What This Book Covers

This book aims to introduce you to much of the basic functionality provided by InfoPath ”for example, how to access data held in databases such as Microsoft Access and SQL Server and in Windows SharePoint Services Web sites, and how to connect to XML Web services ”and how to use that functionality effectively.

You will learn how to use the InfoPath user interface and the InfoPath wizards. The Microsoft script editor adds custom functionality to sample form templates demonstrated in the book.

Many newcomers to InfoPath seem to find it difficult to get a feel for how InfoPath works, and precisely what it is for. Chapter 1 therefore shows you how to create a couple of simple InfoPath forms first, before taking a step back to look at InfoPath 2003 in overview in Chapter 2.

Chapters 3 “6 introduce you to the InfoPath form controls, some of which might be familiar from other applications, and show how these can be used in the design and development of InfoPath form templates.

Chapters 7 and 8 show you how to use InfoPath 2003 to connect to relational databases and to XML Web services.

Chapter 9 will cover in detail issues such as the differences between saving and submitting InfoPath forms. In addition, you will be shown how to publish InfoPath forms for use by groups of users.

Chapter 10 shows you each of the three validation techniques available in InfoPath. Chapter 11 covers how to approach situations in which the structure of the XML data being collected is changed, which can require some custom coding inside form template files. Chapter 12 describes how InfoPath form template security is intended to work, and shows you how to secure InfoPath forms.

Chapter 13 shows you techniques for using InfoPath form templates with Windows SharePoint Services, the successor to Microsoft's SharePoint Team Services.

Chapter 14 discusses the considerations you should have in mind when designing an InfoPath form template, so you can minimize problems and create and deploy form templates effectively and efficiently .

Chapters 15 to 19 cover topics such as the structure of the InfoPath form template, the .xsn file and its constituent files, the structure of the InfoPath manifest (the .xsf file) and how it can be customized, the InfoPath object model, and InfoPath events.

After you have read the book and worked through the examples, you will know how to create InfoPath form templates appropriate for common scenarios in which InfoPath forms query or submit XML data to data sources such as relational databases or XML Web services. You should also be comfortable with using the InfoPath user interface to add designs to the form and to alter properties of form controls, and other necessary form template housekeeping.