SharePoint 2007: The Definitive Guide

Chapter 20. InfoPath and SharePoint

Introduction

InfoPath is an XML-based electronic forms development product that Microsoft first released with its Office 2003 series. InfoPath was originally designed to be used as an effective data collection tool. The objective was to provide the end user with the ability to quickly build and deploy a form with an intuitive user interface. Since its introduction, the product has come a long way, with Microsoft enhancing both the built-in features and the development platform for building complex form solutions.

Prior to the introduction of the Office 2007 system, the InfoPath client application, like other Office products, had to be installed on every user’s computer. In order to develop and use a form, the form had to be designed using InfoPath, and the resulting form template hosted in a network file share, or installed in individual users’ machines, or uploaded into a form library in SharePoint, from where users could then fill up the forms. Filling up the form required InfoPath to be installed on the client machine.

With the advent of the Office 2007 system, Microsoft introduced a new server-side runtime to host InfoPath forms known as InfoPath Forms Services. InfoPath Forms Services is integrated into Office SharePoint 2007 as part of the Enterprise site collection Feature, and it is also available as a separate product called Forms Server 2007. Forms Server 2007/InfoPath Forms Services is built on top of WSS 3.0 as an ASP.NET 2.0 application, ...