General

Re: auto fill other fields

TracyW — Wed, 10 Dec 2014 16:35:10 GMT

Great instructions! I follow them and I do get the text boxes to populate with the correct data that corresponds with the selection in the drop down box. However, I have 2 issues that I am having trouble with. I am using SharePoint 2010 and InfoPath 2010. I have created a list form in IP and I have 2 drop down boxes in the form that reference 2 different SharePoint lists. I have followed the steps above and both populate the corresponding text fields correctly but they both are exhibiting the following behaviors:

Before anything is selected from the drop down list, the corresponding text box is already pre-filled with the data for the first item in the drop down lists. So, the drop down list is blank (from the blank 'default' item in the drop down list). How do I fix that so the corresponding text fields are blank until an option is selected from the drop down box?
Once a selection is made in the drop down box, the correct information populates in the text box however, if I selected the wrong choice in the drop down list and I want to go back and change it to the right choice, the only options listed in the drop down box are the default blank option and the incorrect one that I chose. Now, if I select the blank option in the drop down box, the drop down list repopulates with all the options but the corresponding text field defaults back to the issue I described in #1 above.

What am I doing wrong? In this state, the form feels clunky and I don't really want to publish it for use.

Thank you,

Tracy

Re: auto fill other fields

aeshbaugh — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 20:40:00 GMT

I am trying to follow these same steps for something quite similar. But when i go to "Change the Data Source at the top to your CCS data connection" all I see are two connections "Queryfields" and "Datafields" Can you help me?

Re: auto fill other fields

warrtalon — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 00:05:45 GMT

that link is talking about rich text fields, which behave much differently.

Please create a new thread with your exact problem in much more detail if you don't mind, because this reply is buried deep inside a long-ago answered thread. Please explain exactly what you mean by "a dropdown box repeated into a text box." Where is the dropdown box and why would you "repeat" it into a text box? Are you talking about displaying the contents of a dropdown list box in a repeating table with one text box element?

Re: auto fill other fields

Jonrohan — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:00:04 GMT

Hi,

I'm also having a few issues pertaining to automatically filling in a form. I've tried using this quide (http://www.bizsupportonline.net/blog/2008/09/how-to-copy-contents-one-rich-text-field-to-another/) but am not having much success.

Basically I have a dropdown box in which I would like repeated into a text box. I'm using Infopath 2007 and am not sure if the above link is for Infopath 2007.

Many thanks for your help.

Jon

Re: auto fill other fields

warrtalon — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 17:17:23 GMT

Yeah, you have to filter based on some unique field - that was the bottom of step 5 above.

The part about returning the user to the form library should be automatic unless I'm missing something. I only use browser forms, and when mine are submitted or saved/closed, it returns the user to the form library. I actually use custom submit buttons with rules behind them instead of the built-in submit function, so maybe it's different, but if you look at the URL of your browser form when it's open, you will see a return URL embedded. This URL is typically the URL of the View the user was in when clicking New or clicking on an existing form. It always returns you to that view. When constructing a dynamic URL in a workflow or automated email, you can actually choose the return URL so that when someone submits or closes the form, it returns them to whatever URL you prefer (the same form library or some other location).

Oh, to be clear, I put a "close" action at the end of the set of actions on my submit buttons. This closes the form cleanly without the user having to do it, and it returns the user to the URL specified in the full Forms Server URL.

Re: auto fill other fields

blulew — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 16:12:12 GMT

Thanks for the quick reply warrtalon. I have it now. I had to add some filtering along with the rules. I do have another question.

I have my form published to a Sharepoint Library and it can be opened with either Infopath or the Browser. I use the NEW button in the library to open the form. Is there a way to force infopath to close and return you to the document library when you click submit? If the browser is used, is there a way to force the browser to return to the document library once the form is submitted.

Is any of this possible?

Re: auto fill other fields

warrtalon — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 14:46:59 GMT

Lew, you have to set the dropdown list to display the words you want but to have the VALUE of whatever the unique identifier is for that list. You then use that unique identifier to specify which data goes into the other fields.

Re: auto fill other fields

blulew — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 13:16:13 GMT

Hi All,

I am new to Infopath and Sharepoint and am attempting to create a form that will utilize the Auto Fill function described in warrtalon's post RE: auto fill other fields, dated 12-16-2008 07:37 PM. I have it all created, but no matter how I set the formula, it always auto fills the other fields with information from the first entry in my sharepoint list. I am pulling what little hair I have left out! Any help appreciated.

Using Infopath 2007 along with Sharepoint Server 2007.

Re: RE: Unique ID / Sequential Numbering

warrtalon — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 17:43:15 GMT

Is that the syntax you used, or did you use the proper full syntax for substring-after? It would be:

substring-after((now()), "T")

That will pull the time off of every date/time stamp using the now() function. It takes all text after the T, which is between the date and time in the results.

Re: RE: Unique ID / Sequential Numbering

Gayle Cole — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 16:14:05 GMT

I appreciate your response but I need to be able to provide a Unique ID and have it display. I tried max(@D) + 1001 but that comes back with a error NaN. Count(@ID) + 1001 seems to be able to duplicate when 2 users create a new doc at the same time. I would like to add Time but can't get the substring-after(now()) to pull just the time?

Re: RE: Unique ID / Sequential Numbering

warrtalon — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 02:32:29 GMT

Yes, the result of the now() function LOOKS ugly, but you don't have to display it. I like to modify my views not to show the Name but rather the title of the form, which is completely different than the filename. It's usually the first field in my form whether it be freetext or some sort of dynamic concatenation. You can come up with all sorts of ways to choose your title and change the view to show the Infopath icon first (type field), then show the title field 2nd. The only quirk is you no longer have the pulldown arrow associated with the name field, but that's ok with me as I want my users just clicking the infopath icon to get into the form and doing all edits there.

I don't have an auto-incrementing sequential number system off the top of my head, but I'm sure someone has thought of one. I think I even saw a thread on here in the last 2 days that referred to it, so I'll look.

RE: Unique ID / Sequential Numbering

Gayle Cole — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 23:15:25 GMT

New Issue .. I need to be able to have the system create a uniq ID number when the form is opened NOT at submit.

I tried the now() function but it looks pretty ugly. I would like a sequential number system but dont' know how to set up.

Anything easy.

Re: auto fill other fields

Gayle Cole — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 22:40:27 GMT

Yes .. it fixed the problem I have probably wasted almost 3 hours on .. in 10 minutes. You are wonderful.

I am keeping your name on my contact list.

Thanks again.

Re: auto fill other fields

warrtalon — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 22:36:26 GMT

Great. Did that fully solve your problem and work as you hoped?

Re: auto fill other fields

Gayle Cole — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 22:28:56 GMT

Thanks for the step by step .. I knew I was close and I knew it had to do with filter but I thought at the time I accessed for the name I had to keep the other data as well.

EXCELLENT !!!! Appreciate all of your help!