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Should I move my solution to Orchard CMS or add everything manually?

I am currently creating a large project using:

  • ASP.Net MVC 4

  • jQuery (with some additional libraries)

  • ActiveRecord lock (based on NHibernate)

  • Implemented users and roles using .Net Memberhip Provider

I have built almost the entire website, but some very important parts are missing and I noticed that this ASP.Net MVC and NHibernate CMS support and almost all the functionality I need is already implemented. To implement the function:

  • Internal search engine

  • Comments

  • Content version

  • Chat between users

  • User profiles page (sort of like a very simple social network)

  • Forum

  • SEO

I don't know if it is more difficult to use the CMS, or if it is better to add functions one by one manually. I am concerned about the time that I am doing training and adjusting to Orchard is the same time when I would spend functions manually. Basically, the question is:

Should I move my solution to Orchard CMS or add everything manually?

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You can't just move your solution to Orchard, you can, but I won't recommend it. Orchard is still MVC 3 based and so most should work if you are just moving your solution including the database etc. But if you ask me, taking the time to add features manually is how you should go.

In Orchard Galery you can find many existing modules

Internal Search Engine
Lucene (Fully Functional - Writen by Orchard Team)

Comments
Already exists in base Orchard module

Content version
Already exists in Orchard Framework functionality



Profile User
Profile Page (Fully functional, or at least a good enough example)

SEO
Multiple modules

Only 2 functions you will need to write

Chat between users I can't find any sample code for this, but I know that Piotr Szmyd has verified SignalR inside the Orchard module, which I think will be useful for the chat module. Demo is here .

Forum
Nicholas Main has started a forum that can be used as an example or a starting point, maybe you can help him with that? It's currently sort of a preliminary alpha version :(

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+1 to rfcdejon's answer. I have placed my current project in Orchard after 50-60% completion. I wish I had done this sooner due to the learning curve and the time to integrate all the material I have already written, but overall it was the right choice.

If you already have important data installed, you should consider the additional time it will take to transfer to Orchard. But if you are building an application from scratch with very little existing data, it will make the transition to Orchard easier. Orchard is a great choice for anyone looking for a .NET CMS that supports MVC.



Some things to keep in mind:

  • The functions you have already created must be converted to Orchard content types / parts to take advantage of the benefits that come out of the box with Orchard, such as search, comments, version control, etc.
  • Orchard has its own user / role system, so you might have to do some work to find a module for what you are already using, or override Orchard's user / membership system.
  • Your entire application will need to become an Orchard application and your existing MVC stuff will need to convert to an Orchard module. Existing data access code must be enclosed insideusing (new TransactionScope(TransactionScopeOption.Suppress)) {...}

  • The forum project is up and running, but it's not finished, so you will either be banking so it can finish in time to use it, or you can help it work.
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