>I am familiar with HTML and CSS. I have done a little handcoding in ASP for >very minor data stuff (simple SELECT and INSERTs primarily, and for dynamic >assembly of pages (if ...then... include "content" stuff). Used primarily >Frontpage 2000, but am moving into Dreamweaver MX. PHP seems to be popular >here, but I've never used it. I am primarily VBSCRIPT/ASP. > >My question is this: I need some strategic direction in creating web pages >that my customers can update. Its simple enough to create a database to pull >items out of and place into a predetermined cell. But what about when the >customer wants to change font faces, sizes or colors? Wants to insert a >picture? How do you handle that? > >I would be interested in how others have solved this problem.
I did this recently for a client who wanted to add entire new sections to their site, with each new 'section' having its own look and feel, to a certain extent. 1. Keep the layout the same. We had agreed on a top block, containing a logo floated to the left and the rest of the block taken up with a set of buttons, which were centered. The main block contained a navigation column on the left, with the main display area to the right of it. There was also a footer block for copyright stuff, etc. 2. A user can add new buttons to the top block. They specify the order of the button, the text of the button and the background color for the button. 3. The user can change the background color for the entire top block or add a background image, which is repeated. Our experience was that this needed some playing about with in order to get colours and backgrounds that did not seriously clash with the logo, which remained the same. The logo was a transparent .gif, because of this. 4. The user can also change the navigation links down the left column, and the background color and image of that column. We did it as 'straight' links, but it is possible to do it with buttons and even images. [By 'button', I mean an 'a' element styled as a button.] 5. The main area - to the right of the navigation column - was left as a white background and the content generated from a database as in any other mini-content management application. There is no option to change fonts or widths or anything else that could stop any page rendering sensibly. 6. There are options to include coloured borders above the navigation column, between it and main area and above the main area. The real power behind a site like this is CSS. 1. The root directory for the whole site contains the 'default' stylesheet, which contains all the positioning stuff. 2. Each subdirectory has any other styles that are unique to that subdirectory. These are not changeable by a user. This where the fonts and sizes are defined. 3. When each page is generated, a 'style' element is built in the 'head' for all the unique border, background color and background image styles that apply within that subdirectory and which are changeable by a user. This all comes from the database. 4. For each button, its color and text are generated by the database as the page is built, in a 'style' attribute. This comes from the database as well. Even with this limited set of user changes, the pages within each subdirectory can look markedly different. I was so impressed that I repeated the idea on one of my own sites. Regards, David ____ � The WDVL Discussion List from WDVL.COM � ____ To Join wdvltalk, Send An Email To: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Send Your Posts To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To change subscription settings to the wdvltalk digest version: http://wdvl.internet.com/WDVL/Forum/#sub ________________ http://www.wdvl.com _______________________ You are currently subscribed to wdvltalk as: [email protected] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
