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Help with advanced web forms, data maipulation, and dynamics…
Hello.
I am looking for advanced web page/site creation resources. I have CS2 Premium, Studio 8, MS Frontpage, as well as numerous HTML editors (Hotdog, Hotmetal, etc).
I am rather familiar with web page/site creation. I have been doing this for several years. I have invested a small fortune in software and books on the subject, but nothing thus far has addressed my needs. I host Apache2 http server and other web applications here on my dedicated server, domain, and IP.
I am interested in FORMS creation and data manipulation. Anyone can plop some text and check boxes into a webpage. What I am looking for is ADVANCED forms and manipulation. Once data is entered into the forms, a ‘submit’ button is hit. Then what? I want to know HOW to process this information. Do I have to be a java or vb scripting guru to handle this?
Example: A web site that requires registration. I would like to require users to login with user/pass to have full access to the website’s resources. The form must handle the login and validate the user. Also, for a NEW USER, they must have a place to REGISTER. Once the new registration information is entered, where does it go? Do I have to have extensive programming knowledge in PHP, Java, CGI, or the like to process this information? Maybe the new user is automatically entered into the registered user list as a ‘limited’ user until the user’s information has been validated by an Admin? It would be nice if the new users appear on an Administrator page where the Admin may verify the information and grant/refuse full access, or delete the new account. Ok, so you get the idea here.
Another subject I am highly interested in is a ‘message forum’. Yes, you can download a pre-made forum package that does not match the required genre, and use that. How difficult is it to create a user forum with topic specific areas that may hold seperate subjects related to that area?
Fancy pictures / icons and ‘icing on the cake’ stuff is nice, but is worthless without proper mechanics to operate the whole site. Anyone can create a ‘home page’ with a few different pages. I want to create a dynamic, changing with permissions, web site. What I am in search of is the following:
1. What software is needed?
2. How is it used? What are ‘the’ good books/resources?
3. How do you code the web pages / forms to handle the input/output/dynamic page creation and data manipulation?
4. What database software is necessary, if any? Can this be done without all the extra software?
5. Etc..I am interested in an INDEPTH video tutor program and/or books that will teach the above and associated topics without missing important information.
Any information / help / pointing in the right direction appreciated.
Thank you,
Scott Graham -
1 Reply
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hello…
we sort of touched on this in the other thread about the good books. what you’re asking for here is something that sort of exists but sort of doesn’t…to address the quicker points in your post:
[Scott_G] “1. What software is needed?
2. How is it used? What are ‘the’ good books/resources?
3. How do you code the web pages / forms to handle the input/output/dynamic page creation and data manipulation?
4. What database software is necessary, if any? Can this be done without all the extra software?”1. to do basic form processing, you need any one of a wide variety of scripting languages – c, perl, php, asp, jsp, vb, etc. are all perfect options.
2. the o’reilly book from the other thread might be a good php place to start. in general, php is the best of the options to get started with as it has the most resources out there online to learn from
3. this is too big a question to answer in this format – but i see you had the other post with some code, so it looks like you’re picking it up nicely!
4. no db software is needed to process data from forms – it’s only needed if you want to save it somewhere beyond the submission and a simple text file model won’t cut it for your needsin general, programming books will teach you the basics, and then at that point, you take over with the knowledge of the basics and write the more complex projects, so get those basics down and then you’ll have the fundimentals to do all the fancier projects…
hope that helps!
sitruc
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