how can i create a form where someone else can update the website

@alisunMar 26.2004

I’ve been teaching myself html for a while now, it’s just been a hobby and i’ve only been making sites for myself, but now i am venturing out into the world of websites for others.

my question is, If I create a website, but they need to update different things on it (ie current events or news…) how can i make a “form” or something that someone who doesn’t know code could fill out and it would automatically update the website? I’ve tried to search for this, but I don’t think I really know how to word it properly. I hope this makes sense. I don’t want them to be able to mess anything up on the website, just fill in the NEEDED areas and be able to do it very simply.

thanks everyone!

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10 Comments(s) _↴

@buntineMar 26.2004 — #Originally, this was one of the main ideas behind web database programming.

Luckily, languages like PHP, ASP and CGI make web database connectivity easy. Sort of, anyway...

This type of programming fits into the CMS or Content Management System market. These applications are becoming increasingly popular within the .com business world.

To simply update news on the homepage, you will need a working knowledge of a server-side programming language and some relevent database software.

Theres several options when it comes to which database you choose, including:

- Oracle.

- MS Access.

- MySQL.

- SQL Server.

Theres several other which you can choose from, also.

Not all servers have great support for server-side programming, so consult your server admin or look on his/her web site for details.

Once you have made your decision about which language and database you are using, post in the relevent forum, respectively.

One of us will help you further from there. ?

Regards,

Andrew Buntine.

@alisunauthorMar 26.2004 — #oh geez, oh geez, oh geez...this is looking slightly difficult. is there some sort of tutorial that I could use?

I have ms access on my computer, and I looked around in it and it seems like it's for lists and inventory and stuff. I might be wrong. I'm still going to research all the others. Is there a relativly easy way to do this for the time being while I figure access out? I might just be too new for this, but I want to learn it bad!! Thanks for the help.

@buntineMar 26.2004 — #Yep, there is several tutorials on using MS Access as a web database.

ASP goes hand-in-hand with MS Access. And luckily, i can help you out with any ASP problems you have. ?

The the time being, check out the following web sites which offer easy to understand tutorials and examples:

- www.asp101.com

- www.w3schools.com

- www.4guysfromrolla.com

I admit, the learning curve is a [i]big[/i] ol' bend. But once you become familiar with the syntax, things should start to make more sense.

Regards,

Andrew Buntine.

@spufiMar 26.2004 — #[URL=http://www.sitepoint.com/books/phpmysql1/]Build Your Own Database Driven Website Using PHP & MySQL[/URL]

[URL=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0321186486/qid=1080322791/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_3/104-9736584-0060769?v=glance&s=books] PHP and MySQL for Dynamic Websites[/URL]

[URL=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/067232525X/qid=1080322791/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-9736584-0060769?v=glance&s=books]PHP and MySQL Web Development[/URL]

Here's some books to check out on the PHP/MySQL side of things.

@alisunauthorMar 26.2004 — #i've been thinking...is this what I shoud be using if I want someone to be editing my website...what i mean by that is I'm looking for a way to create something kinda like Tripod SiteBuilder where i create the layout for the site, but there is a specific "editing page" and it has "buttons" on it where someone that i give access to can get on this page and click on the "button" to edit that specific thing. but the page that the general public sees does not have any of these buttons on it. the general public cannot edit it.

Is this still the program that i should be using? If not, what should i be using? (i hope this all made sense...)

Just curious.

Allison

@spufiMar 26.2004 — #Yes, it's what you want. You create a page where the user logs in by entering a login id, and password. The info is then verified on the database and then the person is allow to access the rest of the pages where they can edit, add, delete whatever they need. Make sure the rest of the pages you need protected are done so by checking to see if the person who is viewing them is logged in, or not. If they are not logged in, redirect them to the login page.

@alisunauthorApr 07.2004 — #hey guys. thanks so much for all your input. i've been trying to check it all out, and I have a few more questions.

I'm quite new to all of this, so bare with me...:rolleyes:

First of all, let me ask this: I have been using Tripod HTML Editor all my webdesigning life. I think it has been good to learn the basics on, but now I want to get a little deeper. Could someone let me know about webhosting and how it works. Do I have to have a computer (server) that is online 24/7? I'm not really sure how it works. I know you can use notebook, but is there someway to upload it to a webhost? I just don't know a whole lot about it.

2nd, Using Access or php...any of those databases....Will my computer become a server that has to be online all the time, or is it something that you can upload? If you DO have to have a computer (server) that is online all the time to do these things, and you don't have access to that, are you just pure out of luck? or is there something you can do around it?

Thanks for your input!

Alisun

@HeavyApr 07.2004 — #[i]Originally posted by alisun [/i]

[B]hey guys. thanks so much for all your input. i've been trying to check it all out, and I have a few more questions.

I'm quite new to all of this, so bare with me...:rolleyes:

First of all, let me ask this: I have been using Tripod HTML Editor all my webdesigning life. I think it has been good to learn the basics on, but now I want to get a little deeper. Could someone let me know about webhosting and how it works. Do I have to have a computer (server) that is online 24/7? I'm not really sure how it works. I know you can use notebook, but is there someway to upload it to a webhost? I just don't know a whole lot about it.

2nd, Using Access or php...any of those databases....Will my computer become a server that has to be online all the time, or is it something that you can upload? If you DO have to have a computer (server) that is online all the time to do these things, and you don't have access to that, are you just pure out of luck? or is there something you can do around it?

Thanks for your input!

Alisun [/B][/QUOTE]

1. My office uses Homesite 5, which is really great for all the types of programming we do.

2. If you're serious about offering web hosting to your clients, a smart way to do it is through leasing a co-located server from a server farm.

3. Our sites run PHP3 which is an opensource language we installed on our server. Most hosting providers provide access to PHP. You don't run it from your local network.

4. You need to do more research on these issues. Read, read, read. Pick up some informed publications.

@alisunauthorApr 07.2004 — #DEFINATELY!!!!! THANKS HEAVY

@dataferretApr 08.2004 — #Hi Alisun

It may be your lucky day ?

I have just developed a CMS system which is designed to solve your problem. It has taken me two years but the first release is all ready. IN fact I am just writing up the instruction manuals so people will be able to use it.

Basically I have designed a CGI driven Content Management system. The main difference between mine and every other CMS out there is mine uses regular html templates so you can create any design you like and the CMS system will still work fine. This give a webmaster huge control over the site layout without needing to know programming code.

There are several different ways the CMS can be configured. There is an admin interface which is password protected. Now if you wanted your clients to update the content you simply give them access to the admin interface and they can change the content through forms without affecting the design - sort of like using MS word but for websites.

Another way it can be configured is if you are the webmaster you can easily have all the layout, images and html stored in the database to render the output. If you are familiar with html you can simply edit this through the admin interface too.

Yet another neat tool is the plug-in WYSIWYG editor which allows you to edit the html for the templates themselves.

The CMS also supports multiple designs too. So if you decide to set up several different layouts - each calling the same content from the database, you have several unique versions of your site for a visitor to choose from.

Or you could have several differrent layouts for different sections of your website (like BBC.co.uk)

I have tried to leave the CMS flexible so webmasters can do what they like with the system. You can view the testbed site at http://www.primedit.co.uk/cms

This is not the admin section but the published output from the database. Remember, this is still undergoing testing.

I rather think the entire CMS application will be priced somewhere between £200 and £250 so it is affordable for everyone. There is also a suite of plug-ins such as search engine, FAQ Manager, Download Manager and a Careers Zone. Oh and I am working on an e-commerce application for it too.

Please let me know what you think

Dataferret