Tuesday, November 03, 2009
First of all, you should go to this site to read about the ten reasons you should learn and use web standards. Next, you should travel to DNNCreative website to read an article by Stuart Colville entitled Become a better Standardista. Finally, you should travel to the Wrox site to read the Wrox Blox that Cuong Dang wrote on DotNetNuke and Web Standards.
Many companies need to sell to upper management why they should have a DotNetNuke site and web standards often comes up in this conversation. Cuong starts off by stating that the DotNetNuke team is working hard to push for a standard compliant framework with the release of DotNetNuke version 5 which is currently available for download at the DotNetNuke site.
The Blox then goes into a definition of Web Standards and the benefits of using them. This information can be found on several sites including the W3C site which would give you the most current information about web standards.
The article then starts to talk about web standards and DotNetNuke programming. This is why you need to get this blox. Cuong reviews HTML vs XHTML along with discussion on what DOCTYPE you should use for your project. In addition, he talks about CSS and DotNetNuke Skinning. Finally, he'll walk you through developing an example skin for your site.
The best part of this blox is the discussion about navigation and the difference between the DNNMenu and the HouseMenu.
The article closes by Cuong sharing his recommendation for module development and standards.
This is a good read and well worth the price because Cuong knows his stuff.
Here is his bio:
Cuong Dang is the Marketing Creative Director overseeing the product user interface and on-line marketing at Engage Software. This position was created because of his talent in enhancing the user experience by bridging the gap between technology and the general audience.
With more than four years experience with web standards, Cuong currently works with clients of all sizes, from small businesses to large corporations. His primary roles include creating and assisting with modules and web site usability. Since Engage became an Official DotNetNuke Training Provider, Cuong has started providing instruction on DotNetNuke skinning and module UI for business professionals. He was a technical reviewer for DotNetNuke Skinning Tutorial, a book published in May 2008 by PACKT Publishing Company. Cuong is a frequent speaker for DotNetNuke User Group meetings in St. Louis and a featured speaker for OpenForce North America and Tulsa TechFest.
In addition, he has extensive experience working with businesses in Southeast Asia. Prior to joining Engage Software, he was the Business Development Executive at Minh Phuong Co., Ltd. in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Because of his international business experience, Cuong was invited to be a frequent speaker for Maryville University MBA students about global marketing and management, focusing on the Southeast Asia region.
Cuong graduated from Maryville University of Saint Louis with a background in Marketing and Management with a focus on international studies.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
It appears that the pilots who flew 150 miles pass their destination had their eyes fixed on laptop computers in their cockpit and forgot they were flying an Airbus A320 with 144 passengers on board. New Safety Laws will go into effect but wow, where's the common sense of these two pilots?
Sad to say that everyone of us sees this kind of negligence driving in our cars on the way to work. Cell phone users, people trying to text and drivers with a laptop staring at the screen instead of paying attention to the road.
This plane dodged a big bullet and you have to wonder about peoples common sense driving a jet, car, or whatever.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
I've been looking at this skinning creator program for $129.95 from Artisteer for a while now and sure enough DotNetNuke skinning rookies will be able to create their own skins and apply them on their own sites. It appears that the DotNetNuke community is starting to endorse this product as well.
The product has been out for a while now and its advertised as a way to change your theme using Joomia, Drupal and WordPress. Now, they have added support for DotNetNuke skins and DotNetNuke users have started to explore this product to use on their sites.
Every software product has it's pro's and con's. Quite frankly, professional skinners should not be worried about losing client business because there are some drawbacks at using the product. For example, it supports only horizontal menus and not vertical. It only has the skin created in the Content Pane and there are problems with containers with this version of the product. You still need to know skinning to be able to look at the created files and tweak them.
However, the folks at Artisteer seem to be listening to the DNN users because breadcrumbs was not added to the product at first and then the current version includes breadcrumbs. So, who knows what changes may be made on future releases of the product but it does appear that the company is listening to its users.
The product itself is very easy to use. In fact, you can keep clicking the 
Suggest Design Ideas to see various design schemes automatically
Here's an example:
What is nice about this product is that you don't need to use Photoshop to create anything. It's all here. For example, look at the menu buttons you can use:
When you are finished, you need to export the file to the DotNetNuke version you are using:
Export your DNN skin to your computer as a zip file. If you work with DotNetNuke 4, an additional ArtMenuSO.zip package (which is the menu module) will be generated along with the skin folder. To install the menu module in DotNetNuke 4, go to Module Definitions (Host -> Module Definitions) and select "Install New Module". You will then be prompted to find and select the ArtMenuSO.zip on your computer. Finally, click the "Install New Module" link.
This product is worth taking a look at and it should be interesting to see what gets updated in future versions.
Technorati Tags:
DotNetNuke,
skins
Monday, October 12, 2009
What is something that is longer than a magazine article and shorter than a book chapter? Give up?
It's a Wrox-Blox that Wiley has available online with some going for less than $10.00. Written by the best programmers in the their fields, Wrox Blox are short informational pieces and code that will help get you up-to-speed and keep you up-to-date. Build the knowledge you need quickly on a wide variety of topics.
In the DotNetNuke world, there are several of these available for you to review and stay current. Microsoft MVP, Antonio Chagoury has one available called Done in 60 Minutes: Building a Custom DotNetNuke Membership Provider. Here's some information on it: This Wrox Blox will give you a high-level overview of the core Membership Provider and its default implementation, (ASP.NET Membership), and demonstrate how to build and configure your own custom provider. The Provider Model is a design pattern introduced in .NET to provide a simple way to extend API functionality. DotNetNuke uses this architecture to allow some of its core functionality to be replaced without modifying core code.
Cuong Dang has is Wrox Blox on DotNetNuke and Web Standards.
This Wrox Blox demonstrates a web standards approach to building DotNetNuke skins by defining a flexible XHTML/CSS layout. This Wrox Blox also shows the differences between HTML and XHTML and provides recommendations to the module development process using web standards techniques.Professional web designers and developers are embracing web standards more than ever before. Many businesses are considering using the DotNetNuke framework for their next projects. The framework has great potential for worldwide adoption, from the small-business to the large-enterprise level. But when it comes to web standards, the framework is still lacking. DotNetNuke has already established its name as a robust system; it needs to be improved by using the latest technologies. This Wrox Blox encourages DotNetNuke developers to adopt the web standards approach.
I'm in the process of reading this Blox and will give a review of it in a future blog post. Finally, Joe Brinkman, aka, the accidental geek has a Blox on jQuery for ASP.NET Developers.
This Wrox Blox teaches you how to use jQuery with your ASP.NET-based websites. jQuery greatly simplifies JavaScript development and allows you to create highly interactive and responsive websites using the latest JavaScript and AJAX techniques. The author walks you through the jQuery API using a simple ASP.NET MVC application to highlight major topics, and shows how you can apply jQuery to your own applications. After learning the basics of using jQuery, you’ll discover how easy it is to use within your own ASP.NET projects. Whether you are using WebForms or the MVC framework, jQuery will greatly simplify your code. As you will quickly find out, jQuery really is the “write less, do more” framework.
These information just highlights some of the Wrox Blox that are available online. I suggest you check them out and learn more.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
There are several very good DotNetNuke books that are currently available but there are few reviews for those books. I found that to be odd because several people that I know either purchased the book or received it for free at a code camp event or user group meeting.
Your review is important to those that might be interested in purchasing the book. Please take the time and effort to support the authors who wrote the books. Tell us what you think. Did you like it? Not like it? Did the book help you? Let us know.
Thanks very much.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Today I ran into a problem when I tried to upgrade some Websites to DNN 5. I created my backups of the site and my database as I should do to prepare for an upgrade. My problem was that I didn't follow the proper upgrade path and I tried to skip one and ran into errors. I should have read Will Strohl's blog on this but I found a little bit of time to do this and then had to devout more time to fix it. Ever run into this?
So my web.config file was messed up and I immediately went to the DotNetNuke forum to try to get help. Sure enough someone already had the problem that I had and there was a response to make some changes in the file. I fired the site up and held my breath. The fix worked and I was happy.
Now, I need to find the time to upgrade correctly again. Thanks to the forum for the help. Go there if you need some help.
Technorati Tags:
DotNetNuke
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Well if you are, you won’t be soon when Microsoft takes down the YouTube video clone site. I just received the official announcement today via e-mail.
I had a couple of XNA games that my students created on the site. Here’s the official word:
Attention Soapbox Users,
MSN will no longer offer Soapbox, the user generated video service within MSN Video, as of August 31, 2009. Beginning on July 29, you will no longer be able to upload videos to Soapbox. People who have uploaded videos to Soapbox will have until August 31, 2009 to download them. Please make sure you download your videos by this date if you would like to keep them. We will have a notice running in the Soapbox service to remind you to download your videos. It is our goal that you download and keep all of the videos you uploaded that are important to you. Online video is a key part of the MSN experience and we will continue to offer a rich experience on MSN Video. We will also continue to invest in delivering great customer experiences, while keeping a keen eye on our business objectives during this tough economic climate. Thank you for your support of MSN Video. More details and download instructions are available at: http://video.msn.com/shutdown.html
Thank you for using Soapbox.
The MSN Video Team
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Today marks the day when the Orlando DotNetNuke User group officially has 200 members.
It was a year and half ago that I started this group with about 7 members who came and met on a Saturday morning to discuss issues relating to the best open source web portal, DotNetNuke. Will Strohl was there along with a co-worker. Will has been a great member and now great leader of the group.
More recently, Will was in charge of putting together the Day of DotNetNuke held last month at the Microsoft Office in Tampa, FL.
Many members are benefitting from this user group and I wish it continued grown and success.
Technorati Tags:
ODUG,
DotNetNuke
Saturday, June 20, 2009
So if you attended the Day of DotNetNuke in Tampa, FL last Saturday, you had to notice. There were many females in attendance. Some were there being good sports and attending with their husband/boyfriend. Some were w
eb designers who wanted to learn about DotNetNuke. This was much different than past events that I’ve attended.
I have spoken at many code camps in Florida and you have the typical geek whose overweight like me and has face hair or hasn’t shaved yet toting their laptops from room to room. This event was different.
So to all the females who came out last Saturday, Welcome. I hope DotNetNuke is getting female friendly. Thanks for coming to my session.
Technorati Tags:
DotNetNuke
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Kudos to Will Strohl for the countless hours he put in to organize the Day of DotNetNuke held in Tampa, FL today. Thanks to the sponsors, speakers and volunteers who made the day a huge success.
The official count for the day verified by Microsoft host Joe Healy was 138. Joe was a great host making everyone comfortable and he also was one of the speakers. Yes, Microsoft does love DotNetNuke! Joe would make a great WROX salesperson as he was trying to sell the WROX Professional DotNetNuke 5 book that I coauthored along with Floridians Darrel Hardy, Stan Schultes, Ryan Morgan, and Canadian Shaun Walker.
There was much to learn about DotNetNuke 5 and favorite 3rd party modules during the day. Gifford Watkins from Atlantic Webfitters traveled from Nova Scotia to speak at the event.
It was great to see everyone and a special thanks to DotNetNuke Corporation for sending Joe Brinkman to give the Official/Unofficial DotNetNuke State of the Union Address.
Friday, May 22, 2009
There have been a couple of builds already for the new version 5.1 of DotNetNuke. On the DotNetNuke site, there is even a thread for users to discuss any problems they are having with the builds and they are encouraged to log their problems or suggestions on their Gemini site.
The current build is 364 and there's already changes from the previous build. For example, here's the new Admin Settings:
One change from the previous build is that Google Analytics is now located here. You could find this setting under Admin> Site Settings and this new feature makes it easier to locate. This is primarily used to set up your site with Google Analytics and you need to sign up with google and get verified to do this.
When signing up with Google Webmaster Tools you will need to Verify your site ownership. Choose the "Upload an HTML file" method from the Google Verification screen. Enter the filename displayed ( ie. google53c0cef435b2b81e.html ) in the Verification textbox and click Create. Return to Google and select the Verify button.
Missing from the Control Panel is the Install Additional Modules link. To do this you will need to go to Host>Extensions and scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and then click on Batch Install Extensions and then select the Available Modules that you want to install.
In version 5 of DotNetNuke, only the Host can install modules and skins. Once available to the site, the Admin can add new modules or skins to their site.
Taken off the Control Panel was the aligning of modules on the Pane. What was added was a drop down list of the modules that you have on a pane. On the right of the Control Panel is a link to Host or Admin Console. Here's what it looks like:
These are the same settings that you get in the drop down list and you can see them all on a single page if you want.
One thing for sure is that DotNetNuke will require the current Microsoft .NET framework to be installed on your site. You'll get a warning under Host >Settings if your not current.
I'm looking forward to the final build. Hope you are too!
Technorati Tags:
DotNetNuke
Thursday, May 21, 2009
In the past, after backing up my SQL database and DNN site, I'd hold my breath when I upgraded my sites hoping and praying that all will be well after the upgrade. Today, I did the same when I upgraded to version 04.09.04. Low and behold, all did go well with the upgrade and the site came back up after the upgrade.
Here's what the upgrade has to offer:
What's New in 04.09.04
Major Highlights
- Fixed a major module caching issue which resulted in empty content for webcrawlers
- Improved performance of FormatRemoveSQL method
Security Fixes
Updated Modules/Providers
The following modules and providers have been updated in the 4.9.4 packages. Please see the specific project pages for notes on what bugs or enhancements were corrected with each release.
Modules
Providers
- Removed the AD Provider so that it cannot be installed by the Install Wizard. It can still be manually installed.
I like to stay current with my version of DotNetNuke and I'd advise you to do the same. Check my Security posts in my blog as to why you should. Good luck with your upgrade.
Technorati Tags:
DotNetNuke,
Upgrades
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
DotNetNuke Co-Founder, Nik Kalyani, has added some new webinars to attend. The most popular is a demonstration of DotNetNuke. Here's the webinar information on that one:
DotNetNuke is the leading open source solution for website content management and web application development on Microsoft ASP.NET. Nik will demonstrate how easy it is to create and maintain your website using DotNetNuke. He will discuss the flexible open framework and show how easy it is to add functionality to your website by adding modules. He will also talk about the concept of skinning and how easy it makes customizing the look of a website for novices or website professionals alike.
Tom Kraak, from Seablick Consultion is doing one on Search Engine Optimization. Tom was recently at the Orlando DotNetNuke User Group meeting and he knows his stuff about search engines and DotNetNuke so you won't want to miss this webinar.
Join us as we discuss DNN search engine optimization with expert Tom Kraak. We'll start with the basics of SEO, then learn how search engines work and the difference between on-page and off-page SEO. Next we'll dive into a discussion on specific aspects impacting SEO in DNN and what you can do to ensure that your DNN-based website gets high ranking in search results. The session will last for one hour followed by a 30-min Q&A segment.
Nik is doing a good one on Module Development, Skinning, and an Introduction to the Professional Version of DotNetNuke.
Modular Development:
In this DNN Fundamentals session, we describe the process of creating a DNN module. Targeted to ASP.NET developers who want to get started with DNN module development, this session will help you understand how modules fit into the overall DNN framework, how they are developed, packaged and deployed. The session will use C# as the development language, but the concepts can also be used for developing in VB.NET or any other CLR-compliant language.
Skin Design:
In this DNN Fundamentals session, we describe the process of creating a DNN skin. Targeted at web designers who want to get started with DNN skin design, this session will help you understand the role of skins in the the overall DNN framework, how they are designed, packaged and deployed. We'll also visit some great-looking DNN-based websites and discuss the skins used on these sites.
Professional Edition Overview:
In this DNN Fundamentals session, we review DNN Professional Edition. We'll start with an overview of DNN's capabilities and architecture, then explore features specific to the Professional Edition. We'll explain why Professional Edition is important for businesses that want to use DNN for mission-critical scenarios and answer your questions about this edition of DNN.
Nik is a DotNetNuke pro and does a great job in his webinar training. All these are for free!
Technorati Tags:
DotNetNuke,
Webinar
Monday, May 18, 2009
ODUG President, Will Strohl, has been a busy guy lately organizing the Day Of DotNetNuke which will be held in Tampa, FL on Saturday, June 13th. There are 30 sessions planned for the day.
Do you recognize any of these names as authors, Code Camp Speakers, Microsoft MVP's, Forum Contributors, DotNetNuke Leaders?
Joe Brinkman
Chris Hammond
Stan Schultes
Cuong Dang
Darrell Hardy
David Pablicko
Gifford Watkins
Henry Lee
Jeff Cochran
Jim Begley
Joe Healy
Mitchell Sellers
Paul Scarlett
Ralph Williams
Ryan Morgan
Tom Kraak
Tony Valenti
Tracy Wittenkeller
Will Morgenweck
Will Strohl
Brian Scarbeau
They all will be speaking that day. Go to the site, register fast because the venue can only hold 200. Hope to see you there!
Friday, May 08, 2009
Do you care about security? You should and you should also stay updated on security issues with the platform that you have your site on. That's why you need to come to the Security Bulletins Policy section on the DotNetNuke site to stay current on any potential threats.
Here's what they go through and evaluate issues:
Severity Levels
Each confirmed issue is first assigned a severity level (Critical, Moderate, or Low) corresponding to its potential impact on the security of DotNetNuke installations.
- Critical—A security issue is rated critical if it can be exploited by a remote attacker to gain access to DotNetNuke data or functionality. All critical issue security bulletins include a recommended workaround or fix that should be applied as soon as possible.
- Moderate—A security issue is rated moderate if it can compromise data or functionality on a portal/website only if some other condition is met (e.g. a particular module or a user within a particular role is required). Moderate issue security bulletins typically include recommended actions to resolve the issue.
- Low—A security issue is rated low if it is very difficult to exploit or has a limited potential impact.
The Security Task Force then issues a security bulletin via the DotNetNuke security blog, forum posts and, where judged necessary, email. The bulletin provides details about the issue, the DotNetNuke versions impacted, and suggested fixes or workarounds.
Here's the latest threat and another reason why you need to upgrade your site to the most current version of DotNetNuke.
HTML/Script Code Injection Vulnerability
Published: April 1, 2009
Version: 1.0
Maximum Severity Rating: Low
Background
To support paypal IPN functionality, DotNetNuke posts information to and receives status information from the paypal webservice. To do this it uses a name/value pair as part of the request, which is echoed to the form action attribute to ensure that any actions post to the correct page.
Issue Summary
It was possible to amend the name/value pairs and inject html/script which could allow hackers to perform cross-site scripting attacks.
Mitigating factors
If your site is not using paypal functionality, you can delete or rename (to a non aspx extension) the file at Website\admin\Sales\paypalipn.aspx
Affected DotNetNuke versions
All
Non-Affected Versions:
N/A
Fix(s) for issue
To fix this problem, you are recommended to update to the latest version of DotNetNuke (4.9.3 at time of writing)
Acknowledgments
N/A
Security Policy
Technorati Tags:
DotNetNuke,
Security
Thursday, May 07, 2009
So I just spent an hour attending the DotNetNuke Corporation Webinar entitled DotNetNuke Demonstration. Needless to say, I'm a fan of DotNetNuke and I can't get enough knowledge of the product. Nik began the session by defining what the product DotNetNuke is and how easy it was to design a site. He then gave a brief explanation of the community and professional version of DotNetNuke. Next, he spoke briefly of the technology used which consisted of DotNetNuke, ASP.NET, .NET. IIS, a Windows Server and a SQL Server. The next topic was about Architecture and how DotNetNuke was a Web Content Management System and a Web Application Framework. Nik then went on to discuss how you can have as many portals that you want with one DotNetNuke installation and how you can have as many users of your portal as well. Next came a discussion on what goes on pages. He demonstrated how skins get placed on a portal and how modules get placed as well on a page. He then went to create a new page and how you can just put one skin on that page. He created an event using the Schedule module and showed how to install an new module that is not part of DotNetNuke.
Finally, Nik showed several different websites that used the product. All in all, it was very informative. You can go to the DotNetNuke site to view the recorded webinar if you want.
Here's a schedule of future webinars:
DotNetNuke Demonstration
10 am PDT, May 21 (World Time)
Nik Kalyani, Co-founder
Click Here
DotNetNuke Deep Dive
10 am PDT, June 3 (World Time)
TBD
Coming Soon
Here's some information about Nik:
Nik Kalyani
Nik Kalyani (MVP) has over 15 years of experience as a technology professional and entrepreneur. His previous companies include Definiti, Inc., a software consulting company (acquired), iWidgets, Inc. a venture-funded Internet startup (folded) and Speerio, Inc., a software components company (IP acquired by DotNetNuke Corp.). He is a member of the Steering Committe of the OpenAjax Alliance and is the founder of DotNetNuke user groups in Washington, D.C. and Silicon Valley. Nik has a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science from Western Michigan University. He blogs at TechBubble.
Technorati Tags:
DotNetNuke
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
Will Strohl was able to get Joe Brinkman from the DotNetNuke Corporation to do the Keynote at the Day of DotNetNuke to be held next month in Tampa, FL.
Joe Brinkman
Joe Brinkman (MVP) is a co-founder and the VP of Core Technology of DotNetNuke Corp. With over 22 years of IT experience and a Computer Science degree from the United States Naval Academy, he brings broad experience in a variety of software and hardware architectures. Joe was the CTO for DataSource Inc. where he led the development of Jetson, a J2EE development tool that automated many of the difficult tasks with creating and deploying EJB-based applications. Joe has also co-authored two popular books on DotNetNuke, and is currently working on a third. His areas of focus on the team include business strategy, technology architecture, and advanced technology development.
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
There are two current blogs on the DNN site that is worth looking at to stay current on DotNetNuke news. One is from Scott Willhite and it includes a good outline from a recent team meeting. This is worth reading if you are looking to win a prize at the upcoming Day Of DotNetNuke. For example, in my session, I may ask true or false, DotNetNuke is planning on having a skinning contest. Or, name one of the coolest new features in DNN version 5.1. I'll have something to give out for the correct answers. So go read his blog for the answers.
The next blog worth reading is from co-author of Professional DotNetNuke 5, Open Source Web Application Framework for ASP.NET book and Chief Architect Shaun Walker. Shaun discusses the changes at DotNetNuke Corporation and why he's been so quiet lately.
Both blogs are worth reading.
Monday, May 04, 2009
DotNetNuke Co-Founder, Nik Kalyani will be the leader for a series of Webinars.
Here's the schedule:
Title
Time and Date
Presenter
Registration
DotNetNuke Demonstration
10 am PDT, May 7 (World Time)
Nik Kalyani, Co-founder
Click Here
DotNetNuke Demonstration
10 am PDT, May 21 (World Time)
Nik Kalyani, Co-founder
Click Here
DotNetNuke Deep Dive
10 am PDT, June 3 (World Time)
TBD
Coming Soon
Sign up & learn more from Nik.
Technorati Tags:
Webinar,
DotNetNuke
Saturday, May 02, 2009
If you do, then the call for speakers is open for the huge event called Day of DotNetNuke which is being held on Saturday, June 13 in Tampa, FL. You'll have until May 13th to submit your proposal.
Here are some simple Day of DNN ground rules when thinking about and submitting your sessions:
- ALL sessions should related directly to and display ONLY DotNetNuke version 5
- Choosing a session from the list below will increase your odds of being chosen
- Session ideas are very welcome
- Your abstract for the session should be as descriptive as possibe
- You may submit as many sessions as you want, but only 1 or 2 might be chosen
Check out the site for more information. I'll be speaking along with ODUG Prez Will Strohl and all the authors who co wrote the Wrox book Professional DotNetNuke 5: Open Source Web Application Framework for ASP.NET
Join us in Tampa in June!