Accessing a hand coded site

A school recently asked me to do an overhaul/tidy-up on their website which was created and is maintained on Frontpage. The site is a mess so I pursuaded them that I would be better hand coding the site from scratch. They're happy with this, but there is one section where teachers update homework details (89 teachers with up to 7 sections each!!!). They want to continue to do those daily updates themselves using Frontpage. (they're not interested in any alternative to Frontpage, it's on all their computers, they don't want to have to buy any other packages, or learn how to use them).
So if I've effectively created a brand new hand coded site, what do I have to do to enable them to still be able to access it via Frontpage?

Sorry to ask what is no doubt a very basic question, but I still have so much to learn!

That is not a dumb question. This is a question we have been posting here a lot lately. Myself included.
Can you leave those pages alone and just make them look like the other hand coded pages?
The first thing you want to make sure is that they cannot touch your code. They will mess it up as fast as you blink and eye.

I say you leave it but I know you were looking for a better answer which I'm sure someone else can provide.

You could ask them to use Notepad or TextEdit to update the website.

Lchad - thanks for reassuring me that I'm not an idiot! When you say can I leave those pages alone and just make them look like the hand coded pages, do you mean that I should use Frontpage myself to do those pages?

Padraig - thanks for the suggestion, but that would give them access to the code wouldn't it? Meaning they can mess it all up.

hmmm, why not build them a nice CMS. (Content Management System) A content management system is a nice graphical interface where the client/teachers could go and type in their username and password to edit the site. They would then only have access to the areas you allowed them access too. Also you could get more advanced by allowing them to create sections/pages...etc.

I would recommend checking out WordPress. Wordpress is a free blog software. But it uses a nice CMS to update the site with. You can create different users/usergroups. Try customizing that, I know a lot of web designers use that as a backend CMS for their site, just cause it is so great! Let me know if you want to see some highly customized Wordpress sites!

If not you could always build your own. If that's what you want to do you would need to learn PHP and MySQL.

The trouble is Jacob, the school were adamant that they wanted to stick with Frontpage for the updating (teachers don't have time to learn anything new you know!), so I do really need to try and find a way to make that work for them. Nevertheless, I do need to learn about CMS, PHP and MySQL, so I'll have a look at Wordpress for the CMS, and yes, any examples of its implementation would be good, thanks. Also any pointers about where to get some basic starting info on PHP and MySQL (I did search for some free online tutorials yesterday actually, but didn't like what I found!). And also, if anyone has any further insight as to how I can make the Frontpage thing work, that would be good too! I know I'm asking a lot here.

BTW Jacob, what is a Flash Exert as opposed to a Flash Expert?

Right, but it is not something they are going to have to learn. You could make it just like word....lol. Any teacher should be able to use it just fine! If they insist on using frontpage, just make them and FTP account, and let them half at messing the site up.

Examples
http://www.designbit.co.uk/
http://www.bencardy.co.uk/

Just takes some CSS work and you are good to go!

Sorry Jacob, I'm being a bit dense here, but when you say I should make them an FTP account - they already use Frontpage to update those pages, so if I just update the design of those pages in Frontpage, can't they just still access those in the same way as they currently do? Don't get me wrong, I would rather they tossed Frontpage out of the window, but I don't think it's going to happen! Thanks for your help

Yep, they are updating the site though FTP using frontpage. So you would just allow them to continue doing so. You should not have to do anything, they are just changing text right? I would still ask them about a CMS. Explain to them it is just like word...probably even easier and much better then frontpage.

Thanks Jacob. I may need to come back to you at some point with a Flash question as there is going to be some Flash on the site (in the student section), luckily there is a graphic designer who is creating the Flash files, I just have to plug them into the site, but if that's not as easy as it sounds, I'll come back and ask for help!

hahaha...it is super easy. Just let me know if you need help...I would be glad to!

Yeah, I was going to suggest CMS as well. If you program, you can make one yourself so it's extra simple. If not, WordPress is nice. What kind of information are they going to be updating?

The type of information they will be updating is, for example:

Monday - Class 3b - Biology - Work through exercise 6 on page 73 of "Science for Everyone" - due Thursday.

The students then use drop down menus to select their class and subject or teacher and are presented with a table showing what homework they have due when (in my day you just had to remember it for yourself!).

With my experience with educators (89 of them) there is no way Vanessa will be able to change their minds and move them away from frontpage even if she convinced them it was for their own good. If you can Vanessa, you should go into politics instead of web design because that would be no small feat. They are slow movers and hate change unless it's educationally based. Keep us posted...because now I need to know how this goes!

Yes, I'm glad you understand what I'm up against! For my day job I work in a University on a project that works in schools, so I'm very used to eductators and knew it wouldn't be easy - I shouldn't complain though as this site will be a good learning experience for me, it's quite a big project; the homework thing is obviously only a small part of it.

give each person their own webpage to be updated, then you can just link to what they create and they only change what they own.

That is a shame that educators are willing to learn something new themselfs. How stupid.

For me part of a web designer/developer's job is to persuade the client in some cases. They don't know what's the best thing for them until you tell them. Unless of course they are all top developers and are keeping it quiet.

I'd also go with a CMS there are quiet a few good ones available but I'm quite taken with expression engine at the moment though it's not free. For this sort of project I think contribute would work. You can lock certain portions of the site and just lets them update the text or whatever. BUt if they aren't willing as regards new software then I guess this isn't an option.

Pete.

Thanks guys for the ongoing suggestions and feedback on this. It's all on hold at the moment for a complicated reason that I won't bore you all with! So I haven't made any decisions on it yet. Either way I definitely need to learn how to set up a CMS, so I might just spend some time on that for myself anyway.