travel planning system. Don’t worry -- you don’t need to know anything about XML to design a form template or fill out a form using InfoPath.

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www.triadconsulting.com TRIAD Consulting, LLC Page 2 BEST PRACTICES FOR DESIGNING FORMS

The following list describes some considerations to keep in mind when you convert paper forms to InfoPath form templates.

Use layout tables to organize sections of the form. You should organize your form so that people who fill it out can move through the form in a logical manner. In InfoPath, you can use layout tables to organize controls, to separate one section from another, and to hold logos and other graphics. Using layout tables gives you the added benefit of being able to easily align text boxes, check boxes, and other elements so that your form template looks professional and polished. In the following example, a layout table is used to organize text boxes inside a sectionon a form template.

This layout table has two rows.

There are three columns in the second row. The center column is used only for spacing purposes. Consider solutions for optional information. Paper forms

often contain sections that are reserved for specific categories of users. For example, a form might contain a "For administrative use only" section that is intended to be filled out by your personnel and not by the customer. In InfoPath, there are a number of ways to accommodate this type of optional information. One of the best ways is to use an optional section, which is a control that contains other controls but does not appear on the form unless the user chooses to add it (or based on the user’s

permissions). In this example the status report form template includes an optional Notes section. Users who

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You can also use conditional formattingto hide certain fields unless a specific condition is met in the form — for example, you can hide a certain set of fields until the user enables a check box.

Use repeating tables instead of regular tables. Repeating tables save space and offer your users an extra degree of flexibility when they fill out your form. When you use repeating tables, your form template doesn't display extra rows when the user first opens it. Instead, users typically see just one row and only add more if they need them. Determine data needs. Before you create your form, decide what ultimately needs to happen to the data that users will enter into the form. By thinking through your data needs up-front, you can determine how to distribute

your form template. For example, if users need to be able to quickly send form data back and forth, and you don't need to reuse the data, then you may want to publish your form template as an e-mail message. You can store completed forms in an InfoPath Forms Folder in your Inbox. If other people need to access and share the form data, then you may want to store collections of related InfoPath forms in libraries on a server running Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services. If users need to access the form data in other business applications or systems, such as expense reporting or accounting applications, then you may want to store the data in

corporate databases. (This will require support from your IT Department to create a web service.)

Determine the views that you need. A view is an alternative way to present data in a form template. With InfoPath you can create different views in the same form template. For example, if you are designing a permit application form template, you can use one view for the contractor to fill out, another view for the building owner, and a third view for the inspector who approves or denies the application – all in one form. By using views, you eliminate the need to design and maintain multiple

forms for the same business process.

Determine what type of controls that you need. If you created a form in a program such as Word, which really isn't intended for designing forms, you probably used text boxes, check boxes, buttons, and perhaps a few other controls. InfoPath offers more than 30 different controls that you can add to your form template. In addition to standard controls, such as text boxes and list boxes, InfoPath includes a number of custom controls, such as repeating tables and optional sections.

Consider using template parts for common sets of controls. If you have large numbers of forms to create, you can look for common

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form template that can be saved for reuse in multiple form templates. A typical template part consists of controls and a data source and can also include features such as data connections, data validation, and rules. By creating and using template parts, you can help ensure that the form templates in your organization are consistent in tone, structure, and behavior. For example, a human resources department can use a single Employee Contact Information template part in all of its form templates.

Enable digital signatures. In InfoPath, you can configure your form template so that users can sign certain sections of a form or the entire form. Signing a form helps authenticate a user as the person who filled out the form. The signed sections or form can’t be edited without removing the signature, so it also provides some security.

Use features that help users fill out forms. With InfoPath, you can assign default values to controls in order to help users fill out your forms faster. You can add formulas to Subtotal and Total fields so that expenses are automatically calculated as the user enters expense items. You can also enable spell checking so that users can check the text that they enter for spelling problems, just as they would in any other Microsoft Office

document.

DISTRIBUTING AND SUBMITTING FORMS

You can distribute forms by email, using SharePoint, or by posting the form in a network folder. When you create a form you can specify a submit action: what happens when a user finishes filling out a form and clicks the Submit button.

USING OUTLOOK

You can distribute form templates to users by publishing the template to a list of e-mail message recipients. Similarly, you can design a form template so that users can submit completed forms in an e-mail message to a specified email address.

In Outlook 2007 and 2010 users can additionally open, fill out, and submit InfoPath forms as e-mail messages. They can also reply to or forward the form in an e-mail message, just as they can with any other e-mail

message. In their Inbox, users can store collections of related forms in a dedicated Forms folder. By displaying form data in columns in the folder, users can quickly group, filter, and sort the data in their forms.

USING WINDOWS SHAREPOINT SERVICES

You can publish form templates directly to a library on a server that is running Windows SharePoint Services. This enables related forms to be stored in a single, convenient location. For example, a sales team can use a SharePoint site as a place to fill out, save, and view data from sales report forms. In the library, users can fill out forms that are based on your form template, export the data from completed forms to Excel, or merge the data from several forms into one form.

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www.triadconsulting.com TRIAD Consulting, LLC Page 5 CREATING A NEW FORM TEMPLATE

There are several ways to create a new form. You can:

 Use a sample form template and customize it to your needs.  Design your own form template.

 Import a Word or Excel document that you currently use as to print paper forms. CUSTOMIZING A SAMPLE FORM TEMPLATE

InfoPath comes with built-in templates; more templates are available as free downloads from the Microsoft site. To customize a sample template:

1. On the File menu, choose Design a Form Template.

2. Under Open a form template, choose Customize a Sample.

3. Under Customize a Sample, double-click the form template that you want to customize.

Don’t start with a sample template unless it comes close to meeting your needs. When you customize a sample, you give up some design functionality:

 You cannot automatically create the data source when inserting controls.  You cannot modify existing fields or groups in the data source.

 Depending on the sample form, you might not be able to add fields or groups to part of the data source.

DESIGNING YOUR OWN FORM TEMPLATE FROM SCRATCH

When you design a form, the Design Tasks task pane shows you the steps needed to create and publish a form:  Layout  Controls  Data Source  Views  Design Checker

 Publish Form Template

LAYOUT

Before you begin designing a new, blank form template, determine how you want the form template to be laid out. If you are having trouble envisioning a layout, first try sketching your ideas on paper. After you have a plan in mind, you can insert a predesigned table from the Layout task pane and customize it as necessary. Click Layout in the Design Tasks task pane and select a Layout Table.

In addition to layout tables, you can use layout-related controls (choose Controls in the Design Tasks task pane). When you insert a layout-related control onto your form template, you are essentially inserting an empty container for storing other controls. The following table describes the controls that are most commonly used for layout purposes.

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www.triadconsulting.com TRIAD Consulting, LLC Page 6 Control Description

Section A control that contains other controls. For example, in an insurance claim form template, you might use a section to group a set of text boxes that are used to collect contact information from policyholders.

Optional section

A control that contains other controls but does not appear on the form unless the user chooses to add it. For example, although all employees in a company might use a goal-setting section in their performance review forms, only managers might choose to add an optional section about leadership goals.

Repeating control

A control, such as a repeating section or repeating table (repeating table: A control on a form that contains other controls in a table format and that repeats as needed. Users can insert multiple rows when filling out the form.), that lets users expand the contents of a form when it is filled out and display only the necessary number of entries in a series. For example, you can use a repeating table to collect itemized expenses in an expense report form template.

Scrolling region

A control that contains other controls, retains a fixed size, and includes scroll bars so that users can scroll to see information that is out of view. Scrolling regions can be useful when a section of a form template contains a lot of data, and users do not need to see all of the data at one time. Scrolling regions are not supported in browser-compatible form templates.

Horizontal region

A control that contains other controls and can be placed in a horizontal formation on a form template. For example, when several horizontal regions are placed side-by-side, the regions will wrap, or flow, to the next line as the size of the screen changes. Because horizontal regions are used exclusively for layout purposes, they are not bound to fields or groups in the data source. Horizontal region controls are not supported in browser-compatible form templates.

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group

A control that presents a set of mutually exclusive choices to users. A choice group contains choice sections (choice section: A control that contains other controls and is used to represent a single choice within a set of mutually exclusive choices. Users can replace one choice section with another when filling out a form.), one of which appears as the default choice in a form. Those choice sections contain other controls. For example, address information in an employee information form template can be formatted as a choice group that contains choice sections. Each choice section contains controls with the correct address syntax for a specific country or region. When employees fill out a form that is based on the form template, they can replace the default address section with one that applies to their country or region.

CONTROLS

When filling out forms, users enter information by typing in text boxes, choosing items from a list, selecting check boxes, and performing other actions. Text boxes, lists, and other form objects that users interact with are called controls. You use controls to display data or choices, perform an action, or help make the form's user interface easier to read.

Information that users enter into a control is stored in the form's data source (data source: The collection of fields and groups that define and store the data for an InfoPath form. Controls in the form are bound to the fields and groups in the data source.). When you design a form template, you typically use the Controls task pane to insert controls, although you can also insert controls by dragging fields (field: An element or attribute in the data source that can contain data. If the field is an element, it can contain attribute fields. Fields store the data that is entered into controls.) and groups (group: An element in the data source that can contain fields and other groups. Controls that contain other controls, such as repeating tables and sections, are bound to groups.) from the Data Source task pane onto the form template.

The Controls task pane includes more than 30 different controls that you can add to your form template. These controls can be grouped in the following categories:

 Standard controls

 Repeating and optional controls  File and picture controls

 Advanced controls  Custom controls

After placing a control in your form, right click the control to set the control’s properties or other options, including conditional formatting. The controls for InfoPath 2007 and 2010 and their typical uses are described in the tables below.

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www.triadconsulting.com TRIAD Consulting, LLC Page 8 STANDARD CONTROLS

Standard controls include the controls that you typically associate with collecting and displaying information. These controls include text boxes, list boxes, check boxes, and buttons.

Control Icon Description

Text box The most commonly used control on a form. Users can enter any type of unformatted text into a text box, such as sentences, names, numbers, dates, and times. Text boxes cannot contain formatted text.

Rich text box A control that can contain formatted text, including bold and italic text, and a variety of fonts, font sizes, and font colors. In addition, users can insert images, lists, and tables into a rich text box.

Drop-down list box

A control that presents users with a list of choices in a box. To select an item from the list, users click an arrow to open the list of choices. The choices can come from a list that you create manually, from values in the form's data source, or from values that come from a data connection to an XML document, database, Web service, or SharePoint library or list.

Combo box A control that presents users with a list of choices in a box from which users select the appropriate item or type their own. The choices can come from a list that you create manually, from values in the form's data source, or from values that come from a data connection to an XML document, database, Web service, or SharePoint library or list.

List box A control that presents users with a list of choices in a box from which users select the appropriate item. The choices can come from a list that you create manually, from values in the form's data source, or from values that come from a data

connection to an XML document, database, Web service, or SharePoint library or list. Date picker A control that contains a box where users can type dates and a calendar button that

allows users to select a date.

Check box A control that allows users to set yes/no or true/false values by adding or removing a check mark from a small square box.

Option button A control that lets users select from a set of mutually exclusive choices. When one option button in a group is selected, the other option buttons are cleared. A group of option buttons is bound to one field in the data source, and each option button saves a different value in that field.

Button A control that can be used to submit a form or query a database, among other things. You can also associate a button with rules or custom code that runs when users click the button.

Section A control that is a container for other controls. Sections can include any of the controls listed in the Controls task pane, including other sections.

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www.triadconsulting.com TRIAD Consulting, LLC Page 9 REPEATING AND OPTIONAL CONTROLS

Repeating and optional controls include list controls, repeating tables, repeating sections, and optional sections. These controls allow users to insert list items, rows, record sets, and optional information when filling out a form.

Control Icon Description

Optional section A control that is a container for other controls and is useful for including extra information that is not necessary for all users to fill out. When filling out a form that includes an optional section, users can choose whether to include the optional section on the form.

Repeating section

A control that is a container for other controls and is useful for presenting record-based data, such as employee database records. When filling out the form that includes a repeating section, users can add additional occurrences of the repeating section.

Repeating table A control that displays repeating information in a tabular structure. Each item appears in a new row in the repeating table. When filling out a form, users can add or delete rows in a repeating table as necessary. Repeating tables can contain other controls.

Horizontal repeating table

A control that displays repeating information in a tabular structure. Each item appears in a new column in the repeating table. When filling out a form, users can add or delete columns in a repeating table as necessary. Horizontal repeating tables can contain other controls.

Master/detail A control that is actually a set of repeating controls that are directly related to one another. The master control is always a repeating table, and the detail control can be either a repeating table or a repeating section. Master/detail controls help users work more efficiently with large amounts of data. For example, if your form

template displays employee database records, you can specify that only a subset of information about each employee should appear in the master control. Then, when a user selects a record (row) in the master control, the detail control can display more detailed information about the employee.

Bulleted list A control that allows users to add or delete bulleted list items in the form as necessary. Bulleted list controls are a good way to include simple text that repeats, such as a list of action items in a meeting agenda form template.

Numbered list A control that allows users to add or delete numbered list items in a form as necessary. Numbered list controls are a good way to include simple text that repeats and indicates some sort of order, such as a list of agenda items in a meeting agenda form template.

Plain list A control that allows users to add or delete list items in a form as necessary. Plain list controls are a good way to include simple text that repeats, such as a list of attendee names in a meeting request form template.

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Multiple-selection list box

A control that presents the user with a list of choices that appear as a scrollable list of check boxes. Users can select as many check boxes as necessary, and may even be able to add custom entries, depending on how the form template is designed. FILE AND PICTURE CONTROLS

You can design your form template so that users can insert file attachments or pictures when they fill out forms that are based on your form template. In addition, users who fill out InfoPath forms on a Tablet PC benefit from a special ink picture control that lets them create and save ink drawings.

Control Icon Description File

attachment

A control that allows users to attach files to their forms. Each file attachment control permits one file to be attached, and you can restrict the file type, if necessary. If your users want to attach multiple files, you can insert the file attachment control inside a repeating control.

Picture A control that can be included on a form template as a static element, such as a title or a background, or can allow users to insert a picture as part of the form. Picture controls can store the image on the form itself or store an address (URL (Uniform Resource Locator (URL): An address that specifies a protocol (such as HTTP or FTP) and a location of an object, document, World Wide Web page, or other destination on the Internet or an intranet, for example: http://www.microsoft.com/.)) that points to the saved location of the picture.

Ink picture A control that allows users with a Tablet PC to add ink drawings to their forms, either within the control itself or on top of a background picture.

ADVANCED CONTROLS

Advanced controls are used less frequently than standard controls or only in special circumstances. Control Icon Description

Hyperlink A control that can be used to link to a URL. For example, a form template that shows information about a list of products can include hyperlinks to product information Web pages. Hyperlink controls can point to any Web server on either an intranet or the Internet.

Expression box

A read-only text control. You can use expression boxes to display read-only text, display the value of another control on the form, or create formulas based on XPath (XML Path Language (XPath): A language used to address parts of an XML document. XPath also provides basic facilities for manipulation of strings, numbers, and Booleans.) expressions.

Vertical label A read-only text label that appears at a 90-degree angle on your form template. Vertical labels are often used as column headings in repeating tables.

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Scrolling region

A control that contains other controls, retains a fixed size, and includes scroll bars so that users can scroll to see information that is out of view. Scrolling regions are particularly useful when a section of a form contains a lot of data, and users do not need to see it all at once.

Horizontal region

A control that contains other controls and that can be used to place other controls side-by-side on a form template.

Choice group A control that contains two or more choice sections (choice section: A control that contains other controls and is used to represent a single choice within a set of mutually exclusive choices. Users can replace one choice section with another when filling out a form.) that in turn contain other controls. Each choice section in a choice group serves as a single option in a set of mutually exclusive choices. When filling out a form, users can replace the default choice section with a different choice section. For example, on a job application form template, you can use a choice group to allow users to enter either a home phone number or a work phone number for their references.

Repeating choice group

A control that displays two or more choice sections in a repeating structure. When filling out a form, users can add, delete, or replace additional repeating choice groups, as necessary. For example, on an employee information form template, you can use a repeating choice group to let users enter multiple emergency contacts. For each contact, the user can replace home address information with work address information.

Choice section A control that contains other controls and that should always appear inside choice groups or repeating choice groups. Choice sections are useful when you need to add more choices to an existing choice group. If you insert a choice section anywhere other than in a choice group, InfoPath automatically inserts the choice section inside a new choice group.

Repeating recursive section

A control that contains other controls and can be inserted within itself. You can use repeating recursive sections to create hierarchical content, such as an outline.

CUSTOM CONTROLS

You can use the Add Custom Control Wizard to display custom controls, including Microsoft ActiveX controls and template parts that were not included in InfoPath by default.

REMOVING A CONTROL

To remove a control from a form template, you select the control and then press the DELETE key. When you remove a control, the field that is bound to that control remains in the data source. However, a form that is based on this form template will not show the data stored in this field. To display the data, you bind a control to the field.

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If you want to bind a different control to the field, instead of deleting the control, you can change the control to a different type. You do this by right-clicking the control, clicking Change To, and then clicking one of the choices on the menu. The menu displays only the types of controls that can be bound to this type of field.

DATA SOURCE

Almost all of the controls on an InfoPath form are bound (bind: To connect a control to a field or group in the data source so that data entered into the control is saved. When a control is unbound, it is not connected to a field or group, and so data entered into the control will not be saved.) to the form template's data source. If a control is not bound to the data source, or if it is bound incorrectly, the information that is entered into that control cannot be saved properly in the form’s XML file. In this example, the form designer inserted a Last Name text box on the form template. The text box is bound to the lastName field in the form template's data source.

When you design an InfoPath form template, you can choose to have the

fields in the data source created automatically each time you insert a control, or you can manually bind each control to an existing field yourself. You can also create a form starting with a data source description file (an XML schema).

TIP: TO SWITCH BETWEEN AUTOMATICALLY CREATING THE DATA SOURCE AND BINDING THE CONTROLS TO AN EXISTING FIELD OR GROUP, USE THE AUTOMATICALLY CREATE DATA SOURCE CHECK BOX IN THE CONTROLS TASK PANE.

To modify a field in the data source (for example, to provide a default value), click the down arrow on the field in the Data Source task pane and choose Properties. Use the Move, Move Up, and Move Down commands to rearrange or group the fields in the data source.

VIEWS

When your form is complete, choose Views from the Design Tasks task pane to create additional views – for example, a print view that includes a page break, or different views for different user roles.

DESIGN CHECKER

Use the Design Checker to make sure that your completed form template is XML compatible.

PUBLISH FORM TEMPLATE

This is the final step of form creation. Publish your form to a SharePoint server, a list of email recipients, or a network location.

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www.triadconsulting.com TRIAD Consulting, LLC Page 13 IMPORTING A FORM FROM WORD OR EXCEL

1. In the Design a Form Template dialog box click Import or choose File then Import a Form to open the Import a Form dialog box.

2. Choose Word or Excel. Click Next.

3. Select the file you want to import. (Your original file will not be changed.)

4. Click the Options button and set the options for how controls and open text areas in the original Word or Excel form will be imported. Click OK.

5. Click Finish to import the form into InfoPath. FORMATTING TIPS FOR FORM DESIGN (OR REDESIGN)

This section describes simple ways to add style to your form. Use these design elements individually or in any combination. Remember not to clutter your form with too many different design elements. Pick a few

elements that meet your design goals, and use them consistently to give your forms a polished look.

APPLY A COLOR SCHEME

This is one of the easiest ways to add visual interest to your form. InfoPath provides many predesigned color schemes that enable you to apply different color combinations to certain items on your form. Because color schemes can have different effects on different items on a form, it is a good idea to try several color schemes while you experiment with various formatting options. For example, after you select a color scheme, use the Font task pane to apply different heading styles to text on the form to see what kinds of effects you can create.

NOTE: WHEN YOU APPLY A COLOR SCHEME, ONLY CERTAIN PARTS OF THE FORM MAY ACTUALLY CHANGE COLOR. DEPENDING ON THE WAY THE FORM WAS DESIGNED, THIS CAN INCLUDE BODY AND HEADING STYLES, TABLE CELLS, AND TABLE BORDERS. IF NONE OF THESE ELEMENTS EXIST IN YOUR FORM, YOU WON'T SEE ANY CHANGE IN YOUR FORM AFTER APPLYING A COLOR SCHEME.

CREATE DIFFERENT LOOKS WITH TEXT FORMATTING OPTIONS

Modifying the appearance of text can emphasize key information or drastically change the overall look and feel of your form. For example, you can adjust the color and size of certain words to easily create headers that help organize the form and break it into logical sections. Changing from a conventional font such as Times New Roman to something more casual (like Comic Sans or Eras Lite ITC) will give your form a less formal appearance.

You can also specify how text will appear when users add information to the form, giving you even greater control over your form's appearance. You can either set formatting options for individual controls or save time by formatting multiple controls at once.

ADD BORDERS AND SHADINGS FOR ACCENTS OR HIGHLIGHTS

You can create interest and highlight areas on your form by applying borders and shading. A border outlines the boundaries of a control, table, or table cell. Applying shading to a control or table cell changes its

background color.

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understand the organization of the form. Additionally, you can highlight key information or important areas on your form by applying a color to a control so that it contrasts with its border or the form's background color.

ADD A BACKGROUND COLOR

In addition to adding color to the different items on your form through borders and shading, you can also set a background color for the entire form. Background colors can create contrast and interest when users are viewing your form on the screen. However, background colors may not be optimal for printing.

TIP: WHETHER OR NOT USERS CAN PRINT BACKGROUND COLORS IS DETERMINED BY THEIR

INDIVIDUAL MICROSOFT INTERNET EXPLORER SETTINGS; HOWEVER, BACKGROUND COLOR PRINTING IS TURNED OFF BY DEFAULT.

INCLUDE PICTURES

Pictures are another way for you to customize and add style to your form. By including a company logo you can make your form look more professional. You can also use a picture as the background of your form. PUBLISHING AN INFOPATH FORM TO A SERVER RUNNING INFOPATH FORMS SERVICES

One way to distribute a form to other people in your organization is to publish it to a SharePoint Server library. This allows team members to fill out and save the form whether or not they have InfoPath installed on their computers. Follow these steps:

CHECKING COMPATIBILITY

1. Begin by opening the form template.

2. To ensure that the form template is compatible with the server Click the drop-down arrow at the top of the Design Tasks task pane, and then click Design Checker.

3. On the Design Checker task pane, click Change Compatibility Settings.

4. In the Form Options dialog box, check Design a form template that can be opened in a browser or InfoPath, and then click OK.

5. Review any errors or warnings that appear in the Design Checker task pane list.

CHANGING SERVER-SPECIFIC OPTIONS

When any errors have been addressed, the form is ready to be published. However, you may want to set some server-specific options before you publish the form template. For example, you can modify the toolbars that appear in the browser. (Both toolbars appear on the browser form by default, but you can choose to show the top toolbar only, the bottom toolbar only, or no toolbars.)

To change toolbar options:

1. On the Tools menu, click Form Options.

2. In the Form Options dialog box, click Browser in the Category list.

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4. To disable the toolbar on the bottom of the form, clear the Show toolbar at bottom of form check box. WARNING: If you remove both toolbars, you won’t be able to publish the form in the document library.

The table below describes the buttons that are available on the toolbar. By default, all the buttons are displayed. To disable one of the buttons, clear the check box next to the button you want to disable. TOOLBAR BUTTONS

Button Description

Submit Begins the submission process if submit has been enabled for the form template. Save Saves the form to the document library or to the specified location.

Save As Saves the current form to the document library or to the specified location with a different form name.

Close Closes the current form.

Views Used to switch between views if more than one view of the form template is available. Disable to prevent users from switching views from the toolbar.

Print View Switches to a view with a layout for browser printing.

Update Updates the form data with the server. This button triggers any server-related actions associated with this form.

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After you specify the appropriate server-specific options, you are ready to publish the form template to the document library.

TO PUBLISH A FORM TEMPLATE TO A LIBRARY 1. On the File menu, click Publish.

2. On the second page of the Publishing Wizard, click To a SharePoint server with or without InfoPath Forms

Services, and then click Next.

3. In the Enter the location of your SharePoint or InfoPath Forms Services site box, type the name of your site, and then click Next.

4. On the next page of the wizard, ensure that Enable this form to be filled out by using a browser is checked at the top of the page.

5. Click Document Library, and then click Next.

6. If this is a new form, click Create a new document library, and then click Next. In the Name box, type the library name and then click Next. If you are republishing a form, choose the document library.

7. Click Add to add a SharePoint column.

8. In the Select a Field or Group dialog box, select the fields you wish to promote to SharePoint.

9. In the Column name box, replace any field names you wish with user-friendly names for SharePoint. Click OK. 10. Repeat steps 7, 8, and 9 to add more columns to the document library. When finished, click Next.

11. To complete the wizard, click Publish. he final page of the wizard indicates that the form was successfully published. This page contains a link to preview the form in the default browser.

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TO OPEN THE PUBLISHED FORM

1. Browse to the SharePoint Server library. 2. On the document library toolbar, click New.

If Office InfoPath 2007 is installed, the form is opened in InfoPath. If Office InfoPath 2007 is not installed, the form is opened in the browser.

TO MAKE THE FORM OPEN ONLY IN THE BROWSER (THIN CLIENT)

1. Browse to the SharePoint Server library.

2. On the document library toolbar, click Settings, and then click Form Library Settings. 3. In the General Settings section, click the Advanced Settings link.

4. In the Browser-enabled Documents section of the Form Library Advanced Settings page, as shown in the following, select the Display as Web page option.

5. Click OK, and browse back to the SharePoint Server library.

The form will always be opened in the browser, regardless of whether Office InfoPath 2007 is installed. IMPORTING A WORD DOCUMENT

1. Start InfoPath.

2. In the Getting Started dialog box, click Import a Form. 3. In the Import Wizard, select InfoPath importer for Word

Documents, and then click Next.

4. Click Browse, navigate to Expense Report.doc, select the file, and click Open.

5. Click Options.

6. In the Import Options dialog box, click Layout and form fields (custom conversion).

7. In the Convert To Text Box section, clear the Empty space after colons check box, and select the Empty table cells check box, as shown in Figure 1.

8. Click OK, and then click Finish.

9. Note the comments in the final screen of the Import Wizard, and click OK to open the form in the InfoPath designer.

10. Click File, and then click Save to save the form template. 11. Select a location, and then click Save.

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REVIEWING, CORRECTING, AND UPDATING THE IMPORTED FORM

Use the Design Checker task pane to find items that did not import correctly and fix them. 1. Review the Import warnings in the Design Checker task pane.

2. Save the form.

You might continue to enhance the design of the form by:

 Adding a color theme and images to give the form some style.

 Adding calculations to automatically compute totals.

 Adding the ability to sign the form using Digital Signatures.

 Using features such as Rules, User Roles, and Information Rights Management (IRM) to define permissions and workflow for your form.

 Publishing the form to the server so that it can be filled out in a Web browser.

References

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