Chapter 8. Enhancing User Input with InfoPath Forms

In this chapter, we will explore the abilities of Microsoft InfoPath to customize the end user's input experience in SharePoint. We will cover the following recipes:

  • Customizing the SharePoint list entry form templates with InfoPath
  • Creating InfoPath forms that are submitted to the SharePoint form libraries
  • Creating a SharePoint list to provide a drop-down menu data to InfoPath
  • Adding a drop-down menu to InfoPath using SharePoint list data
  • Paginating InfoPath forms with views
  • Validating data in InfoPath forms
  • Calculating field values in InfoPath based on the values of other fields
  • Adding custom .NET code to an InfoPath form
  • Preparing InfoPath forms for approval by SharePoint administrators
  • Approving submitted InfoPath forms in SharePoint
  • Creating libraries using approved InfoPath forms in SharePoint
  • Creating a survey InfoPath form that gets locked after submission and populates the SharePoint fields

Introduction

In the collection of tools available to enhance and customize the SharePoint experience, Microsoft InfoPath is often overlooked. Microsoft InfoPath is a powerful tool to create interactive form templates. These form templates can be used in the InfoPath Filler application that is available on the users' desktops or can be used in SharePoint as web-based forms.

Microsoft InfoPath is designed like the rest of the Microsoft Office applications and can be easily used by power users and developers alike. It comes as a part of the Professional Plus edition of Microsoft Office 2013.

Using InfoPath in web content management applications allows us to provide a robust user input experience without involving custom code. This is particularly useful for content authors who need to create forms but do not have development experience. An entire cookbook could be dedicated to InfoPath. In this chapter, however, we will only cover the basics of how to use InfoPath to customize the way users input information in SharePoint.

For most InfoPath forms, the InfoPath Designer application is all that is required. However, in order to add custom .NET code to an InfoPath form, the Microsoft Visual Studio Tools for Applications are required in addition to Microsoft Visual Studio. They can be obtained from http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=38807.

Note

Do not install Microsoft InfoPath on the same computer as Microsoft SharePoint Server. The assemblies included with the InfoPath client applications often conflict with the assemblies included with SharePoint. You may receive exceptions in SharePoint, in both the web interface and the logs, if the InfoPath client applications are installed on the SharePoint server.

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