Beginning InfoPath™ 2003

15.2. Using Web Services for Data Source

The steps for specifying a Web service as a data source for an InfoPath form are almost as easy as, if not easier, than those used for specifying a table in a database for a data source. InfoPath performs a number of the steps for you.

The first thing you have to specify is whether you are receiving (querying) or submitting data. For now you will see quickly how to specify a Web service for viewing data.

After specifying what you want to do with the data (receive and/or submit), you will need to specify where the Web service you want to use is located. For the purpose of locating the Web service, you can utilize the UDDI directories, displayed in Figure 15-3, on the prior page. To help you locate the Web service, Microsoft supplies a dialog box, displayed in Figure 15-7.

Figure 15.7. Figure 15-7

For the purposes of this chapter, the Web services used will be located on the local machine at http://127.0.0.1, so the dialog box displayed in Figure 15-7 will not be used. You can also test using http://localhost.

Once you have specified the Web service, the wizard will walk you through the steps to specify which methods to use. After the wizard is completed, you will then need to bind the fields displayed to the various controls just as you do when using other types of data for data sources.

15.2.1.

15.2.1.1. Try It Out: Basing an InfoPath ...