Chapter 5: Investigating InfoPath Designer 2010
In This Chapter
Understanding InfoPath roles
Touring the InfoPath client
Understanding form templates
Microsoft Office InfoPath 2010 (InfoPath 2010) is a client application that allows you to develop sophisticated XML-based forms that can be optionally Web browser–enabled so that it can render them in SharePoint Server 2010. The integration between InfoPath and SharePoint has evolved considerably over the years, and with SharePoint Server 2010, using InfoPath Designer 2010 has become the default method for customizing the native SharePoint list forms.
In this chapter, we take you on a tour of InfoPath Designer 2010 (Microsoft’s form designer tool that comes with the Office suite), and then explain the designer template offerings that are available in SharePoint out of the box and can help you get your forms up and running as quickly as possible.
Understanding InfoPath Roles
When you use forms, whether paper or electronic, you typically fall into one of two roles:
♦ Filler: You fill out a form.
♦ Designer: You author the form.
These roles aren’t mutually exclusive — a person who designs forms may also need to fill out forms; however, when you’re filling out a form, your environment doesn’t need to be cluttered with the tools required to design a form. Microsoft addresses this need for de-cluttering with the installation of InfoPath 2010. Microsoft Office InfoPath 2010 ships as a single application, with a single executable (InfoPath.exe ...
