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In this issue we have converted 5 open source html templates into DotNetNuke skins.

These templates have been chosen due to their different design and CSS techniques used. Each of these template designs used a different approach while converting them to a DotNetNuke skin, so you will be able to view the code and learn from this variety of implementations.

Skins:

	Lazy Days Fluid design, re-size the browser window and view how the balloons and buildings move. View the text styling, especially the implementation of blockquotes. The DotNetNuke control panel in this skin had to be moved to the bottom of the page so it would not interfere with the design.
	Zenlike Fluid design centred with a background image. This skin presented an interesting challenge when converting to DotNetNuke, especially so that the background image would not interfere when administrating in DNN. The control panel in this skin is placed underneath the main header.
	Bitter Sweet Stylish fixed width skin. The main challenge for this skin was the layout of the panes in DotNetNuke, if a pane did not contain any content, the layout collapsed. This was fixed by changing and improving the original CSS of the XHTML template so that it is suitable for a CMS. Notice how the title backgrounds extend outside the text in the content pane.
	Greenery Interesting fixed width design with an image cutting the skin in half. This presented interesting challenges when implementing the right pane in DotNetNuke and preventing the pane dropping below the main content in IE6.
	Dark Ritual Fixed width 3 pane skin. Dark background skins always present a challenge in DotNetNuke when working in the administration area. A 1 pane skin was created with a white background in the content area for administration tasks, along with special styling for the FCK editor so that content can be viewed when adding images and links using the FCK editor.

View issue 34 to download all of the videos in one zip file

Following on from our special SQL issue last month, we are dedicating another full issue to improving the efficiency of your administration time with DotNetNuke using SQL queries.

The SQL methods we show you this month are very powerful techniques which will reduce weeks of work into seconds. These tutorials are especially useful if you are re-skinning a large DotNetNuke installation.

To begin with we demonstrate how to update the Page Settings of a page using SQL queries.

We then demonstrate how to use SQL queries to delete a group of modules from a page, move modules between content panes and insert a copy of a module to a page. If you were to manually move, delete and insert modules when re-skinning your DotNetNuke installation it could take up to 10 minutes per page, for a 500 page website this would take 5000 minutes. Using SQL queries will allow you to apply changes across your entire site within seconds.

Following this we take a look at the DotNetNuke SQL Module. This module comes free with DotNetNuke and is only available to the host user on your DotNetNuke installation. This module allows you to execute SQL queries without the need for SQL Server Express. Although we thoroughly recommend you use SQL Server Express to build and check your queries, this module is very useful if you already have a good understanding of SQL queries.

And finally, we demonstrate how to work with Skins and Containers in DotNetNuke using SQL queries. In the previous tutorials we demonstrated how to change a container on a single page, in this tutorial we show you how to change the container for a copied module that is displayed on all or several pages, how to change the container of a module to a new container based on the name of the old container, and how to change the skin of a page to a new skin based on the name of the old skin.

As you can see, using all of the techniques outlined in this issue will literally save you weeks of work.

This issue comes complete with 11 videos.


Tutorials:

Administrators:	How to Update the DotNetNuke Page Settings Using SQL Queries (2 videos - 19mins)
	Administrating modules in DotNetNuke using SQL (5 videos - 35mins)
	The DotNetNuke SQL Core Module (1 video - 5mins)
	Administrating Skins and Containers using SQL (3 videos - 24mins)

View issue 33 to download all of the videos in one zip file

This is a very special issue dedicated to improving the efficiency of your administration time with DotNetNuke.

In particular we focus on using SQL queries to automate some of the repetitive tasks that you have to carry out as an administrator on a DotNetNuke portal.

These are very powerful techniques which for large DotNetNuke websites can reduce a week of work into seconds.

If you are new to SQL you can follow each of these tutorials through step by step. To begin with we provide a quick start guide to using SQL queries with SQL Server Express. We demonstrate how to set up SQL Server Management Studio Express using Windows Vista so that you can execute a basic query on both a localhost and live DotNetNuke database.

Following this we demonstrate using SQL queries for working with DotNetNuke security roles and users, focusing on exporting registered users to Excel and removing users from a security role based on their email address.

To finish we demonstrate working with 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. We 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 and are particularly useful if you are re-skinning an already established site.

This issue comes complete with 11 videos.


Tutorials:

Administrators:	Introduction to SQL Queries with SQL Server Express, DotNetNuke and Vista (4 videos - 30mins)
	SQL Queries for Exporting DotNetNuke Users and Working with Security Roles (2 videos - 17mins)
	Working with Shadow / Copied Modules and SQL in DotNetNuke (5 videos - 42mins)

View issue 32 to download all of the videos in one zip file

In this issue we demonstrate how to install DotNetNuke to Windows Vista and how to use Virtual PC 2007. To begin with, we walk you through how to configure and install the required programmes for DotNetNuke using a fresh installation of Windows Vista Ultimate and then demonstrate the installation of DotNetNuke to Windows Vista.

Following this, we show you how to setup and use Microsoft’s Virtual PC 2007. 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.

Virtual PC is ideal for setting up various applications when working with DotNetNuke. 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.

This issue comes complete with 6 videos.


Tutorials:

Administrators:	How to install DotNetNuke to Vista (4 videos – 33mins)
	How to setup and use Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 (2 videos – 17mins)

View issue 31 to download all of the videos in one zip file

This issue covers E-commerce in DotNetNuke. We begin with the DotNetNuke Store core module. We demonstrate in detail the various configurations that are available with the store so that you can sell your own products using DotNetNuke. We cover elements such as configuration, tax, shipping, categories, products, accounts, managing, CSS, styling, templates, testing and PayPal.

This leads onto the next tutorial which demonstrates how to setup and use the PayPal Developer Sandbox. This allows you to test dummy transactions from a seller to a merchant account without sending any actual money. This is an essential technique for testing your DotNetNuke stores.

Alongside the tutorials we have reviewed four DotNetNuke store modules, the AliCommerce shopping cart, CATALook store, AspDotNetStoreFront and Active Purchase.

This issue comes complete with 9 videos.


Tutorials:

Administrators:	DotNetNuke store core module (8 videos – 72mins)
	How to setup and use the PayPal Sandbox (1 video – 13mins)
Module Reviews:	AspDotNetStoreFront Module
	Active Purchase Module
	CATALook Store Module

View issue 30 to download all of the videos in one zip file