Configure DotNetNuke for First Time Use

You might have read our introductory tutorial on adding a blog module on the ASP.NET 3.5 DotNetNuke CMS: http://www.aspfree.com/c/a/ASP.NET/Add-a-Blog-Module-in-DotNetNuke/

This article will discuss further configuration that is necessary to use the blog for the first time. The objectives are listed below.

1. Finalize blog creation using the "Create My Blog" link.

2. Add your first set of blog posts.

3. Create categories for your blog posts.  

4. Clean and finalize the look of your blog page. For example, you will decide to eliminate "Recent Posts," "Recent Comments," "Blog Tags," etc. because they might clutter the page.

If you still have not installed a blog module on DotNetNuke, it is suggested that you read the tutorial linked to above before reading this article.

Create your First Blog using "Create My Blog"

As this stage, you still have not created your personal blog in DotNetNuke, but you have already installed the module. To create your first personal blog, follow the steps below:

Step 1: Open your DotNetnuke website in Visual Web Developer (or any ASP.NET 3.5 website editor).

Step 2: Go to Default.aspx source code.

Step 3: Go to File à View in Browser. Your DotNetNuke website will then be launched in a web browser.

Step 4. Once you see your website, log in as superuser/administrator. You should have your username and password with you.

Step 5. After logging in, click the "Blog" in the navigation menu.

Step 6. You will then see a series of blog-related controls from the module. These are:

• View Blog
  
• Blog_List
  
• New_Blog
  
• Search_Blog
  
• Recent_Entries
  
• Recent_Comments
  
• Blog_Categories
  
• Blog_tags

Click the red hyperlink labeled "Create My Blog" under New_Blog.

Step 7. The DotNetNuke Blog module will then ask you for some details to create your blog.  Only fill in the required items below:

• Title - This should be the title tag of your main blog page. Think about this very carefully, especially with respect to the search engine optimization aspect of your website. 
  
• Description - Make this brief, descriptive, accurate and original.
  
• Check "Make this Blog Public."
  
• Check "Username" under "When displaying your identity use:" You can select "Full name" if you choose to show your full name to the public.
  
• Under "Comment Options," click everything to "Require Approval." There are two items you need to check for this.
  
• Check "Send email notification after comments..." if you choose to be notified.
  
• Check "Use Captcha for comments."
  
• Under "Date and Time Options," select your appropriate time zone.

Step 8. Finally, click "Update." Your blog has been created.

Step 9. Log out and see what your blog looks like in public.

There are still a lot of things that need to be done. Your blog name is shown under Blog_List, and other items seem inappropriate or irrelevant. In the coming sections, you will start arranging the items in your blog to make sure they look clean, organized and direct to your users.

Adding Your First Blog Post

Let's try to add a sample post. In this example we'll try adding three posts, each with short, unique content and unique titles, just for configuration purposes.

Step 1. Log in as super user or administrator.

Step 2. Under Blog_List, click your blog name; for example, "Codex-M Tequila Blog."

Step 3. Under New_Blog, click "Add Blog Entry."

Step 4. Enter the title and the sample content. The sample content can be entered under "Blog." Remember that "Summary:" is optional and does not need to be filled in.

Step 5.  Finally, click "Save and publish."

Repeat steps two through five to add two remaining sample posts. Your content can be as short as one sentence, just for development purposes.

After adding your first three posts, your blog should look like the screen shot below in its public view (log out as administrator):

Creating Categories for Your Blog Posts

Now that you have blog posts, the next thing you should do is categorize those posts. Categories are very useful in blogs, because they can help your visitors find and read related content.

Below are the steps you need to take to add categories to your existing blog:

Step 1.  Log in in as administrator/superuser.

Step 2. Click "Blog" in the navigation menu.

Step 3. On the blog's front page, navigate down until you see "Blog_Categories."

Step 4. Mouse over the drop down arrow of Blog_Categories and click "Edit Categories."

Step 5. DotNetNuke will then ask you to enter the names of your categories. You can try entering at least two categories for testing purposes, and then click "Add."

Step 6. Now that you have added the category names, click the "Blog" link in the navigation menu.

Step 7. To add posts to those categories, click the "Edit Entry" link of each of those three posts you created earlier.

Step 8. Scroll down until you can see categories. Check the appropriate categories, and then click "save."

Step 9. Repeat steps seven and eight for the remaining two posts.

You will notice that when you log out and view your blog in public, the categories  look similar to the ones shown below:

Cleaning and Finalizing Your Blog's Look and Feel

You may have noticed that your blog, when viewed in public is a little bit messy and disorganized. There are a lot of blog controls that are redundant, or may not be useful for a particular application or to your readers. Below are the issues:

1. The prominent section of your blog shows the list of your posts, but the header is titled "View_Blog" instead of the actual blog title.

2. Blog_List is simply redundant in public view, and needs to be removed.

3. New Blog needs to be removed and reconfigured to be placed at the bottom of the blog template (as this is used by administrators only; refer to details below).

4. Search_Blog is important to help the user look for related information, and should be transferred to the top portion of the blog page.

5. Blog_Archive, Recent_Entries and Blog_Tags are also not necessary, since you have categories, which are more useful.

To configure the final look of your blog by sorting out the issues above, the following are the steps:

Step 1. Log in to your Dotnetnuke blog as administrator/superuser.

Step 2. Mouse over the "View_Blog" drop down arrow and then click "Settings." Under "Module Title," change it to the official blog title name -- for example, "Codex-M Tequila Blog" -- and click "Update."

Step 3. Mouse over the "Blog_List" drop down arrow, and then click "Delete."

Step 4. Mouse over the "New_Blog" drop down arrow, and then click "Delete." The options should look like this:

Step 5. Do the same thing (mouse over, then delete) for Blog_Archive, Recent_Entries, Recent Comments and Blog_tags so that they will be removed from the blog template.

Step 6. You need to move your "Search_Blog" to the top portion of the post. To do this, mouse over Search_Blog, and then go to "Move" à "Move Top."

The arrangement has been completed. Try to log out and then view your blog in public.

Your blog should now look very clean and organized; the search box is on top, followed by the blog posts and the categories. See the screen shot below:

However, you cannot add new posts if you remove New_Blog. The solution is to add a new module called "New_Blog" and place it in the "BottomPane." I explain the details below (you must be logged in as administrator and go to your Blog front page):

Add Module Part à New_Blog à  BottomPane à Top à Title

Now mouse over "Title," and then click Settings to change the module title to "Administrator only." This will now be placed below Blog_Categories, so when you add a new post, you will need to click "Add Blog Entry."

This is how it looks in both the administrator and public view:

By default, if SEO-friendly URLs are enabled in Host à Host Settings à Advanced Settings à Friendly URL settings (should be checked to be enabled), then the blog module will generate SEO-friendly URLs.

For more details on doing onsite SEO on your DotNetNuke blog, refer to this tutorial: http://www.seochat.com/c/a/Search-Engine-Optimization-Help/DotNetNuke-Onsite-SEO-Tips/