Building Websites with Microsoft Content Management Server

A fast-paced and practical tutorial guide for C# developers starting out with MCMS 2002.

Microsoft Content Management Server 2002 is a dynamic web publishing system with which you can build websites quickly and cost-efficiently. MCMS provides the administration, authoring, and data management functionality, and you provide the website interface, logic, and workflow. Once your website is up and running, your content contributors can add and edit content on their own, without the need to work with developers or the IT department.

This book is an end-to-end guide to creating a Microsoft Content Management Server (MCMS) website. No prior knowledge of MCMS is required - this book takes you from the basics of MCMS, guiding you through everything you need to create a fully-featured, content-rich website.

First time developers of Microsoft Content Management Server 2002 face a relatively steep learning curve. Not only are they expected to be conversant in the Microsoft .NET Framework, they are also required to be familiar with the concepts of MCMS 2002.

Many beginners to MCMS start out by looking at the example site that ships with the product; tweaking it, dissecting it and turning it inside out using the obscure code comments as markers. However, when it comes to starting their own website from scratch, many are baffled - where do they begin?

This book exists to answer that question; teaching the essential concepts of MCMS 2002 in a clear, straightforward and practical manner.

Containing answers to some of the most asked questions in developer newsgroups, this book is a treasure trove of tricks and tips for solving the problems faced by MCMS developers.

This is a unique resource focused exclusively on the needs of developers using MCMS. It doesn't waste time and pages on user or administrator level information that is well covered in other documentation. It's a distillation of practical experience that developers need to get results, fast. The authors carefully structured example project complements and extends the knowledge gained from an initial look at the examples that ship with MCMS.

Years of active participation in MCMS newsgroups and mailing lists mean that the authors' hard-won experience puts them in the ideal position to tell you what you really need to know to master the system.

An example site is developed throughout the book, at every point providing clear and practical demonstrations of the relevant ideas. Once you have mastered the basics, the book leads you onto more advanced and powerful techniques, allowing you to get the most from this awesome system.

This book is written for developers who are part of a dynamic organization that has decided to evaluate or deploy MCMS and require the skills to make it happen.The book presumes a working knowledge of the .NET Framework and familiarity with the C# language, but no prior knowledge of MCMS is required.To use this book, you will need access to Visual Studio. NET 2002 or 2003, SQL Server 2000, and an installation of MCMS 2002.

Contents include:
The basic concepts of MCMS
Preparing, installing and configuring MCMS and its supporting technologies
Creating an MCMS website from scratch
Creating and debugging templates files and channel rendering scripts
Working with dynamic navigation
Establishing user roles and rights
Authoring with MCMS and improving the authoring experience
Understanding and customizing workflow
Working with the Publishing API
Site deployment techniques
Enhancing your site's performance with caching