Google Map API – Adding address markers and geocoding
I had a need to add a set of markers to a Google map using the Google Maps API that could be easily modified over time. It is fairly easy to add markers with the Google Maps API but I wanted to put something together that will do the geocoding at the same time so I don’t have to manually add the lat / lng coordinates when I just want to add an address. As a result I put together the following bit of script. The addresses are loaded from an xml file named data.xml, geocoded and then added to the map. If you are going to use this example for yourself, just add your Google Maps API key and enter the addresses you want to add. You can visit a LIVE SAMPLE or download the full html page and associated data.xml file from HERE. Read more
Examples of live Starter Kit Sites
Since I talk about using various starter kits, I thought I would share the acutal live sites that I have put up over time. In no particular order, here they are:
http://www.rvresort.com – using “My Web Pages”
http://www.redhotchilimommas.com – using “Club Starter Kit 2.0″
http://www.skyriverapartments.com – using “Personal Starter Kit”
If you any questions or comments about any of those sites, just let me know.
Working with the My Web Pages Starter Kit
I had a need for a simple content management system website that could be up and running with minimal effort and the “My Web Pages Starter Kit” fit the bill. The “My Web Pages Starter Kit” is as simple as it gets to install and use – just upload the files to your host and you can manage everything in your browser. It is very shared hosting friendly as it works in a Medium Trust environment and does not need a SQL database since it stores data in XML files. It comes with 16 themes that you can select from and is available in 8 languages and counting. So that is the good news. I found some of the built in features a little weak and the community support to be a bit tepid but if you are looking for a simple CMS and don’t want to invest the time to ge up to speed in DNN, you should check it out. It may fit the bill for you if its built in features meet your needs.
Adventures in CSK 2.01
My recent adventures in starter kits is CSK 2.01 and I am here to share what I have learned to make your implementation a little easier. First, get yourself a good web host CSK because of its PayPal integration needs a Full Trust host – GoDaddy and 1and1 will not cut it. Second, replicate the DB onto your server and upload the web files as is outlined elsewhere on this site. Now for the fun stuff. CSK is all about ecommerce and has an amazing amount of functionality for a full fledged ecommerce site with integrated shopping cart, shipping providers and really everything you need for your ecommerce business to be up an running. While CSK is great overall it is a little lacking in the documentation department for the beginner. I will try to identify the issues that I found troubling and will hopefully save you some hours of work in the process.
- If you are not using SSL be sure to go to checkout.aspx.cs and comment out line 36 Utility.TestForSSL(); Otherwise you will get “page not found” error when you try to checkout
- PayPal Pro Integration – If you are gonig to use PayPal Pro (which is nice because you can accept credit card payments directly on your site but it costs $20/ month) you need to follow a few steps. First sign up for PayPal Pro on the PayPal website and you will be given API Account Name and Password that you can enter into the admin section of CSK. You will also be given the option to download a certificate from PayPal but you will notice that it will have a .txt extension versus the .pfx extension specified in CSK. To remedy this you will need to use OpenSSl to convert the PayPal certificate from PEM to the correct .pfx type. OpenSSL is a command line utility which can be downloaded from here with instructions http://forums.commercestarterkit.org/files/folders/pp1000/entry6647.aspx Once you have your .pfx file upload it to your App_Data folder and then enter the file name and password into the CSK Admin section and you are good to go.
- When using the integrated USPS shipping provider, request your account from USPS and then immediately request the production server from USPS. The functionality is already integrated and you can only send predetermined shipping info with the test server which won’t do you much good. Just email or call USPS and they will set you up right away. You will notice in CSK that it asks for a password but you never choose one from USPS – you just need to enter something into that the password field. It does not matter what it is but it cannot be left blank or you will get an error
Hopefully with these tips you should be up and running in no time.
What you need to know about Domain names
If you are just getting started with your web presence you have figured out that you not only need to find a web hosting company you also need a domain registar to get the name of the site you want. There are two main options when it you are considering a domain registrar – do you use your web hosting company or do you use a third party? The pro for going with your web host is simplicity – if you are a novice user this is going to be one less step for you if you just use your web host. If you are willing to put up with slightly more complexity you can choose a third party domain name provider such as Moniker, Domainsite or Namecheap. Read more
Setting up your ASP Starter Kit on UltimaHosts.net
The walkthrough for setting up your Starter Kit on Ultimahosts.net is as follows:
- Log into your DotNetPanel (AKA control panel) at http://home.ultimahosts.net/ and then select the User Space where you will locate your web site (Starter, Standard, Unlimited – depending on the type of plan you signed up for)
- Under the “Hosting Space Menu” on the left click on “Domains” and add the domain name you will use for your site.
- Again under the “Hosting Space Menu” click on “Web Sites”, then click on the “Create Web Site” button and associate the domain you just entered in step 1 with your new web site.
Other online resources
Not finding what you are looking for at askstarterkit.com?
Try these other online resources that I have found very useful:
ASP.NET Tutiorials - A number for tutorials on how to accomplish typical tasks including code samples
List of Available Starter Kits
The are two broad types of starter kits available. The original starter kits released by the ASP.NET team and community supported starter kits.
The ASP.NET team starter kits are:
- Small Business Site Starter Kit - The Small Business Starter Kit provides a sample of a business promotion website suitable for small and medium-sized businesses.
- Personal Web Site Starter Kit – A typical personal site that includes a photo album system.
- Club Web Site Starter Kit – A starting point for creating a web site for your club or organization.
- Time Tracker Starter Kit – A business web application for keeping track of hours spent on a project with the ability to handle multiple resources as well as multiple projects.
- Classifieds Web Site Starter Kit – The Classifieds Site Starter Kit provides a complete, ready to run, fully customizable, Web site for listing and managing classified advertisements.
All of these can be found at http://www.asp.net/downloads/starterkits/default.aspx
Read more
Recommended Web Hosts for Starter Kits
I am only going to speak from personal experience here but the two best hosts for asp.net that I have used are discountasp.net and ultimahosts.net. I currently have all of my sites over at ultimahosts.net because they were a better value for me. As an additional bonus ultimahosts.net will instantly set you up with a free trial account so you can make sure they work for you before you commit to a hosting plan. While quite inexpensive, I had nothing but problems with 1and1.com and godaddy.com and the price discount was not worth the headache. That being said if anyone has had good success with either one of those hosts or any other host for that matter please chime in with your thoughts.�
How to Get Your Starter Kit Launched on a Web Host
The most common problem for the novice Starter Kit user is moving their site from their personal computer to their web host.
A common stumbling block is the database configuration. When you run the StarterKit on your personal computer a database file is created in the App_Data folder of your site and everything works fine. When you move the site to your web host this database will not work for you. You are going to have to copy the information from the database on your personal computer and replicate it to your Web hosts SQL Server Database either through a backup and restore proceedure (which is the way I like to do it) or through running a script against the hosted database. Check out the steps below for the details.
I am assuming you have your site up and running just fine on your local machine and here are the steps to move to a hosted environment.
Basic Steps:
1) Get a web hosting account. You already have one you say? Great, but all web hosts are not created equal. Not to knock anyone in particular too much but some of the large (and inexpensive) web hosts (godaddy, 1and1, etc.) make it a challenging to get your starter kit to work. In particular, some starter kits such as CSK and Club Starter Kit 2.0 among others require that you have a full trust rather than a medium or partial trust environment on your Web host. This is not going to be something that you can change – either your host provides it or they do not. There are several hosts that specialize in .NET hosting (such as discountasp.net, Ultimahosts.net among many more) and they will make your life much easier when you want to go live with your web site. It is up to you but you may be able to save yourself a lot of time and anguish by researching which web hosts work well with your particular Starter Kit. In addition, many of the hosts that specialize in .NET hosting have an option in their control panel where they will automatically install a blank Starter Kit into your hosted space. Now this is not going to help you if you have already customized your Starter Kit locally but if you are just now getting started there is no easier way to get live on the Internet.
2) Create a blank SQL 2005 database on your Web Host. The exact steps to do this are going to vary by Web Host by will be accomplished from your online control panel. Be sure to write down the name of the database you created.
3) Create a user for that database on your Web Host. Again the exact steps are going to vary but it will be accomplished through your control panel and you will need to write down the user name and password you created.