mojoPortal Tips: How Can I Test Changes to My mojoPortal Site?

Last Updated on Friday, 15 February 2013 07:02 Written by Carole Bennett Friday, 15 February 2013 12:00

When working with an open-source CMS (content management system) like mojoPortal, it’s a joy to be able to access functionality to configure your mojoPortal-based solution to the specific needs of your clientele. However, when it comes time to update the site to incorporate the latest features and enhancements for mojoPortal, it can be a bit scary to test changes that may break your customizations. We’ll review a simple technique today that’ll allow you to test your current site’s configuration, without causing “live site” breaks.

First, we’ll define the prerequisites needed for testing: a local version of your database of choice (default is MSSQL, which is what we’ll cover today), and a localhost version of your current site (either leveraging IIS, or Visual Studio – it’s easy to download a copy of Visual Studio Express, or with a little bit of initiative, sign up for one of the programs that will allow you access to a free copy of Visual Studio Developer Edition).

nopCommerce Tips: How to Access Your Live nopCommerce Database

Last Updated on Friday, 8 February 2013 04:26 Written by Carole Bennett Saturday, 9 February 2013 12:00

nopCommerce has a very robust and extensive administration panel, but every now and again, you’ll find that data needs to be updated or corrected in a way that’s not supported by nopCommerce directly. It’s at those times that you may find it preferable to edit the database directly – today, we’ll talk about how to do just that.

How to Activate Live Notifications in Elgg 1.8

Last Updated on Sunday, 20 January 2013 12:00 Written by Rodolfo Hernandez Sunday, 20 January 2013 12:00

The default elgg notification system sends emails to users when there’s activity in the network. Although this is good, it requires having the email inbox open to get the notification as soon as it arrives. A better way to handle notifications would be in site notifications. For that reason in this article I will give you a step by step guide on how to activate live notifications in elgg 1.8

1. First, let’s download the community plugin called “Notifier for Elgg 1.8” here

nopCommerce Tips: Enable Live Chat for nopCommerce

Last Updated on Monday, 14 January 2013 12:00 Written by Carole Bennett Monday, 14 January 2013 12:00

If you offer complex products, or products that are new to the market, it’s not unusual for your customers to be curious, and want to ask questions. This is a great way to connect with your customers, and increase your sales conversion rates. nopCommerce already has a “Live Chat” plugin built in and ready to go – let’s see how you can get it up and going for your nopCommerce-driven site.

mojoPortal Tips: Synchronizing Your Local mojoPortal Instance With Your Live Site

Last Updated on Wednesday, 19 September 2012 07:07 Written by Carole Bennett Thursday, 20 September 2012 12:00

mojoPortal site upgrades are usually very smooth and straightforward. However, if it’s been a while since the last site upgrade, or there’s customization to the site, it’s really a good idea to have a synchronized version of the site on your local workstation to test upgrades or changes.

We’ll go with the pre-conditions that you have the local files for your mojoPortal implementation, including any customization, that you’re working in Visual Studio, and that you went with the default SQL Server back end.

Log into your hosting provider admin; depending on whether you have cPanel, Plesk, or other system, your route to the backup manager will vary. Once you’ve determined where your database backup is managed from, make a backup of your live database. Download your backup to your computer, and use the SQL Server Management Studio to restore it locally.