Forum Moderators: mack
-Template for design
-Header, footer, menus can be edited once and will change throughout the site
-user submissions for review similar to craigslist or gumtree
-user posts similar to a blog
-possibly a password protected admin control panel for inexperienced users to add to certain areas of the website
Are templates just considered to be a bunch of CSS and divs? What are the advantages of Dreamweaver? Do I need to use perl? What about the user submissions? Where will databases come into play?
As you can see I'm a little over my head, anyone who could offer some advice or experience would be great.
p.s. I'm not posting here b/c I'm too lazy to research this myself, I'm just a little overwhelmed and would like to be pointed in a certain direction.
It could consist of anything. Just something you would like to have on all pages. My templates consist of php includes, and a basic css layout.
What are the advantages of Dreamweaver?
It has the WYSIWYG advantage so you can make templates and see them as you go instead of saving and loading it up in a browser. Dreamweaver is not my tool of choice, I use notepad, so I am not sure the exact advantages of Dreamweaver.
Do I need to use perl?
Not necessarily, but it has its advantages, but with what you are needing to do I think PHP or ASP will do just fine.
What about the user submissions? Where will databases come into play?
You can create a script that will add users' submissions to a database. If they are just some text reviews it should be simple to create. If you are looking to have a whole user management system, it would be quite extensive for you, but not impossible. Databases come into play with "saving" information. It is a big table that holds information that you want to keep, like users' submission. I'd recommend looking into basic PHP / mySQL tutorials and start learning to use them, or just hire a coder.
As for a push in a direction, start reading up on PHP and mySQL, there are many tutorials out there, and if you are confused just ask.
When you get to users posting reviews & blog type stuff you'll need something that let's them interact with your site. These are often called scripts, and typically run in PHP or perl. As PHP and perl are different languages that do similar things, it is possible to use either for what you've suggested. Each has their strengths, which you should research seperately. If you don't know either, pick one and stick with it.
The easiest way to go about this is to use ready-made scripts. These exist for the ideas you mention. Search google for options, or there are websites that are directories of scripts available.
A CMS or content management system, will already have all these features, but may be more complicated and confusing than you need. Again, search for options. There are both commercial and open source choices.
Depending on how much info you're collecting and how it will be displayed, it may be stored in "flat files" (html) or in a database. Most common database choice is mysql, which is open source and widely available at little or no cost from webhosts. Your php or perl script (or CMS) will put data in for you and retrieve it.
Almost all (even inexpensive) webhosts have php & perl available, some readymade scripts require a specific version or certain extensions to reside on the server, check if applicable. If your host says you can only use their scripts, you're in need of a new host. Sometimes the cheapest options don't allow a database, but for a few bucks more it's usually available.
Hope this helps you move to the next step.
