InfoPath Client Not Needed Going Forward?
May 17, 2006
One of the email lists I read is the InfoPath group at Yahoo. A question came up about using SharePoint Forms as an alternative to InfoPath, since the current version of InfoPath requires the Windows client be present on each user’s desktop. In response, Gray Knowlton, who indentified himself as a Senior Product Manager for InfoPath 2007, said the next version of SharePoint will “include InfoPath Forms Services, which will render InfoPath forms to browsers and html-enabled mobile devices, and this will not require InfoPath on the form fillers’ desktop, nor will it require any advance download on the part of the person completing the form.”
This sounds like good news to me, and significant.
UPDATE: XForms guru Micah Dubinko agrees that it is significant, but also asks a pertinent question.
FURTHER THOUGHT: I wonder what this evolution in InfoPath means for companies like SharePoint Forms, which “provide out-of-the-box web forms for SharePoint… and [allow] organizations to deploy powerful yet simple electronic forms solutions with SharePoint without the need to deploy InfoPath on every desktop.” What does their value proposition become?
I opened comments and trackback on this entry in case anyone wants to weigh in.
Posted by Bill Trippe at May 17, 2006 10:48 AM
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InfoJet Service is a .NET class library to publish InfoPath Forms to the web for developers. .NET web application with integration of InfoJet Service support the users to edit InfoPath Forms in Internet Explorer or FireFox.
InfoJet Server is an ASP.NET Web Application for general users. General users could use it to edit InfoPath forms in the browser, and they could download InfoPath forms into their local disk or email them in attachment.
InfoJet EditPart is a set of Web Parts that allow SharePoint users editing InfoPath forms via the browser. InfoJet EditPart uses InfoJet Service as the InfoPath forms engine. It is Plug & Play for SharePoint, No need any programming.
Posted by Tomcat at May 28, 2006 12:20 AMPost a comment
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I'm torn now - don't know whether to wait for Forms Server. I can't get Sharepoint Forms to easily render to mobile browsers (Pocket IE) and wonder if MS are going to make it easier. If the beta 2's going to be available soon, is it realistic to use it for a forms project or will it be too unstable? November (the best date I've seen for 2007's RC) is too far off - unfortunately I've spent too long researching and this project needs to be kicked off soon. I've tried XForms but don't understand how to get the client running (or how to get java running server-side) on Pocket IE. All I want to do is render a mobile webpage/app with controls based on an XSD/XSN. Surely someone has done this before? Sorry for such a long post - I've looked long and hard for someone who seems to be doing the things I'm trying to do - I've got a bit frustrated.
Posted by Duncan Gallimore at May 19, 2006 4:13 AM