J
jprny
Hi, I need some help with the big picture on an InfoPath solution.
I want users to be able to fill out forms, submit them, possibly edit them,
and eventually mark them as final. It would be great if working offline was
possible. I'm finding lots of details about InfoPath, but little about best
practices for a solutions like this. I'd really appreciate some thoughts on
the following. If someone helps me out with a bunch of them, I'll find a way
to thank them properly.
-jpr
1. Is the best solution strongly typed datasets in and out via a web service?
2. The forms are large; I'd like to split them up into multiple sections
that equate with multiple tables with the same primary key. Make sense?
3. Is the quickest way to do this to create my tables in SEM, then create
the dataset in VS2005 and have it automatically create the stored procs?
4. Are there any good resources about using datasets in Infopath? I've
found quite a few, but none that I saw explain how the datasets come in as
virtual choice nodes, etc. If no resource that you know of, what's the
easiest way to create sections based on tables with no repeating and no
ability for the user to add, etc. Those choices are grayed out when I drag
the table from the data source onto the form.
5. My form has tons of dropdowns with a few choices in most of them. Is it
worth having them all pull from a secondary data source (a dataset with a
table for each?), or should I just embed the choices since they probably
won't change and there's no current definition for them anyway?
6. I created a section as a sample in Infopath early on just allowing it to
create the datasource. Is there any way to change the primary source on that
to my dataset, or do I have to throw away the nicely formatted form that I
created?
7. When working with a dataset, is it possible to design the form and then
connect up the controls as opposed to dragging the datasource over and then
editing the controls? Is one way preferable over another?
8. Is the answer to #7 different if a section has fields from multiple tables?
Thanks!
I want users to be able to fill out forms, submit them, possibly edit them,
and eventually mark them as final. It would be great if working offline was
possible. I'm finding lots of details about InfoPath, but little about best
practices for a solutions like this. I'd really appreciate some thoughts on
the following. If someone helps me out with a bunch of them, I'll find a way
to thank them properly.
-jpr
1. Is the best solution strongly typed datasets in and out via a web service?
2. The forms are large; I'd like to split them up into multiple sections
that equate with multiple tables with the same primary key. Make sense?
3. Is the quickest way to do this to create my tables in SEM, then create
the dataset in VS2005 and have it automatically create the stored procs?
4. Are there any good resources about using datasets in Infopath? I've
found quite a few, but none that I saw explain how the datasets come in as
virtual choice nodes, etc. If no resource that you know of, what's the
easiest way to create sections based on tables with no repeating and no
ability for the user to add, etc. Those choices are grayed out when I drag
the table from the data source onto the form.
5. My form has tons of dropdowns with a few choices in most of them. Is it
worth having them all pull from a secondary data source (a dataset with a
table for each?), or should I just embed the choices since they probably
won't change and there's no current definition for them anyway?
6. I created a section as a sample in Infopath early on just allowing it to
create the datasource. Is there any way to change the primary source on that
to my dataset, or do I have to throw away the nicely formatted form that I
created?
7. When working with a dataset, is it possible to design the form and then
connect up the controls as opposed to dragging the datasource over and then
editing the controls? Is one way preferable over another?
8. Is the answer to #7 different if a section has fields from multiple tables?
Thanks!