DNN is often called a Content Management System (CMS). A CMS is often
described as providing the features of managing documents and providing
colaboration. I am unfamiliar with most other CMSs but that description of
CMSs is very misleading relevant to DNN. I hope to provide a much more
relevant description of what DNN is.
DNN provides a way to develop web sites. It can be used for many types of
web sites; including:
- Stores
- Orgnaizations, such as universities and churches
- Social Networking
Originally web sites were developed using just HTML. Later CSS was
developed for sytles. Programming languages were developed, including Java,
JavaScript and Perl. Components of web sites, such as menus, typicallly
consist of a combination of HTML, CSS and programming. When working at the
HTML level, a web site developer typically must work with the HTML, CSS and
programming separately. DNN provides a way for non-programmers to work with
pieces of web sites (such as menus) that consist of HTML, CSS and
programming. The pieces are called modules and skins. DNN provides an
architecture for programmers to develop modules and skins. At the programmer
level, modules and skins are very much alike but they are typically used
very differently. DNN modules can provide a very wide range of capabilities.
Therefore DNN supports a very wide range of possible types of web sites.
Some modules and a few skins are installed with DNN. Some of the modules
support management of documents and allow collaboration and there are very
more modules available for those features.
Accounts
DNN provides account management in the sense that everything is done
using an account, also known as a user id. The showing and use of a DNN web
site can be configured based on the account the user is signed in with.
The various types of accounts available by default are:
- SuperUsers
- Administrators
- Page Editors
- Module Editors
- Others
The installation wil create a SuperUser account with the name "host" by
default. SuperUser accounts have the most privileges.
Page Layout
General
When signed in using a SuperUser, Administrator or Page Editor account
then across the top of the page is a Control Panel with a menu, or more
specifiaclly, a row of links with drop down menus. The Control Panel can be
either a ControlBar, RibbonBar or Iconbar. ControlBar is the default and
Iconbar is not availalbe for new installations.
If you hover over an item in the menu then a pop-up will
appear showing the relevant items that are used the most often. If you
click on any of the menu items then you will be taken to a
page with all possible choices.
Note that pages and the contents of pages have permissions associated
with them. If the permission for a page or anything in it is set to allow
the public to edit it then everyone will be considered to be a Page Editor
for that page.
Panes
If, when signed in as a SuperUser, you hover over the "Edit Page" button
then click on "View in Layout Mode" to select Layout Mode then you will all
the many panes in the page. The main pane is the ContentPane. To the left
and right of the ContentPane are the leftPane and rightPane. Under the
leftPane and rightPane are the leftPaneLowerLeft and leftPaneLowerRight.
There is also a leftPaneBottom pane. There are five "footer" panes across
the bottom.
Page Management
First login using the host account.
Definitions
- toolbar
- what it is
- Settings icon
- what it looks like
Since DNN is a Content Management System, it manages the menu at the top
of the page.
Page Settings
There are at least two ways to get to the Settings for a page; they are:
Hover over the "Edit page" button then click on "Page
Settings".
Select "Admin" in the toolbar then select "Page
management". Then in the tree view in the left right-click on the page and
select "Page Settings".
In the Page Settings is a Page Details tab; the following are in the Page
Details tab that are commonly changed:
- Page Name
- Page Title
- Description
If the Page Name is changed then it will affect both the name in menus as
well as the URL of hte page.
Location in the Menu
To change where in a menu a page occurs, go to "Page management" from the
"Admin" menu. Using the tree view in the left side, just drag the page from
where it is at to where you want it to be in the menu hierarchy.
Delete a Page
The following are two ways to delete a page.
- In Page management select "Delete page" when clicking on the page in
the page hierarchy
- Navigate to the page to be deleted then hover over the "Edit page"
button then click on "Delete Page".
To recover the page, go to the "Recycle Bin" from the "Admin" menu.
Excluding from the menu
To exclude a page from the menu, go to "Page management" from the "Admin"
menu then right-click on the page then select "Hide from navigation".
Home page
By default the Getting Started page is the home page. That can be changed
in the context menu of a page in the tree view of the Page management page.