Transcript InfoPath Forms Get Started - UC Santa Cruz

Use a Sample Form Template
Use InfoPath 2007 to create custom forms or convert existing
Microsoft® Office Word 2007 documents to forms, and then distribute
them using Microsoft® Office Outlook® 2007 or Microsoft® Office
SharePoint® Server 2007. Recipients of forms can complete and submit
them electronically even if they don’t have InfoPath 2007 installed.
There are several sample form templates included with InfoPath 2007. You
may be able to use these forms as they are, without making any
customizations. This is the simplest way to get a robust form ready for
distribution quickly.
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Start InfoPath 2007. On the Getting Started dialog box, select a
sample (for example, Status Report). If the samples are not visible,
on the left under Design a form, click Customize a Sample.
In InfoPath 2007, all published forms are based on form templates. Your
first task is to create a form template. Once you’ve created the template,
you can publish it to make the forms available to your users.
2
On the right, on the Form tasks pane,
click Design this form.
There are several ways to create form templates:
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You have the option of customizing the form
or using it as it is. To use it as it is, on the
File menu, click Save, and then give the
template a name and click Save again.
Topics in this guide include:
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Create a New Form Template
Use a Sample Form Template
Design Your Own Form Template
Import a Form from Word
Customize an Imported Form Template
Create a New Form Template
Create electronic forms for gathering information efficiently and reliably.
InfoPath 2007 provides a variety of controls, such as drop-down lists, check
boxes, and buttons, that ensure that the information you collect is
consistent and accurate.
• Use a sample form template and customize it to your needs.
• Design your own form template.
• Import a document that you currently use as the source for your
paper forms.
This document is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS DOCUMENT.
© 2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
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On the right, on the Design Tasks pane, click
Design Checker. This checks the template to
make sure there are no design and compatibility
problems.
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Click the Save button. The template is now
ready for publishing.
Note All of the data in a form—whether it is data a user can select in a list
or box, or data the user types in a field—is stored in the form’s data source.
A data source consists of fields and groups that organize the form data,
much like files and folders organize data on your hard drive. The table
below describes the available data sources.
Data Source
Blank
An internal data source that is defined for you as
you design the form. Drag controls from the
Controls task pane onto your template, and
InfoPath 2007 adds fields to the data source.
Web Service
The form template queries and submits data to a
Web Service. Fields and groups in the template
map to the schema supplied by the Web Service.
Database
The form template queries and submits data to a
Microsoft® Office Access 2007 or SQL Server
database. Fields and groups are added based on
the way the database stores data.
XML or
Schema
An existing XML document or schema is the main
data source. Fields and groups map to the XML
elements in the document or schema.
Connection
Library
Creates connection to external data source such
as database or Web Service.
Design Your Own Form Template
If you don’t want to use the sample templates and you don’t have a
template to import, you can design your own form template. It is beyond
the scope of this guide to show you how to design form templates in detail,
but the fundamental process follows. For additional information on
designing form templates, go to http://office.microsoft.com/enus/infopath/CH100341121033.aspx.
1
Start InfoPath, and on the File menu, click Design a Form Template.
2
Select the data source to use and whether you want the form template
to be browser compatible, and then click OK. See the table to the right
for information about data sources.
Description
This document is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS DOCUMENT.
© 2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
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Create the layout using tables, and add controls to the tables.
This form consists of a table with no special fields or form controls.
Typically, this form would be printed and distributed to the appropriate
personnel. Each respondent would then complete the hard copy form and
return it to the person who distributed it. With InfoPath 2007, this form can
be converted to a form template, and then forms based on this template are
distributed electronically. The recipients complete the form and return it
electronically, without a single paper form ever being printed.
1
Start InfoPath 2007, and then on the Getting Started window click
Import a Form.
Import a Form from Word 2007
Use the import wizard to convert Word 2007 documents to form templates.
InfoPath 2007 intelligently converts fields and tables into a structured form,
and Word 2007 form fields are converted to the equivalent InfoPath 2007
controls. After the conversion, the Design Checker helps you identify
elements that may need additional adjusting.
In this process, we convert the sample Word 2007 form shown below.
Tip If the Getting Started window is not open, on the File menu click
Design a Form Template, and then in the Design a Form
Template window, click Import.
This document is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS DOCUMENT.
© 2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
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2
In the Import Wizard, click InfoPath importer for Word
documents, and then click Next.
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When you see the note that the form was successfully imported, click
OK. The form template opens in InfoPath 2007, where you can
customize it if you choose.
Tip To find converters for other file types, such as .pdf, click the
Search for form template converters on Office Marketplace
hyperlink near the bottom of the dialog box.
3
Browse to the Word document you want to import, click Open, and
then click Finish.
Note If the document you are importing has restricted permission, you
must have Full Control access to the document. If you have only Read
or Change access, an error message will appear when you attempt to
import the document.
Customize an Imported Form Template
InfoPath 2007 correctly identifies and converts many fields when you import
a form. But you may have to do some adjusting to get things just right. For
example, you may need to reposition some of the controls or change some
of the control types.
This document is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS DOCUMENT.
© 2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
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This section provides examples of some customizations:
• Reposition controls
• Change a text box to a date picker
• Change a text box to a list
Change a Text Box to a List Box
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2
Right-click the control you want to change to a list box.
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Right-click on the newly-inserted list control, and click Drop-Down List
Box Properties.
On the menu, point to Change To, and then click Drop-Down List
Box.
Reposition Controls
• To reposition a control on a form template, click the control to select it,
and then drag it to the new location. You can also use the Cut and Paste
commands or CTRL+X and CTRL+V.
Change a Text Box to a Date Picker
1
2
Right-click the control you want to change to a date picker.
On the menu, point to Change To, and then click Date Picker.
Tip Use this same method to change one type of control to any of the
other control types on the menu.
This document is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS DOCUMENT.
© 2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
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In the Drop-Down List Box Properties dialog box, click Add.
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When you have finished, click OK.
The image on the left below shows a sample form after importing. After a
little additional formatting, the finished form template on the right is easier
to use and more attractive. Notice the list and the date picker icon. The red
asterisks indicate required fields.
5
In the Add Choice dialog box, in the Value text box, type the name of
the first list item, and then click OK. Repeat this for each item you want
to appear on the list. To change the order of the list items, select an
item and on the right, click the position buttons.
This document is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS DOCUMENT.
© 2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
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Publishing a Form Template
Publishing the form template makes individual forms based on that template
available to your users. Once you have finished designing your form
template, you can publish it to either Outlook 2007 or SharePoint Server
2007. When your users complete their forms, all of the accumulated form
data is available to you for reporting and analysis in either SharePoint
Server 2007 or Outlook 2007, depending on the publishing method you
choose.
This document is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS DOCUMENT.
© 2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
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