Sending Forms via E-Mail

In addition to publishing forms on a web server or shared location, you also may need to send forms via e-mail from time to time. This method is most effective when you need to share form data between users; it is not a preferred method of publishing or distributing forms to be filled out. Remember that when you fill out a form, it is tied to either a URL or URN, so it is not a good practice to distribute InfoPath form templates through e-mail.

But if you do need to send form data—as either a partially or fully filled out form—via e-mail, InfoPath features a tight integration with Outlook 2003 that allows you to send an InfoPath form as the body of an e-mail message, with the InfoPath form file attached. The recipient can see the InfoPath form in the e-mail, and if they have InfoPath installed, they can open and work with the attached form file.

To send your form, select File | Send to Mail Recipient. In the dialog box that appears, enter the e-mail address or alias of the recipient, a subject for your e-mail message, and an introduction, which can include instructions on what to do with the form (for example, “Please review and send back with comments”) or can simply be notes that you want to pass along with the form. When you are finished entering this information, click the Send button to send your form.

Tip

Sending a form via e-mail may disconnect the form from back-end systems. For example, you may send a form to a user outside of your organization who does not have access to resources that may be used in the form, so the form may not work properly.