Feature Articles

The purpose of this article is to give you a basic understanding of the principles of DotNetNuke®. At this point, don't be concerned about the execution of this information. We will cover all the details in our lesson tracks. For now, it is only important that you grasp the basic concepts for operating your website. We recommend reading this article before proceeding with the lesson tracks.

Skins and Content
Skins and content are the reasons that DotNetNuke® became so popular. In the early days, of web site design, all content and graphic design was intermingled into what was commonly known to programmers as spaghetti code. If you wanted to change the design look of your web site, it required endless hours of re-writing all the HTML on the pages. With the introduction of DotNetNuke®, you are now able to completely separate the look and feel (graphics) of your web site from the actual content (text). This is huge! Think of a web site that has been around for a number of years, the content is still relevant but the look is now outdated. With DotNetNuke®, you can create a new graphical skin and within minutes after uploading the new skin to your site, you have a completely fresh look to your web site with all existing content in tact.

Database Driven Content and Pages
The real power of DotNetNuke®, as a content management system, lies in the fact that DotNetNuke® uses a database to store all of its content.

In reality, even though your DotNetNuke® web site can conceivably present thousands of pages to the viewer, it consists of only one page (default.aspx).  It is the function of this database to supply the content to the skin of the website. The database informs your web site which content (modules) should appear on each virtual page that you have created for your site.

The benefit of storing your content in a database is that it allows you to update your content whenever and wherever you desire. You can update your content from anywhere where you have an Internet connection, by simply logging in to your web site, add or update content, and logging out. Your content is created instantly.

As I have mentioned above, you can create an unlimited number of virtual pages to your site. These pages can be added on the fly. if you want to re-name a page, change the title of a page, or change the sort order of how the pages appear in your site menu, DotNetNuke® offers all of these functions simply by changing this information in a page settings and then clicking update to save your changes to the database.

Modules and Content
To add any content to your website, DotNetNuke® uses Modules. Think of a module of a pre-built application that performs a specific function or task. The programming of the module is already done for you. There are many modules that are included free with your installation of DotNetNuke®. For example, a TEXT/HTML module to add content to your pages, a links module to add links to your pages, an events calendar module, and a feedback module to add a contact us form  are just a few of the applications (modules) to get you started creating your web site.

There are literally thousands of DotNetNuke®, ready made modules, that are available free or for purchase from the DotNetNuke® community. Whether your needs are to create a article management system, a YouTube type video gallery, photo gallery, or run your own eCommerce store, you will find a module to serve these purposes.

Containers (graphics that surround your modules)
As I previously mentioned, skins serve the purpose of surrounding the main content (modules) of your page with the graphics (look and feel of your site). Containers, allow you to select which graphics should be displayed around your individual modules. The combination of skins and containers give you tremendous control over the presentation layer of the page to your end user. If you don't have the necessary design abilities to create these containers, like modules, skins and containers are available for purchase, on the Internet, by many third party developers.

The point of all this:
By understanding the basic principles of DotNetNuke®, you are now ready to explore the video tutorials in lesson track 1  - Getting Started with DotNetNuke®. 

In lesson track 1 you will learn to:

• Understand the principles of DotNetNuke®.
• Register for the DotNetNuke® web site and download the DotNetNuke® application to your local machine – Video - Lesson 1
• Unpack the DotNetNuke® application zip file and upload the files to a web hosting server using a FTP program – Video - Lesson 2
• Modify the release.config file, save it as web.config, and complete the installation of our DotNetnuke® web site. – Video - Lesson 3
• Secure your DotNetNuke® portal and change the passwords for the admin and host accounts   – Video - Lesson 4
• Understand the administration control console, content panes, and modules – Video - Lesson 5
• Delete the existing modules from the home page – Video - Lesson 6
• Insert a TEXT/HTML module to the page – Video - Lesson 7

Lets get started!