InteractiveWebs Blog

The steps in setting up the Outlook Social Connector for DotNetNuke on your local computer.

The steps assume that you have installed the DNN website module by InteractiveWebs called the Outlook Social Connector.

1. Close Outlook

2. Start the MSI installer “Setup_DNNSocialConnector”

3. Select Next

4. Use the default path, or select one, then select – Next

5. Select Next when ready to proceed

6. Wait a bit

7. Select Close

8. Open Outlook and in the Mail view, find an email message and expand the view for the Social Connector.

9. Select the + symbol under the contact image, and select “on another social network” from the available list.

10. Select “iWebs – DNN Social Connector” from the available social connector plugins.

11. Fill in the connection settings for your DotNetNuke Website that has the iWebs – DNN Social Connector module installed. And admin or host account is needed. Click Connect

When you browse an email message from a user who is registered on your website, you will see the activity that they have taken on your site. This includes activity on security roles, DNN Forums Module, and if you have updated to our modified Documents Module, activity on that module too.

One of the most asked for features of the DotNetNuke user registration process is to allow users to register without the need for a user name.

Today we have added this feature to the DotNetNuke Advanced Login Module.

User Name Omission

Normally DotNetNuke requires a user name to be entered at registration. The Advanced Login Module will automatically create a DNN user name at registration time, even if the token for User Name is not included in the registration form. This way you can allow users to register with an email address and no user name, while in the background the Advanced Login Module handles the user name for you.

How It Works

If omitted from the registration form, the user name will be taken from the email address.

david@domain.com for example will generate a user name using all data from before the @ symbol.

david@domain.com = david as the user name.

If david is already taken as a user name, then david-01 or david-02 etc. will be used automatically.

This keeps the username familiar to users should it ever be provided to them, yet keeps the registration process as simple as possible.

The module is available as a Free DNN Module trial on our site.

We have found an issue that would prevent the Google Analytics report module from rendering in certain websites under certain conditions.

The symptoms of the issue are that the module reports “invalid data” when you have configured the module settings.

If you experience this error messages, then the solution is easy…

Ensure you have a version of the module that is later than 45.06.02 – Available from our website as a download here: http://www.interactivewebs.com/DotNetNukeModules/ModuleDownloads.aspx

Then after updating, you need to check the option that says: “Render Chart from Control”

This should allow the chart to report past the Invalid data error.

The error relates to the DotNetNuke Alias redirection settings in the DNN Site Admin settings, and appears to be when a redirection has been defined in the settings.

If the redirection is turned to none, this should also fix the error.

Alternatively it appears to have been fixed in DotNeTNuke release 06.01.01. But who is to day that the issue will not creep into later releases of the module.

DotNetNuke 6x has a great looking default skin called DarkKnight, and the skin design has previously caused some layout issues with the Mushroom Light Module Templates.

To correct this, we have created two new templates that are designed specifically to work with the DarkKnight skin in DotNetNuke.

Called:

• DarkKnight-Small
• DarkKnight-Large

They produce the following results…

With the Large template being the content on the left, and the bottom right showing the content of the small template.

This makes the module perfect for use with DotNetNuke 6x our of the box.

How to Set the Templates

The templates are selected through the normal RSS Template Tab in the module.

1. Select Load Template Button

2. Select the appropriate template and press the select button.

That will load the new templates and be ready to use on your site.

Today we are please to announce that the Activity Emailer Module for DotNetNuke, will support and run on DNN 6x.

This single package will now run on all DNN versions from 04.05.05 and later, including DNN 5x (all versions) and DNN 6x.

To Understand the Module

To understand the best use for this module, it is necessary to understand the type of situation it was designed for…

Any business that has a membership database, for example a gym, club or association, church etc. Who currently have an in office database of membership details, and want to run a website that allows members to update their details online, will need a way to have the databases linked from the website back to the membership database in the office.

In many cases we develop custom modules that feed and sync data to a “backend database” to meet specific needs. However sometimes clients simply cannot afford the expense of a customized application that links membership databases.

This module is the cost effective solution. This module sends a simple email to a configured email address with a list of the changes that members who have logged into their website have made. This email can then manually be entered into the “backend database” by staff in the office.

Example

• A local gym with 500 members has a database to manage membership and billing information in the office.

• The office database is proprietary software and although a connection module is possible, the cost of development is prohibitive.

• Membership details are exported from the office to the web.

• Members of the gym are encouraged via promotions etc. to keep their details up to date on the login area of the gyms DNN website.

If you are using the Advanced Email Module for DotNeTNuke, called bulk emailer, and you find that the links you place in your emails are not working when they arrive as an email. Then the fix is simple.

In the Bulk Emailer Settings Menu

Click on the option to Update Link

This will force the module to operate on the URL that you are currently working with on the site. It is necessary when you install the module in a dev URL and then try to operate through another URL such as a final domain name url.

The help for the item reads:

If you change the domain name that this module is operating on, then you should click ‘Update Links’ to reset the base URL for Email Tracking, Unsubscription and View Online.

With our DotNetNuke Image Module, the module comes with several templates. It is possible to modify any of the templates and create images and looks to suite your needs.

The original lightheads template that we use the following html for the thumbnail:

     <div class="iwebs-pic " style="background: url(‘$item.image’) no-repeat scroll 50% 50% transparent;">

     That means the raw image will be used as background image for the thumbnail rectangle. Since the background image will not be cropped or resized, you can only see part of the whole pic.

I You can change the template <div class="iwebs-pic " style="background: url(‘$item.imageresize‘) no-repeat scroll 50% 50% transparent;">

However, in order to keep the proportion, there will be some blank area for each thumbnail.

If you do not care about distortion of the thumbnail and want to fill the blank area any way he can use <div class="iwebs-pic " style="background: url(‘$item.thumbnail’) no-repeat scroll 50% 50% transparent;">

http://www.interactivewebs.com/mushroom-image/Demo/LightBoxEffect.aspx

Other DNN Modules

Advanced Login module for DotNetNuke works with DotNetNuke 4x, 5x and now 6x.

However because DotNetNuke 6x has some popup effect by default with the login button it interferes with the Advanced Login Module popup mode.

Solution

To fix this issue, the solution is relatively easy.

After selecting “Popup" from the Advanced Login Basic Settings Edit the skin object login and register as follows.

Default Settings

Update to:

Login

#dnn_Login,#dnn_LOGIN1_loginLink

Register

#dnn_USER1_registerLink

Save Tab Changes

Update to Templates

Then we need to make a small mod to the templates. After Selecting the Templates tab, click on Custom Script.

And modify the script to:

jQuery(document).ready(function(){
    /*
     add any custom initialization logic here,
    */
       jQuery("#dnn_LOGIN1_loginLink").attr("onclick","");
       jQuery("#dnn_USER1_registerLink").attr("onclick","");

})
function custom_validate_login(){
    /*
    add any custom login form validation logic here,
    return true if pass validation
    */
    return true;
}
function custom_validate_registration(){
    /*
    add any custom registration form validation logic here,
    return true if pass validation
    */
    return true;
}

Note: We added two new lines highlighted in yellow.

Save Tab Changes and you should be done. With the default skin in DNN 6.0.1, now the advanced login popup mode should work fine. Look at the Advanced Login Module for more assistance with configuring the module with different skins.

One of the most common problems experienced by users of hosted email services is that they find they can only send email messages to their own domain.

For Example, if you have two hosted email addresses:

1. ted@mybusiness.com
2. john@mybusiness.com

You find that you can successfully send an email message from one user to another, but when you try to send to any other domain:

1. anything@hotmail.com

You find that the email messages do not send.

Solution

You need to enable “Authentication” in your configured email account settings. There are many client email programs, probably the most common is Outlook.

When you configure an new POP3 email account you normally end up with something that looks like this:

If you click on More Settings / Outgoing Server

and just tick the option to use the same settings as the incoming mail server.

This is all that is needed to enable outbound SMTP authentication.

Background

SMTP Servers (or email servers) are setup to need stop people using them for sending email messages. As strange as that sounds, if they were not setup this way, then anyone could SPAM the world using that email server.

To prevent users from abusing an Open Relay Mail Server, the administrators say that anyone wanting to send email messages from that server to any other server, will need a users name and pass. Almost always this is the same user and pass as the one needed to download your mail from that server.

This this need for user and pass is referred to as “Authentication” and is necessary on almost all servers, other than internet service providers who give you an internet connection. In that instance they authenticate you from your internet connection.

Why Can You Send to Your Own Domain?

Because Email Servers by nature will received email messages to addresses they host. This is part of the process necessary for email messages to be sent and received.

Understanding Activation

InteractiveWebs DotNetNuke Modules require a license to be activates on each sub domain from which the module is accessed.

The license is per sub domain, and NOT for each instance of DotNetNuke.

A sub domain example is:

1. www.domain.com
2. dev1.domain.com
3. domain.com

In the case of domain.com and www.domain.com, these are considered as one single license. EVERY other sub domain needs it’s own license.

If you activate a module on dev.domain.com then browse to the same module using another sub domain (like dev2.domain.com) the module will not be activate with the new sub domain in the browser URL.

Trial

Each module will automatically enter into a 100% functional TRIAL mode the first time you access the module with any particular sub domain.

The trial period is automatically set from the date you first visit the module with any particular sub domain.

Example

If you access dev1.domain.com the module will start it’s trial period from today, and may expire if you don’t activate.

If you then use another sub domain like dev2.domain.com the module will start a new trial and you will continue to be able to access the module on that dev2.domain.com sub domain.

Note: All the settings and modifications you make to any module in trial WILL be preserved and waiting for you once you activate the module license. So if your trial expires on your development sub domain, you can simply activate the module in it’s final www.domain.com location when you are ready to go live.

Before You Activate

We recommend that if you need to configure and test (development site) before going live, that you do that on a development sub domain (like dev.domain.com), IN TRIAL MODE.

From that dev.domain.com, Setup the module, test and be sure things are working. Don’t be concerned if you get things just right, and the trial time expires. Because as soon as you access the module page on a new sub domain, it will go back into trial, and be available fro activation.

All your module settings and customizations will carry over to the new sub domain when you access it. So in this example, if you are ready to go live with www.domain.com you can access the module page with that sub domain, and extend the trial, or activate the module.

For this reason we always suggest that you only activate your module on www.domain.com as your final public URL of your website.

To Activate Your Module

Select the Licensing Dropdown Menu Item from the module Menu:

The module will tell you about the Module Name, Version Installed, sub domain you are on, and trial days remaining.

If you have not purchased a License yet, you can click the Buy Now icon and purchase a license from our site.

Note: Check that the sub domain shown in the module is the final correct sub domain you wish your license to be active on:

Click: Request License Activation

Fill in the details requested, including the store you purchase from and the email address that you used with your purchase.

Note: The email address must be the one you have on file. With SnowCovered, it is apparently possible to have more than one address on file. The address we need is the one that is in the purchase order confirmation data sent during purchase. This is the accounts primary e-mail address.

Wrong License E-mail Address

If we are unable to match the email address against a valid license activation, we return the error:

We suggest that you verify the email address used for purchase and try again with the correct address. You can also monitor your License Management on our site by logging in with the email address that you try to activate with.

Correct License E-mail Address

With the correct details, you will receive a message like this:

Managing Licenses

You can monitor your licenses and activations by visiting our License Management page here.

Ensuring that you login to our site using the e-mail address that the license was purchased with.

Module Support

We provide several Support services for our modules.

1. Where necessary our modules come with extensive manuals (like our bulkemailer module).
2. Each Module has it’s own pages on our website. Visit the module website by clicking on the correct module from this list: http://www.interactivewebs.com/DotNetNukeModules.aspx

Then use the support menu to find module specific support. This will include KB Articles, Support Forums, Blog Posts.