Hi

I am a Newbie and while I dont know much about dnn (yet) I do know a lot about the barriers to entry of this 'open' system because the more I surf the Forums the more that I discover many people with exactly the same experiences and bafflements.

For a simple example, I posted on the Forums module that I couldn't find the documentation and was told to look on the downloads for the project page - which is where I was looking - and of course it is not there or I would not have asked the question.

Now I almost hesitate to ask an even dumber set of questions, except that it may remind those who have been living with the evolution of dnn for so long what they are assuming everybody must know. So here goes...

I have been thrilled to find that in the three years I have been away from this stuff that Visual Studio is now free as Visual Web Developer Express and that DNN has evolved to solve 90 per cent of the things I was writing code for back then to extend IBuySpy.

I have started developing modules on 4.0.3 and am thrilled to find that 4.3.2 inroduces Role Groups (re Nina Meiers blog http://www.dotnetnuke.com/Community/Blogs/tabid/825/EntryID/470/Default.aspx) so I want to upgrade. I know it is a Release Candidate but presumably it is being made available so that brave early adopes can give it a thorough work out. Seems a better idea to be anticipating the future than developing without exploring functionality that is just about to be made available!

Anyway my question is simple. How do I migrate my few database tables, stored prcedures and aspx and vb pages in Visual Web Developer Express to merge with the new versions in 4.0.3?

I suppose I could script the tables - but VWD Express doesn't have a Generate Script option on right clicking on the table object. I could try and access the Database in SQL Express but how do I do that? My laptop came with XP Home (like most I expect) and I have installed XP Professional to run IIS but the folders do not show normal security tabs even though I have unchecked Simple File Sharing (there is reference to this on page 9 of Wrox ASP.NET 2.0 Visual Web Developer 2005 Express Edition - they recommend restarting the machine and holding F8 to enter Safe Mode, logging in as Administrator, navigating to App_Data and you should see a security tab when you select Properties - but I don't!). And there must be a better way.

I have read about the WebConfig changes but what precisely should I do, in simple steps please, to install 4.3.2 over 4.0.3 using Visual Web Developer Express?

I see another tortured newcomer asking the same question today on the ASP.NET Forums...

... which brings me back to the urgent need for an installation Wiki because the same questions are getting asked (and often ignored) over and over again in these Forums.

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Geoffrey Morton-Haworth www.yalaworld.net

This could be a blog as well!  web-log...  The only problem I see with a Wiki is something I am debating with on one of my sites - the users' use of a FAQ section versus Forum vs Wiki.  Wikis are really meant for defining and explaining things, not user documentation from my perspective.  Not meaning to moderate, but this (Wiki concept for upgrades/installs) would be a great topic for the let's discuss it forum - as I haven't seen donnetnuke.com use the Wiki so far externally. 

I am pretty sure the core DNN wiki module is still in beta- but I don't see why there isn't already a FAQ... for each module. Sticky/Pinned topics in the forums don't seem to do it.

 

Super Kudos to Rodney for seeing a need- and meeting it.

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