dynamic page creation

[ruthboarder]

I need the ability to create a cookie cutter (1page) website with the ability for (non-web) users to input an image and text and links (without knowing HTML, or using FTP) - and a site be created

These pages will be created multiple times (with different content and logos) and will need to be password protected.

I also need sub-domains to link to these webpages

[lorax]

Welcome to WebmasterWorld ruthboarder!
I do not know of any CMS that limits you to one page. There might be one but... You may need to either have this built custom for you or go with a simple CMS that allows for more than one page. WordPress can do all that you're asking except limit the user to one page.

[ergophobe]

lorax - does WP allow for rich user profiles?

In Drupal, you could let users create and maintain their profile, but not any other pages. The part that I can't work out there would be having each of those profiles map to another subdomain.

Alternatively, WP and Drupal both allow for one install to run as many subdomains as you need, but the auto-install capabilities would be complicated. You need to hook into CPanel, have the ability to edit httpd.conf and restart apache or something like that to create subdomains. I can't think of any CMS that would do that.

And I would think any shared hosting package would be out of the question.

[lorax]

Ergo - not sure what you mean by "rich user profiles." Please elucidate.

WordPress is written to accommodate one or more users in an editable user interface. The assumption is the users all work together and share responsibilities for a common goal. It's not oriented toward a user community where multiple people share a common interest but aren't necessarily sharing the keys to the kingdom - eg. rights and access levels. WordPress isn't designed to be a community builder in the way a vBulletin is. It's not a discussion board. It's a blog cum CMS package.

That being said, I can think of ways to bend it's intent to do what you're asking. With my favorite theme (I won't mention it here) I could provide a rich user profile. Piece o' cake. :)

[ergophobe]

Rich user profiles would be a user page - like if I click on the "user profile" link below your name - that allows users to upload pictures, videos, create galleries, lists of links. In short, any content that can appear on a page, can appear in a profile.

[lorax]

Ah. The answer then is not out of the box. I suppose there might be a plugin for that but I haven't had need to locate one nor come across one in my travels.

[ergophobe]

It something you can do in Drupal easily enough, but the issue is that ruthboarder wants a subdomain for each such profile which, as I say, that is going to require some fairly specific server-side scripting to add subdomains on the fly. At least with Apache, it's going to require a server restart every time you add a domain.

Obviously, Wordpress.com and Drupal Gardens have figured it out, but then they have load-balanced arrays of servers, their own DNS servers and programmers with mad skills.

[lorax]

Right. It's a case of customizing the tool to suit the need but choosing the tool that is closest to the need first. WordPress isn't the right choice.

While technically Drupal and Joomla could be made to do it, ruthboarder indicated the CMS must be usable by people with no HTML skills - which I extrapolate to mean the interface must also be simple and intuitive. Drupal and Joomla are not simple (IMHO of course).

[ergophobe]

I'm not as familiar with Joomla, but for Drupal, the key to making it simple is

1. Limit as much as possible the permissions of average users. This will automatically hide a lot of the interface complexity

2. Use some type of form filter to get rid of any additional confusing fields and theme the forms for better usability.

There is no question that from an admin perspective, Drupal is dizzying compared to Wordpress - remember ergophobe's rule: if Drupal will do the job out of the box, it's almost certainly the wrong tool for the job. In such cases WP is typically the better choice unless there's a forum involved.

But of the type of site ruthboarder is talking about, almost all that complexity will be hidden from the user (they won't actually be able to see the admin area at all), whereas in WordPress, you can't hide the admin area and still have people able to make posts.

I think of Joomla and ModX as being more like Wordpress in that there's a very distinct admin area that users must have access to if they are going to create new pages... but I could be wrong about that.

In any case, as near as I can tell, they're all the wrong tool for the OP's job.

[lorax]

>> you can't hide the admin area and still have people able to make posts

Actually, you can! But you'll have to bribe me with a beer to find out how...

[ergophobe]

Blackmail!

Adminize perchance?
[wordpress.org...]

[lorax]

Pure and simple blackmail and because you're guessing the price just went up to two beers.

Imagine something a lot easier for the user - think desktop solution that everyone uses. A bit of coding to identify the user, take apart the package and put pieces where they ought to be. Presto...

[ergophobe]

>>Imagine something

Oh sure. Make this impossible for me. I guess I'll just need to get you that beer. It's not the beer that's holding me up, it's the travel. Of ocurse, other people out your way are wondering if I'm due in town anytime soon - nope :-(