Large InfoPath form is unstable - InfoPath Dev
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Large InfoPath form is unstable

Last post 03-29-2012 09:21 AM by Anson Hidajat. 1 replies.
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  • 03-29-2012 08:09 AM

    Large InfoPath form is unstable

     I've been working for some months designing an InfoPath 2007 form to use as a digital inspection form for state regulatory inspectors.  Over time, the form has become very complex with twenty five views.  The form was working great and everything was fine until I modified one particular view by combining it with another.  This view contained a large layout table with smaller tables nested within it containing text and text boxes.  The nested tables are inside of sections that are conditionally formatted to hide or show depending on certain data from other views.

     When I was completing my work on that view, I noticed that when I changed the font in several of the nested tables that are within sections, the font would change back by itself when I switched views or switched to "preview".  Then, as I was changing the sizes of some sections, some of the section contents - text and text boxes, would get "bumped" out of the section and end up just below, with the binding lost on the text boxes.  Also, in some of the tables, the borders will change from black to blue or disappear altogether, leaving the contents loose on the form in a jumble.

    I have experimented with deleting many of the text boxes, thinking that the form's complexity had exceeded the software's ability, but it still has the same problems.  I've also opened up the form on a different computer and that doesn't make a difference either.

    I've done a good bit of research online and I haven't seen this reported anywhere else.

  • 03-29-2012 09:21 AM In reply to

    Re: Large InfoPath form is unstable

    Performance does tend to degrade due to some key factors in your InfoPath form as it scales.  There are articles out there that may help you which can serve as best practices for designing your forms:

    http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb380251(v=office.12).aspx (Also applies to 2010)

    For your specific problem, try to extract out the view that is giving you trouble into another template to see if the problem reproduces.  That way you can determine whether its just the complexity of your form that is causing the problem or perhaps the way you are designing that specific view.  Have you considered breaking up your form into multiple templates?

    Anson Hidajat
    Qdabra® Software/ InfoPathDev.com
    The InfoPath Experts – Streamline data gathering to turn process into knowledge.™

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