Chapter 2. Getting Started Designing with InfoPath

The forms, or form templates, you create with InfoPath are actually XML files. You could create a form by specifying the XML commands in a file if you wanted to, with the extension of .xsn. However, this is cumbersome because you would be editing Extensible Markup Language (XML) in either an XML editor or a text editor. Microsoft realizes that for most business developers and users, who just want to create forms to take care of their business, this is not a practical answer.

In an effort to make life easier for InfoPath developers and users, Microsoft came up with a very robust designer, set up in a very logical manner for the way that you create InfoPath forms. With the designer, you can specify the layout, insert data intelligent controls, assign scripts or code to events related to the form, and much more.

This chapter is all about getting going with the InfoPath Designer. In this chapter you will:

• Take a tour of the InfoPath Designer.

• Learn about ways to create InfoPath forms.

• Discover the tools in the task panes.

• Work with the Layout task pane.

• Create your first InfoPath form.