Wanting to use this but struggling with implementation |
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SiteBuilding
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I'm in the fortunate situation to have been handed a contract to implement 300+ websites with 4-5 pages of content each with unique looks and basic Adsense driven revenue streams. I considered Joomla strongly but it doesn't seem to support multiple websites within the same installation and database natively. For this project that is a huge plus for dotnetnuke. We are about 20 sites in using free templates and stock asp.net but it is clear we need a CMS in a big way.
Artisteer + Dotnetnuke seems perfect on the surface... but the struggle comes that it seems artisteer is somewhat weak in support for dotnetnuke.
So I guess my question comes down to if anyone knows any firsthand knowledge on Artisteer's intentions on fixing some of the issues that I've read about in the current threads? I can see how it is in all our interests to consolidate the problems and focus on workarounds until they have time to pull together better support.
I guess my main question is given the basic goals I have outlined for this project is perhaps another CMS a better fit with Artisteer? Perhaps not the best forum to post this in but I want perspective from a dotnetnuke users standpoint as that is the CMS I'm most familiar with moving forward with the project.
From the goals of the project it is hard to pass up on Aristeer as the core creative aspect to quickly build a fairly good looking, unique site template without having to have a 'free template' disclaimer that makes it a weak fit for the contract we are under. Right now that isn't a huge issue for the client involved but I think they would prefer to have sites that are without any 'based on' disclaimers.
I'm not 100% against hacking up the CSS/Skin after it is generated by Artisteer but our team is slanted toward content and marketing programs.
I'm just trying to pick a platform and process where we don't get 60 sites in and have a FUBAR situation.
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nhsnm
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I will be honest with you. When I first started using artisteer for building my skins I had mixed emotions, due to some of the issues. However once I got used to the process it is really quite simple tp implement the changes that need to be done. What I end up doing is.
Exporting the skin
Modifying the page.aspx
Move Login to a more appropriate location
Modify the tag at bottom of the page to tag my company as the creator
A few other odds and ends
Then import the Skin into DNN.
I have been very please and have been getting fantastic reviews from my customers and the users of their sites. So much so that I am all the more convinced that this is perhaps the best solution for a robust web site. Artisteer and DNN all the way.
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mwoffenden
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I agree with nhsnm. Artisteer gets you 99% to the finish line, and with a few tweaks you are there.
I recommend staying with 2.3 for now, which is solid. 2.4 creates better looking skins, but for DNN users is not at all stable and crashes and burns frequently.
We are hoping the developers put more testing into the next release.
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SiteBuilding
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Thanks for the quick feedback. Part of what makes me more inclined to take this approach is good community involvement where developers can work together to solve problems. I will certainly do what I can. One thing I learned pretty quickly is that if you put something in the content pane and then another module in the sidebar they look out of alignment. So I put my main content in the banner1 layout area now and things line up good.
I can already see that one of the biggest features that Artisteer could provide us is to upgrade the layouts tab to offer more DNN specific options. The software is AWESOME for colors, styles, backgrounds, etc. But it seems weak on layout particularly when you export out to DNN.
So i would imagine a pull down graphical type menu that lets you pick between 8-12 layouts from the simple toppane, bottompane, leftpane, rightpane... to one perhaps about as complex as the current one they push out in the export.
Being able to rename the layout segments would also seem like a straight forward way to make the integrate better with DNN and people who would like to replace out a current custom style sheet.
I'm doing the final research on a few test sites and will likely make a decision by the end of the week. I'll keep everyone posted as I find tricks and workarounds as with 300+ sites I'm going to be looking to make the process as smooth and painless as possible.
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Brian
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For your purposes, I agree DNN is the way to go. I think DNN is one of the best CMS choices out there, certainly if security/role access is important to your development.
One thing we need to keep in mind and drive hard, DNN was late to the party with Artisteer. Most of the platforms supported are PHP based CMS and function in a similar fashion. DNN is a different beast with regard to language – ASP.NET, database, panes, containers, tokens, menus, and most of all market-share. We need to continue to let the Artisteer Team know how important DNN is and how additional support and focus for the DNN model will help their sales.
Creating skins and templates for DNN is a nightmare at best. The fact that Artisteer creates a working DNN template in which to build from alone is worth their license fee. Unfortunately, at least for me, I would never be able to use an Artisteer DNN skin right out of the box without major tweaks.
I could almost see the product go directions, Artisteer – PHP and Artisteer DNN. We need a combined voice to Artisteer and let them know we exist and how important DNN is to our development and how important Artisteer could be to all our DNN projects. Artisteer is the best option we have at the moment, but it could be so much more with some minor changes specifically for DNN.
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