I have been trying to find a CMS solution for sometime now. A solution that as a web designer allows me to create the xHTML/CSS/ASP to do the job.
As a touted ASP.net based solution I gave it a try. Unfortunately Umbraco is geek central so documentation is laughable. I would run through a top on say Templates and find it half written or “check back soon”. This is a crazy situation and from my attempts to get what I need seems to the main problem putting people off learning Umbraco or using it.
HOWEVER, Many of the other CMS for ASP although have better support make you rely on third party skinning of dubious design.
SO I am back with Umbraco and have figured the File Types and Templates but am seriously stuck with integration with ASP.net
You see one of the benefits of using a CMS that is also written in the language you know is that Integration should be a breeze. Its not, Umbraco written in ASP.net is totally inconsequential.
An ASP.net website is typically constructed of xHTML, CSS and ASPX files with corresponding business logic classes and code-behind for event handlers etc.
My question is how do I migrate my existing ASP.net websites that have code-behind, events, additional classes with AJAX & Telerik controls into Umbraco?
Moan over. Would really like to use Umbraco because it’s easy and fast and sort of does the job, as long as you don’t use ASP.net
Have you tried to create a site in Umbraco? If not, please do so and then import the CWS Website Starter package (http://our.umbraco.org/projects/creative-website-starter-%28cws%29)
Umbraco is one of the only CMS that allows a developer to work 'purely' in ASP.NET without enforcing any development methodogies or APIs.
The beauty of Umbraco, from a developers view point, is that you don't have to have knowledge of how Umbraco works for integration purposes. Just develop your UserControls as normal and you can use them.
To suggest "as long as you don’t use ASP.net" is just crazy. It shows a fundemental lacking in your understanding of this solution works.
If you have a particular problem migrating an ASP.NET page to umbraco or don't understand how to do it, please give some details and I'm sure the community will help out.
"As a touted ASP.net based solution I gave it a try. Unfortunately Umbraco is geek central so documentation is laughable. I would run through a top on say Templates and find it half written or “check back soon”. This is a crazy situation and from my attempts to get what I need seems to the main problem putting people off learning Umbraco or using it."
Agree, documentation is still a weak point, but do remind that:
- we have a wiki section on this our.umbraco.org which may get you started!
- a whole community that is willing to help you out with almost any question. It's probably the most friendly community you'll ever find. People do share lots of info, tips and tricks on forum post, wiki pages, blogs and the like.
- we have umbraco.tv which comes at a very reasonable price (and if you don't like it, you just unsubscribe) and contains hours of video on how to build/create/integrate asp.net website using the umbraco platform.
"An ASP.net website is typically constructed of xHTML, CSS and ASPX files with corresponding business logic classes and code-behind for event handlers etc."
umbraco is more of a website platform/framework than a asp.net website (even though it's written in asp.net/c#). It also doesn't interfere with your existing asp.net applications. Both can co-exist (currently umbraco still needs to be at root of the web, but that'll change in the near future)
"My question is how do I migrate my existing ASP.net websites that have code-behind, events, additional classes with AJAX & Telerik controls into Umbraco?"
You want my honest opinion? You don't, as there's no need to migrate existing websites, unless you have a specific reason for that? Do you?
"Moan over. Would really like to use Umbraco because it’s easy and fast and sort of does the job, as long as you don’t use ASP.net"
Agree with Chris, it just doesn't make sense to make such a statement. I know of many people who don't have a programming background but do create stunning websites. And for the parts that don't fit their bill, they just ask the community to help them out, that's what umbraco is all about, that's what the community is about!
'nough said, I'll get back to my current work, integrating user controls in umbraco and building new umbraco sections to integrage 3rd party data with the umbraco backend!
Streety - to use your classes in your umbraco site, just compile them and then copy the dll's into the bin directory. And if you want code-behind and events, then instead of creating aspx pages, you just need to create ASP.Net user controls and include them in your templates as Umbraco macros - as explained in the video suggested above by anthony.
Whilst I seem to have a touched a nerve with Chris & Dirk I'd like to say that its not easy, I am work 80% in the dark with this with no time. I appreciate that this is open source and FREE.
as long as you don’t use ASP.net was becuase I couldn't see how to tie in the asp.net elements with umbraco.
"as there's no need to migrate existing websites, unless you have a specific reason for that?" Err yes I don have a specific reason Duh"!
I'd like to say thank you for your responces. Perhaps when I finially get to grips with it I'll write a newbie Startup guide for Designers and not Geeks.
Streety, many thanks for your feedback. I must say we really appreciate such initiatives and hope to see your newbie startup guide in the future. you didn't our nerves, in fact, i just hope we can discuss such things even more, as this is great feedback towards the core team as well, who's certainly aware of such criticism. Enough for the talk, so hope you enjoy your learning process and do be aware of the fact that we're here to help you, so feel free to post more questions that are troubling you.
A quick note regarding User controls. Whilst I have been using user controls in my websites I seldom use user controls with Datasources for gridviews etc.
How would you write a user control for integration into umbraco calling a datasource which usually gets its connection string from web.config.
Can I add my own connection strings in the umbraco web.config and will the user control pick it up.
It's plain old asp.net 2.0, add the extra connection string to your web.config (there's a specific section for that) and you can use any ORM or whatever method/technique to get your data. I've done similar stuff in the past, I've created a new SqlHelper (similar to the umbraco one) and use that SqlHelper object to retrieve data from external sources.
Can you use Linq to sql? Sure, why not, as long as the server's config is ready for linq!
Newbie Question? Converting existing ASP.net Apps
Hello,
I have been trying to find a CMS solution for sometime now. A solution that as a web designer allows me to create the xHTML/CSS/ASP to do the job.
As a touted ASP.net based solution I gave it a try. Unfortunately Umbraco is geek central so documentation is laughable. I would run through a top on say Templates and find it half written or “check back soon”. This is a crazy situation and from my attempts to get what I need seems to the main problem putting people off learning Umbraco or using it.
HOWEVER, Many of the other CMS for ASP although have better support make you rely on third party skinning of dubious design.
SO I am back with Umbraco and have figured the File Types and Templates but am seriously stuck with integration with ASP.net
You see one of the benefits of using a CMS that is also written in the language you know is that Integration should be a breeze. Its not, Umbraco written in ASP.net is totally inconsequential.
An ASP.net website is typically constructed of xHTML, CSS and ASPX files with corresponding business logic classes and code-behind for event handlers etc.
My question is how do I migrate my existing ASP.net websites that have code-behind, events, additional classes with AJAX & Telerik controls into Umbraco?
Moan over. Would really like to use Umbraco because it’s easy and fast and sort of does the job, as long as you don’t use ASP.net
Have you tried to create a site in Umbraco? If not, please do so and then import the CWS Website Starter package (http://our.umbraco.org/projects/creative-website-starter-%28cws%29)
Umbraco is one of the only CMS that allows a developer to work 'purely' in ASP.NET without enforcing any development methodogies or APIs.
The beauty of Umbraco, from a developers view point, is that you don't have to have knowledge of how Umbraco works for integration purposes. Just develop your UserControls as normal and you can use them.
To suggest "as long as you don’t use ASP.net" is just crazy. It shows a fundemental lacking in your understanding of this solution works.
With that said....
If you have a particular problem migrating an ASP.NET page to umbraco or don't understand how to do it, please give some details and I'm sure the community will help out.
Chris
Hi Streety,
"As a touted ASP.net based solution I gave it a try. Unfortunately Umbraco is geek central so documentation is laughable. I would run through a top on say Templates and find it half written or “check back soon”. This is a crazy situation and from my attempts to get what I need seems to the main problem putting people off learning Umbraco or using it."
Agree, documentation is still a weak point, but do remind that:
- we have a wiki section on this our.umbraco.org which may get you started!
- a whole community that is willing to help you out with almost any question. It's probably the most friendly community you'll ever find. People do share lots of info, tips and tricks on forum post, wiki pages, blogs and the like.
- we have umbraco.tv which comes at a very reasonable price (and if you don't like it, you just unsubscribe) and contains hours of video on how to build/create/integrate asp.net website using the umbraco platform.
"An ASP.net website is typically constructed of xHTML, CSS and ASPX files with corresponding business logic classes and code-behind for event handlers etc."
umbraco is more of a website platform/framework than a asp.net website (even though it's written in asp.net/c#). It also doesn't interfere with your existing asp.net applications. Both can co-exist (currently umbraco still needs to be at root of the web, but that'll change in the near future)
"My question is how do I migrate my existing ASP.net websites that have code-behind, events, additional classes with AJAX & Telerik controls into Umbraco?"
You want my honest opinion? You don't, as there's no need to migrate existing websites, unless you have a specific reason for that? Do you?
"Moan over. Would really like to use Umbraco because it’s easy and fast and sort of does the job, as long as you don’t use ASP.net"
Agree with Chris, it just doesn't make sense to make such a statement. I know of many people who don't have a programming background but do create stunning websites. And for the parts that don't fit their bill, they just ask the community to help them out, that's what umbraco is all about, that's what the community is about!
'nough said, I'll get back to my current work, integrating user controls in umbraco and building new umbraco sections to integrage 3rd party data with the umbraco backend!
Cheers,
/Dirk
have you checked out umbraco tv.
This screen cast will show you how to add user controls, very simple
http://umbraco.org/documentation/videos/for-developers/foundation/using-net-user-controls
Streety - to use your classes in your umbraco site, just compile them and then copy the dll's into the bin directory. And if you want code-behind and events, then instead of creating aspx pages, you just need to create ASP.Net user controls and include them in your templates as Umbraco macros - as explained in the video suggested above by anthony.
Thanks Jonok. I'll try that.
Whilst I seem to have a touched a nerve with Chris & Dirk I'd like to say that its not easy, I am work 80% in the dark with this with no time. I appreciate that this is open source and FREE.
as long as you don’t use ASP.net was becuase I couldn't see how to tie in the asp.net elements with umbraco.
"as there's no need to migrate existing websites, unless you have a specific reason for that?" Err yes I don have a specific reason Duh"!
I'd like to say thank you for your responces. Perhaps when I finially get to grips with it I'll write a newbie Startup guide for Designers and not Geeks.
Thanks again.
I'l also like to apologise for the questionable grammer and spelling in that last post.
Streety, many thanks for your feedback. I must say we really appreciate such initiatives and hope to see your newbie startup guide in the future. you didn't our nerves, in fact, i just hope we can discuss such things even more, as this is great feedback towards the core team as well, who's certainly aware of such criticism. Enough for the talk, so hope you enjoy your learning process and do be aware of the fact that we're here to help you, so feel free to post more questions that are troubling you.
cheers,
/Dirk
A quick note regarding User controls. Whilst I have been using user controls in my websites I seldom use user controls with Datasources for gridviews etc.
How would you write a user control for integration into umbraco calling a datasource which usually gets its connection string from web.config.
Can I add my own connection strings in the umbraco web.config and will the user control pick it up.
Sorry if this is trivial, which I am sure it is.
ALso can I use my Linq to SQL classes?
Many thanks
Streety,
It's plain old asp.net 2.0, add the extra connection string to your web.config (there's a specific section for that) and you can use any ORM or whatever method/technique to get your data. I've done similar stuff in the past, I've created a new SqlHelper (similar to the umbraco one) and use that SqlHelper object to retrieve data from external sources.
Can you use Linq to sql? Sure, why not, as long as the server's config is ready for linq!
Hope this helps.
Regards,
/Dirk
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