Microsoft Sharepoint Products and Technologies Resource Kit eBook

Form Libraries
Chapter 19: Working with Documents in SharePoint Products and Technologies 513
in SharePoint Portal Server 2001. The backward-compatible document store is provided
for users who require features from SharePoint Portal Server 2001, such as
document routing and approval, folder-level security, minor-level version numbers,
and multiple document profiles for each folder.
The primary interfaces for the document collaboration features in SharePoint
Products and Technologies are SharePoint libraries, which you can add to any Share-
Point portal site or Windows SharePoint Services website. A library consists of the virtual
folder where the files are stored, the files themselves, and the user-definable
descriptive information (metadata) associated with each item in the library.
Libraries allow you to share files with site users. The kind of library you use
depends upon the kind of files that you are sharing. If you need to store a group of
XML-based business forms, use a form library. To share a collection of digital pictures
or graphics, use a picture library. For most other file types, including documents
and spreadsheets, use a document library.
Form libraries provide a simple way for you to share and track XML-based forms
(.xml files) that are used to gather the same type of information. For example, you
can create a form library for your team’s status report forms to provide a single location
for team members to quickly fill out, save, and view their forms.
A form template is associated with each form library. This form template
defines the structure and appearance of all forms created from the form library, as
well as the appropriate application with which to open the form.
Although any file type can be stored in a form library, there are several advantages
to storing only .xml files, which require a Windows SharePoint Services–compatible
XML editor, such as Microsoft Office InfoPath 2003. These advantages
include the ability to use form library columns (which can be designed to display
specific information stored within each form in the library) and the ability to merge
data from multiple forms into a single form.
Picture Libraries
Note For more information on the use of SharePoint Products and Technologies
and InfoPath, refer to Chapter 40, “Microsoft Outlook 2003 Integration
with SharePoint Products and Technologies.”
Picture libraries provide a simple way to share and organize digital pictures in a corporate
server environment. For example, an organization could create a picture
library for marketing graphics—providing a single location for team members to
view, share, edit, and download corporate logos or other marketing material.