Edit their own content?

Hello everyone!
i didn't no where to place this thread so if i am in the wrong place then don't shout to much .
Right... I have a problem, I have created a website for a customer that owns a restaurant, both are happy with the website, but she wanted one specific requirement, that I don't have the knowledge of doing.
So thats where anyone of you come into it,
The customer wants to be able to edit the menus, on the menu page and then upload it herself onto the website, but she doesn't have any html experience and so on.
She wants to use word to write the menus.
So how can i do this, please help me

Many thanks
cracka x

the best way of doing it is to build a CMS. (Content management system)

This requires knowledge of a scripting language like PHp, and also its a benefit to have a MySQL database.

This will allow your client to edit her menus like using word, but ti will be online. Basically what happens is she edits information on one website ie(cms.herdomain.co.uk) and this is saved in a database, the website then pulls this data from the database and displays it on the actual site.

She would be looking at quite a cost for one of these to be developed so it depends how much she wants it. You may be in a position to offer a package, say a certain amount a month and you will do the updates for her by editing the code?

See http://www.intranetjournal.com/php-cms/ for an excellent, if a little outdated, tutorial on building your first CMS.

Mike

you can also use text files rather than the database, this may be a better option seeing as she only wants to update one page. The host must still support PHP scripting though.

You'll either have to write some kind of Content Management System, for example using PHP and mySQL, or the customer will have to learn HTML themselves.

OUCH! No comment.

lol! OUCH! Yea Word is a bad idea...

you can make a CMS that has a similar interface to word using JS plugins such as TinyMCE....

That might be your best option...

Mike

How do you do this?

Well you need to make the CMS (PHP, MySQL, maybe Notepad possibly).

And then you just code TinyMCE into your CMS...and place the JS files in the correct place on the server.

This'll be pretty difficult if you've never done any php stuff before. It will involve learning a whole new language. No a terribly difficult one but its another one, all the same.

Pete.

I know German, does that help?

Yeah, this sounds like a steep project for someone new to the language, it might take a while to figure it all out.

Ha, SCott you just made me think. Imagine you went for a web dev job with an agency. And they said "Very interesting and what language was it built." You reply "Oh that was developed in German." Something tells me you wouldn't get the job.

You know german? So have you ever heard of Ze Akzion Skript. I believe its quite popular.

Pete.

Ack der lieber! Akzion Skript ist meine Lieblingssprache.

Wo ist die bank?

I am the bank, scott, I am!

Pete.

That reminds me, completely off-topic, but...we had a vacancy at work and I was looking through some of the applications, on one of them where the question asked for 'Emergency contact number' someone had written '999', haha! (that's the UK equivalent of 911 for anyone who doesn't know!). We didn't give them an interview.

Oh man, I might have to give them the interview just for the creativity of that....either that or the pure stupidity, either way, it'd be a fun interview.

Cheers,

Scott

Viele Grüße aus Deutschland, Scott.
We German members have to stick together..

Hi,

There are a few options available to you which will give your client the ability to update menus on a website. but in all cases your client will need to gain some basic html knowledge at minimum.

1. Create a basic CMS (Content Management System). this is the most complex solution for both you and your client and will require knowledge of PHP and MySql Server to impliment. I would normally create this type of system if a client wanted to manage content on a website.
2. A great alternative is to get your client to invest into Adobe contribute. http://www.adobe.com/products/contribute/
   This would also require you to understand this application and give training to your client, but alot more simple to impliment than a PHP / Mysql Server Content Management System.
3. In past projects I have given some of my clients basic training on a free web application editor and explained the basics of FTP. Take a look at http://www.nvu.com/index.php
   With this application your client can edit the website page and use NVU as the FTP application for uploading to web server. NVU is no more complex than Word so your client should get a good understanding quickly and it does not cost anything

I recently completed a restaurant website for one of my clients which uses php5 and Mysql Server, if you are interested you can view the website at the following url: www.azou.co.uk

P Shah - www.dcpweb.co.uk

Thanks alot for the help everyone. I have sorted this problem out, I installed a free FTP program onto the customers computer and give them a step by step walkthrough of how to change the menu and then upload it to the website, because the customer is not a computer literate at all!

but once again thanks alot!

The easiest way would probably have your menu as an include and show them how to add/remove items from that one file. if they are set on using Word not sure there is much you can really do.

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