Paul Furman wrote:
I'm beginning to learn PHP to rebuild my web site in such a way that I can update it more easily (...and add some other dynamic features ...and utilize a database). I like the idea of a simple directory structure and it's a sensible way to organize my various projects and topics. So what I want is to place some simple text/htm files and jpegs in nested folders and have PHP read them onto a template page with header, footer & dynamic folder navigation. Sort of a hybrid between a threaded discussion group and a photo album generator.
I'm not sure if It's wise to follow the folder structure literally. 'Gallery' is a php photo album program http://gallery.menalto.com that simulates nested folders with a flat-file pseudo-database. Probably they had reasons for not using actual nested folders?
Another reason not to use actual nested folders is that I will probably want to have alternative views of the same pictures/pages. I'm a gardener so I've got a database of plant descriptions sorted by family/genus/species but I also have photo shoots in folders sorted by location/date. Then I want to be able to set up pages for my clients where I pull out a selection of plants from my list and show them particular pictures from my photo collection... so this kind of thing is strictly relational database. I like the nested folders because of my photo collection, there are many 'seconds' & unedited originals, etc & I keep all those under location/date folders and need to go back sometimes. Once it becomes a database the folder structure is superfluous baggage.
So, if I take the folder route, I guess I'd just nest things under my public_html and the url would reflect the current location within the folders. But the way I'm being taught to set up a PHP site in class is to use a single index.php at the root & hide everything else outside of public_html. In this case I would have to create a global variable or SCREEN vars in the url with ?SCREEN to keep track of where the visitor is located. It would look so much nicer to have nested folder names in the url, even if they got long, I like the clear unmistakable logic of that.
www.edgehill.net/plants/poacea/festuca/californica better than www.edgehill.net?FOLDER=plants/poacea/festuca/californica
But to get the first option, I would then have to somehow set the template. 'Gallery' urls always look like one folder deep with some other optional settings sometimes:
www.edgehill.net/gallery/festuca-californica (even if that folder is nested under: plants/poacea/festuca/festuca-californica)
Each flat folder contains pictures and a data file with fields for various settings. I don't know how PHP knows to take all this to the 'Gallery' template. Somehow they say anything under that gallery folder should be presented through the gallery templates???
Thanks for any thoughts if you made it this far <g>.
-- PHP General Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php
