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.

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Building Websites with Microsoft Content Management Server
Jan, 2005 | 660 pages
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Table of Contents (28 chapters)
Building Websites with Microsoft Content Management Server
Building Websites with Microsoft Content Management Server
Credits
Credits
About the Authors
About the Authors
Introduction
Introduction
Free Chapter
1
Overview of Microsoft Content Management Server
Overview of Microsoft Content Management Server
Why Content Management?
The Solution—Content Management Servers
The Components of MCMS
MCMS is a Content Server
MCMS Is a Content Repository
MCMS Integrates with Visual Studio .NET
MCMS Is a Web Authoring Tool
MCMS is a Website Manager
MCMS Objects
Summary
2
Installing Microsoft Content Management Server 2002 for the Developer
Installing Microsoft Content Management Server 2002 for the Developer
Pre-Installation Checklist for the Developer
Installing Microsoft Content Management Server 2002 with SP1a
Installing from the Released To Manufacturing version of MCMS
What has been Installed on My Computer?
Frequently Asked Questions
3
The Database Configuration Application
The Database Configuration Application
The DCA Links MCMS Server to the Database
The DCA Toggles between Databases
Running the DCA for the First Time
Connecting to an Existing MCMS Database
DCA—Behind the Scenes
Summary
4
The Server Configuration Application
The Server Configuration Application
Starting the SCA
Launching SCA from a Remote Machine
About the MCMS Host, Version, and Database
General Settings
Cache Settings
Web Settings
Access Settings
License Settings
Summary
5
Setting Up a Website from Scratch
Setting Up a Website from Scratch
Laying the Foundations
Designing and Building the Channel Structure
Designing and Building the Template and Resource Gallery Structure
Summary
6
Creating Templates and Postings
Creating Templates and Postings
Something About Templates
Before We Begin
Creating the Plant Template File
Editing the Template File
Creating a Template Gallery Item
Creating the First Posting
The Difference between a Template File and a Regular ASP.NET Web Form
Summary
7
Working with Placeholders
Working with Placeholders
Using Placeholders
Before We Begin
Drafting the Prototype
HtmlPlaceholder
AttachmentPlaceholder
ImagePlaceholders
The Completed Page
Linking a Stylesheet to the Template File
Summary
8
Debugging Template Files
Debugging Template Files
Before We Begin
Enable Debugging on the TropicalGreen Project
Debugging the Template File: The Wrong Way
Debugging the Template File: The Correct Way
Debugging by Starting from a URL
Solving the Problem
Removing Breakpoints
Summary
9
Default Postings and Channel Rendering Scripts
Default Postings and Channel Rendering Scripts
Default Postings
Channel Rendering Scripts
Navigation URL
Wrapping up the Summary Page
Tips and Tricks
Summary
10
Understanding the MCMS Publishing Workflow
Understanding the MCMS Publishing Workflow
The Eight User Roles in MCMS
Rights Groups Organize Users
Rights Groups are Assigned to Containers
The Complete Publishing Workflow when a Posting is Created
Before We Begin
Creating Rights Groups
Assigning Users to Rights Groups
Assigning Rights Groups to Containers
An Authors-Only Workflow
An Author-Editor Workflow
An Author-Editor-Moderator Workflow
Deleting Postings
One Last Thing
Summary
11
Authoring with Microsoft Content Management Server
Authoring with Microsoft Content Management Server
How Users Edit Postings
The Default Web Author Console
Editing the Hibiscus Posting
Publishing the Changed Posting
Creating a New Plant Posting
Managing Workflow
Revisions
Managing Resources
Summary
12
The Publishing Application Programming Interface
The Publishing Application Programming Interface
Setting Up the Work Area
The Namespaces
Accessing Objects
Using the Searches Class to Reference Any Object
Accessing Placeholder Content
Summary
13
Building Navigation Controls
Building Navigation Controls
Common Navigation Controls
Menus with JavaScript—Creating the Right Menu Web User Control
A BreadCrumb Control
Generating the Entire Site Map—A TreeView Control
Summary
14
Customizing Placeholder Controls
Customizing Placeholder Controls
Before We Begin
Deriving from the BasePlaceholderControl Class
Deriving from the MCMS Placeholder Controls
Using PresentationTemplates
Creating Custom Placeholder Controls for the XmlPlaceholder
15
Building Custom Placeholder Definitions and Placeholders
Building Custom Placeholder Definitions and Placeholders
Why Build Custom Placeholder Definitions?
Before We Begin
The HtmlStrippingPlaceholderDefinition / HtmlStrippingPlaceholder Pair
Making the Placeholder Definition Available to Template Designers
Adding the HtmlStrippingPlaceholderDefinition to the Template
The HtmlStrippingPlaceholderControl Class
Trying it Out
Summary
16
Extending the Workflow
Extending the Workflow
Before We Begin
Registering Event Handlers
Monitoring Workflow Events
E-mail Notification
Canceling an Operation
Generic Event Handlers
Summary
17
Publishing with Authoring Connector
Publishing with Authoring Connector
Before We Begin
Installing Authoring Connector
Columns
Building the Column Template
The OfficeHtmlPlaceholder and OfficeAttachmentPlaceholder Definitions
Publishing from Microsoft Word
Updating the Page
Replacing Any Page
Submitting Selected Text
Maintaining a Consistent Look and Feel
Changing the Server Name
Creating Publishing Tasks
Summary
18
Implementing Forms Authentication
Implementing Forms Authentication
About Forms Authentication
Configuring IIS to Allow Anonymous Access
Configure Settings in the Web.config File
Creating the Login Page
Logging on to the Site
The CmsFormsAuthentication Class
When Users Do Not Have Rights to View the Requested Page
When the Cookie is Deleted or No Longer Valid
Welcoming Guests to the Site
Visiting the Site as a Guest
Creating a Login/Logout Button for Authors
Creating a Login Channel for Authors
Summary
19
Customizing the Web Author Console
Customizing the Web Author Console
Before We Begin
The Different Faces of the Web Author Console
The Console in the Seven Modes of the Web Author Context
Building Blocks of the Web Author Console
Changing the Look and Feel of the Default Console
Adding Custom Action Controls to the Console
Modifying Existing Actions
Summary
20
Creating Connected Templates and Pages
Creating Connected Templates and Pages
About Connected Templates and Postings
Before We Begin
Creating Connected Templates
Creating Connected Postings
Going to a Connected Page
Connected Postings Share Workflow Processes
Alternatives to Connected Postings
Summary
21
Aggregating Content
Aggregating Content
Create the Channel Rendering Script
Alternative Functionality
Summary
22
Enhancing Performance with Caching
Enhancing Performance with Caching
How MCMS Works with Caching
What MCMS Caches by Default
Improving Performance with ASP.NET Output Caching
Proving that Caching Enhances Site Performance
Summary
23
Site Deployment
Site Deployment
Using the Site Deployment Manager
Opening the Site Deployment Export Dialog
Importing Packages
Automating Deployment Using the Site Deployment API
Summary
24
Hosting Multiple Websites and Adding SSL Security
Hosting Multiple Websites and Adding SSL Security
Hosting Multiple MCMS Websites
Adding SSL Security
Summary

How Users Edit Postings

MCMS follows the in-context content management model. Instead of a detached administration area, users navigate to the actual channel or posting in order to add and edit content. So, to add a new posting, a content contributor would:

  1. Navigate to the channel where the posting should be added

  2. Switch to edit mode

  3. Create a new posting

  4. Save the posting and submit it to the next level in the publishing workflow

The posting is approved by another user with appropriate rights.

The content contributor can be anyone who maps to an author, editor, moderator, template designer, channel manager, or administrator user role.

Back in Chapter 6 we coded a template from scratch and created a sample posting in the PlantCatalog channel called Hibiscus. That is probably the first time you saw the Web Author in action. However, besides creating an empty posting we did not add any content or additional postings. In this chapter we will add some content to our Hibiscus posting and add a few more...

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