# Introduction

XMod revolutionized how solutions were created for the DNN (formerly DotNetNuke) platform. Instead of having to be a web programmer or hire one to develop each of your modules, XMod enabled anyone with a basic knowledge of HTML to easily create as many different modules as they needed.

Although XMod had been a top DNN module virtually every day since its release, we started to hear from people building web sites that needed more direct control over the database on the backend. What they wanted was the flexibility and convenience of XMod combined with the ability to connect it to their own data. XMod Pro is our answer to the needs of our power users and is the next step in the evolution of XMod.

With XMod Pro, you are in control. You create templates and forms made up of standard HTML. You can create templates for displaying lists of data and templates for displaying a single record. But how does XMod Pro link up with our data? You simply supply standard SQL commands such as SELECT commands and stored procedures. Then, for templates, where ever you want to display the value of a given field, use a field "token" like [[FirstName]] to display the value in the FirstName field. For forms, you simply assign a field name to a given control to 'bind' it to that field.

Optionally, you can add a few XMod Pro tags to your templates that give you additional functionality like detail buttons to show the detail template, a format tag to format your numbers, dates, etc. for display and much more. The result is your data, displayed your way - no programming required.

XMod Pro forms also come with a complement of controls you can use to build your data entry user interface including: Textbox, Textarea, HTML Input, Radio Button, Check Box, Radio Button List, Check Box List, Drop-Down List, Date Input, File Upload, and more. Plus you can build or buy additional custom controls - providing you maximum flexibility.

The original XMod is a great product for quickly building solutions for DotNetNuke. However, interacting directly with your tables and data required we develop a new foundation. As a result, XMod Pro is a completely independent product, with a new form and display engine. Even so, we worked hard to maintain the same type of syntax that devoted XMod users have come to love. Not every thing is the same, but XMod users will feel right at home in XMod Pro.

Next Step: Getting Started