Designing InfoPath Forms: The Dos and Donts Deploying InfoPath Forms: Making the right choice Adding custom business logicin case the built-in stuff isnt enough Integrating forms into Web pages: Reaching and making it scale

DEMO Designing InfoPath Forms

What to do and what NOT to do DoDont Keep views small Use view switching for larger forms Use tables to align controls Set control width to 100% so it scales with column width Re-use and adapt existing forms for online filling experience Put instructions in the form layout Use all the validation UI and create useful error messages Avoid spaghetti forms Avoid script since it doesnt work in browser-based forms Avoid lots of On_Load processing Avoid queries that rarely change result data in drop downs Avoid the task pane if your form needs to work in the browser Build a form design kit with template parts Use pre-configured data connections via the data connection library Use pre-defined schemas when building forms Dont build super complex forms with 20 or more views Dont use InfoPath forms as a Visual Basic replacement Dont add lots of custom code to forms

Word Import Re-use existing form layout Template Parts Allow Re-use of parts across multiple forms Multiple developers to work in parallel Support all form features except code Formatting and control properties; data connections; rules, validation, conditional formatting, calculations Create in Design mode and use as a custom control Central repository with auto-updates Logic Inspector Inspect and debug the form thru a single, read-only view of all your form logic Rules, calculations, validation, events Caveat: Conditional formatting not reported

DEMO Deploying InfoPath Forms

Making the right choice Simple deployment for end users Advanced deployment for administrators Forms with no code (declarative logic only) deployed using InfoPath Designer Publish Wizard Publish directly to Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services document library, or create site content type (for use in multiple document libraries) Central administration and management Activate forms on multiple site collections Two-step process: upload to server, and activate to a site collection Create multiple document libraries based on a form template Forms containing code or requiring full trust must be deployed by a farm administrator Use for: Small and more ad-hoc form solutions driven by Information Workers Small number of form filling sessions Un-managed team solutions Very few to none form upgrades The quick and dirty prototype Use for: Managed department or enterprise-wide solutions Centralized form solution management Complex data connections Lots of form-filling sessions Robust forms solutions requiring solution upgrades in the future

Shared features Controls Business Logic Data Connections Digital Signatures Managed Code Object Model Design Checker A pure subset of InfoPath features is available for browser-enabled forms Compatibility errors and warnings can be seen in the Designer or on the server during the publish step Design forms for rich client, browser and mobile device

Simple topology for scale-out InfoPath Forms Services runs on Web front ends Session state optimized for bandwidth and scale In broadband, view state can be used for high scale In narrowband, session state can be stored on the backend Client-side architecture (AJAX) alleviates roundtrips Improves scalability because of fewer requests Improves user experience due to minimal interruptions Design-time guidance on eliminating roundtrips Per-control settings to tweak roundtrips for best experience of correctness and performance Performance and scalability

DEMO Adding Business Logic

Most Form Development Does Not Need Code XSD, Web Service, Database Schema C# VB.NET CodeDeclarative Rules Formulas Data Validation Data Connections Conditional Formatting

1.Visual Studio Tools for Applications (VSTA) Out-of-the-box development Lowers the bar for forms with managed code Compatible with Visual Studio Tools for Office 2.Visual Studio Tools for Office (VSTO) Embedded designer for professional developers One IDE for all your projects: workflow, etc. Integrated toolbox, project wizard, etc. Write code in your favorite IDE

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