Batch create extranet users in Composite C1 - c1-cms

Question

I am in the process of building a website that in near future shall replace an existing web-site. The existing web-site contains aprox. 300 users which I need to "import" to the extranet-module (which I have bought) in composite.
Is there a way to batch create users to the extranet module?

Answer 1

Yes, you can import your existing user database. You can either do this by writing a script and have that execute on your web site or by directly manipulating the underlying SQL table / XML file (depending on what you use to store Composite C1 data). You can also build a provider that links your existing user database with Composite C1 Extranet.
Importing users programmatically: For a script approach please see methods like AddNewUser described on http://docs.composite.net/Packages/Community/Extranet/CompositeCommunityExtranetDeveloperGuide/Using-Extranet-Facade-Methods
You would write this script as web service, aspx page or similar which executes on the Composite C1 website.
If you are running the Extranet in a default setup expect the providerName to be "Default".
Manipulating the physical data store directly: This depends on what data store you are running on. I suggest you add the groups you want and a test user to help you recognize data when you look at the underlying XML files / SQL tables.
If you are running on XML (default) you should focus on the files named Composite.Community.Extranet.DefaultProvider.DataTypes.DefaultProvider*.xml located in the folder ~/App_Data/Composite/DataStores. There are 3 sush files, one for groups, one for users and one for the relation between users and groups.
If you are running on SQL Server you should focus on the 3 tables named Composite.Community.Extranet.DefaultProvider.DataTypes.DefaultProvider*
In both cases you would need to add new entries to the User table/xml file and matching group relations to the GroupUser table/xml file. When you add a user you provide a unique ID and this ID you reuse to register the user in GroupUser.
When you have made your changes you can force Composite C1 to reload by using the Tools | Restart Server command in the C1 Console. If you make a backup of files/tables before you make changes you can easily revert by restoring the backup (in case you need to start over).
Writing a user/group provider: If your user data is in an external store and you would like to keep it there you could also make a bridge between this existing user store and the Composite C1 Extranet by creating a custom provider. If this is relevant see http://docs.composite.net/Packages/Community/Extranet/CompositeCommunityExtranetDeveloperGuide/Writing-Custom-Extranet-Providers

Answer 2

Thank you. It now works. I imported the users programmatically. I opened the composite solution in visual studio and added a aspx page. Here is the code behind.
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.IO;
using Composite.Community.Extranet;
using Composite.Community.Extranet.Data;
public partial class ImportUsers : System.Web.UI.Page
{
protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
string path = Server.MapPath("UsersToImport.csv");
StreamReader _streamReader = new StreamReader(path);
IList<Guid> userIds = new List<Guid>();
string line;
while ((line = _streamReader.ReadLine()) != null)
{
string[] fields = line.Split(',');
IExtranetUser extranetUser = new ExtranetUser();
extranetUser.Name = fields[0];
extranetUser.UserName = fields[1];
extranetUser.Email = fields[2];
extranetUser.IsApproved = true;
IExtranetUser addedUser = ExtranetFacade.AddNewUser("Default", extranetUser);
userIds.Add(addedUser.Id);
ExtranetFacade.SetUsersForGroup("Default", new Guid("bc728100-e28e-4135-a14c-bead6e0b9b00"), userIds);
Response.Write(string.Format("User: {0} added at {1}", addedUser.UserName, addedUser.CreationDate));
}
}
}