If I want to put a form up on SharePoint, is it easier to use InfoPath or build a custom web part in C#? Are there other options that I should consider?
What are the requirements and hurdles for each option?
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Building forms using InfoPath is absolutely the easiest way to publish a form in SharePoint. Notice it has many limitations, and you might find yourself trying to put some problematic logic or need an extra feature.
Programming in C# requires C# knowledge (of course) and a knowledge in SharePoint’s APIs. Also, once completed, the resulting DLL has to be published and trusted by SharePoint, which requires the sysadmin intervention. This might not always be available to you, and might be problematic the next time you try to upgrade SharePoint.
Finally, I recommend trying to accomplish most of the stuff (including forms) simply by using SharePoint’s built-in features. If you dive into it a little, you’ll find out you can actually build complicated applications simply by customizing Lists’ views, arranging the order of fields, adding column (and site-columns) of your own, etc. The best thing about this approach is it’s pure SharePoint. No extra knowledge (and people) needed.