MartyConnelly
martyconnelly at shaw.ca
Mon Nov 3 15:05:10 CST 2003
Here are some other uses of InfoPath from Jean Paoli, the architect of Microsoft Office's XML http://www.infoworld.com/article/03/02/20/08stratdev_1.html MartyConnelly wrote: > Haven't touched onenote. > > I have played around with InfoPath, I think it is MS first pass at XForms > They only released the XForm recomendation from W3C in last couple of > months. > You can use with SQL Server and Access and use through IE explorer > some notes I made while playing around. Look at decision tree on when > to use. > Security and cross or multi domain use still have a way to go or are > incomplete. > You need IIS to test out completely. > > > Info Path SQL Server link sets all your info path forms to specific > server should be run intially before use > http://www.msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/ipsdk/html/ipsdkConfiguringTheSampleForms.asp > > > ---------------------- > > Decision tree when to use InfoPath > http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/odc_ip2003_ta/html/odc_IPInfoPathDecisionTree02.gif > > and > http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/odc_ip2003_ta/html/odc_ipinfopathdecisiontree.asp > > > ---------------------- > Internet domains can be really tricky. For reference, > path you browse to to fill out the form (ie. > http://myServer/mySite/myForm.xsn) > see Regform tool from SDK about .xsf > > verify the safety settings in internet explorer tool->options security > tab-> and enable allow data access across domains > --------------------- > > Exercise 1 Designing a Form from a Database > In this exercise, you will create a new form based on a database. > > 1. Open InfoPath and click Design a Form& on the File menu. This > brings up > the Design a Form task pane. > 2. In the Design a Form task pane, click New from Data Source&. > 3. In the Data Source Setup Wizard dialog box, select Database (Microsoft > SQL Server or Microsoft Office Access only) as the type of data source > you > want to use for your form and click the Next button. > 4. Click the Select Database& button. > 5. Browse to the Northwind.mdb database in the "C:\Program > Files\Microsoft > Office\Office11\Samples" directory and click the Open button. > 6. In the Select Table dialog box, select the Orders table and click > the OK > button. > 7. In the Data Source Setup Wizard dialog box, click the Add Table& > button. > 8. In the Add Table or Query dialog box, select the Order Details > table and > click the Next button. > 9. In the Edit Relationship dialog box, InfoPath has already detected the > relationship between the Orders table and the Order Details table because > there is a field named OrderID in both tables. Click the Finish button. > 10. In the Data Source Setup Wizard dialog box, click the Edit SQL& > button. > > 11. In the Edit SQL dialog box, examine the ADO Shape query InfoPath uses > to find data in the Orders and Order Details tables. Click the OK button. > 12. In the Data Source Setup Wizard dialog box, click the Next button, > and > then the Finish button. InfoPath creates a new form based on the Orders > and Order Details tables. > 13. Save the new form as "NorthwindOrderQuery.xsn". > > Exercise 2 Designing the Data Entry View > In this exercise, you will design the Data Entry view of the > NorthwindOrderQuery form. > > 1. In the Controls task pane, click Views to switch to the Views task > pane. > 2. In the Views task pane, click the Data Entry view. > 3. In the Views task pane, click Data Source to switch to the Data Source > task pane. > 4. Expand the dataFields tree in the Data Source task pane. > 5. Drag the d:Orders group from the Data Source task pane onto the form > area. From the context menu listing the available controls for the > d:Orders group, select Repeating Section with Controls. > 6. Lay out the controls in the form area in any way that suits you. > Figure > 6 contains an example layout you can follow. > 7. Save the changes you made to the form. > > Test the Form > 1. Click the Preview Form button on the Standard toolbar. > 2. On the View menu, click Query. > 3. In the OrderID control, type "11068" and click the Run Query button. > Examine the data returned from the query. > 4. On the View menu, click Query. > 5. Clear the OrderID control. > 6. In the CustomerID control, type "ALFKI" and click the Run Query > button. > Examine the data returned from the query. > 7. Try other query parameters. When you have finished, click the Close > Preview button on the Standard toolbar. > > Exercise 3 Designing the Query View > In this exercise, you will design the Query view of the > NorthwindOrderQuery > form. > > 1. On the View menu, click Manage Views& to bring up the Views task pane. > 2. On the Views task pane, click Query. > 3. Click Select All on the Edit menu to select all of the controls and > text > in the form area. > 4. Click Cut on the Edit menu to delete all of the elements. > 5. In the Data Source task pane, expand the queryFields tree, and then > expand the q:Orders tree. > 6. Drag the OrderID field from the Data Source task pane onto the form > area. > 7. In the Data Source task pane, click Controls to switch to the Controls > task pane. > 8. From the Controls task pane, drag a Button control onto the form. > 9. Right-click on the Button control and click Button Properties&. > 10. In the Action drop-down list box of the Button Properties dialog box, > select Run Query and then click OK. > 11. Drag another Button control from the Controls task pane onto the form > next to the Run Query button. > 12. Right-click on the Button control and click Button Properties&. > 13. In the Action drop-down list box of the Button Properties dialog box, > select New Record and then click OK. > 14. Lay out the controls on the form in any way you see fit. Figure 7 > includes an example layout. > 15. Save the changes you made to the form. > > ------------------------------------------------------ > How to point to an Access File rather than SQL changes > > Inside the .xsf file you will likely find an <xsf:query> element. > Inside that is an <xsf:adoAdapter> element which includes information > about the data source. > > You will likely see something like the following (the > <xsf:adoAdapter>element is on a single horribly long line in the > original code but my newsreader breaks the line): > > <xsf:query> > <xsf:adoAdapter > connectionString="Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0;Password="";User > > ID=Admin;Data Source=C:\Program Files\Microsoft > Office\OFFICE11\SAMPLES\INFOPATH\INFNWIND.MDB;Mode=Share Deny > None;Extended Properties="";Jet OLEDB:System > database="";Jet OLEDB:Registry Path="";Jet > OLEDB:Database Password="";Jet OLEDB:Engine Type=5;Jet > OLEDB:Database Locking Mode=1;Jet OLEDB:Global Partial Bulk Ops=2;Jet > OLEDB:Global Bulk Transactions=1;Jet OLEDB:New Database > Password="";Jet OLEDB:Create System Database=False;Jet > OLEDB:Encrypt Database=False;Jet OLEDB:Don't Copy Locale on > Compact=False;Jet OLEDB:Compact Without Replica Repair=False;Jet > OLEDB:SFP=False" commandText="select > [CustomerID],[CompanyName],[ContactName],[ContactTitle] from > [Customers] as [Customers]" queryAllowed="yes" > submitAllowed="yes"></xsf:adoAdapter> > </xsf:query> > > Edit the information about the Data Source in the connection string. > > Be careful not to end up with a split line for the <xsf:adoAdapter> > element in your code after editing, since that may cause errors. > > Republish the form. > > > Gustav Brock wrote: > >> Hi all >> >> Anyone familiar with these new products and if they somehow relate to >> Access? >> >> I've tried to browse some brochures but they are so hyped that it is >> just plain impossible to figure out wether these apps are fancy toys >> which will bring any machine to a crawl or if they could be useful >> tools in cooperation with Access and database applications. >> >> And how are the programmed if you wish to create custom build apps? >> I've located this link to a SDK related to InfoPath: >> >> http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=351f0616-93aa-4fe8-9238-d702f1bfbab4&displaylang=en >> >> >> but it looks like you need to take a deep breath and have a weekend >> set aside. >> >> Also, how much are they relying on specific MS server software like >> SharePoint or Exchange or pure MS environments or Office 2003 only? If >> so, the usefulness is very limited as our clients use a variety of >> systems. >> /gustav >> >> _______________________________________________ >> AccessD mailing list >> AccessD at databaseadvisors.com >> http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd >> Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com >> >> >> > -- Marty Connelly Victoria, B.C. Canada