Best way to update just one web page...use CMS?

[eelhandroll]

Hello,

We're creating a pretty straight forward web site for a client that wants to showcase their products, etc..

They also want one page where they can post press releases.

Most importantly, they want to be able to update this page themselves.

I guess the page will show a list of links (the press releases) and when you click on the link, it will go to a new page for the press release.

Can anyone offer an easy solution where we can leave them with some sort of easy process to achieve this functionality? Is installing a CMS overkill?

Thank you!

[BlobFisk]

Hey eelhandroll,

You could easily use a bulletin board type system for that, where the only allowed user(s) are your clients. There are many free varieties out there many of which allow for the uploading of files.

A CMS may be a little over the top for just one page...

[ogletree]

You should have a custom backend for that like a cms. It would be real easy to make such a thing. There are a lot of places where you can post a project and people will bid on it. You can get it done for less than $50 probably. There are some CMS's that might work like sitesage. They have a limited free version that may do what you want. I don't know how good there customer support is with the free one.

[eelhandroll]

Thank you BlobFisk and ogletree.

Does this mean that I'll have to create some sort of a database?

BlobFisk: Will our client's press releases sit on a database on the bulletin board type system's server?

If the client wants everything on their server, does it mean that I will have to install some sort of database structure on their server?

[BlobFisk]

Most of the free ones come with very easy installation guides and include a DB precanned for you.

Of course if you fancy getting your feet wet, this is something that is relatively straightforward to do with some serverside code like ASP, JSP, PHP, Python or Perl!

[ogletree]

no it can just be installed on a flat file db. Nothing has to be installed. Just make sure it is stored out of the webspace.

[eelhandroll]

"...include a DB precanned..."

Does that DB sit on the BB's server?

I guess what I'm trying to avoid is having to go into the client's server to install the DB.

Without this request for a dynamic page, we were ready to just hand over all the html and image files.

[eelhandroll]

Sorry ogletree, I didn't see your post!

Thank you!

[jjasu]

I have used Flypage before for a client with the same requirement - it is not a fancy script, but real easy to set up and fairly inexpensive.

[flypage.com...]

[pageoneresults]

Depending on the environment, you can also give them a copy of FrontPage Express, enable extensions and let them have a go at it. For this to work, you should be using includes for static content so that they cannot edit those at the page level.

I see all of these discussions on CMS and I've never really seen anyone recommend the primary WYSIWYG tools that are out there. Most, if not all of them have some sort of system you can put in place to make editing easy for the client. There may be a little bit of training involved, some software to purchase, etc.

[bill]

FrontPage Express

Microsoft stopped development of that program years ago. I used to suggest it a lot for this type of situation. It looks like a lot of places still offer this for download, so that's probably one of the simplest solutions out there.

If you don't mind a bit more work and server setup any of the blog packages out there could handle this task quite easily as well.

[Dave McClure]

I've used Blog pages in a case like this. With a bit of careful editing of the template you can make a blog look exactly like the rest of your site. And it's free :)

[stef24]

check out cutephp. its a very easy to install and use script that lets you post "news", and html can be included should the client be able to

and its free