Create Visual Studio project from existing Umbraco Website

Question

So this is my problem:

I currently have an existing Umbraco Website, v7.2.1, not installed with Visual Studio, so there is no solution file. I want to migrate this site to the typical Umbraco solution, so I can run it locally, and make it more familiar to my way of working with Umbraco.

I have tried to create an .NET project and installed the Umbraco Core nugget (also version 7.2.1) followed by importing the website. With no avail.

I rather not move everything manually into a new Umbraco solution.

Help me Umbraco community, you're my only hope.

Answer 1

It depends on how much customization has been done, I think?

I would probably install UmbracoCms -version 7.2.1 (not "just" Core) from Nuget into a fresh solution, build it and then point the connection string to the existing database (if not an .sdf file already). Then you'll (hopefully) only have to copy over folders like /Views and /config plus whatever scripts/styles folder you have, I think? Once copied over, all you have to do is include the folders in your project, and voila.

Unless that too is too much "manual" work? ;-) I'm not sure if you could get by with creating a package on the original site (with templates, doctypes, content, styles, scripts and everything) and importing it into a new, blank site :-s

Again, if you have installed any packages either via Umbraco Package Repository or Nuget, or indeed if you have made changes to /umbraco or /umbraco_client, I don't see any other way to do it other than manually copying them over.

Answer 2

Try doing a, complete, fresh install of Umbraco 7.2.1, then literally copy all the files from the current site, and simply paste and replace them into the new Umbraco solution. That should work.

This is indeed "manual work", but you can literally move all files at once and just overwrite the existing ones in the newly created solution.

Good luck.

Answer 3

Like Jannik said, it depends how much you've build around your current solution and what exact results you're expecting.

Option 1 - WebSite project

You can easily create an empty solution in VS and add new Web Site project (ASP.NET Empty Web Site). Then, paste and include all the files from your current location. You'll have new solution and VS project with your files / website.

Option 2 - ASP.NET Application

If you would like to have it as a ASP.NET app, I would follow these steps (almost the same as Jannik's steps described above):

1. Create empty ASP.NET Web Application in Visual Studio.
2. Nuget: Install package -UmbracoCms -version 7.2.1
3. Repoint connection string to current site database (or replace SDF database file in App_Data directory if it was on SQL CE).
4. Analyze what packages you've used and try to also install them from Nuget (if they have Nuget packages). If not - move them manually (DLLs etc.).
5. Copy all static files from your current site (App_Plugins, Configs, Views, Partials, MacroScripts, Scripts, CSS etc.).

But I see also the 3rd option, which may interest you especially if you want to kill two birds with one stone and update Umbraco to the latest version at the same time.

1. Install uSync and uSync Content Edition on your current website. Perform Full Export. Read more: https://our.umbraco.org/projects/developer-tools/usync/.
2. Create empty ASP.NET Web Application in Visual Studio.
3. Nuget: Install package -UmbracoCms
4. Install uSync and uSync Content Edition on your new web app.
5. Install all packages used in the previous version.
6. Copy files from uSync folder in old website and place them into the new one. Perform Import / Full Import.