InfoPath Dev

I have a bunch of fields (About 40%) in my main data source that have red asterisks next to them. When I open the properties, the Cannot be Blank attribute is checked but is grayed out. Is there a way to change this? The fields in the database do allow NULL values to be passed. I'm communicating with the SQL Server database via WebService, there's nothing in the WebService that should be forcing these fields to not accept blank values.

Hi Ron,

Your data source is bound to the SQL schema and that is why it's grayed out. InfoPath assumes that you want to keep compatibility with the database since that's how you created the form. You can change the data source's editability but that could result in problems updating and submitting to SQL.

Best practice is to create a form using XML schema - then you have full control - and use a Web service to submit to SQL and store an XML blob at the same time. The Web service creates a layer of indirection between your InfoPath form and the database and this means you can change one without breaking the submission process. If the mapping between XML and SQL is defined in data, it's easy to update after-hours and reprocess the affected forms. Qdabra's DBXL Web Service is an example of this loosely coupled SOA approach.

So, I don't recommend hacking the manifest.xsf to change the schema. I recommend recreating your form from XML schema for maximum flexibility. Another reason to use XML schema is that you get more data types and a richer form.

Thanks for getting back to me Patrick - Much appreciated.

Your answer is confusing my InfoPath newbie mind even more though.

Prior to creating a WebService to talk to my form, I created a form based on the Database template. When my data sources were setup directly to the database, none of my fields were "Cannot be blank" because the underlying database allows NULL values (See original post).

I ran into some issues and I got multiple replies from experts, including this site, that I should be using a WebService. So I created one - Piece of cake.

It's only after I started using the WebService as my data source that the fields are now showing up as Cannot be blank. The underlying database hasn't changed a bit. So how come the WebService is causing some fields to allow blanks and others not?

I appologize if I sound stupid, I'm usually not, but this does have me dumbfounded.

Thanks again for the help and the time you are affording me to help me understand and resolve my issue.

 BTW - How can I create a form based on an XML schema when I have nothing to strat with?

Cheers - Ron...

Hello RonInOttawa,

What are the datatypes for the parameters that your webservice accepts?  String?  Int? DateTime?  Is there any common thread among the ones that are showing up as Cannot be blank?  That's probably where this issue is coming from.

 What Patrick is suggesting is designing your own data source, and sending the entire XML of your data source to your webservice as a single parameter, then designing the web service to process this and interact with the database accordingly.  The DBXL web service suite provides a generic way to do this.

Hi Jimmy;

What I've noticed after replying to Patrick was that all the fields that are coming up as mandatory are all reference fields in my database main table. They all have a Allow NULL setting in the Main table but all have a Don't Allow NULL in the Reference Tables.

As for DataTypes, they are all Ints as they are references like I mentioned above.

I was kinda hoping that InfoPath or the WebService woudn't care about references as I'm passing an Int into an Int table field - It shouldn't care that the associated table has Not Null settings.

Cheers - Ron...