Is it possible...

Hi there

I have created a website for my mum and dads restaurant but i will not be able to update it all the time, is there a way i can get my mum and dad (both have 0 knowledge of everything to do with computers) to maybe edit a text file which will then update the site accordingly.

I want to make it so they can update the front page easily, just with text. Can you embed a text file but still make sure it looks good?

Hope i have explained this properly!

Cheers

Sam

Have you any Server Side techs. (such as PHP) used on the site - or do you know what kind of technologies you server would allow you to use?

You will need a CMS. (Content Management System) This way your client, or parents, can edit the site using a nice pretty graphical interface without having to serf though a bunch of code to find the text. I use it for all of my clients and it works GREAT!

Hey Jacob, don't be thowing big words like CMS at non-techies! You'll scare them off! Anyway, I agree with Snow, you will need some sort of server-side language such as PHP or ASP.

The really easiest possible way ever to do this is to have a html file which they can edit using any simple WYSIWYG editor (even MS Word), then show them how to copy/paste to the server via FTP.
PS.: Obviously you'll have to setup all the FTP stuff for them...

I'm going to enter into this discussion since I have the same situation for a client that has very little technical knowledgel. I hope my questions will help the original poster..

Spinal, if she "client" has MS Word, does she save her text as .html?
Then upload it to the web via a free ftp program? Does the background of that page stay white with all of her own text formatted her way?

Or is there a different way to save the MS Word Doc so that it goes into a template in a certain specified area? I guess I need help with the baby steps... how does she save her file.

I think she would have to take a template from you - with the relevant code skeleton and structure - and just show her the bit where the text she wants to change is stored.

There would be no point in her making a new HTML file, as then she would have to know what tags to put in, what the elements were called in your css file, etc.

If it's just one bit of the page, then I think Spinal's right (I wouldn't have thought of it myself!) - it'll be cheaper & I'm sure that most clients can cope with opening a page, changing one static section and putting in back on to the relevant part of the server...

Spinal, if she "client" has MS Word, does she save her text as .html?
I mentioned MS Word because many people a familiar with it. "You don't need to be a web-designer, you can just use MS Word".
To answer your question, yes, you can use "File > Save as..." and choose the "Webpage (HTML)" format.

Then upload it to the web via a free ftp program? Does the background of that page stay white with all of her own text formatted her way?
I'm not sure what you mean, but I'll try...
FTP:
The client can use a free FTP program (AceFTP, CuteFTP, etc), but better still, if they have Windows, just type add the ftp site to "My Network Places" and put a link on the desktop. You can have "My Wesbite" next to "My Documents" and that should be pretty easy to explain to any user.

Formatting: (Let's say the client uses MS Word to edit the HTML file)
If they apply formatting in MS Word, the formatting is saved as in-line CSS on the HTML file. Inline CSS rules overwrite stylesheet CSS rules so whatever formatting they define will persist when the HTML file is used to display the page.
HOWEVER, the HTML file should not apply any formatting to the content. Data should be separate from presentation. HTML separate from CSS.
So you could simply tell your client to stick to basic formatting (headings, bold, italics) and leave the spacing, colours to the site's stylesheet.

Or is there a different way to save the MS Word Doc so that it goes into a template in a certain specified area? I guess I need help with the baby steps... how does she save her file.
My suggestion was to use server-side languages to create the template.

PAGE1.ASP:

Code: Select all

<html>
 <body>
  This is the header file:
  <!--#include file="header.html"//-->
    This is the page1 file:
  <!--#include file="page1.html"//-->
  This is the header file:
  <!--#include file="footer.html"//-->
</body>
</html>

PAGE2.ASP:

Code: Select all

 <html>
 <body>
  This is the header file:
   <!--#include file="header.html"//-->
    This is the page1 file:
   <!--#include file="page2.html"//-->
   This is the header file:
   <!--#include file="footer.html"//-->
 </body>
</html>

Then your client would have the following to edit:
HEADER.HTML:

Code: Select all

 <h1>Welcome to my site</h1>
<hr/>

FOOTER.HTML:

Code: Select all

 <hr/>
<a href="/">Back to my homepage</a>

PAGE1.HTML:

Code: Select all

 <p>This is page 1</p>

PAGE2.HTML:

Code: Select all

 <p>This is page 2</p>

Does that make sense?

No way. This would never work. People are stupid. You must always assume the user has the IQ of a peanut. Don't show them anything they do not need to see.

Exactly!

That's what I tried to explain in my really long post above, but you beat me to it!

Using "includes" statements sounds like a great way to do it. The only thing I see is that client (NO web IQ) would have to save the ms doc as a .php file???

no... save the doc as Webpage (html).
the php file would then include the HTML just like it includes other PHP files:

<?php include('header.html'); ?>
...

That is what I'm going to do. I hope the OP Samassi got the answer they were looking for!!

I still say that is a lot of trouble for a client. You should look into getting a CMS Linda. It would allow the client to edit the site without seeing any code and without the chance of messing anything up.

You could design it similar to word so that she feels safe and at home with it.

Ok Jacob, I'm willing... what CMS can you recommend that is very easy.

I'm still not sold on the idea of getting a 3rd party CMS for updating a few sections of text...

It would be simpler (and most likely cheaper) to my mind to have an admin area with a form with a few inputs and use your SSL to update a file...

As lovely as that sounds ... I have no idea what you just said Snow!:stan:

What is an admin area and where is stored and accessed?

Gosh I'm feeling dumb!

Considering I do web design, and have lots of clients and a CMS is a standard need. I built one CMS and just alter to fit each clients own needs. Takes me about 5 or 10 minutes to do not a big deal!

This probably will be hard if you don't have any PHP under your belt yet...but hey, now is the perfect time to learn

hi again!

Thanks to all your positive response!! I am liking what I am seeing but:

I don't to allow my mum to be able to edit anything other than the text, she will make a balls up of it, that is for definite!

I like the idea of CMS, although is this something which is available or do i have to do it myself? If i do then I am knackered and wont be able to do it! I have 0 knowledge of PHP!

The best thing i can think of is:

If I had a website i designed with tables, and set one particular part of the table to automatically take it's contents from a text file, so what ever was in the text file it would put in the table? Is this where CSS would come in the make sure the text part looked the business?

Cheers for your help!

The simplest CMS, that I trust a peanut with is Website Baker, simply install it on your server, create a design for it, drop it in, and then they can only update the content section of the website on any page they want. It is extremely simple for the client.

Edit: NO to table layout! Please don't take shortcuts