Publishing an InfoPath Form

Once you have designed a browser enabled InfoPath 2007 form, there are a couple steps to take to publish and make it available for the rest of your team or company. The following are both steps you need to take and some suggest steps.

1. Run the design checker. Design Checker is located in the design tasks tool pane or under the Tools menu. If you have enabled browser compatibility from the beginning you should have no issues, however it is always a good idea to double check before hand.
   
2. (optional) Configure your submit options. The values I find here are:
   
   1. The ability to write a naming convention.
      
   2. being able to submit the form to a different library from where it was created
      
   3. being able to choose what happens after a user submits the form.
      

   Configuring the Submit to a document library:
   

   

   1. Tools àSubmit Options
      
   2. Check the box next to Allow users to submit this Form
      
   3. Under the radio button Send form data to a single destination select SharePoint Document Library
      
   4. Select the Add button
      
   5. On the data connection wizard:
      
      1. Grab the URL to the document (Form) library you would like to have the documents submitted to and place it in the document library field
         
   6. Write a formula for the naming of the forms by selecting the fx button
      

      Ex. Concat(Field 1, -, Field 2)
      

   7. Determine whether or not you would like to allow overwrite.
      
   8. Next
      
   9. Enter a name for the data connection
      
   10. Finish
       

   Determining what happens after the user submits the form:
   

   
   
   

• Select the Advanced button to expand the rest of the options.
  
• At the After the Submit option, you can choose from three options:
  
• Leave the Form open
  
• Close the Form- this works well to bring the user back into the SharePoint Navigation they are used to.
  
• Open a New blank form- works best if the user is going to need to fill out the form multiple times in a row.

1. Publishing the Form
   
   1. Save a local copy of the template to your PC.
      
   2. Fileà Publish
      
   3. Select to a SharePoint Server with or without InfoPath Form Services
      
   4. Next
      
   5. Enter the URL to the site the form library is on
      
   6. Next
      
   7. Make sure the box next to Enable this form to be filled out using the browser is checked and the radio button for Document library is selected.
      
   8. Next
      
   9. Select the Form/Document library you would like to connect the form to or select create a new document library.
      
      1. If you select create a new, the next screen will prompt you for a name.
         
   10. Next
       
   11. This next screen is asking you what fields from your InfoPath form you would like to become columns on the SharePoint Form/Document Library.
       

• Keep in mind if you plan on using a particular field for a workflow you will want to promote it to the library.
  

1. Next
   
2. Publish
   

1. Configuring the form to always display in the browser even if the user has InfoPath on their machine.
   
1. Navigate to the form library.
   
2. SettingsàForm Library settingsàAdvanced Settings
   
3. Midway down the page is Browser Enabled Documents, select Display as a Web page.
   

Enjoy!