Book Image

Building Websites with Microsoft Content Management Server

Book Image

Building Websites with Microsoft Content Management Server

Overview of this book

Microsoft Content Management Server 2002 is a dynamic web publishing system with which you can build websites quickly and cost-efficiently. MCMS provides the administration, authoring, and data management functionality, and you provide the website interface, logic, and workflow. Once your website is up and running, your content contributors can add and edit content on their own, without the need to work with developers or the IT department. First time developers of Microsoft Content Management Server 2002 face a relatively steep learning curve. Not only are they expected to be conversant in the Microsoft .NET Framework, they are also required to be familiar with the concepts of MCMS 2002. Many beginners to MCMS start out by looking at the example site that ships with the product; tweaking it, dissecting it and turning it inside out using the obscure code comments as markers. However, when it comes to starting their own website from scratch, many are baffled ? where do they begin? This book exists to answer that question; teaching the essential concepts of MCMS 2002 in a clear, straightforward and practical manner. Containing answers to some of the most asked questions in developer newsgroups, this book is a treasure trove of tricks and tips for solving the problems faced by MCMS developers. This is a unique resource focused exclusively on the needs of developers using MCMS. It doesn?t waste time and pages on user or administrator level information that is well covered in other documentation. It?s a distillation of practical experience that developers need to get results, fast. The authors carefully structured example project complements and extends the knowledge gained from an initial look at the examples that ship with MCMS.
Table of Contents (28 chapters)
Building Websites with Microsoft Content Management Server
Credits
About the Authors
Introduction

Running the DCA for the First Time


In the previous chapter, we installed the MCMS Server. Now we need to connect it to the SQL Server 2000 database that will store our website content.

First, start the DCA by pointing to Start | Programs | Microsoft Content Management Server | Database Configuration Application. The DCA starts by presenting a splash screen. Click Next.

The DCA will then ask if you wish to support ASP-based content (Mixed Mode) or purely ASP.NET content.

Which option do you choose? The rule of thumb is: Unless you're planning to upgrade a website from MCMS 2001 to MCMS 2002, choose ASP.NET mode. In ASP.NET mode, you write all MCMS templates using the ASP.NET framework. There will be no difference in performance regardless of your choice here. ASP.NET, by virtue of its new and improved engine provides a more secure...