InfoPath Dev

I just published a form to SharePoint with some conditional formatting applied.  For instance, I have a couple of sections that are displayed depending on the value of an option button.  Also, I have a couple of tables bound to the same repeating table.  These tables are supposed to only show data based on a status field. 

 

This all works great in the client, but does not work at all in SharePoint.  Is this formatting supported?

I'm also getting JavaScript page errors.  (core.js invalid argument).  I don't know if that is related.

 The conditional formatting on the "Total" field for the repeating section is working . . . IE - if status=X  Sum Y.  But the Hide this control if status = x does not want to work.

 I have a Picture/File option buttons that will show either an attachment or picture control field depending on which is picked.  This does nothing in the browser.

 I have many qrules commands configured in this form, if that makes a difference. 

Also, with qrules, what is the optimal postback settings for fields that kick of the rules?  I would assume it should be "Always", but this did not change anything in my browser-form behavior. 

It sounds like you have a few different issues going on here?

First, if you are in design mode, when your form's compatibility is set to browser, do you have any errors or informational warnings in the design checker?

Second, I usually set my postback to always for fields or controls that are executing qRules commands. But you say "this did not change anything in my browser-form behavior". Here's the bit where I start getting confused -- did you expect qRules or the postback settings for those fields to have an impact on conditional formatting? If so, can you explain why in more detail?

Are you displaying the value of the status field on your form so you can verify it is the value you think it is?

What are the postback settings on your picture / file option buttons that you mention? If you try the same layout / formatting in a simple test form, what results do you have then?

Do you have JavaScript page errors on just this browser form? Or on other browser forms?

Well, the buttons in the form copy tables from the secondary data source to the main data source.  But that's working anyway, so I guess it is posting back.

 Yes, I put the status fields in my main data source, and it IS getting the right data back. 

I get a bunch of "Warnings" in design checker - all of them say "Control sends data to server when value changes (primary cause)".  I figured this was a good thing. 

 

I will try to publish another form and see what happens. 

I published the "Attachment Type" sample you sent me, and it works fine without java errors.  I'm going to test my form on Firefox to see what happens. 

So in Firefox AND Safari, the repeating tables initially show un-formatted until you hover over them.  For instance, the only table that should be showing items is the one showing items in "Saved" status.  But upon opening the form and picking a job, all the tables show stuff in that status until they are hovered over . . . then the formatting is applied. 

Isn't that wierd?

Also, the hyperlinks from sharepoint aren't being pulled over into the attachment control. 

ALL of this works when previewing in InfoPath.

I've put so much time and configuration into this form (as you well know), that the thought of re-doing it makes me want to pull my eyeballs out with an olive fork. 

If I can't get it to work in Forms Services, then we may just distribute this form for use in the InfoPath client.  Which will require an office-wide MS Office upgrade. 

Step away from the olive fork.

What are the postback settings on the controls that aren't behaving? What about the controls that affect the filtering for those controls? That is -- you mention picking a job. What is postback set to on the control where the user picks a job?

Generally, I expect browser forms to only behave well in IE....

The postback settings for the job drop down are set to "Always".  This control has 7 rules applied to it.  One of which is copy table (which works).  One of the fields that Copy Table returns is "Status".  It is returning this field as is expected. 

 I have 4 seperate repeating tables bound directly to this table that gets copied over, each one with conditional formatting set to show only items of a particular status (Saved, Submitted, Pending, etc).  This works great in the client, but not in the browser.  However, in Firefox and Safari, when you hover your mouse over a table that pulled in items that weren't supposed to be there, the table collapses, and is displays the correctly filtered items. 

Since these tables are only DISPLAYING data, it shouldn't matter what the postback settings are, right?

Also, one of the fields that CopyTable pulls over is a hyperlink to saved attachments in Sharepoint.  These are not being displayed in the picture control or attachment field.

   Reaching for the olive fork . . . .

This article on Office Online specifically states that we can use conditional formatting in browser forms. Instead of plucking out your eyeballs with an olive fork, why don't you follow through the brief tutorial in that link, and publish the resulting form, see if you have different results?

Well, that works just fine.  I don't know where to go with this now.  It's strange that my problem form works great in the client, but not in the browser. 

 

Okay, so we are narrowing things down. Add a new view to your form, toss your table on there, and add conditional formatting to this new table in this new view. Still just trying to narrow things down here....

Are you saying just to copy the tables from the main view to the new view?  I would need the static fields and the repeating table to call the data.  Wouldn't everything just be the same?

No, I'm saying from your main data source, drag the repeating group that makes up your table on your current view onto a new view. Add conditional formatting (Status = Saved or whatever) to this test table. Open your form in the browser in your normal way, in the normal view, and do the stuff that populates that table in your main data source. Switch to your new view.

Does the filter that doesn't work in your original view work in your new view?

Gotcha.  Did it.  It works like it should.  Now I'm REALLY confused.  But I've put the fork away.