Jan28Written by:Will
1/28/2009
Something that is important to most websites and companies, is branding. Unfortunately, the DotNetNuke error page has their branding. Here is how to change that.
CAUTION: While the following is a useful change and should be used to promote your own branding, it is technically a core code change. Your changes will be overwritten during an update of the DNN site. Document your changes to propogate them should you upgrade your site.
Applying your own branding to the DotNetNuke error page is very easy. DotNetNuke exposes the error page as a template file. You can find the template file in the following directory:
~/Install/UnderConstruction.htm
~/Install/UnderConstruction.template.htm
The UnderConstruction.htm file is generated using the template HTML file. They are both just standard HTML. You can edit them as needed. MAKE SURE that you edit the template file, as it will be used to regenerate the UnderConstruction.htm file, if needed.
I will not go into any detail on how to edit the HTML file. It is just a standard HTML file. You can apply your own logo, styles, and more. However, doing so will turn your website's error page from this:
To this:
This is probably one of the easiest things to change in DNN. But I once again must warn you that this is a core code change. Document this change so that you can apply it, should you upgrade DotNetNuke.
DotNetNuke Core Suggestion
This file should be exposed to skinners so that a core code change is not necessary. We should not have to change the core code to apply our company branding to the error page.
Technorati Tags:
DNN, DotNetNuke, DNN Blog, How To, Tips, Tricks, 5.00.00
Copyright ©2009 Will Strohl
4 comment(s) so far...
Yeah branding the error page is definitely a good idea. I can't remember if the image file is referenced locally, that if you just overwrite the DNN image would that survive an upgrade? or would that get wiped out too. Not sure.
Also, doesn't appear the captcha is showing below so fingers crossed that this goes. *note - after submitting once and it failed the captcha now shows.
By Ryan Doom on
1/29/2009 |
The overall intention here is to encourage you to re-brand the entire page, not just the logo (even though the screen shot shows otherwise).
Overwriting the image file is a good idea. But it also will be overwritten during an upgrade. I would prefer using a logo in the Portals directory. It will be there during all future upgrades. (One less thing to change.) When I have done things like this in the past, I make sure to alter the actual upgrade package prior to performing the upgrade. It just makes things easier.
FYI - I submitted this topic as a suggested enhancement to:
http://support.dotnetnuke.com
By Will on
1/29/2009 |
Have you ever looked at the MS Web Page Error Toolkit? technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/2009.02.utilityspotlight.aspx . Was featured in the latest Technet magazine. I wonder if that could be a basis for a nice addon module?
By Antony on
1/29/2009 |
I believe that there are already modules out there for this purpose. However, those error pages are slightly different from what we're talking about here.
By Will on
1/29/2009 |