Hi i have never used dnn but have just watched a tutorial,

seems not programming knowledge is needed to do basic stuff.

1 But how do i get into the code?

2 is it easy to modify?

3 for example say i wanted to automatically login a user based on some criteria/ like ip address (just an example) would i have to edit the login module or steal some of the code and spoof the login myself or would it be a case of completly rewriting the login script along with my own sql commands?

4. is it easy to edit a module?

5. is it easy to build a module,? what do i have to know about dnn arctecture ? would the same code then be easily transferable to a non dnn website at a later date or would it be so customised to dnn that there would be no point?

6. is it possible to make a dnn site look nice and not "moduley" myself? or do i need to know a lot about visual dnn arctecture?

7. obviously you guys think it great or you would not be using it. i have never used a product like this before and would be great for the admin section, but i dont want to sacrifice what i can do by if someone else has made the module , (which half the time they wont have because they will be very specific) and i dont wnat to have to learn a lot to make my own code useable in the dnn environment, like learn lots to make modules..

thanks for your response, i know it sounds a bit of a rant but i really want to know what i am dealing with before i throw myself head in.

thanks again

Which is more (time and cost) efficient for someone with little to no DNN experience, but plenty of background in .NET programming languages?

1) Purchasing a module similar to my needs and then modifying it

2) Hiring a developer to create a custom module.

Basically, would someone who is programming savvy but unfamiliar with DNN be able to modify the code within any given module? Or are there rules specific to DNN (architecture... abstraction.... not really sure if those exist but I hope you understand the point) that would require someone with DNN programming experience to perform the changes instead?

In my opinion, a strong background in .Net development will take you far in the DNN environment.  Expect an up-front investment in learning your way around the sometimes difficult installation, public side, portal administration, and module administration.  There are various time-cost tradeoffs that you can make during this phase (for example, services exist to create an installation and administration manuals exist for a fee).

With respect to the two choices you presented, they really depend on the context in which you are working within.  Modifying a purchased module would gain you additional DNN development experience and might help you in future module development.  Extensive modifications might require much more development effort when compared to a developer experienced with DNN.  An experienced developer would produce faster than one unfamiliar with module development.  At the risk of being overly vague, each of these time-cost tradeoffs depend on your specific long term plans.

Regarding your final question, I would answer yes -- an experienced, talented developer would be able to jump into DNN development with relative ease.

Hope this helps!

Brandon