DotNetNuke - a New Collaborative Service Framework

While I completely agree with the recent focus of DotNetNuke on the Cloud, Mobile and Social aspects of DotNetNuke V6 as a way to increase the adoption of the product, I believe there is an alternative focus that the more technical among us can consider. This "other" focus is centered on strategic changes to the framework of DotNetNuke - the underlying bones.

For many years, DotNetNuke was referred to as the DotNetNuke Framework that supported the creation of a Content Management System. For end-users, the term framework was lost - DotNetNuke was a Content Management System. However, that framework provided a standardized way to build web pages with a defined plug-in infrastructure, security and underlying database. Over the years the framework aspect of the product(s) has been down played.

With the release of V6.2 of DotNetNuke, a new additional service framework is available for the developer world. These changes to the existing DotNetNuke framework will provide developers the means to create services that can interact with others services, web pages, or devices. From my point of view - the formal addition of the service framework creates a new Collaborative Service Framework that will help future-proof DotNetNuke.

DotNetNuke V6.2 comes with the ability to create services that support the MVC style of interaction, but also understands the DotNetNuke infrastructure. . So, what does this mean? A developer can create an extension that does not interact directly with a web page. This allows the extension to support a non-traditional DotNetNuke web page, a completely different display environment, or even a completely different type of device. For a detailed example of how to implement a service see Scott Schlesier's blog from 19-Mar-2012 (see blog)  or his blog from 27-Mar-2012 (see blog) where Scott expands on the Service Framework background.

Since the Service Framework is based on an ASP.Net MVC style solution, this opens the door to several interesting collaborative solutions - such as:

• Using DotNetNuke to monitor DotNetNuke sites. With the implementation of standard services or third party services, the development of a Centralized Monitoring Web Site is now a real possibility. Going forward, DotNetNuke will provide addition capability to enhance the service framework functionality. As mentioned in Bob Kruger’s blog post introducing the service framework (31-mar-2012):
  

  "In future releases, we intend to make available various DotNetNuke administrative and management functions, leading to easier access to key platform functionality" (see blog)

• Developers can now implement access services that will allow access to existing MVC-style applications without having to change the other application to understand the DotNetNuke world.
   
• Developers can take advantage of new web-page display frameworks while still using all of the DotNetNuke frameworks support. We have seen some very interesting articles from Joe Brinkman on the use of Knockout.js (see blog) 
  
  
• Non-traditional devices can now interact with the DotNetNuke framework. As many dedicated processor platforms such as the Netduino Plus (see site) are HTTP aware, the DotNetNuke framework can be used as the hosted backend for such devices.

The real point of interest is the broadening of DotNetNuke work surface. While born into the ASP.Net web page world, the framework is evolving into a "brave new world". This world is one that the development community can take a rather large advantage over the next few years.

In the coming months, you will see that the service framework will receive considerable "air-play" by the DotNetNuke developer community. At the upcoming Charlotte Day of DNN (see site) there is one session specifically addressing the Service Framework "DotNetNuke Services Framework: It's a Whole New World", plus another on Knockout.js. While the complete schedule has not been posted as of this writing, I expect there to be other sessions covering this area. This fall’s DotNetNuke World 2012 in Orlando will certainly cover this issue at various levels.

So if your are asked "what’s new?" in DotNetNuke - you can basically say Everything!

Paul Scarlett
http://www.tressleworks.ca