InfoPath Dev

Hi - I'm new here and new to InfoPath. I have searched throught the posts trying to find an answer to my questions, which should have a simple answer, but I didn't find anything. Forgive me if this seems ignorant to you.

I created an Infopath form with an Access 2007 database as the data source. I used a lay-out table to construct my form - to make it look like what my techs are used to filling out by hand. I inserted textboxes for each field in my DB and linked them together. I am able to save, publish, email, and submit the form. Question is, how do I get the data into Access after I get the form back? Access has a way to do it automatically, but the form that gets created automatically using InfoPath is large and cumbersome, so that's why I wanted to create my own.

I hope someone can help me! I have search high and low for help with this.

Thanks!

Tammy

Hi, Tammy:

Welcome to the forum. When you created your form from the data base, do you remember if 'Submit' functionality was enabled? When you walk through the data connection wizard, it will usually tell you on the final screen if there are any issues with the data base that would keep you from being able to submit your data, which is, it sounds like, what you want to do!

If you go to Tools > Data Connections and select your Main connection, down in the bottom of the window, you'll see some information about it. If it says Type: Retrieve and submit data to database, then your data connection is already set up to submit data. If it only shows that it will retrieve data, you might want to click the Modify button and walk through the data connection wizard again, paying attention to the last screen where you put in the name of the data connection and see if there is any information about submit functionality being disabled. If there is, make a note of the reason why it is disabled and post it here, so we can help you sort through it.

If you are already set up to submit, you can go to Tools > Submit Options to make sure submit is enabled. You can add a button to your form that submits the data, or, if you like, just use the button in the toolbar. Here's a link to an Office Online article that may also help you.

Thank your for your speedy and informative reply. When I click on Manage Data Connections, I see that I have two. One is my main connection and one is called main submit. When I choose to modify the main connection, it doesn't give me the option to "Enable the submit for this connection." It's greyed out. The type of connection is "retrieve data from database."

The main submit is the one that is set up to submit data, but it doesn't work. I can't remember when I first created the form if I invoked a query.

Will I be able to change it now? Or do I have to create a new form. By the way, I am not using sections in my form. Is that important?

Thanks!

The main submit doesn't work?  What is the main submit connection set to submit to, that is, when you look at it in the data connections window (Tools > Data Connections), what information is in the bottom half of the window when you have the main submit connection selected?

Usually, if 'Enable Submit' is greyed out in the last screen of the data connection wizard, there will be more information in that screen about why you can't submit. Look toward the bottom of that window, and see what it says....

OK, when I have "Main submit" highlighted, the details at the bottom of the screen are:

Name: Main submit

Type: Submit data

Email Subject:

To: [email protected]

CC:

Bcc:

Attachment file name: Form

Thanks again for your help!

Tammy

Okay, so your form has an email submit connection that is called main submit. If you don't plan to use that, you might want to delete it -- or you may just want to rename it to something like 'Email Submit' to make it more clear.

We need to figure out why your connection to your database (probably the connection called 'Main Connection') won't allow you to enable submit. You need to walk through that data connection wizard again (select it in the data connection window and click the Modify button) and in the last window, where the 'Enable submit' checkbox is grayed out, there should be some information about why you can't submit to this data connection. That is the information I'll need....

Also, as a test, I tried designing a new form based on the same database. When I walk through the wizard, when I get to the last screen, here is what happens:

Enter a name for this connection:

(greyed out it says) InfoPath has created a separate connection for submitting to your data source. Enter a name for the submit connection:

(but it's greyed out and it says:) Main connection submit

The Enable submit for this connection check box is also greyed out.

Summary

Type: Retrieve data from database

Database: C:\Audits\XXXXXX

Primary parent table: tblFHeader

Number of tables included in data source: 10

Submit status: Not allowed - One or more of the columns in the data source has a large binary data type such as text, ntext, hyperlink, or image. Large binary data types are not supported.

I hope I'm not doing all this in vain - - - thanks!!!!

Well, the message is in the Submit Status -- submit is not allowed because you have columns in your data source with a large binary data type. You'll need to look at the tables you are using for your data source and determine which columns are large binary data types (note the submit status suggestion that they are 'text, ntext, hyperlink or image') and then decide if you have to have those columns set to that data type. InfoPath is somewhat restrictive in what it will allow for submit connections.....

Ouch! I have several fields that are text. If they can't be text, what can they be?

Thanks!

Tammy

Forgive me -- I"m not terribly familiar with Access data types. From a quick search, it looks like 'text' in Access is the equivalent of varchar in SQL, so it should be okay. Do you have any columns for images, or that are a 'memo' or 'long text' data type?

I do have a couple that are memo. I will change them and see what happens.

A couple of questions in the meantime:

Should the data upload when I open the email? Or do it when I receive it?

When designing my form, should I drag fields from the query fields or the data fields?

Thanks!

That didn't help anything. I am giving up for the day. Brain is tired.

I am getting a couple of other messages in my summary area. The form doesn't seem to like the JOIN properties if I use a query. It doesn't like the one-to-many relationship if I use several tables.

Does anyone know of a sample form and a sample Access database?

Thanks!

Tammy

Here is a link to a how-to guide on Office Online -- one word of warning, it is probably using the Office 2003 version of Northwind -- as I recall, the 2007 version is a bit more complex and this tutorial may not work as written with it. Hope that helps!

I know I said I was done for the day, but I had to go through the "tutorial" with the Northwind sample DB. Everything worked just fine, including their one-to-many relationships and text fields. I will think on this some more and see if I can figure out why mine's not working.

Thanks again! You have been so much help to me today. I haven't found that anywhere else as far as InfoPath goes.

Tammy

I'm glad the tutorial helped! InfoPath (as you've just found out!) is a really powerful application -- this means it can also be really complex. Be sure to search the forum & post when you have questions -- there is a lot of valuable information and help here.