I've been struggling with this requirement for some time now and I can't seem to find a solution to what I assumed would be a fairly simple task.
What I'm trying to create is a form to submit data to sharepoint 2013 custom list. By default the form needs to expose fields for a single record, but also include an option to add another item without displaying a new page. i.e. data already entered in the form should remain visible when filling in the next set of fields.
What I have in mind is the user would click a button to add another entry at which point a new set of fields would be displayed. I can't predict how many additional records will be added, so the process of adding new items needs to be dynamicly controlled by the user as the form is filled in.
There are additional requirements which I only mention in case it impacts the answer. - some fields in the new record may need to be auto-filled (copied and/or calculated) based on data already entered in the form. - each new record section needs to have layout/display formatting applied
I have seen examples where similar capabilities have been implemented using sharepoint designer, at least the 2010 version, but I've not been able to replicate any examples using SPD 2013 (due to different options and depreciated functionality).
I've also seen many references to InfoPath but I'm trying to avoid using this because it's been discontinued. I realise it will be supported for a few years yet, but after that time it's likely that infoPath forms will need to be replaced which could be a big disruption to an active service.
In SPD 2013 I can see some options for creating repeating forms under: DATA VIEW TOOLS -> DESIGN -> View Style
As a simple test I created a new form for adding new items and set it as the default: Lists and Libraries -> [List] -> Forms -> New...
Editing this in advanced mode (as WYSIWYG mode no longer available) and position the cursor outside of the yellow highlighted sections to display the DATA VIEW TOOLS menu. I select the View Style as "Repeating Form" and save, but when I view it in browser I see no option to add a new item.
I've found very limited information about repeating forms in sharepoint designer 2013 and no solid examples.
I can see further options such as:
DATA VIEW TOOLS -> OPTIONS -> Paging -> - Display set of [1/5/10/30] items
But changing this seems to have no effect - in fact it seems to trigger some instability where on some occasions the page will no longer save after changing these settings.
Sorry for a lengthy question but I'm fairly new to sharepoint so I wanted to provide more info - I have a clear understanding of what I need to achieve but not such a clear understanding of how to do it! Is SPD the right solution for what I need - if so why don't I see expected behaviour? Is there a better alternative?