Creating a Form Library from InfoPath 2007

A SharePoint form library stores forms that are based on the same form template. An InfoPath form template is a file that defines the appearance, structure, and behavior of an InfoPath 2007 form. Form templates allow form designers to create the look, feel, and functionality of the form. After the form template is created, users create new forms by filling out the fields provided by the template.

InfoPath 2007 operates in two different modes: Design mode and Fill out a form mode.

• Design This mode allows designers to create form templates. For example, a template used for purchase orders is created in Design mode.

• Fill out a form This mode provides users with a familiar Microsoft Office suite environment in which they create new forms by filling out the fields provided for them. For example, a new purchase order is created in Fill out a form mode.

When you create a new SharePoint form library from InfoPath 2007, you publish a form template into a newly created library. The library is then associated with this template, and every form in this library has the same appearance and structure.

You can also create a form library from a SharePoint site. For detailed instructions, refer to Chapter 5, “Creating and Managing Libraries.”

In the following exercise, you will use InfoPath 2007 to create a new SharePoint form library named Purchase Orders.

USE the  Purchase Order Template.xsn form template located in the Documents\Microsoft Press\SBS_WSSv3\Chapter 14 practice folder.

BE SURE TO open InfoPath 2007 before beginning this exercise. Close the Getting Started window if it appears.

1. From the File menu, choose Design a Form Template. The Design a Form Template window appears.

2. In the Design a Form Template window, under Open a form template, click On My Computer.

3. Navigate to the Documents\Microsoft Press\SBS_WSSv3\Chapter 14 folder, choose  Purchase Order Template.xsn, and click Open.

If the dialog box with the publishing location warning appears, click OK.

The Purchase Order template opens in Design mode. Note the Design Tasks pane that appears.

4. On the File menu, choose Publish. The InfoPath Publishing Wizard opens.

Tip 

You can also click Publish Form Template in the Design Tasks pane.

5. On the page listing the options for publishing location, select the first bullet point: To a SharePoint server with or without InfoPath Forms Services, and click Next.

6. On the next page, in the Enter the location of your SharePoint or InfoPath Forms Services site, type the URL of the SharePoint site in which you want to create the form library, such as http://wideworldimporters. Click Next.

7. If prompted, type your user name and password for the SharePoint site, and click OK.

8. On the next page, choose Document library and click Next.

9. On the next page, choose Create a new document library and click Next.

10. On the next page, in the Name box, type the name for the form library, such as Purchase Orders. In the Description box, type a description of the information in the form library you are creating, such as Contains purchase orders. Click Next.

Tip 

While you do need to provide a name for your new library, a description is optional.

11. The next page in the Publishing Wizard allows you to define the table layout for the Form Library page. The form data on the SharePoint Form Library page are displayed in a table. Data in the table columns come from the forms fields. You create the table layout by specifying the form fields that you want to become the table columns.

Tip 

After the library is created, this table is displayed on the form library page in the library’s default All Documents view.

The table columns for this form library are listed in the Column Name list. Five form fields will become columns after the library is created: Date Ordered, Reference Number, Vendor, Submitted By, and Currency. Since the majority of orders for Wide World Importers use the same currency, the owner has decided not to display the currency used in the purchase orders on the site.

12. To prevent the Currency column from appearing in the form library, choose Currency, and then click Remove.

The Currency column is removed for the Column Name list.

13. Click Next

Tip 

Table contents on the Form Library page can be searched on a SharePoint site. Therefore, if you want to make particular form data searchable, make sure the field that contains the data becomes a table column.

14. On the next page, verify the form information that you provided, and then click Publish. The form library is created.

15. On the confirmation page, choose Open this document library, and click Close.

The Purchase Orders library page appears in the browser. The library is empty. Note that the name of the library appears on the Quick Launch in the left navigation panel under Documents.

CLOSE InfoPath 2007 and close the browser.

Tip 

When the form template is published to the SharePoint site, it is stored in the Forms folder within this library under the default name template.xsn. If you want to verify that your template has been published, start the browser and go to the site to which you published a template, such as http://wideworldimporters. Click All Site Content in the left navigation panel. Under Document Libraries, click Purchase Orders library. On the Form Library page, from the View menu, select Explorer View. The Forms folder is displayed, and your form template is stored inside this folder. Double-click the Forms folder to verify that template.xsn is inside this folder. After locating the form template, close the browser.