Beginning InfoPath™ 2003

11.1. When Is Code Necessary?

The majority of those working with Microsoft InfoPath forms will be able to use forms as they are "out of the box." By using the form designer they can create most forms that will cover their tasks. However, as larger needs arise, requiring more extensive development, InfoPath gives you a number of choices to take care of those needs.

Before getting into detail about what Microsoft provides, it's good to take a look at some of the situations that may require coding. Some of those situations may be:

• Adding Security through the User Interface: There are times when you may want to add additional security, or create your own. For example, you may want to toggle the visibility of certain sections of a form based on the user working with the form.

• Interacting with Other Enterprise-Wide Applications: These situations may involve anything from sending data on to various databases not connected directly to the form to working with Microsoft Biztalk, enterprise server application software used for managing information workflows. There is more information on using InfoPath forms with BizTalk in Chapter 17, "Working with InfoPath and Biztalk."

• Extending Forms Functionality: This is probably the most used reason for coding behind InfoPath. It also covers a number of different tasks, including adding additional validation to forms, e-mailing users, and data manipulation such as working with dates. The last two of these examples are cover in Chapter 14, "Real-World ...