BlogEngine.NET is an open source .NET blogging project that was born out of desire for a better blog platform. A blog platform with less complexity, easy customization, and one that takes advantage of the latest .NET features.

I have experimented with this open-source blog engine as a framework for a blog-orientated website where the customer wants to have as much control over their content as possible. Changes to the appearance and layout are accomplished by modifying the standard themes or by downloading one of the theme packages being made available by members of the community. The following files need to be changed to provide your custom theme:

site.master (2.08 kb)

site.master.cs (546.00 bytes)

CommentView.ascx (1.00 kb)

download.png (639.00 bytes)

header.png (324.36 kb)

PostView.ascx (1.40 kb)

style.css (15.71 kb)

Place your files in its own directory in the "themes" folder and it is a simple matter to select your new theme when logged in to your blog as administrator.

An example of a blog-based website using this tool can be seen at http://www.xj13.eu or by clicking on the image below:

There are many cases where you might want to combine C# classes with VB classes in the same website / web application. To do so, the following steps need to be followed:

• Add sub-folders to your app_code folder - one for your C# code and a second for your VB code:
• Place your code files in the appropriate folders - C# in the 'csCode' folder; VB in the 'vbCode' folder.
• Add the lines shown below to your web.config (within the <compilation> tag)
• Run/compile as normal!

The 'Crucial Solution Demo Store' gives an example of the kind of online store that can be yours. Using the latest web technologies, the store is completely customisable to suit your needs, layout, colour-scheme and corporate image.

Give it a try! Feel free to browse the store and all its facilities - although you will be unable to actually purchase any of the products, it will give you a feel of your Customer's experience. Click HERE for more details.