Module Development

In this tutorial we demonstrate how to use shadow / copied modules. This is an essential and powerful administration task that can enhance your DotNetNuke portals and reduce administration time.

Shadow or Copied modules can be used to update the same content on several pages from one central area.

Following this we then demonstrate how you can use SQL queries to easily maintain these copied modules.

The SQL techniques outlined in this tutorial are very powerful techniques for easily and quickly manipulating multiple copied modules across thousands of pages in a DotNetNuke portal.

The videos contain:

• Video 1 - Introduction, Shadow Modules, Add Existing Module
• Video 2 - Copy Module to All Pages and Reordering Modules
• Video 3 - SQL Queries to Update the Module Order in Content Panes
• Video 4 - How to Update the Container for All Shadow / Copied Modules in a Portal Using SQL
• Video 5 - Using SQL to Update a Module Container to a New Container Based on the Name of the Old Container

Total Time Length: 42mins

In this tutorial we demonstrate using SQL queries for working with DotNetNuke security roles and users.

Using SQL queries can help you to easily maintain and manipulate the registered user and security role data in your DotNetNuke portal. These SQL query methods are ideal for managing users of your DotNetNuke portal for email newsletters, paid subscriptions, etc.

If you do not have any experience of SQL, we demonstrate how you can use the built in Query Editor in SQL Server Express to build your own SQL queries.

The videos contain:

• Video 1 - Introduction to SQL queries and How to Use The Query Editor
• Video 2 - Exporting Users and Removing Security Roles using SQL

Total Time Length: 16mins

In this tutorial we provide a quick start guide to using SQL queries with SQL Server Express. In particular we demonstrate how to set up SQL Server Express so that you can execute SQL queries on your DotNetNuke database, on both a local and a live database.

This tutorial helps you to set up SQL Server Management Studio Express and execute a basic query, following this tutorial you can then progress onto the more advanced SQL query tutorials.

The videos contain:

• Video 1 - How to Attach a DotNetNuke Database to SQL Server Express using Windows Vista
• Video 2 - How to Create a User Account and set up Permissions
• Video 3 - How to Edit the Web.config Connection String
• Video 4 - How to Create a SQL Query, How to Connect to a Live Database

Total Time Length: 29mins

In this tutorial we demonstrate how to install DotNetNuke v4.8.1 to Windows Vista. You can install DotNetNuke to Vista home premium, business, and ultimate editions.

We walk you through how to configure and install the required programmes for installing DotNetNuke using a fresh installation of Windows Vista Ultimate, once we have setup the required programmes we then demonstrate how to install DotNetNuke to Vista Ultimate.

The videos cover:

• Video 1 - Introduction, configuring Vista, installing IIS and downloading SQL Server
• Video 2 - Installing SQL Server Express
• Video 3 - Configuring IIS
• Video 4 - Installing DotNetNuke and initial configuration

Total Time Length: 33mins

In this tutorial we demonstrate how to setup and use Microsoft’s Virtual PC 2007. Virtual PC is available for free download and it allows you to run multiple operating systems at the same time within one physical computer.

Virtual PC virtualizes the hardware of a physical computer; this means that a Virtual PC uses a standard hardware configuration which is not reliant on the hardware of the host computer. Therefore you can transfer a Virtual PC to another host computer without any software driver issues.

There are many possibilities for improving your working environment by using Virtual PC and in this tutorial we provide a quick start guide to Virtual PC.

The videos cover:

• Video 1 - Introduction and installation of Virtual PC
• Video 2 - Installation of Windows Vista to Virtual PC

Total Time Length: 17mins

In this tutorial we demonstrate how to setup the PayPal Sandbox test environment. This allows you to create test PayPal buyer and seller accounts which you can then use to test the selling of products within DotNetNuke.

For instance, if you are using the DotNetNuke store core module, there is an option within the admin settings to use the PayPal sandbox, if you tick this option the store will ask for payment via the sandbox rather than the main PayPal website. This allows you to log in as a test user and send dummy test payments.

This is an essential technique for your ecommerce toolbox.

Time Length: 13mins

In this tutorial we demonstrate how to use Token Replacement which is available for DotNetNuke versions 4.6 and above.

Token replacement allows you to display information such as the username, date, portal title etc. and you can display this information directly within the text of your modules.

Token Replacement is currently available for the Text / HTML, Newsletter and User Defined Table (UDT) core modules, and it is likely that it will be included in other core modules in future releases as well.

Time Length: 13mins

(Red Gate - SQL Data Compare)

In this tutorial we explore the development and deployment of a DotNetNuke website that is already online. - How to synchronise a local installation with a live installation.

In this tutorial we demonstrate how to add updates to the local version and apply those updates to the live version while keeping both versions completely synchronised and without taking the live site offline and vice versa.

We demonstrate how you can synchronize a live hosted website using SQL Server 2005 with a localhost installation using SQL Server Express.

The videos cover:

• Video 1 - Introduction, Setup, Comparing Databases, Viewing Data
• Video 2 - Editing the local installation and comparing with the live installation
• Video 3 - Synching local database to live and live to local
• Video 4 - Synching multiple simultaneous edits on live and local installations

Total Time Length: 33mins

In this tutorial we demonstrate how you can enable additional users without the administrator security role, access to the pages from the DotNetNuke admin menu.

There are many times when you may want to give a user who edits the content of your site access to the 'Pages’ or ‘Newsletters’ menu items, but at the same time, you may not wish to give them any further access to the admin menu, such as access to the ‘Site Settings’.

In this tutorial we outline how you can give users additional rights to access individual pages from the admin menu.

Time Length: 11mins

In this tutorial we demonstrate how to use and create page templates in DotNetNuke. Page templates allow you to add modules, data, and configuration settings to a page when you first create a new page.

This is a fantastic time saving tool, for instance if you have certain modules that you regularly need to add to a page, you can do this automatically with a page template. If you have content in a Text / HTML module that you always use as a starting point, you can have default content added to a module through a page template.

The videos cover:

• Video 1 - Introduction, default page template, code explanation
• Video 2 - The simple method for creating a page template
• Video 3 - Completing your first page template
• Video 4 - A complex page template with multiple modules

Total Time Length: 32mins