newbie taking over site

taking over maintenance/redisgn of site

[nefanee]

I am pretty new to all of this but am computer literate, know HTML(not an expert),am taking classes and totally willing (totally love) teaching myself. I have agreed to take over maintenance and some redesign (I'd prefer major redesign) for my sisters site (an art gallery). Previous person 1)did it for free 2)designed it in an unknown program using php 3)set it up for Frontpage (hosts preference) 4)used frames to keep navigation consistent throughout but is incredibly annoying. I'm having trouble figuring out exactly where to start and how to handle php (which I don't know but would love to learn). What is the best(ie easiest) way to handle php in frontpage using Windows XP? Should I update first, then tackle the redesign of some pages? On the homepage the top frame is just the name and gallery picture, bottom frame is navigation bar - one of links leads to a page that I cannot find and there is no folder for that link like there is all the others. I like using HTML, is php really necessary (especially for a page with just text and graphics? Am I annoying with all my stupid questions?!?!
All help will be so greatly appreciated!

[Gene]

I can't answer your question about PHP, but I was in a similar situation to yours about 2 years ago.

You didn't mention how big the site is, but if it's relatively small, then I would start from scratch and design a new one. That doesn't mean you have to re-invent everything...

If you use the same color schemes, you should be able to use most of the graphics from the old site. The difference is that it would be your own "code" that makes up the site. And if all you know is HTML, then fine, create the site that way.

You can cut & paste "content" from the old into the new.

If things like the old navigation scheme are good, then keep it in your new site.

Others may have a different opinion; just wanted to give you something to consider.

~Gene

[sleepy_kiwi]

A rebuild is probably a good idea and as Gene pointed out it doesn't have to be time consuming (I would also do so without Frames - there are a number of reasons why; do a site search and I'm sure you'll find them).

Is there any reason that PHP has been used e.g. admin area to update images / text, gallery booking system, updatable news / events etc.. or is it all purely static text and images? - You can sticky me with the URL and I'll check it out for you.

~sleepy

[peewhy]

Inheriting a site is often a pain because of the non-familiarity and as suggested before - rebuild is a better option because you have total control.

If you think about using some of the bits from the old site, double check the copyright implications. There may be no problem at all, but - better safe than sorry.

[nefanee]

Thanks for the replies and for agreeing that it is not so easy, I thought it was just me!
It is not a very big site and I think I would probably use a lot of the content. Even if I rebuilt exactly the same, at least it would be in my code - like Gene says
I think he used PHP because my sister wanted a particular font that is not usual, there is no booking page and all exhibitions are simple text pages so they are easy to update. What makes me crazy is that the nav bar (which is my biggest peeve) is in php but it's in a regular font so the php seems so unnecessary. But I really don't know enough about php to say that, I guess.
Yes, I really want to get rid of the frames - it makes the homepage look terrible - 2 scroll bars because he didn't size things properly - actually all of the pages have stupid scroll bars HIs reason for the frames is so that the nav bar is static and at the bottom of every page. I understand that idea but it looks horrendous! Is there any way to do that without frames?
And is there any reason to keep the php? If there is, I will learn it and keep it.
Thanks for the replies, it's so much help just to know that its not just my being new that is making me crazy!
And pray for me - my sister is an artist as well, they can be real pains in the butt(especially when they are completely ignorant about computers!)

[g1smd]

The PHP might be useful just for inserting some identical parts of the HTML that appear on multiple pages. Instead of using frames you can use PHP to insert the same small piece of content into every page.

[garann]

You can also use a Server Side Include (looks like: <!--#include file="nameOfFile.htm" -->) for pieces of HTML that are repeated on many pages. That may be a good replacement for your frames.

I'd stay away from special fonts. If you have to, maybe just use it for accents, like section headings or titles, and put it in a graphic. Just make sure not to forget the ALT attribute.

[webwoman]

And by the way - Welcome to Webmasterworld! Hang around here and you'll feel much more confident in no time :)