Add a New Blog to Multi-Blog

There was a script created for SqlBlogProvider that emulates that portion of the SQL Setup script for “standard” BlogEngine.NET.  I actually modified it several times and realized that I don’t like that approach as much as anyone, but had to take time to build a UI.  Almost as hard as it is to select a name for a new project in Visual Studio, I had to think about how I wanted to access this maintenance utility.  The first approach, basically where I am now, was to whip up a prototype in a Windows form, using a separate class (library) for the functionality, accessing the database via the same Linq2SQL provider.  It worked, of course, but it’s not a perfect solution by any stretch.

Can anyone identify the correct answer or perfect solution?

Maybe not, but for “our” purposes it means the one that helps everyone or “most” everyone who will use this approach. 

So who is “Everyone?”

We are the people who want to use BlogEngine.NET for its ease of use, intuitive and extendible architecture, and add on the multi-blogging capability.  We are NOT a group of perfectionists, or corporations with bottomless pockets, nor are we people who are happy to blog all day, everyday on a single blog.  We are also those who may want to rip any solution apart and improve it for our own needs…again, basically where I am today.

How to add a new blog, manually:

First you need to execute a script or add rows to several tables by hand.  “BlogEngine Multi-Blog Dog Food” contains the SQL script “AddNewBlogHost.sql” which can make it easier to add a new Blog and Host to your multi-blog environment .  Again, this is not the ideal solution, but the winform code has yet to be tested thoroughly.  I’ll post it next chance I get anyway.

What else you need to know: More...

Current Multi-blog enabling LINQ to SQL BlogEngine.NET Provider. (Updated 3/12/10)

I have been asked for this code so that we can share the multi-blog solution that has been working for me for almost a year now.  This is the time to check it out and help make it work for yourself and others.  I’m going to continue to “dog food” this here.  Current version of BlogEngine.NET supported by this provider, as of this post, is 1.6.0.3.  Although I need to update my own site(s) from 1.6.0.1.

How will I update?

Mine is easy.  Drop in the new DLLs.

If I do a code “diff” and find the Web code to have changed recently (which I’m sure it did) I will copy those specific files to the Web folder.

How do you update from a clean BlogEngine.NET 1.6.0.3 code base?

1. You should download the latest BE.NET code from codeplex and create a folder for the solution. 
2. Extract the code from the zip into your solution folder. (…and follow the directions for setting up a stand-alone SQL Server Blog)
3. Copy and unzip the
   BlogEngine.Linq2SQL.3-12-10.zip
      folder into the solution folder with the Core and Web projects.
4. Add an existing Project to the solution, select the BlogEngine.Linq2Sql project.
5. Verify the References (to project “BlogEngine.Core”)
6. Add a reference to “BlogEngine.Linq2SQL” from the “BlogEngine.NET” Web site.
7. Change Target Framework on BlogEngine.NET Web site to “.NET Framework 3.5”
8. Execute the SQL build script “Linq2SqlUpdate.sql” to add schema to support Multi-Blogs.
   • Make sure to run against the Database you created in Step 2.
9. Assuming you are using the correct connection string, modify the Web.Config
   • blogProvider, membership, roleManager
   • See: Web.Config.xml

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But why is it now different from BlogEngine.NET 1.5.1.46?

I downloaded it yesterday and Diffed to find out what I need to change to keep up…and it was the “version number.”

So, I guess keeping up with several code changes over the past few months and making sure my version of the Multi-blog capable SqlBlogProvider was in tune paid off, only to realize I’m still one of the very few to implement such a “clean” version of multiblog BlogEngine.NET.  I’ve been working on an Entity Framework provider since this could replace or certainly enhance the capabilities of BlogEngine, but it may really be just another stepping stone to work out a new architecture to support BlogEngine Like capabilities for .NET 4.0 and IIS 7 using MVC, Entity Framework and perhaps WCF for integration and remote administration capabilities.

At least I’m learning a lot about Open Source capabilities and limitations. Does anyone want to legitimately tackle a Next Gen BlogEngine with me?  Of course, I would not want to steal the branding created here unless there is a parallel effort to create a distinctly separate single Blog, Multi-user system such as BlogEngine.NET and a more scalable, database centric, multi-blog, real-time administration console application.

Design first, Agile methodology, Eat-your-own-dog-food approach with lots of prototyping.

Or I could just use BeerHouse or DotNetNuke, I guess.  Need to go get some additional experience.

See Y’all l8r,

Dave (BizTron)

Pipedream: Multiple Blogs

I’m not sure if anyone else has noticed but the NUMBER ONE requested feature of BlogEngine.NET (That’s #1 by a landslide) is to support Multiple Blogs per installation.  I have been struggling with this concept and while searching for and designing a workaround using BlogEngine.NET and the Provider model using SQL Server only, I came across SqlBlogProvider that also uses Linq to SQL.  This model supports Multiple Blogs in a single SQL Server Database in a single Application folder.  It now also supports multiple hosts or domains per blog if required.  So the only dilemma I’m struggling with today is where to go from here.

Current Conundrum:

Now that the SqlBlogProvider supports what I need, although there are a few items I’ve extended I’m still having problems syncing between the “current” or “newest” code base(s) of BlogEngine.NET and the SqlBlogProvider.  They don’t jive, nor should they.  However, I want it all, and I want it now…Yeah, I know it sounds like a song.  The strategy I would have employed was to Add a blog table, and then the host table to support another level of hierarchy, then add a BlogId to each necessary table.  However, in order to create the least possible interference with the Core, the SqlBlogProvider author added separate tables (Junction tables) and a separate Provider project.

Status:

I’ve made the changes to the latest BlogEngine source I had from a few days ago (1.5.1.31) and SqlBlogProvider (1.5 Change Set 27978) but haven’t finished the work I wanted yet.  My plan is to finish some bug fix work across both projects which may be done as far as my issues are concerned.  Now I’m adding a GUI for setting up new Blogs (via Linq and the new provider I chipped out of SqlBlogProvider).  Then I’ll dog-food it for a while and see where it leads me.  I may learn enough from this to start fresh and rebuild the core in my own way but I’m willing to share the results if someone asks.

You’ll know it’s in use when the BlogEngine.NET version at the bottom of this blog changes from 1.5.1.22 to 1.5.1.31 or above.

This is a thread from BlogEngine.NET on CodePlex. (Multiple blogs on same installation) 

I would like to see the current dev plan, if it exists yet.  If I knew we/they/you were going to use SqlBlogProvider, and even integrate it into the core, I would like to help.  If there was also a way to allow multiple blogs within a single application, that would be great too.  Should everyone just create a new branch?

If we don't know the future plans, dates, implementation, etc., we're stuck deciding whether to wait or risk going forward with an alternative branch and missing out.  Communication would be good.  I may be missing something.  I've stated recently that I spend more time modifying current BE.NET code than I ever do Blogging and I have over a dozen blogs.  1.5.1.22 is currently stable, from my perspective with SqlBlogProvider supporting all of those blogs on a single folder, with a single SQL database and schema.  The only (minor) issue is still creating multiple Web Applications and pointing them to the same folder.  I can live with that on an 8-way server with 2 GB of RAM.

It’s related to Multiple blogs in one BlogEngine.NET instance and BlogEngine.Net for SQL Server

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A simple way to adjust or tweak a theme to your liking can be as simple as a few lines of css code in styles.css.  I made a couple very minor changes to achieve the affect of a new background color, content on the right when it was always on the left, and a font color change to go along with the background better.  This is what it looked like:

/* I replace the Standard body formatting:
body {
    background-color: #F1F1F1;
    color: #444444;
    font-family: Verdana;
    font-size: 11px;
    margin: 0 auto;
    width: 980px;
    position: relative;
}*/

/* With the following: */
body {
    background-color: #6699FF;
    color: #444444;
    font-family: Verdana;
    font-size: 11px;
    margin: 0 auto;
    width: 980px;
    position: relative;
}

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I'll document some of the work done here to help others.  I'm using VM ware Workstation 6.0.2, running a Windows 2003 R2 SP2 domain controller I built last night for some future development.  Since there are no major add-ons and SQL Server is yet to be configured, I'll be using pretty much using default configuration.