This document provides an overview and agenda for an Advanced InfoPath Development training session. It discusses getting started with InfoPath, designing forms, debugging techniques, and provides an example of creating a vacation request form. The document outlines both the pros and cons of using InfoPath, best practices for designing forms, debugging essentials, and concludes by discussing additional capabilities of InfoPath beyond the basics.

1. Advanced InfoPath Development
InfoPath / SharePoint 2010
Prepared By: Suzanne George
Suzanne.George@perficient.com
Sr. Architect
Perficient - Microsoft West Region

2. About Perficient
Perficient is a leading information technology consulting firm serving clients
throughout North America.
We help clients implement business-driven technology solutions that integrate
business processes, improve worker productivity, increase customer loyalty and
create a more agile enterprise to better respond to new business opportunities.

3. Agenda
• InfoPath – Getting started
• Designing foundations
• What you need to know
• Debugging InfoPath
• Creating a Vacation Request Form
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4. InfoPath – Love it or Hate it!?!
The Promise of InfoPath
Where is the developer??
Why Me??
The Developer
Dream
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5. InfoPath - Start with the basics!
• To use or not to use InfoPath? Just because you
can doesn’t mean you should!
– Pros:
•Easy to use interface, integration with SharePoint Lists
and Form Web Parts, Office Integration.
•Power Users can do simple stuff.
•Lookups and repeating tables are easy to do.
– Cons:
•Advanced developers find it frustrating
•Can’t publish people picker fields
•Publishing columns / changes to column names
•No CSS type support (expand/collapse regions)
• evaluate the requirements and prioritization of
features over simplicity and maintainability 5

6. Designing Your InfoPath Form for Success
• Design first!
– Where is the data? Database, List or Library, in the
form?
– Where does the business logic belong – Workflow,
Code-Behind, or InfoPath Rules? Where will
approval happen?
– Form Views – how many views will you need, when
will they show, and who has access to update?
– Form Controls – what types of controls are needed
for the data, which controls will be exported, etc.
– Styles – how will the form look and does it make
sense to the user?
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7. The InfoPath Need to Know List
• Deployment – Central Admin vs. Publish (Form
Options)
Add-PSSnapin microsoft.SharePoint.PowerShell
$web = Get-SPWeb http://crzo-test77/BASS
• Know = $web.Lists["ApplicationSupport"]
$list how to retrieve your InfoPath Form
w/Powershell
$field = $list.Fields["SR Assigned To"]
$field.AllowDeletion = “true”
– Export-SPInfoPathAdministrationFiles -path
$field.Sealed = “false”
d:Tempfile.cab
$field.Delete()
$list.Update()
• Know how to export source files before checking in to
TFS. (Also Select-Object InternalName FormName.xsn to
$list.Fields | possible to rename
FormName.cab to view/extract contents)
$web.Dispose()
• When removing exported columns, the are not
removed from a list! Here is how to fix it…
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8. Debugging an InfoPath Form
• Debugging Essentials
– Check form with Design Checker
– Set debug mode
• click the Build tab and then, at the bottom, click Advanced. In the
Advanced Build Settings dialog box, click the Debug Info list and then
click full
• In the Options dialog box, in the area to the left, expand Debugging and then click
General.
• Clear the Enable Just My Code (Managed only) check box.
• Select the Suppress JIT optimization on module load (Managed only) check box.
• Build/Deploy
– Set Central Administration Logging for InfoPath
• Use ULS Viewer for log information
• Urls: http://ybbest.wordpress.com/2011/01/09/how-to-debug-infopath2010-using-
vs2010/
• http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg271285.aspx#IP14_Debugging
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9. An example… Vacation Form
• The requirements
– User to input form
– All data stays inside form, certain fields are
exported to list
– Version History
– After approval start SharePoint workflow
– SharePoint list views need to have People “is [Me]”
functionality
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10. Form User Input
– Demo
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11. Conclusion
• Design first, code once!
• InfoPath can be powerful and leverage both PowerUsers
and developers capabilities
• More things you can do with InfoPath
• Automatically check-in / out forms
• Populate dynamic approvers in form based upon information in the
form
• Dynamically hide and show data
• Mash-ups
• Read/Write to database tables
• Questions?
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12. Suzanne George
For further information, please contact:
Suzanne George
Suzanne.George@perficient.com
Sr. Technical Architect
Perficient - Microsoft West Region
Twitter: spgenie
Books co-authored:
Microsoft® SharePoint® 2010 Administrator's Companion
The SharePoint 2010 Handbook: A Collection of Short
Chapters for Delivering Successful SharePoint Projects
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