InfoPath Dev

I successfully created an InfoPath form injected with qRules allowing it to submit data to a Sharepoint list. However, I need a message for the end user in case of a failed submission or with instructions to save the file to this location after a successful submission to the SP list. I configured the Submit Options to allow users to submit this form with “Perform customer action using Rules” selected. The Advanced box has “Show this message…” options checked off with message text included (& “Leave the form open” selected). However, these messages do not display when the User submits the form (although the form remains open).   Maybe this is not where you set up the submit messages?  Perhaps messages are set up using the Form Submit Rules option? Well, I tried to configure an additional rule (additional to the “Submit using a data connection: ShPListSubmit” that is working correctly), but I have no idea how to proceed on this and could not find instructions in the documentation or info on the blogs. Please advise…  

I am using InfoPath 2010 with qRules v 2.3 (just purchased!) and SharePoint 2010.

Hi Maureen,

qRules should allow you to do this quite easily.

In your rules, there is probably a sequence of actions, one of which is the action that sets the value of the Command node in the qRules 2DS.

When the command node is set to a Command, that command is executed. You probably know that by now.

The thing is: there are three additional fields in that qRules 2DS which will help you achieve what you've described. These are called "Success", "Error" and "Result".

The simplest suggestion I could make is to add an action that displays a dialog box message. You could have two of these rules, one for each of the possibilities:

(a) When Success=TRUE

(b) When Success=FALSE

You can display these three fields in your canvas, try out the form, and see what their values are after the command executes. This will allow you to set further rules/actions depending on the success or failure of the command.

If you need more help let us know. Good luck!

Hi Ernesto, Thank you for your rapid reply. I’ve been pleased with the Qdabra support during my trial period, as I was able to find a lot of info & documentation for concrete issues. It helped contribute to my decision to purchase the product. Plus it does submit to SharePoint lists!   

I have used the Success/Error/Results fields while testing my IP form & submission to a SP list, and it was helpful. However, having to put those fields into a file that a customer submits is not what I had in mind. I was looking to have a popup message such as the one you configure in the InfoPath form using the Advanced box (“Show this message” option) when you are setting up the Submit Options. Here is an example of the message displaying in my InfoPath / SharePoint 2007 version of the same form I am working on:   [See attached image "IP 2007 Popup"] 

 

I have this text set up in the Submit Options and click “OK”, but it appears that the selection to “Perform customer action using Rules” in the Submit Option overrides the Advanced box message text setup. Is that true? Or is there a way to ensure that the message window will appear (as seen above in the 2007 version)? Does qRules disable the message text? Here is how it is setup: [See attached image "Submit Options - Show this Message"]

 In your response to “add an action that displays a dialog box message”, are you saying I could configure the same text as seen in the screen of the Submit Options and have it display as a popup window? I think I would need more explicit instructions on how to do that.  Below is info on how I set up the submission.  Do you require more details? [See attached images "Rule Details" and "Form Submit"]   Thanks in advance for your assistance, Maureen

 

Additional images attached

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"Submit Options - Show this Message" image

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"Rule Details"

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"Form Submit"

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"Form Submit" image

Hi Maureen,

I agree that you don't want to display the Success/Error/Result fields to the end user. But we can use those fields for our benefit. Please try this.

After the rule that executes your qRules command, add another rule. For this rule, add the condition Success = FALSE.

Add an action to display a dialog box message and type in your custom message. For example "There was an error."

Then add another rule. For this rule, add the condition Success = TRUE.

Add an action to display a dialog box message and type in your custom message. For example "Submission succesful."

Does this make sense?

Thanks Ernesto,

I was actually trying to do that earlier today, but my success = false. I guess I'm just not familiar enough with InfoPath or qRules to create the rules & formulas. Any chance you could refer me to where I can learn this in the documentation? I'll start looking again... but didn't find explicit enough instructions.

Thanks, Maureen 

Hi Ernesto, This is what I tried: In Rules for the Submit data button (control) that I created to send the data to a SharePoint list, I added two more rules there. Is that what you meant? I created the Conditions as “Success=FALSE” for one and “Success=TRUE” for the other.   I am not sure if my next step is correct.  I wasn’t sure how to create an action to display a dialog box message. What I tried was the following: I created an Action that was “Set a Field’s Value”. For the Success=false option I used “Error” for the field and for Success=True I used “Result” for the field. Then I had the Value formula be the message I wanted to display for either T/F (success/fail).  I tried to use the “Preview” button to see if it was working, but no message came up. Is the message supposed to display in the Preview window, or only if you publish the form and then test it while submitting data with a form? It always takes me a long time to get my IT team to Admin publish the form…  Thanks,Maureen

 

Also, can you confirm if the Tools -- Submit Options -- Advanced display message option in InfoPath is disabled when you use qRules (selecting the Submit option "perform custom action using Rules")?

MaureenC:

Hi Ernesto, This is what I tried: In Rules for the Submit data button (control) that I created to send the data to a SharePoint list, I added two more rules there. Is that what you meant? I created the Conditions as “Success=FALSE” for one and “Success=TRUE” for the other.   I am not sure if my next step is correct.  I wasn’t sure how to create an action to display a dialog box message.

If you are using an InfoPath Filler form (not browser-enabled), you can do this by adding an action in your rule and selecting the option 'Show a message'; but if your form is a web browser form, there would be no option to show dialog messages.

MaureenC:

Also, can you confirm if the Tools -- Submit Options -- Advanced display message option in InfoPath is disabled when you use qRules (selecting the Submit option "perform custom action using Rules")?

 

These are not disabled in a sense that you can still check those boxes and specify your custom messages which I think would work after your form tries to submit using a Submit data connection that you specified - for example, if you have a Form Submit rule that submits data to a data connection. However, since we are using conditions based from the qRules secondary data source values and the advanced display message options don't allow specifying conditions, they will not apply.

Hi Mel, Thanks so much for answering my questions.

I do have the InfoPath form as browser-enabled rather than IP Filler option. However, your statement that "there would be no option to show dialog messages" for a web browser form doesn't make sense to me because I was able to do that in the InfoPath and SharePoint 2007 version of my same form (I just tested it again & reconfirmed that my Advanced display message pops up). Has something changed with IP or SP 2010 versions? The only difference between my 2007 and 2010 form is the injection of qRules that doesn't seem to allow the message to display (as you point out in the 2nd part of your response).

Can you advise any changes that I could do to get the prompt to display as it did in my 2007 version?

thanks

Below is the popup message from the 2007 form: