Custom Modules

Re: DNN 4 Newbie: Creating a custom module

adefwebserver — Sun, 07 May 2006 14:08:02 GMT

jstawski:

How can I create an installation package for my custom module?

Thanks in advanced...

see the bottom of this post:

http://forums.asp.net/thread/1114393.aspx

Re: DNN 4 Newbie: Creating a custom module

eqx — Wed, 03 May 2006 02:22:28 GMT

I'm coming from a VS2005 VB.Net windows background; ASP.Net for only 1 week. Thanks to all the info and tutorials on this post, I have successfully created a new module. My question is created child window(s) from the main module window.

From the module's form, there are 2 buttons. When I click on each button1 and button2, I would like 2 new web forms to appear and all 3 viewable. In VB.Net terms non-modal. The child screens should have the same skin as the parent/DNN site to maintain a consistent look.

With my limited knowledge, I created 2 new forms, child1.aspx and child2.aspx, under the DNN root. The button1 and button2 click event does:

Response.redirect("child1.aspx") & Response.redirect("chidl2.aspx")

Does not work because the child web form is not "skinned" and replaces the parent web form.

I do not want to add new modules within the same page (or create new pages) and then create the child forms within them. I require the windows to be simultaneously viewable. Also, adding a new page would add them to the DNN menu; not what I want.

Thanks for any ideas.

Re: DNN 4 Newbie: Creating a custom module

jstawski — Wed, 26 Apr 2006 16:15:10 GMT

Michael,

First of all, thanks for the tutorial. It was helpfull to have a better understanding on the overall architecture of DNN V4 and also on custom modules. I do have one request/question. In my experience with DNN and installing modules, you can install a module by uploading a zip file and will do everything for you. I also seen you can create the module in a seperate project and therefore it won't affect the main portal's DLL. By following your step by step tutorial we're creating all the files within the main portal's website. Doesn't this affect the DLL? How can I create an installation package for my custom module?

Thanks in advanced...

Jonas

PS: you can now get the Spanish - Argentina language pack from here

Re: DNN 4 Newbie: Creating a custom module

fjreinders — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 16:30:16 GMT

Hai,

It is maybe a help to you that we have a program that creates your modules complete with source code. They can be used ready out of the box in your portal.

The source code of your module is generated by this program. Saves you a lot of time!

you can try it for free on http://www.dnnkickstart.com

Fokko Jan

Re: DNN 4 Newbie: Creating a custom module

emaynard — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 13:17:18 GMT

Sure, no problem.

Here is a very specific post relating to the 2 products I mention, but I am sure there are probably more out there as well.

http://forums.asp.net/thread/1057614.aspx

And here are their respective links on Snowcovered. I am not endorsing either product in particular, just the method as a valid alternative to creating a DNN without the need for wide-spread distribution.

http://www.snowcovered.com/snowcovered2/Default.aspx?tabid=166&CatalogItemID=2180
http://www.snowcovered.com/Snowcovered2/Default.aspx?tabid=242&PackageID=3501

If you have any questions about the products specifically you should probably contact the developers as I have not used either personally.

Re: DNN 4 Newbie: Creating a custom module

TAGrove — Tue, 28 Mar 2006 00:41:54 GMT

Eric,

You stated the following:

Basically, the idea is that if you don't need to distribute these apps to more than a single portal, your time and experience might be better spent "plugging-in" your own user controls into DNN and forgoing the DAL's structure and complexities altogether. Just do a search for "OpenSmart Module" or "OpenDNNSmartModule."

I did search, but came up empty. Could you post a link to OpenSmartModule and OpenDNNSmartModule?

Re: DNN 4 Newbie: Creating a custom module

emaynard — Wed, 22 Mar 2006 19:36:20 GMT

aviens wrote:
Hello everyone,

In evaluating portal solutions for our intranet, I decided to go with DNN. Since this is brand new, (no previous intranet portal exists), the sky is the limit for me. I figure starting with DNN4 is a good idea, as it is fresh new code utilizing the new ASP.NET 2.0 platform.

Aviens, I think many of us share this same thought as well. Allow me to share some of my DNN module development "journey" with you.

I have seen different tutorials out there... and it is helping me learn this, but it seems I keep hitting walls, which is getting a little frustrating.

So far I have looked at the following tutorials:

1. Shaun Walker's DotNetNuke 4.0.0 Starter Kit and Templates post:

It is a great tutorial, however it currently stops short of what I really want to know... extending the module provided in the Starter Kit. Hopefully the next post will be posted soon.
No doubt he is a very busy person these days... but I to am hopeful it will be posted soon...

2. Todd Davis' video tutorials on module creation for DNN 3.x:

Great videos of the step by step procedure... but unfortunately, it is geared toward DNN 3.x development, and as I have read, DNN4 and DNN3 is structured quite differently... not to mention the inclusion of the Starter Kit for DNN4.
Don't let the difference in development structure deter you from watching as there is still much of the "internal" workings that remains the same and Todd is a great resource to see some in-the-trenches development work that will apply to either

3. Michael Washington's step-by-step tutorial on module creation for DNN4:

Once again, great tutorial... but where this one becomes hazy for me is on page four and on. The tutorial becomes a copy and paste operation for the Guestbook module tutorial, and I do not clearly understand what is occuring at that point. Why were the template sprocs from the starter kit created only to delete them? Should I not use a code generator like CodeSmith to create my Insert/Update/Delete procedures? And, why is a ModuleID being created but no PortalID is being created in the table? Wouldn't this break if the module were to be used in two different portals hosted in the same database?
Michael's understanding and teaching interpretations of the DAL really shine in his tutorials which he even admits are cut-n-paste for a reason. That is more to teach the structure and flow of a basic module design.
All in all, I think you would be hard pressed to find a more generous and caring community in terms of passing of knowledge and dedication to a project in the open source Dot NET community.

I guess I have a few questions in utilizing the DNN4 Starter Kit:

1. The namespace defaults to "YourCompany". Is there any way to specify that so a find and replace is not necessary each time I create a module? I am assuming the way to fix this is to open the ZIP file for the Module Starter Kit and do a find and replace once in there on this, and my problem would be solved.

2. Would it not make sense to utilize CodeSmith to assist in the creation of the stored procedures necessary to add/update/delete items from the database as well as the creation of the various methods needed in Visual Studio? I am not familar with using code generators, but I would definitely begin to use it if it made my job in creating those rudimentary methods in VS and sprocs in SQL. Does the latest CodeSmith version have DNN4 templates already created for the DNN community?

I can't speak for CodeSmith, but I have been working at customizing a set of MyGeneration templates created by grandOpus for DNN3 to work with DNN 4 the starter kit and Michael Washington's module design tutorial.

I think any project, even ones with a single table and small number of fields still could still make use of a generator, but I think Michael's take on this is that by keeping that stuff out of the picture as you learn the basics of framework, you will have a better understanding of how to use these for bigger projects. That has been my experience as well to date. I feel so much more comfortable tweaking and using the above mentinoned templates because of working through Michael's barebones module tuutorial.

4. Books. I currently own Professional DotNetNuke ASP.NET Portals and Building Websites with VB.NET and DotNetNuke 3.0. Unfortunately, all the books that deal with DNN4 are still not out yet:

Again, don't under-estimate what can be learned from DNN 3.x programming. Aside from the structure changes and streamlining of areas like Michaels's DAL+ it is still pretty much the same "beast" and you will extend modules and program the "internals" in much the same fashion.

I have many ideas to start developing custom modules for our intranet portal, but right now I am still trying to understand the concepts of putting together the modules.
I plan to create some general reusable modules that I can release to the community at no charge, but also create modules specific to applications needed internally (small database trackers, calendaring tools, etc.)
I am eager to jump into the DNN fray, but am still searching for the most efficient way to create my many modules to come!

Also, note that as an experienced NET developer in need of more intranet like apps, you might find the dynamically loaded user control work-arounds that have been created to be of some use.

One final note, again from my own journey down the road of learning to program DNN, you will find that subscribing and/or purchsing the source code from a "professional" DNN developer to be one of the best learning tools. I personally recommend Scott McColluch and Onyak Technologies because the do offer subscriptions and source code, but of course any of the core modules would also fall under this category as well.

Hope this helps someone else out there on the same journey.

-eric

Re: DNN 4 Newbie: Creating a custom module

pchan — Wed, 22 Mar 2006 09:49:53 GMT

>Thanks for your reply. Do you mean that I should select the webproject or the solution? The first >line in the solution window is usually the solution itself. I assume you mean the web project, as that is >probably the whole idea of this faulty DTE.ActivateWindows statement...

Just to be precise: we're on DNN4, using Starter Kit. Although the sln file still exists, it is no longer obligatory in .NET 2.0; I always start my VS2005, pointing the directory. There is still a webproj file here but it is only 1 octet long; it can't be what you are referring to, unless things changed.

For me, the first line is simply the repertoire of the web site. Using the default web server of VS2005, this is my hard-disk repertoire. Using IIS, it would be a virtual directory. Selecting the first line is what the faulty instruction was expected to do. So do it with the mouse for her!

FYI: the various test_XXX macros are part of the tutorial, useful if you read the tutorial. Otherwise, ignore them. Dnn_Module_Step_001 is the one we are all interested in.

Re: DNN 4 Newbie: Creating a custom module

improwise — Tue, 21 Mar 2006 21:51:41 GMT

pchan wrote:

Having downloaded the macros of Power House Data, I have fiddled much on them by my own.

Yes, the following code throws the error Incorrect parameter type:

DTE.ActiveWindow.Object.GetItem(myprojectname).Select(vsUISelectionType.vsUISelectionTypeSelect)

I have a workaround for this: comment out this code (There are 3 such calls). Float the macro explorer so you see it beside the solutions explorer. In the latter, selection the first line (the project itself); right click the DNN_Module_Step_001 macro and select "Run" in the popup!

Thanks for your reply. Do you mean that I should select the webproject or the solution? The first line in the solution window is usually the solution itself. I assume you mean the web project, as that is probably the whole idea of this faulty DTE.ActivateWindows statement...

/pJ

Re: DNN 4 Newbie: Creating a custom module

DougV — Tue, 21 Mar 2006 13:47:54 GMT

Sorry I wasn't able to get back in time to be of more help - I was out of town on really short notice the past three days. Then I get back and my site was down because my host changed the server address on me! Thankfully I have things going again now.

Meanwhile, thanks for posting your experiences, I'm sure this will be of help to others.

Re: DNN 4 Newbie: Creating a custom module

pchan — Mon, 20 Mar 2006 14:40:05 GMT

Having downloaded the macros of Power House Data, I have fiddled much on them by my own.

Yes, the following code throws the error Incorrect parameter type:

DTE.ActiveWindow.Object.GetItem(myprojectname).Select(vsUISelectionType.vsUISelectionTypeSelect)

I have a workaround for this: comment out this code (There are 3 such calls). Float the macro explorer so you see it beside the solutions explorer. In the latter, selection the first line (the project itself); right click the DNN_Module_Step_001 macro and select "Run" in the popup!

It now goes further and gets stuck in the connection string "c:\inetpub\wwwroot\PHDnet1\App_Data\Database.mdf" which is hard coded; I have the DB elsewhere !
I corrected that in the routine GetMyConnectionString()

Just a tip before testing on your own:
1° ensure you run the site before running these macros, to set up the database
2° backup the directory so that you can "rollback" to before you ran the macros !
3° the 3rd call is after the SQL transaction is commited, so it's ok if you got the HRESULT error again, just do Ctl-F5

It really works! A thousand Thanks to Doug !
Now that there is interest in his work, hopefully he would update it.

Re: DNN 4 Newbie: Creating a custom module

improwise — Sat, 18 Mar 2006 21:16:04 GMT

Which is really the macro that you are supposed to use? Why are there so many of them in the download file? I am confused :-)

I have assumed that the one which does not have "test" in its name is the final work and the macro that should be used, am I wrong?

/pJ

PS To the moderators: I've been a member for several years and used to be unmoderated but now that seems to have changed for some strange reason, would apprechiate if you could change it back so my posts dont end up in a queue every time. Thanks.

Re: DNN 4 Newbie: Creating a custom module

DougV — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 17:39:42 GMT

Try running the Test_001 macro. It should certainly run without problem - just about no matter what.

Next try running the Test_002 macro. It should also run without problem, but I don't know given the error you are seeing.

If you let me know what happens I'll see if I can help again (Monday?). Also, did you have a beta version of Visual Studio 2005 previously installed?

Re: DNN 4 Newbie: Creating a custom module

improwise — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 13:44:44 GMT

I downloaded your code and I am trying to run the DNN_Module_Step001 (which I assume is the macro I am to run, not the test ones?) but it gives me an error:

"The parameter is incorrect. (Exception from HRESULT 0x80070057 (E_INVALIDARG))"

This occurs at this line (the first of them):

DTE.ActiveWindow.Object.GetItem(myprojectname).Select(vsUISelectionType.vsUISelectionTypeSelect)

And I have so far found no way of getting past this? Any ideas? Would be really helpfull and much apprechiated!

/pJ

Re: DNN 4 Newbie: Creating a custom module

DougV — Wed, 01 Mar 2006 18:45:44 GMT

Also this will rename your folders and run the SQL for you.