Automating InfoPath from an external application
Microsoft InfoPath provides application automation from code written using COM and script by using methods of the Application object and the XDocuments collection.
Overview of the Application and XDocument Objects
The Application object contains the following methods used for automation:
| Method | Description |
|---|---|
| CacheSolution |
Examines the in the cache and, if necessary, updates it from the published location of the form template. |
| Quit |
Quits the Microsoft Office InfoPath application. |
| RegisterSolution |
Installs the specified Microsoft Office InfoPath form template. |
| UnregisterSolution |
Uninstalls the specified Microsoft Office InfoPath form template. |
The XDocuments collection contains the following methods that can be used for external automation:
| Method | Description |
|---|---|
| Close method |
Closes the specified Microsoft Office InfoPath form. |
| New method |
Creates a new Microsoft Office InfoPath form. |
| NewFromSolution method |
Creates a new Microsoft Office InfoPath form based on the specified form template. |
| NewFromSolutionWithData method |
Creates a new Microsoft Office InfoPath form using the specified XML data and form template. |
| Open method |
Opens the specified Microsoft Office InfoPath form. |
To use the Application object from an external application, you use the CreateObject function with the ProgID of the InfoPath application ("InfoPath.Application") to create an object variable that represents the InfoPath application. You can then use the XDocuments property to access the XDocuments collection and use its methods to open or create an InfoPath form. The following example demonstrates the creation of a reference to the Application object using the Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 or Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) programming language:
Dim objIP As Object
Set objIP = CreateObject("InfoPath.Application")
' Open an existing form
objIP.XDocuments.Open ("C:\MyFolder\MyForm.xml")
' Create a new form based on a form template
objIP.XDocuments.NewFromSolution ("C:\MyFolder\MyForm.xsn")
Note
Because the CreateObject function creates an object variable using late binding, automatic statement completion will not be available in the Visual Basic Editor. Refer to the links in the preceding tables for information about the correct calling syntax.