Promoting Properties – Expose InfoPath Fields as Site Columns

    This Post has been moved to my New Blog. Please follow this link http://blog.ksenthil.net/archive/2009/07/25/promoting-properties-e28093-expose-infopath-fields-as-site-columns.aspx

Manage Data Connection Files – InfoPath 2007 – Universal Data Connection

    After going through this article, I got to know the power of Universal Data Connection UDC files in the InfoPath forms and how it helps during multiple deployment and migration scenarios. But what I missed to note is How do I get a Data Connection File from the Central Administration Site – > Manage Data Connection. This article describes how to do that. Also below I have highlighted the points that you need to get a file from Data Connection File from the Central Administration. (Managing the Data Connection Files centrally) with few quick screen clips that will help you.

    Let’s assume that you have created an InfoPath form as per this article. To recap you have added the data connection from the Data Connection Library of your SharePoint site, while doing so you will find an option called Connection Options. Click on the Connection Options and Select the option centrally managed connection Library, by this what you mean is that you are asking the Form template to get the connection file from the Centrally Managed Connection Files from Central admin.

    

    From now on your InfoPath form template will get the Connection Setting from the UDC File of the Central Admin. In case if you want to make any changes to the connection setting all you have to do is to change the Connection File present in the Central Administration Server.

 

References:

http://blogs.msdn.com/infopath/archive/2006/10/02/Data-Connections-in-Browser-Forms.aspx

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms772101.aspx

http://www.infopathdev.com/forums/t/7653.aspx

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb267335.aspx

Deploying InfoPath forms Using Features – the Right Way

        ” This Post has been moved to my New Blog Please visit http://blog.ksenthil.net/archive/2009/07/25/deployment-of-infopath-form-e28093-the-right-way.aspx“

            A week back couple of my friends was asking is there a proper way to deploy the InfoPath forms to the server, Way other than File -> Publish – > SharePoint server with or without forms server. I did a quick search and was not lucky, came to a lackadaisical conclusion that there is no other way. But whenever I deploy workflows with InfoPath form I see a new solution that adds itself to the Solution Store. By this I know for sure there is some other way to deploy InfoPath forms. First thing want I wanted was to get the Solution out of SharePoint and see what’s there inside, Again for this there is a tool through which you can do it [I lost the url from where I got it] or hardly 10 lines of code is all what you need.

To my surprise there is indeed a way to do it, well let’s see how. What I got out of that solution is a feature, what’s in it [Image speaks louder than words, image with comments even louder ] ]

Feature.xml

  

Element.xml

################### You are Right its again another File Provisioning in to SharePoint Lib #####################

############# Be sure to put the location as FormServerTemplates############

Here is the Stripped Out Version of the XML.

Steps in Short:

• Develop your IP form.
• Publish it to the network location as how you do to upload to the Central Administration Upload Form Templates.
• Create one Feature.xml, Element.xml as defined in the article [Sorry how workflow does ].
• Put in the IP form and create a feature out of it.
  
• Its all. 

-Senthil