Site design/setup help

[lizc]

I've had a request from a client to design a site in such a way that they can update the text themselves - the layout of all the pages are the same, they just want to update the text side... Here's the problem, they don't want to use any programme such as Dreamweaver etc to do that - they only want to see the text and update that (no code visible).

I would appreciate any help in going about this.

Thanks!

[TheOriginalH]

Heh, sounds like you need a server side language!

Do you have any php or asp knowledge? You can set up a simple cms (content management system) with a little help from the book of one of our own advisors, Kevin Yank - details of the book can be found here

[econ]

I think the simplest way to do this is using flat files ( Simple text files ), I have a simple system like this for a client to change a monthly offer that his company makes. It involves php and is simpler than you would think.

You need to check if your server supports php.

You will need a page where the client would enter the text for the page, this would be best to have a password protected page, this page would contain some php. I use a .htaccess and .htpass files to protect the folder this page is in, your server could make and place these there at no extra charge normally, if you don't want to do it yourself.

The page the text would be in that the client enters.

A php file that creates and or changes the text for the flat file.

The flat file that the text for the page is on. I actually placed this on my server rather than let the php create the file and the php changes or reads the text depending on which function is being used on the file.

I made mine from taking a very simple php tutorial for creating datbases and then turning the tutorial around to suite my purposes, the tutorial was from the book PHP and MySQL Web developement, it is a very good book for learning databases and some php. Don't worry, the flat file does not involve MySQL, the book just started on flat files as a simple example to creating a database.

If you type .htacces into a search engine there are some good sites that explain the functions and possible functions of this file, it has other useful purposes.

Hope this helps
Mike

[econ]

Oh yeah, I have Kevin's book also but I have not got into it yet as I have not finnished the other book mentioned although I have had a few quick looks at it and it seems a well explained book for php and MySQL, better explained in some ways than the other I mentioned but I don't know if it covers flat files.

Mike

[lizc]

Thanks for the help!

Someone suggested I use ASP and put all the stuff in a Access database... Have never worked with databases before (as you might have picked up)

[TheOriginalH]

Yup, either .asp or .php will do, depends what technology you have available. The flat file option could work, but you need to consider content formatting unless the peeps involved have html knowledge, which is why I recommended Kev's approach. I'm sure content formatting must be possible in .asp, I just have no idea where to get info on it.