AjaxControlToolkit v3x for Umbraco

Umbraco versions 4.x currently ship with the AjaxControlToolkit version 1.x targeted at the .NET 2.0 platform. As a result, developers wishing to take advantage of the newer AjaxControlToolkit version 3.x will find that the admin section of Umbraco 4.x will no longer function properly after building a control that relies on the older version of the AjaxControlToolkit. This document explains how to install and configure your Visual Studio 2008 environment and project to work with the newest AjaxControlToolkit library and maintain the existing version required for umbraco to function properly.

Installation Pre-requisites:

This package currently works with Visual Studio 2008. It is not compatible with prior versions of Visual Studio and has not yet been tested in Visual Studio 2010.

Download The Source Package

To get started quickly, download the “AjaxControlToolkit v3x for Umbraco” package located at http://our.umbraco.org/projects/ajaxcontroltoolkit-v3x-for-umbraco. This package contains the DLL and PDB debugging symbols necessary to get started right away. Alternatively, you can download the source code for this project and build the project yourself. The source code can be found on the same page as the binary download.

Configure Visual Studio 2008

The fastest way to get started is to integrate the AjaxControlToolkit directly in the toolbox of Visual Studio 2008 allowing you to quickly add controls and extenders into your Umbraco user control projects.

Note: If you have a current version of the AjaxControlToolkit referenced in Visual Studio 2008, there can be compatibility or usability conflicts. It is recommended that you remove references to the version available from Codeplex before installing the Umbraco version. This is not the most convenient method of handling this integration, but minimizes referencing extenders incorrectly in your Umbraco projects.

Follow these steps to add the AjaxControlToolkit to your Visual Studio Toolbox:

1)      Unzip the files from the download above to your local directory.

2)      Start Visual Studio 2008

3)      Create a new ASP.NET Website by selecting the menu option File -> New Website. Double-click the Default.aspx in the Solution Explorer window to open the file editor.

4)      Right-click the Toolbox beneath the “General” tab and select the menu option “Add Tab”

5)      Enter a new tab names “AJAX Control Toolkit for Umbraco”

6)      Right-click beneath the “AJAX Control Toolkit for Umbraco” tab and select the menu option “Choose Items”

7)      Browse to the location where you unzipped the AJAX Control Toolkit for Umbraco and select the AjaxControlToolkit25.dll assembly.