Transcript Kentico CMS for ASP.NET

Webinar 10/21/2009
URL rewriting and processing in Kentico CMS
Martin Hejtmanek (CTO), [email protected]
Topics
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Document name vs. alias
What is an alias path?
Document aliases and URLs
Permanent vs. user friendly URLs
URL priorities
URL extensions / extensionless mode
How does URL rewriting work?
Difference between Portal and ASPX page template processing
File processing and URLs
Wildcard URLs
Document name vs. alias
 Document name – Nice and friendly name
 Home
 About us
 Domů (czech)
 ‫( بيتنا‬arabic) – found on Google 
 Alias – Form of the document friendly for URLs and clients
 Home
 About-us (without spaces)
 Domu (without punctuation)
 Bayt (english pronunciation)
What is an alias path?
 Document aliases connected with /
 /
 /Home
 /Products/Phones-and-TVs/Nokia-9910
 /News
 /News/News-1
 /News/News-2
 Selecting document by alias path (TreeProvider.SelectNodes)
 /Home = Document “Home”
 /News/% = All children under “News” document
=> WHERE NodeAlias LIKE ‘/News/%’
 %/Best = Any document with alias “Best”
Document aliases and URLs
 NodeAliasPath = Default document alias = Location in the tree
 Alias path, all cultures of document share one
 Created automatically from aliases on the path
 DocumentURLPath = Alternative path for the document
 URL path – Customizable per culture version
 If defined, is handled as the main document URL
 Defined automatically (based on document names on the path)
 Defined by the editor (any path)
 Document aliases (from in 4.0)
 Any number of additional aliases (locations for the document)
 All cultures / per culture
 Document extension – Main / defined for aliases (.jpg, .gif, etc.)
Permanent vs. user friendly URLs
 Permanent URL - Will work any time in future
 /getdoc/eb1b5175-d7e6-479e-a19e-dbd6be035c16/home.aspx
 Contains NodeGUID which identifies the document
 Friendly URL (easily readable) – May not work in future if you
change the document alias(es)
 Based on Alias path / URL path / Aliases
 /Home.aspx
 /News/News-1.aspx
 Friendly with configured friendly URL extension
 /News/News-1.html
 /News/News-1 (extensionless)
 /Files/Home.jpg (CMS.File document with specific extension)
URL priorities
 1) Searched by URL path (if found, specifies also the culture)
 2) Searched by Alias path (uses current culture)
 3) Searched by Document aliases (uses current culture)
 Wildcards (later)
URL extensions / extensionless mode
 Settings -> URLs -> Friendly URL extension (works anywhere)
 .aspx by default -> /Home.aspx
 You can configure any extension, see documentation
 .htm -> /Home.htm
 Extensionless mode (friendly extension is empty)
 (none) -> /Home
 Other than default processed with the handler page in Kentico
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~/CMSPages/handler404.aspx
Document can override the default extension in its properties
How does URL rewriting work?
1) Request from client /Home.aspx?abc=def
2) AuthorizeRequest -> RewriteURL(…) does RewritePath to:
2a) Portal template
/CMSPages/PortalTemplate.aspx?abc=def&aliaspath=/Home
Page loads the controls dynamically from XML of the template
2b) ASPX template
/<template path>?abc=def&aliaspath=/Home
Controls are already on the page template defined with ASPX
3) Controls load their content using their settings or context
values
NOTE: With 404 handler, the IIS serves …/handler404.aspx?aspxerrorpath=/Home.aspx?…
Difference between Portal and ASPX
 Portal engine (templates)
 One shared physical template for all pages (dynamic)
 All controls loaded dynamically and hierarchically
 Completely built on Kentico CMS engine (can be developed
through browser)
 (control over visual inheritance)
 ASPX page templates
 Different physical templates for different pages
 Content of the template is defined statically by the ASPX code
 Development in Visual studio
 Control over the entire page (can completely change the default
page behavior) – Not really necessary in 99% of cases
File processing and URLs
 GetXYZFile scripts
 CMS.File – Accessing with same path as document
 /Files/logo.aspx -> /CMSPages/GetFile.aspx?nodeguid=<guid>
(document node GUID)
 Other files
 Document attachments - /CMSPages/GetFile.aspx?guid=<guid>
(attachment GUID)
 Object attachments - /CMSPages/GetMetaFile.aspx?guid=<guid>
(metafile GUID)
 Media files - /CMSPages/GetMediaFile.aspx?fileguid=<guid>
(media file GUID)
 etc.
Possible file URLs (based on settings)
 Document files (CMS.File only)
 Document path /Files/logo.aspx
 Permanent document path
/getdoc/<nodeguid>/<anyname>.aspx
/CMSPages/GetFile.aspx?nodeguid=<nodeguid>
 Document attachments (any document)
 /getattachment/<nodealiaspath>/<filename>.aspx
 /getattachment/<attachmentguid>/<anyname>.aspx
 /CMSPages/GetFile.aspx?guid=<attachmentguid>
 Meta files (object attachments)
 /getmetafile/<metafileguid>/<anyname>.aspx
 /CMSPages/GetMetaFile.aspx?guid=<metafileguid>
 Media files
 /getmedia/<mediafileguid>/<anyname>.aspx
 /CMSPages/GetMediaFile.aspx?fileguid=<mediafileguid>
Wildcard URLs (new in 4.0)
 Document /DisplayProduct
 URL path (alias) /Products/{name}
(doesn’t have to match alias path)
 Translates as /DisplayProduct.aspx?name=<value>
 /Products/Nokia-9110
/DisplayProduct.aspx?name=Nokia-9110
 More complicated wildcards /{country}/Hotels/{hotel}/Menu
/Czech/Hotels/Grand/Menu
/DisplayMenu.aspx?country=Czech&hotel=Grand
 Similar to ASP.NET routing
 Processed within the rewriting chain in matching wildcard found
Q&A
 Now is the time for your questions
 The webinar recording will be available on our new Partner portal
and later on the DevNet.