ModPack Updates

New 1.4.5 Available As Free Download

Mike van Zandwijk — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 08:11:40 -0700

ModPack released the latest version today on CodePlex.

Finally, since BlogEngine.NET 1.4.5 is out in the wild for quite a while.

Download your free and full update of ModPack 1.4.5

New exciting features such as the widget framework, subcategories and native IIS 7.0 support are now included in this latest release of ModPack.

Let's find out what's changed, shall we?

Widget Framework for Easy Drag & Drop Layout and Fun!

Wicked new feature which allows you to change the order of your side panel ... without touching the HTML code of your theme! Simply add or remove the items you want to show to your visitors.

Rather want your search box or recent posts at the top of your page?

Easy! Just drag & drop your boxes wherever you want. Your blogging life just got much sweeter. And more fun too, because the BlogEngine community shares new widgets pretty often, like the Quote of the Day widget, stock updates and this cool Poll Widget!

Oh, the default CoffeeHouse theme in ModPack? It's still there, but not updated yet to reflect the widget framework. So anyone with CSS skills, your help is much appreciated!

IIS 7.0 Natively Supported, Runs Instantly on GoDaddy

Most GoDaddy customers use an IIS 7.0 webserver today. Since ModPack 1.4.5 builds on a more recent BlogEngine.NET release (23722), both IIS 6 and 7 are natively supported.

ModPack tweaked the original web.config for smoother IIS 7 operation on GoDaddy. If this file causes some instability on your hosting provider, use the original web.config which is zipped and included in the package.

Slug Support for Pages Keeps All Your Links Untouched

What's the big deal of slugs? Well, let me explain.

Slugs are cool and handy, especially for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) purposes. In prior releases, only posts had the slug option. It's like a friendly, fully customizable URL for you to freely define.

Now in 1.4.5, you can give pages this permanent, friendly looking URL as well. So even if you change the title of your page, the linked address remains the same! Pretty handy if your loyal fans linked to your written masterpieces. Hooray!

Subcatogories to Super Organize Your Rants :)

Categories give you the option to organize your posts (and even let your readers subscribe only to the categories of their liking). If you're super organized or just want to add more granularity to your categories, you can now use subcategories.

No more excuses to postpone blogging in 2009 ... BlogEngine.NET is by far the most advanced, easy and fun blog platform available! Now only if the upcoming release (1.5) included a simple function to remove the ugly application path that GoDaddy causes.

Until then, use your favorite blog engine on your shared hosting provider.

Download ModPack 1.4.5 from CodePlex and start or continue blogging!

Happy blogging in this exciting new year!

Best wishes for 2009!
Cheers MikevZ

PS. Need a great New Year resolution? What about subscribing to free updates of the ModPack blog. Subscribe for free in your favorite RSS reader.

New Service Release: Grasp 1.3.0 SR1 Now

Mike van Zandwijk — Sun, 04 May 2008 23:30:00 -0700

Fresh oil for your blog engine arrived on April 25, 2008 in the Codeplex garage.

With 221 mph on the (download) counter and finding an ugly hole in the exhaust pipe, ModPack 1.3 build 05 called for a pit stop.

Start or upgrade your blog engine with improved ModPack 1.3.0 Service Release 1 bits:

Faster setup with integrated security patch
Subfolder support as well as root installation
1 Mediaplayer for MP3, FLV video & playlists

Download ModPack 1.3.0 SR1 from the Codeplex "Pit"
(please note your BE.NET version shows 1.3.0.0 after setup)

Check what's changed under ModPack's hood for a closer inspection. You'll discover fine-tuned or replaced parts, which will make your blog engine run smoother and reliable.

Rolled Up Security Patch and Bug Fixes

Cool new features create excitement, but can cause potential bugs too.
Or security issues even. Like the JavaScript handler vulnerability, found 3 weeks ago.

Despite quick patchwork, I want to keep my ModPack promise: "blog within minutes, without the hassle". So this service release gives you the full and patched version.

Secured and well. All ready to go.

You'll also find the fixed blog.js bug, which caused script errors in IE7 or prevented visitors from writing comments. Now it loads correctly; no need to add code by hand.

As author field in your RSS feed, your name shows up without your email address which BlogEngine inserted. The "nospam" looked rather ugly anyway or did you really like it?

Subfolder Installation Fully Supported (Yay!)

Finally and out of the box, you can install ModPack in a subfolder as well as in your root.

Your theme decides for the most part how and where links point to. Since default themes use tildes (~), links resolve to your application path or AppPath for short.

If your web host uses an AppPath which matched your desired root or subfolder name, then you're lucky. But GoDaddy's (Deluxe) multiple websites feature messed up the ~/ flexibility. So ModPack replaced these now in SR1 with a handy BlogEngine.NET utility:

RelativeWebRoot

Web developers or theme designers can use <%=Utils.RelativeWebRoot%> in their code. ModPack already modified the 3 built-in themes for you.

As administrator you might see the admin links point to the full AppPath, because the Web.Sitemap file in SR1 had to use ~/ to make subfolders work.

Play Your MP3 & Flash Video in a Single Media Player

Simply 1 media player now which plays both your MP3 as your (Flash/FLV) video files. You can show off your entire playlist, since ModPack replaced the two individual players with the new and handy FLV Mediaplayer (BE.NET extension by BetaParticle).

Usage: [mediaplayer:filename.ext]

Supported file extensions: mp3, flv | xml, php and asp for playlists.

Need to Upgrade?

Upgrading from ModPack 1.3.0 (build 05) or older BlogEngine to this Service Release is easy. Just remember to create a full backup of your current installation before you replace all files and folders except your current web.config and App_Data folder.

Although most improvements took place under the hood, you're encouraged to run this most recent ModPack version. Yes, team BlogEngine.NET released 1.3.1 — but ModPack Service Release 1 does rely on 1.3.0, because 1.3.1 isn't Medium Trust ready.

Get your free copy of ModPack 1.3.0 Service Release 1

Enjoy your blog journey!

Security Hotfix for BlogEngine.Core 1.3 build 05

Mike van Zandwijk — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 12:30:26 -0700

** Immediate action required for 1.3 build 05 users **

UPDATE: ModPack 1.3.0 Service Release 1 includes the hotfix. So ignore this patch if you've downloaded ModPack after Apr-25 2008

Patch your ModPack (v1.3 build 05) installation to fix this critical security hole in the BlogEngine.Core. It impacts the BE.NET Core 1.2.023 to 1.3.029. Unfortunately, this includes ModPack's initial build used for the January 2008 launch.

Download Patch for ModPack 1.3.0 build 05 (starts the 70kb .zip file download directly)

For detailed how-to instructions and why you're urged to apply this patch as soon as possible, please read on.

High Risk Password Exposure if You Don't Patch Your Blog

Ha.ckers.org wrote about a serious vulnerability in the JavaScript handler on April 12. Turns out your username and password shows up in plain text if a visitor points its browser to /js.axd? [full URL undisclosed for safety reasons]

Danny Douglass noted this bugfix in BlogEngine.NET 1.3 build 029 which prevents access to your sensitive information. An alert ModPack community member pointed me to this fix, because ModPack's first release uses BE.NET 1.3.0 build 05.

If you run an unpatched blog instance, you also run this password exposure risk.

So patch now or upgrade to ModPack 1.3.0 Service Release 1 to protect your credentials!

How to Fix the Security Hole in Less Than 3 Minutes

Follow these 3 easy, but urgent steps to patch your ModPack installation.

Download Patch for ModPack 1.3.0 build 05 (70kb .zip file)
Extract the patched .DLL file (e.g. to your local drive)
Replace your BlogEngine.dll file in /bin/ with this patch

Changing your password is optional, but at least the second best idea after voting for the encrypted passwords option on the BlogEngine.NET forum.

Please ask any questions in this dedicated forum thread or simply comment below.
Share your feedback so we can help you and you'll help your community.

Wanna Stay Safe After Getting Secure?

Once you've secured your blog by applying the ModPack patch, I hope you can and want to stay safe. Your ModPack team offers a zillion ways to keep you posted and in touch.

Of course you can get free ModPack updates and other developments the old school way:

Receive ModPack posts by email (I hate spam too, so nothing like that all)
Add ModPack Feed to your favorite RSS reader (usually 1 monthly post)

But if you're on Twitter, so is @ModPack ...

I'm very sorry for any trouble the security issue might have caused.

Yours Patchy,
@MikevZ

Fix Your Style in Windows Live Writer

Mike van Zandwijk — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:45:00 -0700

Need to solve this annoying error? "Style template used for editing your weblog posts could not be downloaded". Try this simple fix for your BlogEngine.NET site.

In short: uncheck "is front page" in your web admin (control panel)

Yep, that's all to it and here's how. If you're not familiar yet with Windows Live Writer you'll pick up new benefits for your blogging adventure along the road.

Live Writer helps you write or edit your blog content offline and can schedule your posts at future dates.

Previewing your web layout can result in the error above.

Your "Update Weblog Style" option shows this message if Live Writer can't find the temporary post on your blog. Why so and what to do?

Although you could search Windows Live Help to find general reasons with some pointers, good chance you ran into a specific BlogEngine.NET scenario:

Your front page uses a BE.NET page instead of the latest blog posts.

Live Writer finds this static page while it's looking for the temporary post instead. So you need to disable your custom front page for a moment by using your web admin:

Login to your blog » click "Pages" tab (admin menu) » find the one you set as front page

Uncheck "is front page" before you let Live Writer update the style. Once the web layout reflects your new theme, you can switch on your front page again.

Now you can preview how your masterpieces will look like to your web audience.

Still writing your posts and pages in the online editor?

Surely, the build-in BE.NET editor allows you to add or change your posts in any browser. That's pretty handy as long as you're connected to the Internet. If you need to write in offline mode, I recommend using Windows Live Writer, because you can also:

Write your standalone pages just like your posts
Insert pictures quickly with a simple drag and drop
Spellcheck your writing before you publish to the web

Get Windows Live Writer free at Live.com if you haven't already. Please tell me how this fix worked for you, ok? Thanks and have fun with writing!

IIS 7 Arrived at GoDaddy

Mike van Zandwijk — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 03:00:00 -0700

UPDATE: ModPack works in IIS 7 classic mode (thanks Shantesh for testing and sharing!)

GoDaddy offers IIS 7 to new shared hosting customers since late February 2008. Migrating your existing account is not an option yet.

Microsoft's latest Internet Information Services web server hopefully improves running our favorite blog platform on GoDaddy. Perhaps it even fixes our known issues with the virtual application path, but there's more:

Multiple FTP accounts (about time)
Support for older ASP.NET versions (2.0 and 3.0)
Folders instead of extensions (.aspx not required)

Who's running IIS 7 on GoDaddy already?

If you do, I'd love to hear your experience and how BlogEngine.NET runs on your shared hosting account. Perhaps I'll open a new hosting account just to test ModPack and play with IIS 7 myself.

Thank you for sharing your IIS 7 stories. You'll tell us, right?

New Dedicated Location and Site

Mike van Zandwijk — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 02:00:00 -0700

Since today, you can find the new web site at http://ict20.net/ModPack/

All content moved from my personal blog to a dedicated location. This way you only receive posts related to BlogEngine.NET, ModPack and shared hosting providers.

Existing subscribers to ModPack's feed just keep using the familiar feed address: this remains on FeedBurner, just like ModPack's project site stays at CodePlex.

Expect new content coming more often too now. So if you haven't subscribed already, add the ModPack feed to your favorite reader.

Thank you for all your support and feedback!

How's your ModPack running?

10 Short Answers to ModPack FAQ

Mike van Zandwijk — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 09:55:00 -0700

In last week's release post, you'd find how to start your (blog) engine. If the complete guide is too much choke, you might like these short, quick answers to:

Frequently Asked Questions about ModPack for BlogEngine.NET

1. What is ModPack?

A fine-tuned BlogEngine.NET (BE.NET) to run instantly on GoDaddy-like web hosts. BE.NET is the favorite blog application of many new and experienced blog writers.

Tip: download ModPack just like 230+ bloggers did already

2. Who needs or wants this customized version?

Some bloggers with a restricted web hosts such as GoDaddy need it. Most want ModPack because it includes handy multimedia tools and is a real timesaver.

Tip: explore your benefits in more detail

3. When to choose ModPack over GoDaddy's blog option?

GoDaddy can install BE.NET for you. Their auto-installer is very easy, pretty fast, but quite restrained: SQL-only, old version (1.2) and tricky for more than one web site.

If you prefer the free data store (XML), latest BE.NET version and quick setup to one or multiple web sites, then ModPack gives you a fine alternative.

Tip: use the instant setup to save even more time

4. Why used 1.3.0 build 05 of BlogEngine.NET in particular?

This stable release fixed hot issues in the official 1.3 version. A later build (1.3.0.6 and up) introduced a beta feature which might impact stability.

UPDATE: on April 25, 2008 we replaced this build with 1.3.0 Service Release 1

Tip: participate in the BE.NET forum to keep up with community developments

5. Which new BlogEngine.NET versions will ModPack adapt?

ModPack will fine-tune three types of BE.NET release as long as needed:

1. Next major versions (1.4 scheduled for spring 2008)
2. In-between service releases (SR1 now available)
3. Fixes for urgent issues only (like this security hole)

Tip: subscribe to the free ModPack Updates feed so you'll stay up-to-date

6. What happened to standard BE.NET themes and ~/ links?

CoffeeHouse is included and set default. BE.NET Standard and Mobile are still present, but without tildes (~/) as work around to enforce root links.

Tip: Get all original themes files (234 KB) and copy to your themes folder

7. How to integrate your blog as sub directory instead?

Customize /default.aspx and display recent blog posts with built-in /blog/

Tip: Stay tuned for a concise article based on this first, second and last thread

8. Which other hosting accounts might need ModPack?

Although ModPack primarily helps GoDaddy's customers, people on 1and1 or WebHost4Life might fix their BE.NET issues as well.

Tip: Monitor this online conversation on the forum

9. Where to get support or send other feedback?

Preferably on the project site, but feel free to email, IM, Twitter or talk on the phone.

Tip: submit any comments directly at the bottom of this post

10. Why is the ModPack team doing this? (on the house)

Because BlogEngine.NET is a powerful, free blog platform with great potential, which should run on any common hosting plan as well. Thank you BE.NET team!!

Hint: contribute to BlogEngine.NET if you can. Could you use ours?

Get Your Free Copy of ModPack

Mike van Zandwijk — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 23:53:00 -0700

Insider already? Download this custom-built BE.NET right from CodePlex.

Finally guys! (and ladies: sorry for the manly intro, I'll try to make up in the end)
Good news for all of us who love BlogEngine.NET, but struggle with GoDaddy. You can now add this great blog application the way you want it in a breeze.

Simply use this fine-tuned version known as ModPack for BlogEngine.NET.

In the complete ModPack guide, I promised you to keep updates 50% shorter, so:

1. Free download now available (1.3.0.5)
2. Project site officially open (since January 17, 2008)
3. Community shares promising notes from the field

Feedback already while it's just out there? Oh yes, thanks to responsive people like Timm (from Mini-Tools.com) for test driving ModPack all along. Some snippets:

ModPack seems to work great [...] so far it's working perfectly!

So Ladies and Gentlemen, How You're Going?

Whether you're new to blogging or an insider to BlogEngine.NET, now you can also add this great blog platform on shared hosted web sites by using the ModPack.

Get your copy if you haven't already. It's free, open source and tested on GoDaddy.

Great questions emerge in forums and my mailbox, mostly about which hosting providers work too. Sorry I don't know yet, but you can really answer that question by just giving it a go. Would you please let us know your results?

Oh boy, that was my second apology and a reminder to make up for my first. So ladies who noted the opening, yet take no notice of blogging, here it is: you can dress up your site with lovely designs like GirlyGeek. Well, that couldn't sound much better than "a fine-tuned, well-oiled blog engine"? Still, it's a nice theme by the same author of CoffeeHouse, the default theme in ModPack.

If you're wondering what happened to other themes, when or if ModPack adapts new official BlogEngine.NET releases, then stay tuned for the upcoming post:

10 Short Answers to FAQ: Feedback Among Quizmasters

In a sense, we're all potential quizmasters, yet forgive me if the title changes to a more usual Frequently Asked Questions. However, feel free to shoot, subscribe and start your engine!

BTW: Did anyone measure if I've kept my 50%-promise?