InfoPath Dev

I was going to create a form and reports for work when a friend suggested I use InfoPath. Believing that newer is better I plunged ahead and assumed I could figure out how to make everything work.

I created two forms but have no idea how to get that data into a table. I also assumed when I created the form that I could allow more text to be typed than showed in the text box. In other words the text box was formatted to be 60 characters on the screen but would allow you to type in more than 60 characters in the form, but in a print preview only what can be seen on the screen is printed.

I have no idea how to set up a print view in Word (my preferred method but at this point I just want it to print).

I also need to create a table from the data that has been entered into the form (yes, I probably did it backwards but this was a brand new project with no data anywhere but written on paper) so I can query the database and create reports.

Help is no help because I am not sure what to ask for.

If I could somehow capture the data that has been entered into the form I would be willing to redesign the form but I don#%92t no where my data is stored.

I am about ready to just redo this in Access because I am way over my head.

I better stop before I sound even dumber.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Dewittg,
Welcome to the forum! Let's see, you have questions on many things:
1. Printing
2. Data storage
3. Changing structure of data

For printing, Word Print views are definitely possible, but that's a rather advanced topic, and there are still limitations. I recommend just creating a separate view for printing and make that your designated Print View. That will solve your 1st problem.

For the data storage question. If you defined an XML schema with a flat data source, but you want to make it a table with repeating elements in a collection, etc. then you will have to change the schema. If you have a lot of forms saved in the old schema, you may have to provide custom import logic or some kind of OnVersionUpgrade logic. This will get complicated. Hopefully, you don't have many forms and can manually migrate them to the new structure.

For tables, you want a repeating structure. A repeating group would do it.

Good luck!

Patrick Halstead [InfoPath MVP]
InfoPathDev

Thank you Patrick. Your explanation has pretty much convinced me I am in over my head.

Is there any way to export the forms and data to Access?

Hi Dewittg,
Welcome back. How can you be in over your head? You just got started. You're in the shallow end but you can glimpse the 45 foot diving platform ahead and it makes you giddy with InfoPath enthusiasm, no? For me, I definitely am in over my head, but I'm trying to develop gills with some stem cells I stole from Greg Collins. Wish me luck... gurgle...gurgle....

Exporting to Access? Sure, no problem. Design a new form from a data connection and pick the Access table you want to submit to. Or, create a secondary data source for an existing form and write custom code to submit to Access. Or, use export to Excel and import the data from the resulting Excel spreadsheet. Collections of collections will be hard to export, but you can do leaf nodes or a single collection. If this sounds needlessly opaque, just let me have it, and I'll try to explain without gargling so much water ... :)

Patrick Halstead [InfoPath MVP]
InfoPathDev

Message Preview Thank you once again for your advice and your enthusiasm. I believe from what I have researched that Infopath is good for form design but not a great database per se. I know Access is a great database and I know how to use Access (on a limited basis - no programming). So the solution appears to be to keep the forms I have designed and my wife likes very much and then get it into Access through the method you described using Excel. I have do something fast. My wife is an NP and has continued to enter data in the forms I designed for her. If I don't have this working by the end of the month I may be sleeping on the sofa (or maybe with the fishes, she is Italian :-)

Thanks again for everything.