Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of the most frequently asked questions about BlogEngine.NET.
EditIs there a Visual Basic Edition?
Yes, there is a
Visual Basic Edition of BlogEngine.Net. However, the release is developed and maintained by a third part that is not associated with official
BlogEngine.Net release.
EditCan BlogEngine.NET be installed within an existing website?
Yes. Install it in its own folder and configure the directory it resides in as an application in IIS.
Some hosting providers may not allow the level of trust used in BlogEngine.NET by default. If you receive an error similar to:
- "Parser Error Message: It is an error to use a section registered as allowDefinition='MachineToApplication' beyond application level.",
You can try one of the following to resolve the issue:
- Comment out the "trust" line in web.config
- Ask your hosting provider if they can configure the directory where BlogEngine.Net is installed as a virtual directory.
- Ask your hosting provider to verify that the directory has been configured as an application in IIS.
EditHow do I update the "About the Author" section of the blog?
In the default Standard theme, edit the content of this section by clicking "edit" in on the side bar of your blog.
Note: The section is theme-dependent and modification methods will vary based on the theme you are using. Depending on the theme you are using, you may have to update the file SidePanel.ascx in the BlogEngine.NET source.
EditIs BlogEngine.NET open source and completely free?
Yes. BlogEngine.NET is build by passionate developers who have too much spare time, just to make an open source blog engine to give away absolutely free.
EditIs my mother able to use it?
Yes. We have gone to great lengths to make BlogEngine.NET as easy as possible to use – both from an end user as well as a developer or theme designer’s point of view.
EditWhat are the demands for the web server?
The only thing needed to run BlogEngine.NET is a web server that support ASP.NET 2.0 and write permissions on the App_Data folder.
EditWhat database is it running on?
None. BlogEngine.NET uses XML to store all posts, pages etc. by default. However, if you prefer to use a database, the BlogEngine.Net has providers for MS Sql Server, MySql, SqlLite and Vista DB among many others. I there isn't a data provider already available, you can easily write your own provider. We have enginereed our framework to make this very easy and simple to do.
EditCan I customize the design of the blog?
Yes. If you don’t like the themes provided with BlogEngine.NET, you can modify an existing one to match your taste or create a new one from scratch. Creating themes for BlogEngine.Net only requires only basic knowledge about ASP.NET and HTML. Additionally, BlogEngine.Net takes full advantage of ASP.NET 2.0's master page structure.
EditI have trouble. Can you help out?
Yes, as long as the trouble is BlogEngine.NET related. For information about the use of BlogEngine.NET or how to create themes, you can find almost everything you need at
dotnetBlogEngine.Net. For issues, suggestions and discussions please visit us
BlogEngine.Net on CodePlex EditHow is BlogEngine.NET licensed?
BlogEngine.NET is licensed under the
Microsoft Permissive License, which basically means that you can do anything you want to the source code as long as you release it under the same license.
EditI want to contribute to BlogEngine.NET. What do I do?
We welcome anybody who wants to contribute. Please read our
contribute page to find out how you can get involved.