What's new in Sitefinity 5.1 Webinar QA Log

This is the unedited QA session log for the 5.1 webinar

Thanks all :)

Audience Question
Q: When can we expect to find some “how-to”'s for developing widgets o templates in MVC?
A: many guides are already on our youtube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/TelerikSitefinityCMS) more are coming soon here and to our documentation getting started guide.

Audience Question
Q: I’ve struggled with styling and confining width of the blog posts widget in email campaigns.  Does 5.1 offer any relief here?
A: We have imporved the e-mail campaigns design process. You can now include your own CSS files and design it as if you are designing pages. It then is automatically translated to inline styles.

Audience Question
Q: So any webforms pages we’ve already created will still work, alongside future MVC pages?
A: Yes

Audience Question
Q: When can we expect to find some “how-to”'s for developing widgets o templates in MVC?
A: You can check the complete MVC documentation here: https://www.sitefinity.com/documentation/documentationarticles/developers-guide/sitefinity-essentials/how-does-sitefinity-use-asp.net-mvc/creating-custom-models-controllers-and-views. More videos and getting started guides are in the pipeline

Audience Question
Q: The email message template offers no CSS widget.  How would you attach a stylesheet to the email template?
A: Create a page template. Attach the CSS there. Create a campaign based on this template.

Audience Question
Q: should I be able to hear something?
A: Now yes.

Audience Question
Q: Hello?
A: Hi.

Audience Question
Q: Does Search work on Azure yet?
A: The sitefinity search yes, but it’s not based on Azure search yet

Audience Question
Q: If you choose a template to be hybrid, is that webforms by default and mvc gets translated, or is mvc default and webforms will be translated?
A: Both are default :)

Audience Question
Q: I’ve struggled with styling and confining width of the blog posts widget in email campaigns.  Does 5.1 offer any relief here?
A: probably yes, but we’d recommend get in touch with the support staff, they will be able to help
**
Audience Question**
Q: so if i choose hybrid and have an mvc type ‘masterpage’ when I drop in a webforms widget, the msajax/scriptmanager will automatically get added - but if its just an mvc widget it’ll be totally clean?
A: yes.

Audience Question
Q: So 5.1 can work with a mixed php / .net development?
A: No, just .NET (for now ;) )

Audience Question
Q: So any webforms pages we’ve already created will still work, alongside future MVC pages?
A: Yes.

Audience Question
Q: I think there are no inline styling options in the blog posts widget.
A: we have an engine now to convert all styles to inline ones. This is new in 5.1.

Audience Question
Q: So 5.1 can work with a mixed php / .net development? I ask because our company is pushing to move to another CMS due to the huge amount of Sitefinity generated code on the .net platform and it seems that websites running on php appear cleaner on the background source code and get ranked higher in Google.
A: That’s why we introduce Razor templates and MVC support.

Audience Question
Q: Will Sitefinity Thunder be updated to create widgets in MVC?
A: Yes. soon.

Audience Question
Q: will you provide standard tests that can be used with TestStudio ?
A: No plans for this for now.

Audience Question
Q: Will Sitefinity Thunder work on Azure soon?  Currently it appears to not work with Azure hosted sites.
A: We are working in this direction. Definitely a must.

Audience Question
Q: Any progress on supporting compilation tranfsforms natively in the .config files (I.e. debug vs release)?
A: We haven’t done anything on this yet.

Audience Question
Q: Does your MVC implementation support more complex scenarios like custom validation and custom ViewModels?
A: Absolutely.

Audience Question
Q: how to upgrade my published ver 5.0 to 5.1
A: We have upgrade instructions posted on the web site, but you should do the upgrade locally first, then publish the upgraded version back to the web.

Audience Question
Q: For the page template, if we chose WebForms, would it be easy to change to hybrid later on?
A: Yes, just edit the template and change the mode.

Audience Question
Q: Does a local upgrade, if tied to an Azure SQL db via the connection string, upgrade Azure SQL?
A: We’d recommend doing the whole upgrade procedure locally to avoid permissions problems. Later on you can deploy the whole package to Azure.

Audience Question
Q: when will the modulebuilder output mvc ?
A: This hasn’t been planned yet.

Audience Question
Q: can the radcontrols:mvc tools be plugged in, just like radcontrols:ajax are now?
A: Yes they can.

Audience Question
Q: perhpas a Hello World with MVC and one with regular Web Forms?
A: Currently demoed :)

Audience Question
Q: Will we see something more complex than Hello World?
A: The SDK will be released with a more complex application showcasing CRUD.

Audience Question
Q: That is, the styles were ignored.
A: that’s not the case in the new version :-)

Audience Question
Q: okay all those WebResource.axd references, how can we minimize how many of those there are? that is one of the reasons our complany wants to move to a cleaner solution like php…I am trying to find a solution here though in Sitefinity before we go that route…
A: This is the case in WebForms mode. When switched to Razor and MVC, you’ll not see such resources.

Audience Question
Q: will you show something about the new features of the module builder?
A: Yes, by the end of the Webinar, we will show some of the new features in the Module Builder.

Audience Question
Q: Is this using MVC 3 or MVC 4?
A: MVC 3. We are looking forward in supporting MVC 4 as well, when it is released officially.

Audience Question
Q: What is your input on something that you promise to deliver but you do not : “KendoUI will be utilized more in the Sitefinity backend - this will allow less JavaScript to be served to the user’s browser, resulting in backend load times as much as twice as fast, allowing you to create and edit content items at an amazing speed.”
A: It is utilized more - in the field controls in the module builder, the entire Ecampaigns module and the UI for administering modules install/uninstall. We are continuing with this trend (of using KendoUI more) with the next releases.

Audience Question
Q: do modules built with the module builder have multilingual capabilities?
A: Not at the moment.

Audience Question
Q: Guys, we’ve just uploaded Thunder with the MVC features that Gabe is showing
A: Fast we are! :)

Audience Question
Q: will the layout tab (dropping regions) change with v5.2 when kendo/mvc widgets will be more introduced?
A: We cannot commit to a timeframe for this, unfortunately.

Audience Question
Q: but you can have a module with different fields for the different languages and set permissions by field
A: That is true.

Audience Question
Q: Q: Will converting forms to MVC improve performance/load time for pages?
A: Yes.
**
Audience Question**
Q: When will Sitefinity completely get rid of its dependency on Silverlight?  I was under the impression that Sitefinity v. 5.1 was completely rewritten using Kendo UI?
A: We are going to replace the File Uploader first. We’ll do it as soon as possible, but can’t commit to certain timeframe yet.

Audience Question
Q: Which pieces in the administrative back end were actually re-written using Kendo UI?  Almost every action still seems to use Silverlight.
A: The only places we use SL is in the Images upload and Analytics module.

Audience Question
Q: I have a question about custom registration profile. after the user is create i give him a new role but he cannot see the page. he must do a logout for that. here also a other example in the sitefinity forum: https://www.sitefinity.com/devnet/forums/sitefinity/developing-with-sitefinity/assigning-a-user-to-a-role.aspx Can you help me?
A: Could you please open a support case for that?

Audience Question
Q: Are there benchmark results comparing Sitefinity v. 5.1 performance v. 3.7?
A: 5.0 vs 5.1.

Audience Question
Q: Does 5.1  support active directory federated services as a membership provider built in? adfs
A: No, we don’t support this yet.
**
Audience Question**
Q: can you please drop the music store which provides a free ecom basis and promote the built in sf ecom more that you sell for $2000
A: That’s just a demo :)

Audience Question
Q: Have any new SEO features been added or expanded on?
A: We haven’t done this for 5.1.

Audience Question
Q: Is there a plan for this in the future and if so is there a timeframe for when?
A: It really depends on the requirements. Would you care to share what kind of SEO features you are looking for? If yes - [email protected] Thanks in advance!

Audience Question
Q: Will SF 5.1 support asp.net 4.5 and visual studio 2012 as soon as they are released released? Or, will SF 5.2 be the new version at the time?
A: We will support Visual Studio 2012 when the official release is out, but will probably need some time before conversion to .net.4.5
**
Audience Question**
Q: The Google Analytics Module has been a bit difficult to configure for myself and a few other Sitefinity users I connected with in 5.0, has this become more intuitive in 5.1?
A: No changes in this area yet…

Audience Question
Q: To Telerik private: Reading some of the questions and “comments” amazing how patient you guys are with some obnoxious and rude people :)
A: I am happy to all kinds of feedback :) All questions can be a ‘feedback’ if you look at that side of the things…

Audience Question
Q: So, we should’t upgrade the Web server to asp.net 4.5 until we hear from you (Telerik).
A: We haven’t tested yet, that’s why we cannot commit :)

Audience Question
Q: can we view the source on that?
A: We’ll try to provide it.

Audience Question
Q: Can you also extend documents / images with new fields?
A: Yes, this is possible.

Audience Question
Q: when extending the existing SF modules with custom fields, do they work with multilingual translations?
A: Yes.

Audience Question
Q: will we be able to download this webinar afterward?
A: Yes.

Audience Question
Q: when extending the existing SF modules with custom fields, do they work with multilingual translations?
A: Actually no, sorry for the confision.

Audience Question
Q: Can the custom module types relations be nested, i.e. customers -> invoices -> line items etc. ?
A: Yes.

Audience Question
Q: What level of SF do I need to have access to Module Builder? Is Standard enough?
A: Yes. All editions have it.

Audience Question
Q: Does 5.1 handle custom role providers based on asp.net roleprovider?
A: Yes.

Audience Question
Q: does the online documentation include the the module builder updates, specifically the content relationships stuff?
A: Yes. All documentation for the new feeatures has been made available with the release.

Audience Question
Q: Is the forms module available for the small business edition?
A: Please check all sitefinity editions here: https://www.sitefinity.com/purchase.aspx

Audience Question
Q: will many-to-many relation be possible with modulebuilder?
A: Perhaps you can create multiple types with taxonomies and use them for relation. Here’s something to play with :)
**
Audience Question**
Q: really?
A: It’s great, isn’t it?

Audience Question
Q: why dont put my q
A: Please send me the whole scenario you are interested in to [email protected]. We’ll make sure to provide you with the best answer and solution for your case.

Audience Question
Q: Does the newsletter/email module require you to email from your own server? Most companies use an email provider.
A: You can e-mail from Gmail if you want to.

Audience Question
Q: Do you plan on releasing some tools for exporting/importing content data in 5.x projects?
A: This is supported in the Module Builder. Sounds as a great idea to have it across all modules.

Audience Question
Q: Have ther been any advances in mobile email client formatting?
A: Not yet, but we are researching on the best approaches here.

Audience Question
Q: will MVP’s get access to ux.sitefinity.com ?
A: No. This is internal resource only. Btw, ux.sitefinity.com does not exist :)

Audience Question
Q: Am i able to get a copy of your presentation?  I am not able to stay for the overtime.
A: We’ll provide a recording the of the webinar.

Audience Question
Q: when this video avialabel
A: when it gets processed.

Audience Question
Q: Just making sure, we can email [email protected], with a project/module idea that has multiple database table relationships and you’ll provide suggestions on how to build it using SF 5.1. Is this correct?
A: Absolutely!

Audience Question
Q: That’s great!
A: Always glad to be of help! :)

Audience Question
Q: Can custom modules be deactivated as well or does this apply to the built-in modules only?
A: They can, it’s for every module.
**
Audience Question**
Q: downloaded :)
A: That was the right decision :)

Audience Question
Q: Is there still a limit to the number of people you can include in your newsletter distribution?
A: Yes, there is a subscription limint in certain licenses.

Audience Question
Q: Great release guys, you have come a long way from 4.0.  Looking forward to the future of the product.
A: Thanks to your feedback!

Audience Question
Q: do you support sql2012?
A: Unofficially, yes.

Audience Question
Q: is there an eta on the sdk?
A: Give us 1 more day :-)

Audience Question
Q: To upgrade to 5.1, do we still need to step through various upgrades if coming from 4.3?
A: To 4.4 at least.

Audience Question
Q: When will the updated SDK be released and will there be MVC examples included?
A: We are targeting tomorrow. We have a complete application built with Telerik MVC extensions.

Audience Question
Q: can i delete / completly remove a module?
A: Yes you can.

Audience Question
Q: A new version of Thunder was just released!
A: Go team!

Audience Question
Q: How painful is the upgrade process from 5.0 to 5.1 (I’ve really sufferered with every upgrade I’ve done so far)
A: It really depends on the project. But hey, we are ready to help!

Audience Question
Q: I meant ModuleBuilder module. can i completely delete one?
A: Yes. You can delete dynamic modules, even in 5.0

Audience Question
Q: Can I just say you guys really lived up to the motto on this release!
A: Yes, please do :)

Audience Question
Q: Q: How painful is the upgrade process from 5.0 to 5.1 (I’ve really sufferered with every upgrade I’ve done so far) GREAT QUESTION!!!
A: Once again, it should be an easy one, but it really depends on the project and its size, customizations. We are ready to help in any way with the upgrade though.

Audience Question
Q: u can manage widgets with the SDK?
A: It is a development resource. contains different sample projects. It is used to aid developers in different real life scenarios.

Audience Question
Q: what is the best way you suggest to grab data with ajax and show them using knockoutjs
A: There is a blog post on this topic on the Sitefinity blogs. Check my last post.

Audience Question
Q: Can you code MVC controls/modules outside of the main Sitefinity project and include them, in a similar way to WebForms controls?
A: Not at the moment.

Audience Question
Q: Do all versions of SF provide MVC?
A: Yes, all based on 5.1.

Audience Question
Q: can u manage widgets with the API ?
A: Yes that’s possible.

Audience Question
Q: I came in late, when are the MVC versions of the widgets coming?
A: Slowly, over time, when needed :)

Audience Question
Q: will forms authentication be going away (replaced by claims based authentication)?
A: Yes, but Forms will be supported as for backward compatibility always.

Audience Question
Q: Nice release!
A: Thank you!

Audience Question
Q: I see widgets showup in the toolbox based on attributes…are they still in Settings->Advanced?  How do we easily turn them on\off?
A: Attributes are set in code (for MVC widgets).

Audience Question
Q: how can i easily upgrade my custom widgets q modules to use the new features?
A: Please submit a support ticket, we’ll help you with this.

Audience Question
Q: for example: if i created allready three custom modules and defined guid relationship that i handled my self in SF5.0 - what i need to do to handle it 5.1 style?
A: If it is a Dynamic module. You have to create a new field. And write import script from one field to the other using the API.

Audience Question
Q: Attributes are set in code (for MVC widgets): So Config not used for MVC at all?
A: What you saw in the webinar yes. Automatic detection of widgets.

Audience Question
Q: i have been experiencing a lot of problems with calls to the Telerik.Web.UI.WebResource.axd being aborted  in 5.0. Is this something that has been addressed or considered in 5.1?
A: Yes. you can build MVC pages with no dependencies on such scripts.

Audience Question
Q: i have been experiencing a lot of problems with calls to the Telerik.Web.UI.WebResource.axd being aborted  in 5.0. Is this something that has been addressed or considered in 5.1?
A: Can you open a support case for that? We’d like to take a look at the failed requests.