InfoPath 2010 - What's New?

Getting Started
Getting Started has moved to the Backstage > New. Some of the templates available are SharePoint List, SharePoint Document Library (editform.aspx, newform.aspx, etc. forms) and Document Information Panel. We could build these before, but only from other applications.

The description of the SharePoint List template is "Start with the default SharePoint list form, create rules, and modify form layout and formatting. Users fill out the form when working with items in the Sharepoint list."



These are NewForm.aspx, DispForm.aspx and EditForm.aspx page forms authored in InfoPath. Not only can we validate our user input (I could do that in SPD), but now we can also create rules (if the user answers "No" for "Do you have kids?", then hide the questions regarding kids), apply conditional formatting, or even populate values in other fields.

"If the user specifies USA as the Country, set the Language field to Spanish."

Controls

• Picture buttons
• Hyperlink data types for user fields
• Date and Time Picker
• People Picker (finally!)
• Signature Line data type for user fields
• Lists in browser-compatible forms
• Combo Box in browser-compatible forms
• Multiple-selection list boxes in browser-compatible forms

Designer
The Designer is what was formerly called Design mode. Rules, Conditional Formatting and Validation are all in the Ribbon control menus.

A Quick Publish function recalls the publishing settings to republish a form. Obviously, this is only for republishing without changes made to the Publish settings.

InfoPath will (as will all other Office applications) integrate with Business Connectivity Services (BCS). It is extemely important to page large sets of data, especially those that involve drop-down lists. However, now that BCS can write to the database, InfoPath could be used to make input forms more usable.

InfoPath Web Part
This new web part can contain forms, which can be connected to other web parts on a page. Also, web parts can be secured, customized, personalized, etc.

Submit button
The Submit button is in the Ribbon, on the far right end of the Editor (formally called Fill Out A Form mode)! I think that's because everybody loves it way up there...