Recently, I have struggled with a problem of how I would use custom free templates in my ASP.NET MVC project rather than using default ones. Here are the steps in making a beautiful bootstrap site using ASP.NET MVC 5.
- Download a free template or you can buy a premium template if you want. For our example, we will be using the free Freelancer template. After downloading, you should get the following files.
![Files]()
- Open Visual Studio 2013 and create an ASP.NET Web Application.
![ASP.NET Web Application]()
- In configuring, the application must be MVC.
- I included Web API because I used them a lot in my application.
- The last part is very important, because it’s very hard to add an authentication module once the project has been created, trust me, based on experience.
![Authentication module]()
- Once the project has been created, the next thing that we should do is copy the files from our downloaded template to our project. Make sure to overwrite any directories of the same name.
![Downloaded template]()
- Open the BundleConfig.cs file in the App_Start directory and comment all contents in theRegisterBundles method as shown in the image below:
![BundleConfig.cs file]()
- Now we will modify the Views. In modifying the Views, all you need to do is open the Index.html file included in the template and copy it to the corresponding Views.
- The first View that will be modified is the _Layout. cshtml, which is located in the Views\Shared folder. Delete all the content and replace it with the code below.
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
<meta name="description" content="">
<meta name="author" content="">
<!-- Bootstrap Core CSS -->
<link href="/css/bootstrap.min.css" rel="stylesheet">
<!-- Custom CSS -->
<link href="~/css/freelancer.css" rel="stylesheet">
<!-- Custom Fonts -->
<link href="/font-awesome/css/font-awesome.min.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css">
<link href="http://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Lora:400,700,400italic,700italic" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css">
<link href="http://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Montserrat:400,700" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css">
<script src="https://oss.maxcdn.com/libs/html5shiv/3.7.0/html5shiv.js"></script>
<script src="https://oss.maxcdn.com/libs/respond.js/1.4.2/respond.min.js"></script>
<!--[endif]-->
</head>
<body id="page-top" data-spy="scroll" data-target=".navbar-fixed-top">
@RenderBody()
</body>
</html>
- Next, is to modify the Index. cshtml, which is located in Views\Home. Delete all the content and replace it with the code below.
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8" />
<meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge" />
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" />
<meta name="description" content="" />
<meta name="author" content="" />
<title>Freelancer - Start Bootstrap Theme</title>
<!-- Bootstrap Core CSS - Uses Bootswatch Flatly Theme: http://bootswatch.com/flatly/ -->
<link href="css/bootstrap.min.css" rel="stylesheet" />
<!-- Custom CSS -->
<link href="css/freelancer.css" rel="stylesheet" />
<!-- Custom Fonts -->
<link href="font-awesome/css/font-awesome.min.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />
<link href="http://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Montserrat:400,700" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />
<link href="http://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Lato:400,700,400italic,700italic" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />
<!-- HTML5 Shim and Respond.js IE8 support of HTML5 elements and media queries -->
<!-- WARNING: Respond.js doesn't work if you view the page via file:// -->
<!--[if lt IE 9]>
<script src="https://oss.maxcdn.com/libs/html5shiv/3.7.0/html5shiv.js"></script>
<script src="https://oss.maxcdn.com/libs/respond.js/1.4.2/respond.min.js"></script>
<![endif]-->
</head>
<body id="page-top" class="index">
<!-- Navigation -->
<nav class="navbar navbar-default navbar-fixed-top">
<div class="container">
<!-- Brand and toggle get grouped for better mobile display -->
<div class="navbar-header page-scroll">
<button type="button" class="navbar-toggle" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#bs-example-navbar-collapse-1">
<span class="sr-only">Toggle navigation</span>
<span class="icon-bar"></span>
<span class="icon-bar"></span>
<span class="icon-bar"></span>
</button>
<a class="navbar-brand" href="#page-top">Start Bootstrap</a>
</div>
<!-- Collect the nav links, forms, and other content for toggling -->
<div class="collapse navbar-collapse" id="bs-example-navbar-collapse-1">
<ul class="nav navbar-nav navbar-right">
<li class="hidden">
<a href="#page-top"></a>
</li>
<li class="page-scroll">
<a href="#portfolio">Portfolio</a>
</li>
<li class="page-scroll">
<a href="#about">About</a>
</li>
<li class="page-scroll">
<a href="#contact">Contact</a>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<!-- /.navbar-collapse -->
</div>
<!-- /.container-fluid -->
</nav>
<!-- Header -->
<header>
<div class="container">
<div class="row">
<div class="col-lg-12">
<img class="img-responsive" src="img/profile.png" alt="" />
<div class="intro-text">
<span class="name">Start Bootstrap</span>
<hr class="star-light" />
<span class="skills">Web Developer - Graphic Artist - User Experience Designer</span>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</header>
<!-- Portfolio Grid Section -->
<section id="portfolio">
<div class="container">
<div class="row">
<div class="col-lg-12 text-center">
<h2>Portfolio</h2>
<hr class="star-primary" />
</div>
</div>
<div class="row">
<div class="col-sm-4 portfolio-item">
<a href="#portfolioModal1" class="portfolio-link" data-toggle="modal">
<div class="caption">
<div class="caption-content">
<i class="fa fa-search-plus fa-3x"></i>
</div>
</div>
<img src="img/portfolio/cabin.png" class="img-responsive" alt="" />
</a>
</div>
<div class="col-sm-4 portfolio-item">
<a href="#portfolioModal2" class="portfolio-link" data-toggle="modal">
<div class="caption">
<div class="caption-content">
<i class="fa fa-search-plus fa-3x"></i>
</div>
</div>
<img src="img/portfolio/cake.png" class="img-responsive" alt="" />
</a>
</div>
<div class="col-sm-4 portfolio-item">
<a href="#portfolioModal3" class="portfolio-link" data-toggle="modal">
<div class="caption">
<div class="caption-content">
<i class="fa fa-search-plus fa-3x"></i>
</div>
</div>
<img src="img/portfolio/circus.png" class="img-responsive" alt="" />
</a>
</div>
<div class="col-sm-4 portfolio-item">
<a href="#portfolioModal4" class="portfolio-link" data-toggle="modal">
<div class="caption">
<div class="caption-content">
<i class="fa fa-search-plus fa-3x"></i>
</div>
</div>
<img src="img/portfolio/game.png" class="img-responsive" alt="" />
</a>
</div>
<div class="col-sm-4 portfolio-item">
<a href="#portfolioModal5" class="portfolio-link" data-toggle="modal">
<div class="caption">
<div class="caption-content">
<i class="fa fa-search-plus fa-3x"></i>
</div>
</div>
<img src="img/portfolio/safe.png" class="img-responsive" alt="" />
</a>
</div>
<div class="col-sm-4 portfolio-item">
<a href="#portfolioModal6" class="portfolio-link" data-toggle="modal">
<div class="caption">
<div class="caption-content">
<i class="fa fa-search-plus fa-3x"></i>
</div>
</div>
<img src="img/portfolio/submarine.png" class="img-responsive" alt="" />
</a>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</section>
<!-- About Section -->
<section class="success" id="about">
<div class="container">
<div class="row">
<div class="col-lg-12 text-center">
<h2>About</h2>
<hr class="star-light" />
</div>
</div>
<div class="row">
<div class="col-lg-4 col-lg-offset-2">
<p>Freelancer is a free bootstrap theme created by Start Bootstrap. The download includes the complete source files including HTML, CSS, and JavaScript as well as optional LESS stylesheets for easy customization.</p>
</div>
<div class="col-lg-4">
<p>Whether you're a student looking to showcase your work, a professional looking to attract clients, or a graphic artist looking to share your projects, this template is the perfect starting point!</p>
</div>
<div class="col-lg-8 col-lg-offset-2 text-center">
<a href="#" class="btn btn-lg btn-outline"> <i class="fa fa-download"></i> Download Theme </a>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</section>
<!-- Contact Section -->
<section id="contact">
<div class="container">
<div class="row">
<div class="col-lg-12 text-center">
<h2>Contact Me</h2>
<hr class="star-primary" />
</div>
</div>
<div class="row">
<div class="col-lg-8 col-lg-offset-2">
<!-- To configure the contact form email address, go to mail/contact_me.php and update the email address in the PHP file on line 19. -->
<!-- The form should work on most web servers, but if the form is not working you may need to configure your web server differently. -->
<form name="sentMessage" id="contactForm" novalidate>
<div class="row control-group">
<div class="form-group col-xs-12 floating-label-form-group controls">
<label>Name</label>
<input type="text" class="form-control" placeholder="Name" id="name" required data-validation-required-message="Please enter your name." />
<p class="help-block text-danger"></p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="row control-group">
<div class="form-group col-xs-12 floating-label-form-group controls">
<label>Email Address</label>
<input type="email" class="form-control" placeholder="Email Address" id="email" required data-validation-required-message="Please enter your email address." />
<p class="help-block text-danger"></p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="row control-group">
<div class="form-group col-xs-12 floating-label-form-group controls">
<label>Phone Number</label>
<input type="tel" class="form-control" placeholder="Phone Number" id="phone" required data-validation-required-message="Please enter your phone number." />
<p class="help-block text-danger"></p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="row control-group">
<div class="form-group col-xs-12 floating-label-form-group controls">
<label>Message</label>
<textarea rows="5" class="form-control" placeholder="Message" id="message" required data-validation-required-message="Please enter a message."></textarea>
<p class="help-block text-danger"></p>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<div id="success"></div>
<div class="row">
<div class="form-group col-xs-12">
<button type="submit" class="btn btn-success btn-lg">Send</button>
</div>
</div>
</form>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</section>
<!-- Footer -->
<footer class="text-center">
<div class="footer-above">
<div class="container">
<div class="row">
<div class="footer-col col-md-4">
<h3>Location</h3>
<p>
3481 Melrose Place<br />
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
</p>
</div>
<div class="footer-col col-md-4">
<h3>Around the Web</h3>
<ul class="list-inline">
<li>
<a href="#" class="btn-social btn-outline"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-facebook"></i></a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="#" class="btn-social btn-outline"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-google-plus"></i></a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="#" class="btn-social btn-outline"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-twitter"></i></a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="#" class="btn-social btn-outline"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-linkedin"></i></a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="#" class="btn-social btn-outline"><i class="fa fa-fw fa-dribbble"></i></a>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="footer-col col-md-4">
<h3>About Freelancer</h3>
<p>Freelance is a free to use, open source Bootstrap theme created by <a href="http://startbootstrap.com">Start Bootstrap</a>.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="footer-below">
<div class="container">
<div class="row">
<div class="col-lg-12">
Copyright © Your Website 2014
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</footer>
<!-- Scroll to Top Button (Only visible on small and extra-small screen sizes) -->
<div class="scroll-top page-scroll visible-xs visible-sm">
<a class="btn btn-primary" href="#page-top">
<i class="fa fa-chevron-up"></i>
</a>
</div>
<!-- Portfolio Modals -->
<div class="portfolio-modal modal fade" id="portfolioModal1" tabindex="-1" role="dialog" aria-hidden="true">
<div class="modal-content">
<div class="close-modal" data-dismiss="modal">
<div class="lr">
<div class="rl"></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="container">
<div class="row">
<div class="col-lg-8 col-lg-offset-2">
<div class="modal-body">
<h2>Project Title</h2>
<hr class="star-primary" />
<img src="img/portfolio/cabin.png" class="img-responsive img-centered" alt="" />
<p>
Use this area of the page to describe your project. The icon above is part of a free icon set by
<a href="https://sellfy.com/p/8Q9P/jV3VZ/">Flat Icons</a>. On their website, you can download their free set with 16 icons, or you can purchase the entire set with 146 icons for only $12!
</p>
<ul class="list-inline item-details">
<li>
Client:
<strong>
<a href="http://startbootstrap.com">Start Bootstrap</a>
</strong>
</li>
<li>
Date:
<strong>
<a href="http://startbootstrap.com">April 2014</a>
</strong>
</li>
<li>
Service:
<strong>
<a href="http://startbootstrap.com">Web Development</a>
</strong>
</li>
</ul>
<button type="button" class="btn btn-default" data-dismiss="modal"><i class="fa fa-times"></i> Close</button>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="portfolio-modal modal fade" id="portfolioModal2" tabindex="-1" role="dialog" aria-hidden="true">
<div class="modal-content">
<div class="close-modal" data-dismiss="modal">
<div class="lr">
<div class="rl"></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="container">
<div class="row">
<div class="col-lg-8 col-lg-offset-2">
<div class="modal-body">
<h2>Project Title</h2>
<hr class="star-primary" />
<img src="img/portfolio/cake.png" class="img-responsive img-centered" alt="" />
<p>
Use this area of the page to describe your project. The icon above is part of a free icon set by
<a href="https://sellfy.com/p/8Q9P/jV3VZ/">Flat Icons</a>. On their website, you can download their free set with 16 icons, or you can purchase the entire set with 146 icons for only $12!
</p>
<ul class="list-inline item-details">
<li>
Client:
<strong>
<a href="http://startbootstrap.com">Start Bootstrap</a>
</strong>
</li>
<li>
Date:
<strong>
<a href="http://startbootstrap.com">April 2014</a>
</strong>
</li>
<li>
Service:
<strong>
<a href="http://startbootstrap.com">Web Development</a>
</strong>
</li>
</ul>
<button type="button" class="btn btn-default" data-dismiss="modal"><i class="fa fa-times"></i> Close</button>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="portfolio-modal modal fade" id="portfolioModal3" tabindex="-1" role="dialog" aria-hidden="true">
<div class="modal-content">
<div class="close-modal" data-dismiss="modal">
<div class="lr">
<div class="rl"></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="container">
<div class="row">
<div class="col-lg-8 col-lg-offset-2">
<div class="modal-body">
<h2>Project Title</h2>
<hr class="star-primary" />
<img src="img/portfolio/circus.png" class="img-responsive img-centered" alt="" />
<p>
Use this area of the page to describe your project. The icon above is part of a free icon set by
<a href="https://sellfy.com/p/8Q9P/jV3VZ/">Flat Icons</a>. On their website, you can download their free set with 16 icons, or you can purchase the entire set with 146 icons for only $12!
</p>
<ul class="list-inline item-details">
<li>
Client:
<strong>
<a href="http://startbootstrap.com">Start Bootstrap</a>
</strong>
</li>
<li>
Date:
<strong>
<a href="http://startbootstrap.com">April 2014</a>
</strong>
</li>
<li>
Service:
<strong>
<a href="http://startbootstrap.com">Web Development</a>
</strong>
</li>
</ul>
<button type="button" class="btn btn-default" data-dismiss="modal"><i class="fa fa-times"></i> Close</button>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="portfolio-modal modal fade" id="portfolioModal4" tabindex="-1" role="dialog" aria-hidden="true">
<div class="modal-content">
<div class="close-modal" data-dismiss="modal">
<div class="lr">
<div class="rl"></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="container">
<div class="row">
<div class="col-lg-8 col-lg-offset-2">
<div class="modal-body">
<h2>Project Title</h2>
<hr class="star-primary" />
<img src="img/portfolio/game.png" class="img-responsive img-centered" alt="" />
<p>
Use this area of the page to describe your project. The icon above is part of a free icon set by
<a href="https://sellfy.com/p/8Q9P/jV3VZ/">Flat Icons</a>. On their website, you can download their free set with 16 icons, or you can purchase the entire set with 146 icons for only $12!
</p>
<ul class="list-inline item-details">
<li>
Client:
<strong>
<a href="http://startbootstrap.com">Start Bootstrap</a>
</strong>
</li>
<li>
Date:
<strong>
<a href="http://startbootstrap.com">April 2014</a>
</strong>
</li>
<li>
Service:
<strong>
<a href="http://startbootstrap.com">Web Development</a>
</strong>
</li>
</ul>
<button type="button" class="btn btn-default" data-dismiss="modal"><i class="fa fa-times"></i> Close</button>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="portfolio-modal modal fade" id="portfolioModal5" tabindex="-1" role="dialog" aria-hidden="true">
<div class="modal-content">
<div class="close-modal" data-dismiss="modal">
<div class="lr">
<div class="rl"></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="container">
<div class="row">
<div class="col-lg-8 col-lg-offset-2">
<div class="modal-body">
<h2>Project Title</h2>
<hr class="star-primary" />
<img src="img/portfolio/safe.png" class="img-responsive img-centered" alt="" />
<p>
Use this area of the page to describe your project. The icon above is part of a free icon set by
<a href="https://sellfy.com/p/8Q9P/jV3VZ/">Flat Icons</a>. On their website, you can download their free set with 16 icons, or you can purchase the entire set with 146 icons for only $12!
</p>
<ul class="list-inline item-details">
<li>
Client:
<strong>
<a href="http://startbootstrap.com">Start Bootstrap</a>
</strong>
</li>
<li>
Date:
<strong>
<a href="http://startbootstrap.com">April 2014</a>
</strong>
</li>
<li>
Service:
<strong>
<a href="http://startbootstrap.com">Web Development</a>
</strong>
</li>
</ul>
<button type="button" class="btn btn-default" data-dismiss="modal"><i class="fa fa-times"></i> Close</button>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="portfolio-modal modal fade" id="portfolioModal6" tabindex="-1" role="dialog" aria-hidden="true">
<div class="modal-content">
<div class="close-modal" data-dismiss="modal">
<div class="lr">
<div class="rl"></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="container">
<div class="row">
<div class="col-lg-8 col-lg-offset-2">
<div class="modal-body">
<h2>Project Title</h2>
<hr class="star-primary" />
<img src="img/portfolio/submarine.png" class="img-responsive img-centered" alt="" />
<p>
Use this area of the page to describe your project. The icon above is part of a free icon set by
<a href="https://sellfy.com/p/8Q9P/jV3VZ/">Flat Icons</a>. On their website, you can download their free set with 16 icons, or you can purchase the entire set with 146 icons for only $12!
</p>
<ul class="list-inline item-details">
<li>
Client:
<strong>
<a href="http://startbootstrap.com">Start Bootstrap</a>
</strong>
</li>
<li>
Date:
<strong>
<a href="http://startbootstrap.com">April 2014</a>
</strong>
</li>
<li>
Service:
<strong>
<a href="http://startbootstrap.com">Web Development</a>
</strong>
</li>
</ul>
<button type="button" class="btn btn-default" data-dismiss="modal"><i class="fa fa-times"></i> Close</button>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<!-- jQuery -->
<script src="js/jquery.js"></script>
<!-- Bootstrap Core JavaScript -->
<script src="js/bootstrap.min.js"></script>
<!-- Plugin JavaScript -->
<script src="http://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/jquery-easing/1.3/jquery.easing.min.js"></script>
<script src="js/classie.js"></script>
<script src="js/cbpAnimatedHeader.js"></script>
<!-- Contact Form JavaScript -->
<script src="js/jqBootstrapValidation.js"></script>
<script src="js/contact_me.js"></script>
<!-- Custom Theme JavaScript -->
<script src="js/freelancer.js"></script>
</body>
</html>
Now run your project. You should get this beautiful page from your local host.
![Project local host]()
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