About controls

Microsoft Office InfoPath 2003

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About controls

When filling out forms, users enter information by typing in text boxes, clicking items in a list, selecting check boxes, and performing other actions. The objects that users interact with are called controls. Information that is entered into a control is stored in the form’s data source. When you design a form, you use the Controls task pane to insert controls.

You can customize a control’s appearance, including font, color, and alignment; its default value and data type; and other properties, such as the ScreenTip that appears when a user rests the mouse pointer on the control. You can also customize a control's behavior, such as its ability to filter information or respond to rules. To view the properties for a control, double-click the control on the form.

Controls and the data source

Almost all controls on a Microsoft Office InfoPath 2003 form are associated with, or bound to, the data source. Most controls, including text boxes, check boxes, and list boxes, are bound to fields. If a control is not bound, or if it is bound incorrectly, the information entered into the control cannot be saved. When you design an InfoPath form, you can choose to have the fields in the data source created automatically each time you insert a control, or you can bind controls to existing fields.

The following example illustrates the relationship between two drop-down list boxes and the fields that store their data.

How controls are connected to data source

Together, a control and its field determine the type of information that users can enter, as well as how they enter the information. For example, a date picker control makes it easy for users to enter dates. The field to which the date picker is bound saves only values that are dates (in other words, the field has a date data type).

Note  In addition to the main data source for your form, you can create data connections to XML documents, databases, Web services, and Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services libraries and lists. These data connections result in secondary data sources that can be used to populate list boxes and provide the values for text boxes and other controls.

Inserting controls on your form

When designing a form, you can use the Controls task pane to insert controls. You can choose to create the data source automatically when you insert a control, in which case a field or group will be automatically created for each control that you add. You can also choose to bind the control to an existing field or group. If you choose this option, you are prompted to select a field or group from the data source when you insert the control. To switch between automatically creating the data source and binding the controls to an existing field or group, use the Automatically create data source check box in the Controls task pane.

You can also insert controls by dragging fields and groups from the Data Source task pane onto your form. Each time that you drag a field or group, InfoPath suggests the control that best matches the field or group. For example, if the field has a date data type, InfoPath suggests a date picker.

Types of controls

ShowStandard controls

ShowRepeating and optional controls

ShowFile and picture controls

ShowAdvanced controls

ShowCustom controls

Note  The information in this topic may not apply if you are working with a form designed using Microsoft Office InfoPath 2003 without the service pack installed. Learn more