InfoPath Dev

 Hello all!

I am stuck on an issue that I am hoping you can help with. Using IP 2007 and Access 2007, I have a simple data connection set up. The IP form has 4 fields: Client #, Agent #, start date, and end date.

In IP2007, I have two areas of the form set up, the query section and the data section. When an agent fills out a form, they will have all of the data except the end date, so they leave that section blank. The idea is that they can go back, using the query section, enter their Agent # and some how pull up all of the submissions that they left the end date blank. The problem is, leaving the end date field blank in the query section of the form does not mean that it is querying for empty values, it means that it is searching for any value, blank or otherwise, in that field.

Making this somehow work with blank values would be my ideal situation; however, if that is not possible, I have been thinking of alternative ideas, but I am stuck there as well. I can make the field default to an extreme value, like 01/01/1001 internally in the database; however, I would love to find a way to make it so that on the IP2007 form, the user never saw that date. Instead it said something like "Pending" only if the value of the field (pulled from the DB = 01/01/1001.)

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you,

James

 Hi James,

The extreme value approach is a good workaround. Add a rule to your form on load to replace that value with a blank one and then on submit, if it's still blank set it to the extreme value. That way the user won't see it.

In InfoPath 2007, you should be able to access the "Form Load" rules under one of the tabs on the Form Options dialog under the Tools menu.

Good luck! 

 Patrick,

Thank you for the reply. I really appreciate it.  If I go the extreme value work around, that only handles 1 half of the issue.

By doing as you suggested and having it save the extreme value (without the user seeing it) works perfect for when they submit the form. Now when they go back in to look at entries that they have already made, is there some way that it can work so that they do not have to enter the extreme value?

Also, once it pulls up the entries that contain the extreme value, is there some way that I can have it display something other than the extreme value? For example, instead of 01/01/1001, it could say Pending. 

Thank you again for the help, I really appreciate it!