Info Path Form in SharePoint 2010

  • SharePoint can collect data using lists or InfoPath from Libraries.
  • InfoPath is better suited for these tasks:
    1. Data validation
    2. Conditional Formatting
    3. Submitting to database
    4. Submitting via email
    5. Collecting signatures
    6. Read-only views of data
    7. Links to remote data source such as SQL or Access Database
  • InfoPath's form-creation tools are based on XML and its related standards.
  • When you save an InfoPath form to form library, SharePoint saves the form data as an XML file in the library.
  • InfoPath is both designer and form viewer.

Form Library :

A Form library is basically a document library that uses an InfoPath form template as a template rather than a word, Excel, or PowerPoint file.

  • It is wholly XML centric. The form design is based on XML schema.
  • InfoPath views are based on XSL transformation(XSLT).
  • All InfoPath data is saved as XML.
  • In the InfoPath, the form template is new format with an .xsn extension.
  • Types of InfoPath form:
    1. Blank
    2. Web service: with this option, the wizard will prompt you to enter url of a web service that has implemented SOAP 2.0- compliant WSDL.
    3. Database
    4. XML or Schema : InfoPath lets you design a form against existing XML document or schema.
  • Data types available in InfoPath:
    1. Text
    2. Whole Number
    3. Decimal
    4. True/False
    5. Hyperlink
    6. Date
    7. Time