Understanding key design mode icons
Have you designed or customized a Microsoft Office InfoPath 2003 form and wondered what all of those different symbols meant? This topic will help you understand the key icons used in InfoPath design mode.
Data source icons
Understanding the different icons in the Data Source task pane will help you better understand how all of the different pieces of data stored in fields and groups are related to one another.
| Icon | Description |
|---|---|
 | Group. An element in the data source that can contain fields and other groups. |
 | Locked group. A group that cannot be renamed, moved, or deleted, and new fields or groups cannot be added to it. |
 | Repeating group. A group in the data source that can occur more than once. |
 | Locked repeating group. A group that cannot be renamed, moved, or deleted, and new fields or groups cannot be added to it. |
 | Element field. A field in the data source that stores the data entered into controls, and can contain attribute fields. |
 | Locked element field. A field that cannot be renamed, moved, or deleted, and new attributes cannot be added to it. |
 | Repeating element field. A field in the data source that can occur more than once. Controls such as lists, repeating sections, and repeating tables can be bound to repeating fields. |
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Locked repeating element field. A field that cannot be renamed, moved, or deleted, and new attributes cannot be added to it. |
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Attribute field. A field in the data source that stores data entered into controls and other fields cannot be added to it. |
 | Locked attribute field. A field that cannot be moved or deleted. |
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Required field. If a control on the form is bound to a required field, it cannot be left blank when a user fills out the form. |
Binding icons
When you design a form, several icons may appear in the upper-right corner of controls. These are known as binding icons. They provide information about how a selected control relates to fields and groups in the data source. The following table describes the three types of binding icons you may see on your form.
| Icon | Description |
|---|---|
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The binding is correct. This icon, along with the name of the field or group that the selected control is bound to in the data source, is displayed when a control is selected or when the mouse pointer rests on the control. |
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The control may not function as expected. This icon is displayed regardless of whether the control is selected. The name of the field or group that the control is bound to, along with a short message, is displayed when the control is selected, or when the mouse pointer rests on the control. To identify the problem, right-click the control, and then click More Details on the shortcut menu. |
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The control will not function correctly, and when a user saves the form, any data typed into the control will be lost. This icon is displayed regardless of whether the control is selected. To identify the problem, right-click the control, and then click More Details on the shortcut menu. |
Other InfoPath icons
The following table lists a few other InfoPath icons that you should be familiar with.
| Icon | Description |
|---|---|
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Repeating control, field, or group. A control, field, or group that can appear more than once. This icon appears both in design mode and when users fill out a form. |
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Optional section. A control on a form that can contain other controls and does not usually appear by default. This icon appears both in design mode and when users fill out a form. |
 | Choice section. A control on a form that contains other controls and that is used to represent a single choice within a set of mutually exclusive choices. This icon appears both in design mode and when users fill out a form. |
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InfoPath form (.xml file). A file that contains the data that users enter into a form and is created after users save their form. This icon appears in task panes and dialog boxes, such as the Open dialog box. |
 | InfoPath form template. A file or set of files that defines the data structure, appearance, and behavior of a form. This icon appears in task panes and dialog boxes, such as the Open dialog box. |
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