DotNetNuke Development – A Powerful Platform for Building Rich Web Applications

As an open source web content management system, DotNetNuke (DNN) is widely used by enterprises across the world on Microsoft ASP.NET platform. Many organizations even use it to create a variety of rich websites. It is developed. DNN further provides a set of innovative tools that can be used from a web browser to build rich web applications.

Each organization also has option to choose from the paid as well as free version of DotNetNuke. But each version of the web content management system offers several benefits to website developers, designers and content managers. If you are yet to adopt this widely used technology to build rich web application, it is time to understand some of its prominent advantages.

Why DotNetNuke is a Powerful Platform to Build Rich Web Applications?

Advanced Features: The developers can use the powerful features of DNN to build to robust web applications within a shorter period of time. The web content management system enables them to create pages, add custom page elements, along with uploading and displaying files. They can further use the feature to customize the look, feel and appeal of a website according to specific branding requirements.

Hassle-Free Website Management: Each organization wants to manage it website without putting any extra time, money and effort. As an easy-to-use web content management system, DotNetNuke enables users to manage their websites regardless of their technical knowledge and skills. Along with creating, publishing and managing the web content, they can further use the browser-based tools to act as a webmaster without any hassle. Also, he can use the tools to carry out a variety of activities including email marketing, advertisement management, blog management, document management and user management.

Easy to Deliver Website Branding: Unlike conventional web application development frameworks, DNN allows developers to separate site design and site content. So it becomes easier for them to deliver fully customized templates according to client’s branding requirements. Further, the framework enabled programmers to add new features and functionality to the website without investing additional time and effort.

Integrate with other Applications: Most web applications, nowadays, are being integrated with third-party business applications to deliver riche user experience. As DotNetNuke is developed based on ASP.NET, it comes with many pre-made and custom modules. These modules make the platform highly extensible to be integrated smoothly with a variety of business applications. The programmers can further enhance the performance of the website by integrating GP, CRM and similar applications in the Microsoft stack of Dynamics.

Enhanced Website Speed: The speed of a website will have a major impact on the user experience. So, enterprises often explore option to optimize the website speed. DNN’s efficient code base ensures that the website delivers rich user experience by running quickly. At the same time, its portal based architecture enables users to run multiple websites on just a single DNN installation. So an organization can easily run a website and intranet at a time. The option can also be used to create individual portals for each department or unit.

Extremely Comprehensive Security: As a web content management system, DotNetNuke is comes with advanced and powerful security features. The website administrator has option to create different groups, and set permission for each group according to the required functionality and assignments. Thus, the users can be sorted into these groups according to their role and responsibility. The strong security model included in DNN further allows organizations to avoid the third-party security systems available in the market.

Higher ROI: As DotNetNuke is developed on Microsoft technologies, an organization can avoid incurring additional expenses. The platform further allows an organization to use its development tools, database servers and Windows servers. Further, a company can use the free version of DNN, and customize it to avoid purchasing custom tools. At the same time, the reduction in the cost of developing and managing the website further curtails the operational expenses. On the whole, an organization can invest in DNN to get higher returns in the longer run.

An enterprise also has option to customize DotNetNuke according to the specific requirements of a project. As its core is written in C#, it becomes much easier for programmers to write custom extensions in any of the languages supported by .NET. The open source nature of the platform further helps them in availing both central technical support and support from a large community of developers.

You can hire developers from top dotnetnuke development company in India who can help you build your applications within allocated budgets and time schedules.

We provide dotnetnuke development services. If you would like to know more about the expertise of our certified dotnetnuke developers, please get in touch with us at Mindfire Solutions.

Developing a Fully Functional Site with DotNetNuke

Despite being developed as a content management system originally, DotNetNuke is hugely popular, nowadays, an open source and Microsoft .NET based web application development framework. It allows developers to build robust and fully functional websites using several basic modules including Login, Blog, Discussion, Announcement, Banners, Links, Documents, Image, XML/XSL or Text/HTML.

The programmers can simply use a web-based management interface to add or edit features quickly according to the user requirements. The look and feel of the website can also be changed simply changing skins that can be developed by programmers familiar with HTML. At the same time, the robust security architecture of DotNetNuke ensures that only authorized users can access, edit or control the resources. You can follow some simple steps to build a fully functional site with DotNetNuke.

Five Simple Steps to Build a Fully Functional Site with DotNetNuke

1) Download the Free Version of DotNetNuke

Based on your requirements, you have option to download the Professional, Enterprise or Community version of the web development framework. But you can download the community version of DotNetNuke, distributed under Community Edition MIT license, for free. It is a good idea to start the development by downloading the free version. While downloading the framework, you can refer to the documentation to understand some of the common functions like adding a page or inserting a module. You can simply follow the instructions included with the download to install and setup the framework within 60 minutes.

2) Register Your Domain

You have option to book the domain name even before downloading DotNetNuke. So you can skip the step, if you have already registered the website domain. But it is always important to register the domain before developing the site, as people will access your site by typing the domain name in their web browsers.

3) Get Windows Hosting

As a web development framework, DotNetNuke is based on Microsoft .NET and ASP.NET. So you need Windows hosting to deploy the site. You have option to choose from several companies offering Windows hosting services. So you can always choose the hosting service plan according to your requirements and budget. It is also a good idea to avail both domain registration and hosting services from a single company to save money.

4) Install DotNetNuke in the Hosting Environment

After signing up for Windows Hosting, you have to install the web development framework in the hosting environment. You can even ask the hosting service provider to install and set up the program. But most companies lack the expertise required to install the framework properly. So you must refer to the DotNetNuke support to get the required assistance. Once the program is installed in the hosting environment properly, you can start developing the site.

5) Build the Site

The conventional website development frameworks allow programmers to create the site, and then go live. But DotNetNuke allows you to build the website in a live environment. As you are developing in a live environment, it becomes essential to set access restrictions or permission for each page or module. Also, you can create a message that will inform to the visitors that the site is currently being developed.

You can start building the site by using basic functionality provided by DotNetNuke including content management, user administration and security. The primary modules included in the core DotNetNuke distribution can be used to build a variety of websites and web applications. However, you also have option to add to third-party modules to add custom functionality to the site.

DotNetNuke also provides a skinning architecture to separate the content from design. You can change the overall design of the website simply by changing skins. If you are familiar in HTML, you can develop skins without any hassle. Normally, the skins are packaged as zip files that contain menus, placeholders (tokens) for content and other functionality, along with basic HTML files, JavaScript, images and style sheets.

If you are new to create sites using DotNetNuke, there are always chances that you will need assistance. You can avail the assistance of the large community of developers and volunteers to avail the required help. Also, you can refer to the User Manual of the particular version of DotNetNuke to set up the proper development environment.

You can hire DotNetNuke developers from top companies in India who can help you build your applications within allocated budgets and time schedules.

We provide Dotnetnuke CMS customization services. If you would like to know more about the expertise of our certified CMS developers, please get in touch with us at Mindfire Solutions.

DotNetNuke vs. SharePoint - 8 Solid Reasons Why Favor SharePoint?

SharePoint and DotNetNuke are in high demand these days as they are the most preferred and popular web application development platform and content management system respectively. Now, SharePoint is favored more due to certain reasons. Here is a brief overview of the grounds on which SharePoint can be regarded as being more beneficial than DotNetNuke or the similar other platforms.

1. Documentation

SharePoint facilitates very easy as well as comprehensive documentation while an average kind of documentation is offered by DotNetNuke. Document collaboration in this platform is absolutely hassle- free. Compared to the traditional and conventional method of document sharing, documentation in this platform allows emailing of files back and forth. Additionally, versioning as well as check in/out alerts add to the advantages of documentation in this platform.

2. Product Development

Microsoft SharePoint comes with a brand new product development application that helps the product development teams to work with the help of a collaboration tool. As such, product development is executed faster in this medium compared to that of DotNetNuke.

3. Creation of Blog Site

This web application development platform comes with a built-in blog site template, including all the facilities to enhance the level of collaboration, share knowledge as well as publish news and updates. Hence, creation and maintenance of blog site is rather easy in SharePoint. The same activity in DotNetNuke, on the other hand, involves extra costs.

4. Chat Options

Chat can easily be implemented in SharePoint, where it comes as a Free Add-on. The feature is totally unavailable in DotNetNuke.

5. Photo Gallery Feature

The platform has an in-built photo gallery feature. As such, profile pictures are used to make the pages appear more inviting and interesting. The platform allows profile pictures of three different thumbnails to be used in varying contexts. This photo gallery feature comes as an ‘add on’ in DotNetNuke and involves extra costs.

6. Survey

The survey feature of SharePoint makes it stay one more step ahead of DotNetNuke. The Survey feature can be easily enabled using the settings. For the DotNetNuke, on the other hand, this survey feature comes as a free add on.

7. Subscriptions

SharePoint has in-built subscription feature, something that is totally absent when it comes to DotNetNuke. The former offers support for site subscriptions, which can be considered as a collection of sites, subscribing to a set of settings, service partitions as well as individual features. These site subscriptions are also termed as tenants and they can be managed by means of a new administration site template. Creation of a site subscription object in this web application development platform necessitates the administrator to create a SPSiteSubscription object and add a SPSite object to the SPSiteSubscription.

8. Link Management

Managing a set of links in this much preferred platform is quite hassle- free, as the same has this feature incorporated into it. Link management helps in keeping track of the essential website URLs. These links are available to anyone who logs in. Link management feature is a free add on in DNN but not in-built as it is in SharePoint.

Owing to the above- mentioned advantages and many more, SharePoint has indeed turned out to be an inseparable part of the daily business operations. It works with commendable ease and efficiency when it comes to collaborating designs as well as carrying out technical documentation. Whether it is with regards to document management or issue tracking, the platform gives utmost advantage to the SharePoint application development team while also enabling them to come up with the best- possible outcomes.

DotNetNuke is a favorite content management system too, but when it comes to comparing it with SharePoint, the latter is obviously more beneficial, which becomes explicit from a glance at the prominent points that help make the difference.

We provide custom SharePoint development services. If you would like to know more about the expertise of our expert SharePoint developers, please get in touch with us at Mindfire Solutions.

DotNetNuke, Kentico, Umbraco – The War for the Best ASP.NET CMS is on!

With the passage of time, ASP.NET is evolving with an increasing number of high grade options for extensive content management systems. On the basis of user requirements, there are a variety of quality options available both with open source code and with commercial licenses. Although PHP is still considered as a prominent ruler of the web, there is enough room for some striking ASP.NET CMSs that have the potential to empower you to create exclusive, gorgeous and efficiently performing websites. It will also render you the opportunity to work over the immensely popular .NET platform that is commonly used in businesses. Whether you are game for a commercial solution or are looking for some open source stuff, top ASP.NET CMSs like DotNetNuke, Kentico or Umbraco can conveniently give you the desired functionality and support. Let us discuss the exclusive features of these three impressive CMSs, which rule the roost in ASP.Net cms development.

Features of three of the best CMSs

* DotNetNuke: It is by far the most popular amongst the ASP.NET CMSs. One of the striking features of this open source CMS is that it can be conveniently installed and made functional within a very short span of time. Moreover, DotNetNuke comes in multiple versions which ensure flexibility of use so far as amateur web developers, small and medium enterprises or large businesses are concerned. It makes for easy management of websites by content editors, administrators, designers and developers.

This CMS makes room for a plethora of built-in features that leads to commendable functionality. From site hosting to content management, membership options, web design and security, every activity can be customized and managed with the help of hassle-free browser-oriented tools. Interestingly, there is also a feature enabling multi-language localization that facilitates the translation of sites into many languages.

For users who are happy with the features offered by the open source community, the Community Edition of DotNetNuke can be offered against the BSD License. It comprises almost all the features of the other editions, while the support depends on the community. The Professional Edition renders support from the DotNetNuke Corporation along with some more features while the Enterprise Edition offers extended features with phone support.

* Kentico: This CMS also offers more than one licensing options. The free edition is difficult to find and requires the user to display the copyright information as well as the logo on the page. The commercial versions can render support without the rebranding specification. Kentico focuses on the three crucial areas of Social Networking, E-Commerce and Content Management. So far as flexibility of content management is concerned, Kentico provides tailor-made document fields and types as well as provision for separation of content or design. The e-commerce module allows creation of online stores that can be integrated with gateways like PayPal. Social Networking is made convenient through facilitation of blogs and forums.

* Umbraco: In the recent times, Umbraco is increasingly being recognized by designers because of its open template system and the capability of automating formatting of content. This CMS works with the XSLT and the ‘master pages’ of ASP.NET, so there is no need to manage a crowded template format. Formulated in C#, this CMS is compatible with a number of databases, which makes for convenient hosting. The free version is totally open source, wherein there is no license fee, while in the Pro version the price varies as per the type of support and availability of tools. Regarding content management, there is no limit on the levels, types of content or categories.

DotNetNuke, Umbraco and Kentico are indeed among the best ASP.NET CMSs in the market. A careful study of the features of each will immensely help you gain a relative insight into what each has to offer and have a comprehensive idea about the benefits.

We provide CMS Customization services. If you would like to discuss more about our Kentico CMS customization expertise, please contact us at Mindfire Solutions.