RE: [XForms] XForms and Routing Scenarios

Andrew (wow, you have been busy!)

This kind of form completion is what got me focused on XML as a tool and,
over the last few months, in Xforms.

Yes - this routing is possible. I prepared a sample of this for a
presentation I did on XForms. It works ok - at least FormsPlayer does not
choke on it - but not entirely to plan because the e-mails and archive files
are dummies ...The Xforms can write an XML file to disk - and you can do
most anything with that file, then, to transmit it. You can code the Xforms
to be e-mailed as a submission method.

I prepared a "Travel Authorization" which is completed by the "employee".
Once the employee completes it, the portion he completed is marked "Read
Only" and the submission is by e-mail to his supervisor. The supervisor
clicks "Approve" or "Disapprove" and signs it with a password verification
(no e-signature built in to Xforms, yet) which makes that person's input
"Read Only" then submitted to the HR department then on to Finance. Upon
final action, a copy is sent to all people who signed on the form and is
stored in an archive.

I have done this with the California Judicial Council's "Form
Interrogatories" (written questions which ask a litigant for information in
the "discovery" process). The basic file is each one of the Interrogatories
with the appropriate input areas for the litigant's answers. There is a
"save" button which writes the file to disk, and permits the litigant to
stop and re-start the process of answering. There is a "send" button which
e-mails the completed form to me. I have had two people complete their
Interrogatory responses this way. 

So yes, it seems to me that Xforms will fulfill its task of paper form
replacement. All with a text editor and a browser (with form processor
plug-in until we get a browser which has it built in) - no proprietary
technology requiring outlay of several hundred dollars. 

Ned

-----Original Message-----
From: AndrewWatt2001@aol.com [mailto:AndrewWatt2001@aol.com] 
Sent: Tuesday, April 29, 2003 12:53 AM
To: XForms@yahoogroups.com; www-forms@w3.org
Subject: [XForms] XForms and Routing Scenarios


My question here may be partly as a result of the terminology difficulties 
about what is (or is not) a "form" when XForms is around.

Using XForms "alone" what routing scenarios are supported?

Is it possible to route an XForms "form" if there is such a thing without 
relying on some outside technology to do/control the routing?

If the answer is "Yes" to the latter question, can anyone share with me an 
example (either on or off list) so I can get this clearer in my mind.

The kind of scenario I have in mind is the employee applying for leave, 
routing a form to his/her manager who then routes the "form" to Human 
Resources. Which aspects of that process will XForms support?

I am asking partly because I am exploring InfoPath at the moment. It seems
to 
me that it does a number of things that XForms 1.0 won't be able to do, or 
won't be able to do in ways that are (presently) obvious to me.

Andrew Watt

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Received on Tuesday, 29 April 2003 07:49:31 UTC