Rating and Review Scripts

Trying to select script for restaurant guide

[mida68]

Hello, I'm considering creating a online restaurant guide for the area in which I live - mostly because I keep looking for one and it doesn't exist.

Other than considering Chef Moz, I'm looking at a handful of scripts I see on Hot Scripts and Perl Archives. None of them jump out at me as a really nice rating and review system.

I'd love to have a site that sorts restaurants by location, cuisine, price, rating, and maybe a few other characteristics like "kid friendly" or "senior discounts" etc. tied to the rating system.

This must sound like a custom solution by now but I want to try and tap the vast knowledge found here to see if anyone can point me in the right direction. (I can't program, just HTML/CSS so an existing script is probably the only way to go.)

Thanks in advance!
Shelley

[jatar_k]

sound like a custom solution by now

pretty much. :)

What scripting languages do you have available to you through your host? ASP/PERL/PHP would all be possibilities. Did you see any scripts that did more or less what you want?

I would think that you may be looking at a bit of a learning curve but no problem, just might take some research. I would suggest you find out what your options are as far as languages go then find a script in that language that does most of what you want. From there you can customize it and learn a whole new skill in the process.

I guess it is fairly opportune that we have forums for all three of those languages. ;)

[mida68]

Thanks for responding, your post sent me reviewing what information I've gathered for research. As far as what language, the honest answer is "I dunno!" but I am fairly certain that my host can handle PHP, SQL, CGI/Perl (are those essentially the same?) I'm showing my ignorance here ;-)

I did a lot of benchmarking and finally found a site that had the features I had imagined were possible. I know I can't post a link but the title is eatingpa you can add the rest get the URL if anyone is interested.

I saw that this site was powered by Gossamer Threads which looks to be SQL. Looks kind of expensive the products seem to be about $400.

If anyone knows of products similar to Gossamer Theads that cost less, that might be a good lead for me to follow.

Thank you for helping me focus in on a possible lead!

Thanks in advance for any other advice,
Shelley

[jatar_k]

I'll give you a little more insight then hopefully.

SQL = Structured Query Language

That is the database. I would think your host probably has MySQL which is a specific type. Gossamer Threads is perl. PERL and PHP are the server side scripting languages that interact with the database.

Server Side languages are executed on the server before the pages are delivered to the browser. Unlike javascript/vbscript that is executed on the client side by the browser itself.

sorry if you know this, not trying to offend, seems I am feeling verbose

So, plan of action, I would wander through some more sites that do this type of thing and see what they use to power the site. Concentrate on php/perl with mysql (if that is actually what your host has). Wander through the free scripts type places and see what they have. Try a few things, see what there is.

Since you are looking for a free/inexpensive solution then you may be stuck doing some customization yourself which means you may have to look at the languages themselves to see which is easier for you to learn.

I would suggest PHP (of course I would since that is what I do ;)) but take a look at both and see what you think.

If you do in fact go with PHP/PERL there is one more place which may help
Perl and PHP CGI Scripting [webmasterworld.com] ;)

[mida68]

Thank you! I'll take as much advice as I can get. Yes my host can support SQL/PHP and I think PERL. I'll take a look at your link to see what's available, thanks!

At the same time I'm doing this, I'm also trying to install and play with osCommerce. I had to have the host help me install it, I was lost. He sends me a message that I need to do various other tasks to make it work and I can't make heads or tails of it all. ;-/

I've managed to implement simple add-ons like PayPal for one site and created a YahooStore for another but I think scripts and osCommerce are jumping way too far ahead.

I wonder if I need to take a big step back and start taking some classes? For someone who only knows HTML/CSS would you suggest "Programming 101" followed by "Databases 101" then make my way to SQL/PHP etc..? Or, maybe go the other route and just pay for software?

Thanks!
Shelley

[jatar_k]

well, the link I provided is the scripting forum right here at WebmasterWorld. ;)

OsCommerce is php, one of the programmers I work with set it up recently and was customizing it and he said it wasn't easy and that's what he gets paid for.

I know there are courses for SQL/PHP/PERL but how much would that cost? More than Gossamer?

There are books available as well. Dreamweaver MX can also write PHP these days but I would suggest courses before that. It doesn't seem to help people as much as they think it will.

Basic programming knowledge can be very useful but if it isn't something you enjoy or use all the time then it isn't much fun.

Look around, don't get overwhelmed and do your research. When in doubt, post here and we'll do our best to point you in the right direction.

[mida68]

I *really* appreciate the tips and help. I'll check around and I do have Dreamweaver MX and am taking a class right now to fill in some holes in my knowledge. I'll see if the same company offers some programming/database classes. I took HTML and CSS but I often use Dreamweaver to speed though tasks. You're right, if I didn't know how to adjust the code I'd be stuck all the time. Maybe after I get some intro knowledge behind what I want to do, I can try to use Dreamweaver or a script.

Thanks again!
Shelley

[NeedScripts]

Sorry for the late reply, but I would put my vote for Links SQL & In-Link along with IndexU. All of them are good, but I still prefer Links SQL over others (but it is bit more $$$$). In addition, Links SQL has review system that is good if not great.

Now if you are looking something for mainly review and articles, then you might wanna check out OldReviews (http://oldreviews.com/articles/oldreviews_released), they rock and the support is great too (besides the fact that the script is for free)

Hope this helps.

NeedScripts

[mida68]

Wow, I'm inspired again. Actually the In-Link product looks like something I can handle. Still a bit of money at $195 +$55 install (which I'd just pay, I'm feeling very burned after my multiple attempts to install osCommerce!)

I looked at the demo and admin pages - very good UI and intuitive. I was searching for "rating and review" systems but looks "portal" systems have what I'm looking for.

I guess the next question is can I customize it enough to look like a nice restaurant guide and not a copy of Yahoo. I'll talk to In-Link and see what they say.

Thanks so much to both of you - you've been a tremendous help!
Shelley