Appendix C: Troubleshooting

When you are having problems with your InfoPath development, where do you turn? That is what this appendix is all about—how to troubleshoot your InfoPath forms and find the resources you need in a hurry.

Resources

With the introduction of any new product or technology, users are always scrambling for resources, whether it is documentation, web sites, or just somewhere they can post a question to get some answers. InfoPath is a relatively new product, so the resources available aren’t as comprehensive as those you might find for products that have been on the market for a number of years. To help you locate the resources that are available, this appendix provides a list of InfoPath resources, including everything from Microsoft’s own documentation to web sites and news groups.

Production Documentation

InfoPath doesn’t include a printed user manual but a number of online documents are available for use. The following sections summarize these documents and identify where you can find them.

InfoPath Help File

The InfoPath help file can be viewed by selecting Help | Microsoft InfoPath Help within the InfoPath designer or by pressing F1. This opens the InfoPath Help task pane, shown in Figure C-1, and allows you to search for a topic or navigate through the table of contents.

Figure C-1: InfoPath Help task pane

Using the help file in this method requires a connection to the Internet and can be quite slow. It may be easier to access the help file content directly. The help file is located by default in C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office11\1033\ and the name of the main help file is infmain.chm. Locate and double-click this file to open the compressed help file for InfoPath, which provides a better user interface that you can use to search the help file or print individual or multiple topics.

InfoPath Developer Help File

If you are developing more complex InfoPath forms or require information about scripting, the document object model (DOM), or extending your forms using any of the developer technologies within InfoPath, you need to check out the InfoPath Developer help file. This help file is also available by selecting Help | Microsoft InfoPath Help within the InfoPath designer or by pressing F1. This opens the InfoPath Help task pane, in which the InfoPath Developers Reference will be listed as the last node in the table of contents.

The Developer help file, named infref.chm, is located by default in C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office11\1033\. Again, it may be easier to refer to this help file than to connect to the Internet to view the InfoPath help file contents.

InfoPath 2003 Software Development Kit

The InfoPath 2003 Software Development Kit (SDK) is available for download from http://download.microsoft.com (search terms: infopath sdk) and contains a number of sample forms, developer applications, tools, and utilities that you can use to extend InfoPath functionality and learn about key development technologies.

The following sections detail the tools that are available in the SDK, as well as the sample forms and applications that demonstrate InfoPath developer features.

SDK Tools

The InfoPath SDK includes a number of tools and utilities, including the following:

• Form registration tool (regform.exe) This is a command-line utility that is used to create and distribute fully trusted forms. This utility can be used to make the necessary changes to your form to make it fully trusted and can create an installation script that you can use to install the form on a user’s computer. When you run the script, it registers the form on the user’s computer and adds it to the list of Custom Installed Forms.

  Note

  For more information on creating and distributing fully trusted forms, check out Chapter 13.

• Downlevel tool This is a command-line utility that you can use to view InfoPath forms. You don’t need to have InfoPath installed to use the utility, so it is a good solution for users who may need to view forms but don’t have InfoPath installed locally. The utility creates a “downlevel” view by creating a style sheet that is used to display the form in a web browser. This style sheet is similar to the style sheets presented in Chapter 2 that are used to define InfoPath views, but this style sheet has been created specifically for viewing the form in a web browser.

  Note

  For more information on using the downlevel tool, check out Chapter 14.

• HTML to XHTML conversion tool If you have existing HTML forms that you want to use as the basis on an InfoPath form, you can use this tool to convert regular HTML into XHTML that can be edited in an InfoPath form.

• Processing instruction update tool This tool is used to update information that appears in the processing instructions of a form’s XML document.

  Tip

  For more information on how to use any of these tools, check out the documentation that ships with the InfoPath SDK, available after SDK installation from the Start menu, under Programs | Microsoft Office 2003 Developer Resources | Microsoft Office InfoPath 2003 SDK | InfoPath SDK Documentation.

Sample Forms and Applications

The InfoPath SDK also includes a number of sample forms and applications that demonstrate InfoPath developer features or integration with other databases or applications. Some of these forms and components will work straight out of the box, but others require installation of both server and application components. For a list of the setup requirements for each of these applications shown in Table C-1, check out the InfoPath documentation at Programs | Microsoft Office 2003 Developer Resources | Microsoft Office InfoPath 2003 SDK | InfoPath SDK Getting Started.

Table C-1: Sample Forms

Form Name	Description
ADO_CON	This sample form is used to demonstrate how to use ADO to connect to an Access database and includes a scaled-down version of the Northwind sample database to use.
Calc	This form demonstrates how to perform calculations using scripting and a number of simple arithmetic operators and functions. It includes examples of calculating minimums, maximums, averages, sums, and so on.
CLR	This form demonstrates integrating InfoPath with a Visual Studio .NET application. In this example, a C# program was written to create a Component Object Model (COM) object that can be called from an InfoPath form. The source code for the application is included, along with the necessary setup files to install the finished application.
DataInterop	This form demonstrates how to use active data objects (ADO) to connect to a SQL Server database and retrieve, view, and modify data. The form demonstrates advanced form design techniques, including retrieving data, master/detail views, and more.
DataSubmit	This form and related components demonstrate how to create a custom submission of InfoPath data.
Information Lookup	This form demonstrates how to perform a lookup from a secondary data source to populate lists of information within an InfoPath form.
MSForms	This form demonstrates how multiple forms can be merged into a single form, providing a summary file for further analysis.
PO_BizTalk	This form and related components demonstrate a simple workflow application with XML Web Services, BizTalk Server, SQL Server, and Outlook using a purchase order and approval process as an example.
PO_WebService	This form and related components demonstrate a simple workflow application with XML Web Services, SQL Server, and Outlook using a purchase order and approval process as an example.
WebSvc	This form demonstrates how to create a form based on an XML web service that can retrieve, modify, and submit information from the same.

Web Resources

If you have been looking high and low on the Internet for InfoPath resources, your looking days are over! The following sections outline some of the best web resources from Microsoft and others, all designed to get you up to speed quickly on InfoPath and answer your technical questions.

Microsoft’s Official InfoPath Web Site

www.microsoft.com/infopath

The official InfoPath web site features links to all the available resources from Microsoft, including product information, white papers, knowledge base articles, tutorials, how-to articles and links to newsgroups, and other related content. If you are looking for all things InfoPath from Microsoft, this is a great starting point.

InfoPath FAQ Web Site

www.infopathfaq.com

The InfoPath FAQ web site was one of the first independent web sites to emerge when InfoPath was first announced and remains one of the most popular. On this site, you will find links to InfoPath news articles, answers to common questions, FAQ documents, links to other InfoPath resources and downloads, a listing of InfoPath-related knowledge base articles, and links to other resources on the Web. The site includes a comprehensive search facility and is one of the best spots to find information on InfoPath.

InfoPath Group on Yahoo Groups

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/infopath/

If community is your thing, then you’ll want to go to the InfoPath group on Yahoo Groups. This is the only independent newsgroup available for InfoPath developers, and you will find information posted here that is not shown anywhere else on the Web. There are candid discussions on InfoPath’s strengths and weaknesses, tips and tricks from InfoPath developers, and “hacks” (and other unsupported methods), as well as tips on integrating InfoPath with non-Microsoft technologies.

Microsoft InfoPath Newsgroups

microsoft.public.infopath

The official InfoPath newsgroup from Microsoft is well supported and most queries are answered within a few days by MVPs or Microsoft staff. The newsgroup itself has been running since before the product was launched and often you will find information here that is not available anywhere else. You can read the newsgroup by using your favorite newsgroup reader or you can log on to the HTML version at http://communities.microsoft.com/newsgroups/default.asp?icp= Prod_officebeta&slcid=us.

Microsoft InfoPath Support Center

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;EN-US;infopath2003

This is the official Microsoft Support site for InfoPath. Here you will find links to the most popular knowledge base articles and tutorials, as well as links to downloads and updates and other related content. This is a great place to stop by every once in a while just to see what’s new or if there are any additional articles or updates you need to read.

MSDN InfoPath Developers Center

http://msdn.microsoft.com/Office/InfoPath

For a hard-core geek who is looking for all the developer-related information on InfoPath, MSDN is your one-stop shop for all things technical concerning InfoPath. On the InfoPath Developer’s Center, you will find links to the InfoPath SDK and documentation, as well as tutorials and articles covering common development tasks and integration to other Microsoft technologies (not to mention sample forms and code!).

Tip

You may also find InfoPath articles and topics from time to time on other XML-related web sites, such as www.xmlperfect.com or www.xml.com.

Knowledge Base Articles

Microsoft has posted a number of knowledge base articles for InfoPath 2003, containing information on current bugs, fixes, and how-to information. A list of the InfoPath-related knowledge base articles at the time of this printing is provided in Table C-2. You can jump directly to any of these articles from http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;EN-US;KBJUMP or you can check for additional articles by visiting http://support.microsoft.com and searching with the keyword “InfoPath.”

Table C-2: InfoPath Knowledge Base Articles

Article ID	Title
818233	Task Pane Key on a Microsoft Office Keyboard Does Not Always Operate As Expected
822020	Microsoft Office InfoPath Cannot Use a Web Service That Returns an ADO.NET DataSet
822024	Expression Box in InfoPath Gives Incorrect Results for Mathematical Expressions
822026	Data from a Large Table May Be Lost When the Data Is Pasted in an InfoPath Form
822030	InfoPath Caches the Solution Even When the XSL Does Not Load
822032	Create a Custom Validation Error Message That Contains the Name of the Control That Is Being Validated
823436	“Access Is Denied” Error Message When You Try to Open an InfoPath Form with the ExternalApplication Object
826989	InfoPath Cannot Automatically Submit Structured XML Data to a Web Service
826990	View Transformed InfoPath Form Data in Internet Explorer
826991	Install InfoPath to Access Features and Benefits
826992	Use Wildcard Characters in an InfoPath Form Query When Binding to an ADO Data Source
826993	Programmatically Submit an InfoPath Form to a SharePoint Team Services Document Library
826994	Dynamically Populate a Drop-Down List Box by Using a Web Service
826996	Bind a Rich Text Box Control to an Element That Is Returned from a Web Service
826997	Programmatically Change the Default View of a Microsoft Office InfoPath 2003 Form
826998	You Receive an Error Message If You Try to Programmatically Set the Text Value of an XML Node
826999	Handle Mixed Content Elements in XML Documents in InfoPath
827001	Distribute an InfoPath Form Template to Offline Users
827002	Debug a Script for a Microsoft Office InfoPath 2003 Form
827003	Change the URL of a Web Service in InfoPath
827004	Create a Required String Field for an InfoPath Data Source
827005	Use a Script to Transfer Data from a Secondary Data Source to InfoPath Fields
827006	Modify an External Schema for an InfoPath Form
827007	Display the Results of a Stored Procedure in an InfoPath Form
827008	Use a Script or a Secondary Data Source Field for Conditional Formatting
827009	Resize the Controls on a Microsoft Office InfoPath Form Based on the Width of the Form
827011	Add Page Numbers to a Microsoft Office InfoPath Form
827293	Activate a Product Trial Program License in Office 2003 Program
828853	Change the Script Language for Your InfoPath Form
831023	Convert a Microsoft Office 2003 Trial Edition to a Full Retail Edition