Eric Richards and Team - First look at InfoPath 12

great stuff, but I never understood why people where so big on InfoPath when you can do the samething in Adobe Acrobat for years

Yeah! But I am wary of any SharePoint dependencies for showing forms in Web browsers…

ummmm....i think  you have an extra clip at the end of this...did someone forget to erase the tape?

Wow - the web stuff looks really cool - do we know the price point and licensing requirements yet? 

I'm running a bit ahead of your video's here, but I have a special request for the Powerpoint 12 team. In Powerpoint 2003, they included this really cool feature of drawing boxes, and then making them 3D. It may have been there before, but I only recently noticed it.

There is only one problem with it: when you enter text or an image (which is almost always), and then tilt the boxes, the text/image does not turn along with the boxes.

I can see how tilting the geometric shape is easier, but when I see Avalon tilting items so easily, I really wonder if now is the time to upgrade this feature so that we can all make cool 3D block diagram with tilted text and graphics on it, right from within Powerpoint.

Oh, and if you have time to spare: transparent reflection below, as if it is standing on a shining surface would be cool. Hell, while you're at it, why not just allowing XAML objects to be inserted into Powerpoint, and let us create that fancy tilt with transparency using Expression. But I'll definitely settle for the ability to tilt text and graphics (grouped with boxes, same angle).

Hi everybody! We just touched the surface on what InfoPath is and all the great features we're adding based on customer feedback.

Note that you can find the PDC PowerPoint slides on the InfoPath Office 12 topics off of Erika Ehrli blog entry Office and SharePoint PDC slides - http://blogs.msdn.com/erikaehrli/archive/2005/09/19/officesharepointpdcslides.aspx

Specifically:

OFF306 "InfoPath 12": Creating Browser-Based Forms for Enabling Data and Application Integration. This goes into greater detail about the new server features:

http://216.55.183.63/pdc2005/slides/OFF306_Bath.ppt

OFF319 ''InfoPath 12'': Developing Forms for the Smart Client and the Browser. This

http://216.55.183.63/pdc2005/slides/OFF319_Friend.ppt

(you can find more slides, of course, via http://commnet.microsoftpdc.com )

Cheers,
Eric.

Nice to get a first sight of the new stuff in InfoPath 12. It looks exciting stuff.

I can't wait to get my hands on it.

scobleizer wrote:

wacko wrote:great stuff, but I never understood why people where so big on InfoPath when you can do the samething in Adobe Acrobat for years

I was a top Adobe Acrobat tester, but I disagree that you could do the same stuff. Acrobat was designed as a print-interchange format, not as an XML forms engine. Yeah, one of those was bolted on later, but the two are not the same.

And, look at the demo. InfoPath forms now work in Firefox without an add-on. Acrobat can't do that.

Was a former Adobe Support tech for Acrobat Versions 5,6 and 7 and I disagree with you.  Acrobat has had a built in XML Engine since Version 6 and even better support in version 7. I can do anything in acrobat you can do in infopath and if i wanted, Acrobat can output forms into a HTML files and not need reader to read its form content. Acrobat works in Firefox as well as IE displaying a PDF files using an Add-on which BTW IE does not have native PDF rendering so saying well Infopath does not have to use an addon is a cop out.

On top of that Acrobat can export its forms to HTML. In this video I did not see them say that what was displayed in the browser was indeed a native InfoPath Document, what it stated was that the content could be displayed in a browser.

I think you mislead people because before they even start talking about it they mention one major piece, something needs to be installed on the SERVER(Eric nodes his head yes when asked) which I don't need, to submit Acrobat Form. I have been able to export to HTML and have all my javascriprt for my PDF forms etc.. converted just as Infopath 12 does since version 5 of acrobat(Which came out in 6 years ago ).  I can  connect to XML datasources, ODBC datasources, SQL datasources etc... I mean this idea of XML lacking in acrobat is just incorrect maybe the reason you do not see it is because you just see Acrobat as something to read your PDF files in, well if you looked under the surface you would see why groups like the Office 12 team etc want to have native support in there applications becausw when you combine Acrobat and PDF you get a very powerful platform that is cross OS, cross browser, and can do just about anything which aside from the cross browser is something the InfoPath team cannot claim.

Sure one of Acrobats functions is print but its been able to since version 3 to create forms and is used everywhere as a form based solution. In version 7  which was a total rewrite of the application  added native XML support and was your correct bolted on in version 6, but what you claim to be so great about infopath is nothing new to those who know how to use Acrobat.

And given the PDC presentation release, you can go to http://microsoft.sitestream.com/PDC05/ and search for InfoPath and get the OFF306 and OFF319 sessions. Offer good for a limited time.

An additional bit I forgot about: if you haven't read Steven Sinofsky's PDC keynote, put some time aside and surf over to http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/ssinofsky/09-14PDC2005.mspx . Notice how often Steven touches on InfoPath technology within Office 12. InfoPath technology and scenarios are integrated into other Office products (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access) and the more you know InfoPath the more you're going to be able to get out of Office 12.

Cheers,
== Eric

Hi,

That's great Infopath has very good evolve! I'm very happy of that and very exciting about test it!

But I have one question:
Has infopath now a good tool for make the multilingual form?

I explain me: I know that infopath can change his settings but my form settings doesn't change!
For example I have a reapeating section with the label :
Click here to insert!
Good but if a french people open the form there are always:
Click here to insert!
Is not in french and it's the same probleme for the right click on the reapeating section you can define only one text! 

Can you say me if Microsoft developper has make somethings for improve this (like a rules or somethings else)? 

I very embarassed because my form must work with 4 languages!

Thanks for your feedbacks


Thierry

If I have an Outlook Contact, can I (with the ActiveX or VSTO support) get at the contact om?

Eric Richards,I am new with Infopath and I was wondering if you can give me some information to see if infopath is the right tool that I need.

1) I like to create some forms for my office that we can eliminate paper and go to paperless enviroment?

2) How often we can use these forms?

3) Is there any way to locate a form which was filed?

4) if we do make any changes on these form, would it create 2nd copy of it or it would overwrite it?

5) If I use these forms on a server, would any one be able to use these forms in our office and if there is a limitation to each user base on their position?

6) In regards to digital signiture, if any one sign each form, would it be secure and legal?

7) would I be able to merge some form together which next time anyone refer to those form be able to retrive all the information?


I would be greatful if you have a chance to respond to these questions.

Best regards,
Joe M

Hi eric i need help badly pls help this case how to solve in infopath 2003 with database?

sample follows, sorry, I have no idea to describe
that any better

Logic :

1) "Level1" is shown by default (i.e Checkbox Group "Headline"
2) If one or more "Level1" Checkbox is flagged by the user, the
corresponding sub entries should appear and allow defining the choice even
more explicit. One or more Checkbox may be flagged, even all.

Samples for a "Level1" (using products to make it more easy):
-> Server Operating System
-> Desktop Operating System

Samples for the corresponding "Level2" when "Level1" is flagged:
->Server Operating System
    --> Windows Server 2003
    --> Windows 2000 Advanced Server

Samples for the corresponding "Level3" when "Level1" AND one or more
"Level2" option has been flagged:

-->Server Operating System
    --> Windows Server 2003
          --> RTM
          --> SP1
          --> SP2
    --> Windows 2000 Advanced Server
          --> RTM
          --> SP1
          --> SP2
          --> SP3
          --> SP99

i wan to do this dinamically using database pls help me how to do this?

all levels should be from database and dinamic, pls help the logic how to write the code. thanks

regards
sreedhar