Microsoft Sharepoint Products and Technologies Resource Kit eBook

1038 Part X: Microsoft Office 2003 Integration with SharePoint Products and Technologies
InfoPath in
the Fill Out
Form mode
F39XR01
Figure 39-1 An InfoPath form
InfoPath uses and produces XML schemas and XSLT files, and it is integrated
with XML Web services standards. Data can be submitted in XML format through
Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) or through the HTTP POST method.
You can publish forms from a form editor compatible with Microsoft Windows
SharePoint Services, such as InfoPath 2003, directly to a Windows SharePoint Services
form library, which can enable team collaboration by providing a single location
for InfoPath forms to be stored and shared. In addition, Windows SharePoint
Services includes several integration features that you can use to take better advantage
of form editors compatible with Windows SharePoint Services, such as InfoPath
2003. We will discuss these features later in this chapter.
InfoPath Form Templates
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SharePoint Portal Server
Windows SharePoint Services
Form
Library
Profile Web
Service
User profile
database
An InfoPath form template is a file or set of files that define the data structure,
appearance, and behavior of an InfoPath form. The form template includes the XML
Schema that determines the structure for the data when the form is filled in by a
user. When a user fills in a form, the form references the form template it is based
on, regardless of whether it is installed on the user’s local computer or is stored on
a networked location, such as a company’s intranet or a server running Windows
SharePoint Services.
InfoPath provides two distinct modes in which you can work:
■ Fill out a form mode is a familiar Microsoft Office–like environment where
users can fill out forms while the XML file for the form is created behind the
scenes. This allows users to work with forms without needing to know anything
about XML. Figure 39-1 shows InfoPath in this mode, with the sample
form open.