Developer Data Modeling Mistakes: From Postgres to NoSQL
SPSCBUS Slides Scarlet InfoPath
1. Funnel your Info down a new
Path
Ryan Dennis | MCTS, MCPD, MCITP | Blue Chip Consulting Group
2. Thank You for being a part of SharePoint
Saturday Columbus!
• Please turn off all electronic devices or set them to vibrate
• If you must take a phone call, please do so in the hall
• Wi-Fi is available, you will need your Guest ID/password
(at registration desk)
• Feel free to tweet and blog during sessions. Remember to follow
@SPSColumbus and tag #SPSCBUS in your tweets!
• GO BUCKS!
SharePoint Saturday Columbus 2013 2
SharePoint Saturday Columbus is hosted by the Buckeye SharePoint User Group
@BuckeyeSPUG
3. Please fill out session
evaluations and
thank you for attending!
SharePoint Saturday Columbus 2013 3
5. Where should we SharePint?
• Tweet with hashtag #SPSCBUS
• Option 1: Buckeye Hall of Fame Grill
• Option 2: Eddie George’s Grill 27
• Option 3: Big Bar
• Option 4: Chumley’s
• Option 5: Buffalo Wild Wings
6. About The Speaker
Ryan Dennis, MCTS, MCPD, MCITP
Senior SharePoint Consultant
Blue Chip Consulting Group
Father Husband
Drummer Geek
www.bluechip-llc.com
www.sharepointryan.com
@SharePointRyan
linkedin.com/in/sharepointryan
ryan@sharepointryan.com
7.
8. What is InfoPath?
• …a forms-creation and data-gathering tool to streamline
business processes…
• …a tool for advanced business users to design sophisticated
electronic forms with no code…
• …a point-and-click way to connect to LOB systems using data
connections…
9. Ok Ryan, so what is it really?
• An awesome way for you to make data entry fun, engaging and
powerful…
• A brilliant front-end to SharePoint list and library data…
• …an Office program…
10. And it works with SharePoint?
• InfoPath forms can be used in SharePoint in multiple ways,
including…
• List Forms
• Customize existing SP Lists
• Browser-based Library Forms
• Publish form templates for viewing in the browser
• Client-based Library Forms
• Publish advanced form templates for viewing in the InfoPath client
• Workflow Forms
• Modify SharePoint workflow forms using InfoPath for a richer experience
• Web Service Forms
• Automatically create forms based on Web Services
11. What licensing do I need?
• Client (InfoPath Designer)
• Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2013
• Server (Forms Services)
• SharePoint Server 2013 Enterprise
*Without SP Enterprise, you can publish your forms to SharePoint and launch them in the client –
but the InfoPath client is then required on every machine
12. Is InfoPath going away?
“InfoPath is currently in the product.”
– Microsoft, July 2013
“The future is unclear at best, realistically
pessimistic and a dead-end at worst.”
– Andrew Connell (MVP), April 2013
“Who knows, but for now it’s still the best solution
for building form solutions in SharePoint”
– Me, right now
13. 3 Main Types of Forms in
SharePoint that we’re talking about…
• List form
• Modify an existing list form using InfoPath
• Browser-based form template
• Publish a form template for browser use
• Client-based form template
• Publish a form template for client use
14. • A modified “front end” to a SharePoint list…
• Limited functionality compared to form templates, but much
nicer than OOTB list forms…
• Can leverage data connections…
• Can be launched within the browser or in an InfoPath Form Web
Part
15. • Utilize a form template (XSN file)…
• Are stored in a SharePoint Form Library…
• Can leverage data connections and external content types…
• Provide more functionality than list-based forms…
• Can be launched within the browser, in an InfoPath Form Web
Part or in the InfoPath Form Client*
*Some features which are supported in client-based forms are not supported in browser
based forms. More info later…
16. • Utilize a form template (XSN file)…
• Can be stored in a SharePoint Form Library…
• Can leverage data connections and external content types…
• Provide more functionality than library-based forms…
• Must be launched in the InfoPath Form Client*
*A good option if you have the Office license to support InfoPath but do not have the
Enterprise CAL for SharePoint Server
20. • Created a standard List in SharePoint 2013
• Customized the List Form using InfoPath 2013
• Modified a few fields for better user experience
• Added some Contoso branding elements
• Had fun doing it…
24. Using a SharePoint Designer
Workflow and an InfoPath form to
create Sites using the REST API
and the Call HTTP Web Service
Action in SharePoint
Online/Office 365
25. • Created a browser-based form with a few fields…
• Created a SPD 2013 Workflow and used it to talk to the REST
API…
• Used the form to create a site request for a new subsite under
our Demo Site Collection…
• Used an Approval workflow to manage the site request…
• Used the App Step and App Trust functionality to automatically
provision the SPWeb upon approval…
• Had a lot of fun doing it…
27. • InfoPath Forms can be sent to a Records Center, but there are
some issues…
• The Form Template exists in the source site collection, thus the form won’t open…
• By definition, a Records Center is a locked down site – shouldn’t have dynamic files
such as forms with workflow
• There are some cool opportunities here…
28. Convert forms to PDF
• There is no out-of-the-box way to do this, but…
• There are 3rd party tools
• You can write your own…
• Limitations with using 3rd party tools in Office 365
29. • Contoso has made a business decision to start leveraging
InfoPath for different types of data gathering and process
management…
• They would like to archive completed forms in a SharePoint
2013 Records Center Site as a searchable, read-only PDF…
30. On-Premise
• Send an InfoPath XML form to a Records Center…
• Add a workflow and use Muhimbi PDF converter to convert submitted InfoPath Forms to
PDF…
• Leverage SharePoint Designer Workflow and Muhimbi Workflow Actions to send
converted PDFs to a Records Center
• Alternatively, write custom code to convert the document to PDF (e.g. using Word
Automation Services)…
(For more information on Muhimbi, go to www.muhimbi.com)
Office 365
• Purchase an App from the App Marketplace to convert to PDF…
• Use custom app code to programmatically convert to PDF…
• Use REST Web Service call to send the converted PDF to a Records Center…
31. • Some controls not supported on List forms…
• External item picker
• Template Parts
• Managed metadata not supported at all… There are some
workarounds, but it requires code-behind…
• Writing to a People Picker column not supported…
• Sending completed forms to Records Center…
32. Tips & Tricks
• Use Template Parts to create reusable templates to include
branding, help, standard fields, rules, etc.
• Use External Content Types to populate InfoPath Forms with
LOB data…
• Gather requirements and understand them, InfoPath is great,
but it’s not the right tool for everything…
• Don’t recreate the wheel!
• If it’s not the tool for you, don’t use it – but hopefully you’ve
seen what it could do!
33. Questions?
Ryan Dennis, MCTS, MCPD, MCITP
Senior SharePoint Consultant
Blue Chip Consulting Group
www.bluechip-llc.com
www.sharepointryan.com
@SharePointRyan
linkedin.com/in/sharepointryan
ryan@sharepointryan.com
Editor's Notes
Create a new InfoPath WS Form talking to the Sites web service to show it, then open the existing oneTalk through the form, then show the workflowRun through the approval process
Create a new InfoPath WS Form talking to the Sites web service to show it, then open the existing oneTalk through the form, then show the workflowRun through the approval process
Create a new InfoPath WS Form talking to the Sites web service to show it, then open the existing oneTalk through the form, then show the workflowRun through the approval process
Created a Contacts list called “Outing RSVP List”
Create a contacts list, modify the form in InfoPath, change the look & feel – add a dropdown to States list replacing textbox (RGB 5,172,195)
