Pro InfoPath 2007 (Expert's Voice) (Paperback)

by Philo Janus (Author)
Key Phrases: form library settings, systems affected, merge settings, Visual Studio, Cancel Figure, Microsoft Office (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Pro InfoPath 2007 is an excellent book for developers trying to learn the scope and range of application forms that can be built with Microsoft Office InfoPath 2007. InfoPath is now in its 2nd generation and it enables the creation of rich desktop and web forms using XML technologies and allows gathering of structured, business-critical information. Together with Microsoft Windows SharePoint Server 2007, InfoPath allows built-in integration with back-end processes, databases, and work flow, and provides developers with rich tools to build enterprise-wide forms solutions.

During the development and stabilization phase of InfoPath 2007, Philo worked closely with the product team to testfeatures, provide feedback on scenarios, and to build and apply solutions for the government and public sector. He haspoured all that experience in an engaging manner into this booka great read for every developer trying to learnInfoPath.

— Kamaljit Bath, Principal Program Manager Lead, Microsoft Office InfoPath and Forms Services

InfoPath enables users to design forms and publish them for use by other users. It combines the ease of use of Access forms with the enterprise scalability of a network-based platform. Microsofts goal with InfoPath is to get form design and maintenance out of the IT shop and onto the desktop, while maintaining the power of connecting to web services or a SQL Server. Since InfoPath is wholly XML-based, it is easy to introduce it into a heterogeneous enterprise environment &emdash; via web services InfoPath can act as the interface for any back end system. InfoPath 2007, coupled with Microsoft Office SharePoint Server, adds the ability to deploy InfoPath forms in a web browser with no client side application. SharePoint and Office 2007 have leveraged InfoPath in many other ways &emdash; making InfoPath forms part of the workflow engine embedded in SharePoint, and using InfoPath forms to capture and maintain arbitrary metadata in Office documents.

Pro InfoPath 2007 was written so that developers can read it as an introduction to InfoPath 2007, as well as use it as a reference for common tasks. Targeted at developers, power users should also find a lot of value in this book to learn how to design and use forms in InfoPath.

This book will show form designers how to:

• Use InfoPath to fill in electronic forms
• Design and publish forms
• Connect to data sources to read and publish data
• Design and leverage the power of InfoPath views
• Work with SharePoint form libraries to get the most out of InfoPath form data
• Import existing Word and Excel forms into InfoPath
• Create workflows with SharePoint Designer
• Work with digital signatures

In addition, developers will learn how to:

• Create an InfoPath form template based on a data connection or web service
• Publish InfoPath form templates as content types
• Create custom task panes for InfoPath forms
• Understand SharePoint information management policies
• Write .Net code behind InfoPath forms and browser forms
• Create an add-in to extend the capabilities of InfoPath
• Create a custom workflow for SharePoint, embedding InfoPath forms for gathering information
• Build a .Net web service that InfoPath can connect to
• Use Altovas XMLSpy to work with InfoPath form templates

About the Author

Philo Janus is a senior technology specialist with Microsoft. Over the years he has presented InfoPath to thousands of users and developers, and assisted with enterprise implementations of InfoPath solutions. With that background, he is particularly sensitive to the difficulties users and developers have had with InfoPath.

He graduated from the US Naval Academy with a BSEE in 1989 to face a challenging career in the US Navy. After driving an aircraft carrier around the Pacific Ocean and a guided missile frigate through both the Suez and Panama Canals, and serving in the US Embassy in Cairo, a small altercation between his bicycle and an auto indicated a change of career (some would say that landing on his head in that accident would explain many things).

Philo's software development career started with building a training and budgeting application in Access 2.0 in 1995. Since then he's worked with Oracle, Visual Basic, SQL Server, and .NET building applications for federal agencies, commercial firms, and conglomerates. In 2003 he joined Microsoft as a technology specialist evangelizing Office as a development platform.

Product Details

• Paperback: 278 pages
• Publisher: Apress (February 21, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590597303
• ISBN-13: 978-1590597309
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #18,498 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A rare specimen of readable technical writing, April 12, 2007

By	William Prada - See all my reviews

I had spent a week "getting up to speed" on InfoPath using the usual sources of information: MSDN and hit or miss Google searches and had ended embarrassingly uninformed about the product.

I have been developing software for 15 years and have never run across a development environment as poorly document as public domain body of work for InfoPath. The documentation that I had uncovered was for the most part blatant Microsoft marketing hype. There is a lot of information about the amazing capabilities of InfoPath but very little about actually utilizing them. The Ministry of Public Education in Redmond had done its job well.

I was approaching desperation when I ordered Janus's book. I sprung for the next day delivery and as promised, it was on my doorstep the following day. As it happened that had been a very long and frustrating day of wresting the subject of the book. In spite of my mental fatigue I eagerly opened the cardboard packaging. My expectations were low. Competent technical writing seems to have become a lost art. I was hoping for a few good tips to mitigate my frustration but what the book delivered was actually marvelously lucid writing and answers to the FAQ's that had been swimming around my in my head for the last week.

I read the book at one sitting and saw the brick wall that I had been butting up against clearly and methodically dismantled. In particular, complexity of InfoPath's security model was spelled out clearly and concisely.

I have long devoted precious shelf space to the books that shipped with Borland Object Oriented Pascal. I haven't used that language in many years but I considered the documents to be the last existing example of a good documentation package. I simply can't bear to get rid of it. I will now have to make space next to it for the Janus book.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Pro InfoPath 2007" useful for technical and business people alike, September 8, 2007

By	Dana Hoffman (Connecticut, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

There are all too many technical books that are heavy on theory and light on "how to", or start out in an introductory fashion and then suddenly venture into highly technical territory without including the necessary background information needed to understand the content.

In "Pro InfoPath 2007", Philo Janus neatly avoids these pitfalls. Since he's writing about a product with whom most readers may not be familiar, he first answers the vital question, "What IS InfoPath?" with a comprehensive introduction to the product. Then Janus carefully outlines the capabilities of InfoPath and walks the reader through the steps necessary to create InfoPath forms in all kinds of environments; how to meet business needs in a myriad of situations; and most importantly, includes possible issues and limitations that one might encounter when using InfoPath and provides the necessary workarounds.

My own company has InfoPath installed but despite an enterprise-wide need for exactly what InfoPath does, is resistant to its use because of a fundamental lack of understanding of the software and how to best deploy it. A read of this book would convince them that they have a good product sitting on the shelf that would meet their needs and interface neatly with Sharepoint and other applications already in use.

Thumbs up to Philo Janus for a job well done.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a great book., April 26, 2007

By	Eric L. Yen (Covia, CA USA) - See all my reviews

If you are doign anything with InfoPath 2007 then get this book!!! This book is an easy and informative read. The author even tries to make it his goal that this can be a weekend read. Not like your typical mind numbing rehash of the tech manuals. Philo not only describes what InfoPath 2007 is but gives real example that you can take into work.