Converted from dasBlog to BlogEngine.NET

If you see some weirdness with the blog, like missing images or broken links, let me know.  I’ve switched from dasBlog to BlogEngine.NET.  I started this blog in 2005, and after four years, it was time for a different look and some different software.

The conversion from dasBlog to BlogEngine.NET was pretty easy.  Here’s what I did:

  1. Installed BlogEngine.NET as a website on my local machine, and tweaked the config (blog name, admin user, theme, etc)
  2. Downloaded my dasBlog installation to a temporary folder.  No need to install as a web app.
  3. Converted my blog entries to BlogML with the dasBlog to BlogML converter.  I saved the output XML to the temp folder.  This conversion took a minute or two.
  4. Using the BlogEngine.NET import tool, imported the BlogML output.  This process took seconds.

There was one small problem during conversion—the BlogML originally did not validate (there is a validation check in the import tool).  I tried opening up the BlogML file in XML Notepad 2007, which pointed to some weird character in a specific line of the XML.  I then opened the BlogML in Notepad++, navigated to the line indicated by XML Notepad 2007, and instantly saw the invalid characters.  After I deleted two of something, the BlogML validated and I could import the posts and comments.

DotNetKicks Image

How fast can you set up a Community Server site?

45 minutes from getting site login information from my buddy Joe, to loading the home page. That included logging in to the control panel, configuring the database and DB user, uploading all the web files, loading the installer, modifying web.config, deleting installer, and finally loading the homepage. The upload consumed about 20 min of the entire process. Next up: configuring the forums and working on the skin.

The entire process couldn’t be easier. The directions are short, and that’s because you don’t have to do too much at all.

Floristblogs.com updated to Community Server 2.1

Working from a hotel room last night, I was able to upgrade floristblogs.com from CS 1.1 to CS 2.1 on .NET 2.0. That was a surprisingly easy upgrade, and as far as Telligent’s upgrade scripts are concerned, it went perfect. The only flaw was I accidentally deleted the photos folder, and whacked all the images. DiscountASP.Net restored a full site backup from 8/8 as a ZIP, so I should be able to recover the images completely when I get home.

Just a reminder–unlike blog and forum content, images are stored as files, not DB content.