Tim Bauer’s Running Thoughts

I continue to watch webcasts like this occasionally

Office InfoPath Webcast LINK

as I am intrigued with how MSFT is trying to position it. Adoption rates on this enabler of data capture via email and the web is not high but they are continuing to press so its worth watching. Really the only two keys I took away today was this:

1. Angle = Rapid Development They clearly want to continue to move to a model that allows layman (non techs) to control the UI while the technical team moves more into the application stack (don’t start the religious debate to if both roles can be one person). I don’t doubt that we could get a better form result quicker by leveraging InfoPath and getting the business side to prototype in it (which then is further tweaked by the tech team).
2. The Hook (or lack thereof) — Plan for the future Thats what MSFT wants you to do. They realize most apps are either browser or client server in nature. However, they want you to ponder the value of building in a manner (that, per the above might be quicker) that also can automatically (basically) deploy w/ full features to a browser. Also detached processing where a form in an app could go off an be sent to someone in an email without the surrounding application. Blah blah you might say … but that might ring interest with some tech leadership.

Here are the rough notes for those amused:

• Pradeep Rasam. Program Mgr Office InfoPath
• Recommended Webcast April .. Gray Nelson … (details of infopath)
• Agenda
………….○ Rapid Development
………….○ Smart (client) or Browser deployment
………….○ Post Back Control
………….○ Deployment
………….○ Hosting Client in Windows App in browser or client app
• 3:00 - Enable Infopath to Browsers / Mobile
• 4:45 - Demo - Infopath in a Browser
………….○ Rich Text Boxes
………….○ Drop down fields
………….○ Dynamic fields (insert row)
………….○ Data Validation
………….○ Conditional Formatting
………….○ Firefox has same capabilities
• 8:00 - Overview
………….○ InfoPath Designer (publish xsn)
………….○ Browser
………….○ InfoPath Client
………….○ MSFT Office System Server (publish to, xsn gens aspx)
• 12:30 - Submitting Forms
………….○ Smart client talks directly to database
………….○ Browser goes through infopath office server .. Which talks to the db server
• (bauer thought - design once is what they are pushing but I can’t say if client’s really have a ton of applications that need forms that are online live (browser) and that exact form needs to go offline for field use for example. Occasional but not large volume … their push is that build it so YOU COULD go to web … or vice versa … )
• 16:00 - DesignOnce Demo
………….○ No more MSFT XML Parser
………….○ 24:00 - Some coding examples inside of InfoPath (against system.xml)
• 25:00 - Deployment
………….○ Sharepoint Deploy
……………………..§ Publish to doclib
……………………..§ Form templates
……………………..§ No code
……………………..§ Domain trust
……………………..§ Data connections via data connection library
………….○ Server Deploy
……………………..§ Prepare form for admin deployment
………….○ 29:00 - Deployment Model Demo
……………………..§ Central Admin Page in InfoPath Admin (on Office Server?)
……………………..§ Goto Manage form templates
……………………..§ Site collection with form
• 32:00 - Hosting
………….§ Windows
……………………..§ Doc lifecycle in Office uses this. Word property editors are infopath forms
……………………..§ No ink entry (IRM)
……………………..§ No loading activeX in browsers
……………………..§ VB App example .. 2 form controls .. In VS .. Show how you load infopath into the form (open XML directly) .. 1 liner ..
……………………..§ Can also route InfoPath forms to another page at completion
………….§ Browser
……………………..§ Launching forms from links
……………………..§ Query parms control behavior such as (XsnLocation, XmlLocation, OpenIn, SaveLocation, Source)
………….§ ASPX pages can also Host
45:00 - Demo Complex Scenario
………….○ In VS
………….○ Add XMLFormView control
………….○ MultiView Control .. Changes based on data keyed
• 53:00 - Summary
………….○ Complex Scenarios possible
………….○ Rapid Deploy
………….○ Host in Browser or Client Apps
• 54:00 - Q&A
………….