Comparison between Aspx forms, InfoPath list forms and InfoPath documents in SharePoint 2010

When it comes to data entry forms in SharePoint, there are three out of the box options available, Aspx forms (default option in lists), InfoPath List forms, and InfoPath documents. The first two are interchangeable with some effort, but switching from the first two to InfoPath documents and visa versa is not possible. Therefore, it’s important to choose the right approach in the beginning of a project.

Here’s the comparison of these three technologies.

 

ASPX forms	InfoPath List Forms	InfoPath Documents
Basics
Separate forms for display, edit and new items. Forms simply work on whatever data is in the list.	Single form works for all operations. Like aspx forms, this form works on whatever data is in the list.	Each list/data item is a document itself. Documents can be configured to promote fields to library columns
Form cannot be printed	Form cannot be printed	Form CAN BE printed
Data cannot be saved as draft	Data cannot be saved as draft	Document can be saved as draft
Coding Support
Client and server side code support	No client or server side code support	Only server side code support, it uses XMLHttp in order to avoid full page postbacks during data entry.
Form Design
CSS can be applied	No CSS support	No CSS support
Data
Data can be changed or imported into the list in bulk	Data can be changed or imported into the list in bulk	Only existing data in promoted fields can be modified. Records cannot be added or deleted in bulk.
Multiple data sources are not supported unless they are in the form of lookup columns or used in client or server side code	Multiple data sources can be used	Multiple data sources can be used
Managed Meta data can be mapped to fields	Can NOT use Managed Meta data	Can NOT use Managed Meta data
Can use external data through client or server side code	Can consume simple SOAP and REST based services and can have connections to databases and XML files	Can consume simple SOAP and REST based services and can have connections to databases and XML files
Form Functionality
No built in support for cascading drop downs, this functionality is achieved using JavaScript	Cascading drop downs can be created without code	Cascading drop downs can be created without code
No repeating or nested data support	No repeating or nested data support	Repeating and nested data support, but cannot be promoted to separate columns or lists
Multiple views of data cannot be created	Multiple view of data CAN BE created and switched based on rules	Multiple view of data CAN BE created and switched based on rules
Multiple web part can be added to the form, inline editing of records possible	Data can be shown from multiple data sources, but can’t be changed	Data can be shown from multiple data sources, but can’t be changed
Validation
JavaScript for all the rules and client side validation	Rule engine does it all	Rule engine does it all
Workflow
SPD based list and reusable workflows and VS based custom workflows can be created and attached	SPD based list and reusable workflows and VS based custom workflows can be created and attached	SPD based list and reusable workflows and VS based custom workflows can be created and attached. Only promoted fields can be used in SPD based workflows.
Key Benefits
Maximum control on the form	Very easy to develop and very little testing is required	Easy to develop and relatively less testing is required
JavaScript/JQuery and Server side code support	Can be developed with minimum time and effort	Server side code support
CSS Support	InfoPath Views, Rules and facial features are supported	All InfoPath features like Views, Rules, facial features and printing are supported
Data in the list can be edited, imported and exported in bulk	Data in the list can be edited, imported and exported in bulk	Repeating and nesting data support
Multiple web parts can be used on a form to view or modify items from different lists on a single form
Drawbacks
Increased development and testing time	No Coding support	No client side coding support, limited server side code ability
		Can run in Sandbox

Deciding the right technology

InfoPath form library should be the first consideration for all kind of applications. They provide additional functionality compared to custom list InfoPath forms, such as;

• Repeating tables and complex schema 
• Printing views 
• Better deployment and change support
• Managed code support 
• Forms can be digitally signed 

 

There are few situations where list based InfoPath forms suite;

• System needs to be built upon existing data and it’s not feasible for all that data to be entered through the forms
• Bulk data import and edit is required throughout the life of the system
• None of the above mentioned additional capabilities of InfoPath is required

 

ASPX list forms should be used only when

• JavaScript support is a must
• CSS support is required
• SharePoint Managed Meta Data must be used in forms

 

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