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MS Office Forum / General MS InfoPath Questions / January 2006Strategy for sharing a common XML lookup table across 100+ offline InfoPath forms?
I would appreciate your thoughts on the following. I'm helping build an InfoPath forms solution. It's starting small (3-4 forms) but I've been asked the question: If we grow this thing to have 100+ forms and each form needs to have a common drop down list of departments (e.g. Sales, Marketing, ...), what is the best way to implement this? ...more importantly, what is the best way to update this list for all 100+ forms when the name of department is added or changed? A confounding requirement: The forms need to work offline (100% disconnected). Here's my 2 ideas so far: 1. Use a common XML document embedded in each XSN as the lookup table data and bind it to the drop-down lists in each XSN. Then use something the XsnFixup.js (http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/odc_ip2003_ta/h tml/OfficeInfoPathXSNFixupDeployFormTemplateScript.asp) to automate the updating/replacement of the XML lookup table document in each XSN. 2. Package and deploy the XSN files to the desktop using an MSI and have the MSI install an external copy of the XML lookup table document that is used as a common external XML data source by all the XSNs. Any other ideas? Thanks, Michael.  SignatureMichael Herman Parallelspace / OpenCanal OpenCanal Community for WinFS: http://www.opencanal.com/community/winfs You can also: * Use a secondary data connection to a common database (SQL or Access) * Use a Web service. * Use a SharePoint list. SignatureGreg Collins [InfoPath MVP] Visit http://www.InfoPathDev.com I would appreciate your thoughts on the following. I'm helping build an InfoPath forms solution. It's starting small (3-4 forms) but I've been asked the question: If we grow this thing to have 100+ forms and each form needs to have a common drop down list of departments (e.g. Sales, Marketing, ...), what is the best way to implement this? ...more importantly, what is the best way to update this list for all 100+ forms when the name of department is added or changed? A confounding requirement: The forms need to work offline (100% disconnected). Here's my 2 ideas so far: 1. Use a common XML document embedded in each XSN as the lookup table data and bind it to the drop-down lists in each XSN. Then use something the XsnFixup.js (http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/odc_ip2003_ta/h tml/OfficeInfoPathXSNFixupDeployFormTemplateScript.asp) to automate the updating/replacement of the XML lookup table document in each XSN. 2. Package and deploy the XSN files to the desktop using an MSI and have the MSI install an external copy of the XML lookup table document that is used as a common external XML data source by all the XSNs. Any other ideas? Thanks, Michael. SignatureMichael Herman Parallelspace / OpenCanal OpenCanal Community for WinFS: http://www.opencanal.com/community/winfs Greg, you must have read my posting too quickly: "The forms need to work offline (100% disconnected)." SignatureMichael Herman Parallelspace / OpenCanal OpenCanal Community for WinFS: http://www.opencanal.com/community/winfs You can also: * Use a secondary data connection to a common database (SQL or Access) * Use a Web service. * Use a SharePoint list. SignatureGreg Collins [InfoPath MVP] Visit http://www.InfoPathDev.com "Michael Herman (Parallelspace/OpenCanal)" <mwherman@nospam.parallelspace.nospam.net.nospam> wrote in message news:ebcDQOAFGHA.3384@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl... I would appreciate your thoughts on the following. I'm helping build an InfoPath forms solution. It's starting small (3-4 forms) but I've been asked the question: If we grow this thing to have 100+ forms and each form needs to have a common drop down list of departments (e.g. Sales, Marketing, ...), what is the best way to implement this? ...more importantly, what is the best way to update this list for all 100+ forms when the name of department is added or changed? A confounding requirement: The forms need to work offline (100% disconnected). Here's my 2 ideas so far: 1. Use a common XML document embedded in each XSN as the lookup table data and bind it to the drop-down lists in each XSN. Then use something the XsnFixup.js (http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/odc_ip2003_ta/h tml/OfficeInfoPathXSNFixupDeployFormTemplateScript.asp) to automate the updating/replacement of the XML lookup table document in each XSN. 2. Package and deploy the XSN files to the desktop using an MSI and have the MSI install an external copy of the XML lookup table document that is used as a common external XML data source by all the XSNs. Any other ideas? Thanks, Michael. -- Michael Herman Parallelspace / OpenCanal OpenCanal Community for WinFS: http://www.opencanal.com/community/winfs Yes, you are right, I did miss that part. As per your 2 choices, the second one will require the user to accept the data connection to the external .xml file via a dialog box. In that case, I would choose choice 1. There might be other choices, but I can't think of any at this time. SignatureGreg Collins [InfoPath MVP] Visit http://www.InfoPathDev.com Greg, you must have read my posting too quickly: "The forms need to work offline (100% disconnected)." SignatureMichael Herman Parallelspace / OpenCanal OpenCanal Community for WinFS: http://www.opencanal.com/community/winfs You can also: * Use a secondary data connection to a common database (SQL or Access) * Use a Web service. * Use a SharePoint list. SignatureGreg Collins [InfoPath MVP] Visit http://www.InfoPathDev.com "Michael Herman (Parallelspace/OpenCanal)" <mwherman@nospam.parallelspace.nospam.net.nospam> wrote in message news:ebcDQOAFGHA.3384@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl... I would appreciate your thoughts on the following. I'm helping build an InfoPath forms solution. It's starting small (3-4 forms) but I've been asked the question: If we grow this thing to have 100+ forms and each form needs to have a common drop down list of departments (e.g. Sales, Marketing, ...), what is the best way to implement this? ...more importantly, what is the best way to update this list for all 100+ forms when the name of department is added or changed? A confounding requirement: The forms need to work offline (100% disconnected). Here's my 2 ideas so far: 1. Use a common XML document embedded in each XSN as the lookup table data and bind it to the drop-down lists in each XSN. Then use something the XsnFixup.js (http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/odc_ip2003_ta/h tml/OfficeInfoPathXSNFixupDeployFormTemplateScript.asp) to automate the updating/replacement of the XML lookup table document in each XSN. 2. Package and deploy the XSN files to the desktop using an MSI and have the MSI install an external copy of the XML lookup table document that is used as a common external XML data source by all the XSNs. Any other ideas? Thanks, Michael. -- Michael Herman Parallelspace / OpenCanal OpenCanal Community for WinFS: http://www.opencanal.com/community/winfs The InfoPath SDK Data Interop sample has one solution for this: http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/ipsdk/html/ipsd kRetrievingCreatingRecordsDataInt_HV01082955.asp?frame=true SignatureMichael Herman Parallelspace / OpenCanal OpenCanal Community for WinFS: http://www.opencanal.com/community/winfs Yes, you are right, I did miss that part. As per your 2 choices, the second one will require the user to accept the data connection to the external .xml file via a dialog box. In that case, I would choose choice 1. There might be other choices, but I can't think of any at this time. SignatureGreg Collins [InfoPath MVP] Visit http://www.InfoPathDev.com "Michael Herman (Parallelspace/OpenCanal)" <mwherman@nospam.parallelspace.nospam.net.nospam> wrote in message news:O8sYx%23YFGHA.1180@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl... Greg, you must have read my posting too quickly: "The forms need to work offline (100% disconnected)." -- Michael Herman Parallelspace / OpenCanal OpenCanal Community for WinFS: http://www.opencanal.com/community/winfs "Greg Collins [InfoPath MVP]" <gcollins_AT_msn_DOT_com> wrote in message news:OJdWkSUFGHA.2320@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl... You can also: * Use a secondary data connection to a common database (SQL or Access) * Use a Web service. * Use a SharePoint list. -- Greg Collins [InfoPath MVP] Visit http://www.InfoPathDev.com "Michael Herman (Parallelspace/OpenCanal)" <mwherman@nospam.parallelspace.nospam.net.nospam> wrote in message news:ebcDQOAFGHA.3384@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl... I would appreciate your thoughts on the following. I'm helping build an InfoPath forms solution. It's starting small (3-4 forms) but I've been asked the question: If we grow this thing to have 100+ forms and each form needs to have a common drop down list of departments (e.g. Sales, Marketing, ...), what is the best way to implement this? ...more importantly, what is the best way to update this list for all 100+ forms when the name of department is added or changed? A confounding requirement: The forms need to work offline (100% disconnected). Here's my 2 ideas so far: 1. Use a common XML document embedded in each XSN as the lookup table data and bind it to the drop-down lists in each XSN. Then use something the XsnFixup.js (http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/odc_ip2003_ta/h tml/OfficeInfoPathXSNFixupDeployFormTemplateScript.asp) to automate the updating/replacement of the XML lookup table document in each XSN. 2. Package and deploy the XSN files to the desktop using an MSI and have the MSI install an external copy of the XML lookup table document that is used as a common external XML data source by all the XSNs. Any other ideas? Thanks, Michael. -- Michael Herman Parallelspace / OpenCanal OpenCanal Community for WinFS: http://www.opencanal.com/community/winfs
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