INFOPATH 2010

Tom Castiglia

Hershey Technologies

tcastiglia@hersheytech.com

Twitter: @tomcastiglia

www.sanspug.org

Agenda Building “web applications” with InfoPath

and WCF ServicesNot just traditional “forms”

Using Data Connections and Rules to connect InfoPath forms to custom services or existing servicesShort Slide deck

Live InfoPath/SharePoint Demo

Target Audience Middle Tier Developers

Expose your middle tier business logic as a service (cloud or on-premise)

Use InfoPath as a RAD tool to easily build web UIs that can easily consume your custom services

End-Users, Business Analysts & IT staffUse InfoPath as a RAD tool to easily build web

apps and forms that can easily consume existing services

InfoPath Data Connections

The “plumbing” in your InfoPath form

Allows you to configure the

connections between back-end systems and your form’s UI.

Types of Data Connections

• SOAP• REST• WCF• Azure

Web Services

• SQL Server• ODBC• OLE-DB• Oracle

Databases

• SharePoint• File serverXML files

• Convenient alternative to using a database table

SharePoint lists / libraries

InfoPath Rules Rules are like the application programming logic for

your form Rules can be used to…

Pass form data as an input parameter to a data connection Bind the data connection’s return values to other form fields

Types of Rules

• Specify an error message that will be displayed condition is falseValidation

• Changes “look and feel” of the UI elements (show/hide, color, fonts, etc.)Formatting

• Connect data connections to your form fields• Set input param values from form fields• Assign results from back to the fields

Action

Why use Data Connections & Rules? Build rich, functional applications without code Common examples:

Populate a drop-down field

with values.

Generate unique,

incrementing ID values

Pre-fill portions of the form with

existing data

Send data to back-end

databases and applications

Perform real-time validations

of user input

Incorporate forms into workflow

processes

Data Connection Tip #1

• Limited to tables and views• Cannot call a stored

procedure directly

Database connections

• Requires a developer to implement services

• WCF is “best-practice”

Web Service

connections

Data Connection Tip #2

When connecting to WCF services, typically use the “Receive data” option. (Even if your service is used to save, update or delete

data.)

Use “Submit data” only when you want to submit (and close) the entire form.

Data Connection Tip #3 When connecting to a WCF service, select the

option called “SOAP Web service”.

This applies to any type of service that has a WSDL file (SOAP, WCF, Azure, Java)

You must know the URL for your WSDL if you select this option.

Data Connection Tip #4 You can specify default values for the input

parameters of your data connections, if user input is not required.

Data Connection Tip #5 Uncheck the option to “Automatically

retrieve data…”

This option is checked by default. Leave enabled if the data connection does

not require user input.

Data Connection Tip #6

This allows connections to be re-used on multiple forms

Prevents security warnings from being displayed when form is used

Start by setting up data

connections

Save connections to a Data Connection

Library

Approve the Data

Connections in the library

Demo - Universal auto-incrementing Id

Implement new service using SQL Server WCF (VS2010 & C#)

Easily reusable for all InfoPath forms This technique is a “best practice”,

compared to using SP list ID values or DocumentId

FormCounters (table) Simple table, with two columns:

FormName (VARCHAR (50), PK) FormCounter (INT)

Used to track the counters for any number of different forms

GetIncrementedCounter procedure

GetIncrementedCounter procedure

• Validate that the specified FormName is valid and raise an exception if a bogus value is provided

• This will save much troubleshooting time down the road when someone accidentally tries to use an incorrect value for the FormName

GetIncrementedCounter procedure

• To ensure concurrency in a multi-user environment, two things are important:

• Using a Transaction• Proper row level locking

• UPDLOCK• XLOCK

Configuring IIS 7 for a .NET 4.0 based WCF Service• If you plan to deploy your service on the SharePoint WFE, then be sure to run

that web site on a port other than the port(s) used by SharePoint• Make sure the web application is in an application pool configured with

• .NET 4.0 framework• Identity set to the built-in “ApplicationPoolIdentity”

• Create a new application under your web site to host the service

Configuring SQL Server security• Add new windows login to SQL Server: “IIS APPPOOL\DefaultAppPool”• Give this account access to the database hosting the FormCounters table• Grant Execute Permissions to the GetIncrementedCounter procedure

Create WCF service in Visual Studio 2010

• From New Project dialog, select WCF Service Application• Define ServiceContract and DataContracts• Implement service functionality• Build• Publish to IIS