Importing to web application projects

Due to the differences between website and web application projects, the system cannot import from one to another automatically.

For packages that contain physical files, you need to complete the standard import procedure, and then manually perform the following steps to ensure that your web application runs correctly:

  1. The import places all physical files from the imported package into the ~/App_Data/CMSTemp/ImportExport/Files folder (or a different folder if your application has the CMSTemporaryFilesFolderPath web.config key set to a custom folder). Copy the content of the folder into the CMS folder of your web application project.

    We strongly recommend creating a backup of your project before you overwrite any files.

  2. Open the solution file (WebApp.sln) in Visual Studio from the web project directory.

  3. Include the files that did not exist in the project before the import:

    1. Click Show all files at the top of the Solution Explorer.
    2. Locate the newly added files.
    3. Select the files you wish to include one-by-one while holding the Ctrl key.
    4. Right-click one of the files and select Include in Project.
  4. Convert the project to the web application format:

    • Visual Studio 2012: Right-click the project node (CMSApp) in the Solution Explorer and select Convert To Web Application.
    • Visual Studio 2013/2015: Select the project node (CMSApp) in the Solution Explorer, open the Project menu on the main toolbar and select Convert To Web Application.
  5. Rebuild the solution.

If you are importing a package from another web application project, you do not need to convert the files (step 4), but it is still necessary to include the imported files in the project.

Importing into precompiled projects

If you are running a precompiled website, you cannot import:

To add files or objects that require compilation, you need to perform the import on the original project and run the precompilation again.