This four part course will get you started with a gentle introduction to extending Orchard at the code level. You will build a very simple module which contains a widget that shows an imaginary featured product.

It will teach you some of the basic components of module development and also encourage you to use best-practices when developing for Orchard.

  • Getting Started with Modules - Part 1 - Static Widget

    This first part walks you through creating a static widget and introduces you to many of the classes that form the basis of module development in Orchard.

  • Getting Started with Modules - Part 2 - Dynamic Widget

    The second part of the course explains how you can refine the widget to implement settings that are configurable via the admin dashboard.

  • Getting Started with Modules - Part 3 - Orchard API

    The third part examines Orchard at an API level. You will learn how to work with content items in code and make decisions based on the values of its fields. You will also learn about some of the support classes which make this easier.

  • Getting Started with Modules - Part 4 - Best Practices

    The final installment reviews the completed widget and brings to light loose ends. You take a tour back through the code, applying development best-practices along the way.

When you have completed this course you will have a solid grounding in extending Orchard via code. With this knowledge you will be able to build your own simple modules. You will also understand the concepts underpinning the documentation found elsewhere in this site and around the web. These skills lay a solid groundwork for you to continue your studies in Orchard module development.