Product Description

In Detail

DotNetNuke is an open-source web application framework written in VB.NET for the ASP.NET framework. The application's content management system is extensible and customizable through the use of skins and modules, and it can be used to create, deploy, and manage intranet, extranet, and websites.

DotNetNuke has a skinning architecture, which provides a clear separation between design and content, enabling a web designer to develop skins without requiring any specialist knowledge of development in ASP.NET; only knowledge of HTML and an understanding of how to prepare and package the skins themselves are required.

If you want to create great-looking skins for your DotNetNuke websites, this book is for you. If you're new to DotNetNuke skinning, this book is the ideal introduction. It will give you clear, concise and practical guidance to take you from the basics of DotNetNuke skinning right through to developing the skills to make you a DotNetNuke skinner to be reckoned with!

This book gives you step-by-step instructions to the fundamentals of skinning so that you will be in control of the look and feel of your DotNetNuke site, and dreaming of new ideas for creating more interactive user interfaces.

What you will learn from this book?

• Basics of DNN skins
• Setting up your skin development environment and creating a skin
• Page design and layout for your skin
• Implementing styles in your skin
• Configuring and customizing the skin objects
• Configuring the menu in your skin
• Managing graphics for your skin to change the look
• Creating and managing containers
• Packaging and deploying your skin
• Modifying the control panel for skin administration

Approach

Designed as a tutorial for beginners to DotNetNuke skinning, this book is packed with practical steps for you to try. Written in a clear, easy-to-read style this book will guide you through the most important tasks of working with DotNetNuke skins.

Who this book is written for?

This book is for web designers or developers who want to customize DNN sites, to bring a specific look and feel to them, and create more attractive user interfaces.

This book is ideal for beginners to DotNetNuke skinning.

You will need to know about the general operation of DotNetNuke and also have some familiarity with creating web pages. Familiarity with CSS and basic ASP.NET would be a bonus.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #180188 in Books
• Published on: 2008-05-20
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 156 pages

Customer Reviews

Good beginner's manual but incomplete
This book is a typical PACKT publishing book, a meaty tutorial for basic skinning of a DotNetNuke web site. It's 140 pages though, which is too little to cover the topic in depth. In addiiton, Chapter 7: Images and Web Design is about a third of the book and unrelated to the topic. Instead this chapter deals with creating graphics, rounded boxes and other design-oriented fluff. In a basic web design book this might be a useful chapter, but here it seems to have been stuffed in to fill space in an otherwise tiny book.

There is still value in the book though. The walkthrough of creating a development environment and creating a skin is thorough but concise. There are gems of information scattered through the text, almost too scattered, but those gems can be lifesavers when designing a DotNetNuke skin.

Unfortunately, when 40 pages or so are devoted to material with little connection to the topic and only 11 pages cover creating module containers, an important piece of skinning a DotNetNuke site, the value of the book drops dramatically. Only four pages on packaging a skin, one of the more confusing tasks for beginning designers, is also too few and the lack of any advanced skinning discussion is a deficit to anyone already moderately experienced with DotNetNuke skinning.

The book was dissapointing for what seems to be a subject in great demand. The somewhat limited DotNetNuke skinning information on the internet compares to the material in the book, so unless you're a rank beginner needing a jump start this is probably a book to skip. Not worth the $40 (US) cover price.

DotNetNuke Skinning Tutorial
As a developer one of my greatest areas of weakness is in the area of design. Where I have always been able to make a site functional, my designs have been merely passable.

The author, Darren Neese, takes you from concept to finished product. This book is aimed at beginners, so it is perfect for me, perhaps it will fit your DotNetNuke Skinning needs as well.

First, let me say this, I love DotNetNuke.

Second, I hate skinning DotNetNuke. As a developer that is my weakest area. In fact, to quote Scott Hanselman:

"The difference between a Designer and Developer, when it comes to design skills, is the difference between shooting a bullet and throwing it." - Scott Hanselman with apologies to Larry Miller

DotNetNuke Skinning Tutorial makes the design element of DotNetNuke a little easier. It does not automatically make your designs pretty, but it opens up the mystery of creating a design that is functional and usable.

I must say thanks to PACKT Publishing for continuing to produce books that break down complicated task in a clear and concise way.

If there were one thing that I would add in the next edition of the book, since they use the DotNetNuke Starter Kit install package, is to expose how to install the Starter Kit on Visual Studio 2008, when Visual Studio 2005 is not installed on the PC. I understand that when the book was written VS2008 was not released and by the next release of the book this may be fixed on the DotNetNuke side, but if it is not, there is a small amount of pain to install the package on VS2008.