Hey everyone.
I have developed a process that uses InfoPath forms. It works great, but I have a few concerns that I'd love to be able to alleviate...
1) Opening a task action from the worklist or the e-mail task notification basically downloads the XML file... as a result, you get a dialog box asking if you want to open or save the file. Is there a way to make it just open it?
2) If you choose open, often times I end up with two new open windows... the InfoPath client is one of them, which is fine, but also then there is the blank (or, sometimes, worse, error-message-displaying) Internet Explorer window behind it that opens up when you click the link to the worklist item (the browser window launches, then the InfoPath client launches if you select "open" on the dialog mentioned in my first concern).
This window stays open even after you've submitted the form... it's a clunky behavior that might even alarm or confuse some business users, especially if it's displaying an error message (even though no error has occurred in the process, and the process runs just fine).
3) When you submit the form in the InfoPath client, it closes the form... but since the form was opened from an Internet link, it prompts you as to whether or not you want to save the form.
Saving the form is pointless as it's already been submitted in this case, and again, may confuse business users.
The end-result experience is as follows:
- User gets notification of worklist item in an e-mail, and clicks the link to action it.
- They get a browser window and a prompt as to whether or not to open or save the file. If they choose to save it, they have to go find it to open it. If they open it, InfoPath immediately opens on top of the browser window... which stays open.
- They fill out the form and click submit. A dialog box informs them submission was successful. The form closes, but prompts them whether or not to save the XML. It doesn't matter whether they do or not; for the purpose of the argument, let's say they don't.
- The form closes, but InfoPath remains open (with no open files). They have to close it.
- There's still an open browser window (maybe displaying an error). They have to close it.
Now they're done. It all feels notably clunky at times, and has the potential to confuse users.
Is there a way I can make it behave as follows?
- User gets notification of worklist item in an e-mail, and clicks the link to action it.
- The form opens in InfoPath immediately.
- They fill out the form and click submit.
- They get a submission successful dialog, and click okay.
- The form and InfoPath both close. End of interaction, no other windows are open.
If anyone can tell me how to implement any of these changes I'd like to see, even if not all of them, it'd be very much appreciated.
PS - I'm aware that this behavior is most closely resembled by using InfoPath Forms Services and having the forms be web-based. However, we are a large organization and this form will be used by thousands of people, and we do not currently have Enterprise CALs for Microsoft SharePoint, and don't want to pay for it.
