Advice, user accounts 2

[dmacster]

I'm looking for some advice on getting a project started. Point me to some tutorials, please.

A small newspaper client wants to put their obituaries online, but also allow guests to register and post memorials. The memorials will be free for probably 30 days, then if they want to remain online, pay a yearly fee. The users will be allowed to post photos (I think they will be limited to 5), memorial text, and a guestbook/comment area.

I know I'll need to look into different user level access - admin/full to the newspaper, just their user account to the public.

I'm thinking the form for upload should be able to create a directory on the server for the images, but am unsure if that's possible. I don't want to store the images in the mysql database.

Ideas for any of this on where to get more info? Plausibility?

I'll also be doing something similar for a non-profit memorial site to announce events to raise money for a scholarship fund for a friend whose son died in an auto accident last year.

Thanks,
Donna

 

[jpadie]

i think you could pretty easily use wordpress for such a site. add an e-commerce plugin to the site. instead of selling a widget, you would be selling an 'unlimited' duration for a particular memorial ID. you would then add another plugin to handle which memorials should be shown etc.

i would have thought that this would be an ideal platform in fact. the guestbook functionality is right there (as comments - just change the html) and the media upload feature is also right there. (essentially the payment would also upgrade the payee with the right to upload images with a comment. or something like that.

i don't think it's complex. maybe a day's work?

 

[dmacster]

Thanks - I'll see if the host for this one can handle that. The second site (non-profit) I know I can install stuff on my own, the first (commercial newspaper) may not allow. I have to ask the host if allowed and if they will for each install - took some time to let me use mysql on that account.

I'll definitely look into this. If they won't, I'll keep checking the manual way.

Thanks,
donna

 

[dmacster]

The host doesn't want to install anything else. Any suggestions on tutorials for putting this together?

thanks,
Donna

 

[jpadie]

there's nothing to install. just upload the wordpress files and the relevant plugins. so long as you have mysql available from the site, you'll be fine.

 

[vacunita]

Basic steps to follow:

1. Create Database table Users. assign levels to users. you probably only need 2 types.

Use level to determine what options to display or what page to redirect them to.

2. Create Database table for memorial entries. Include a couple of date fields to control the length of time the memorials can be available.

If you want to store more than one image per user, Make a third table to control the images. By the user Id and image path.

3. Create display page for the memorials.

4. Develop interaction with DB.

For image directories PHP has a function called mkdir.

You'll lilkely have to look at tutorial for different things and then combine them.

For starters look for file uploads:

http://www.tizag.com/phpT/fileupload.php

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Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.

 

[dmacster]

jpadie - I guess I didn't understand the wordpress info I read. I can run that locally and then upload just the relevant stuff?

vacunita - Thanks for the steps. The mkdir especially will help with organization.

I'll continue to look into both of these.

Donna

 

[jpadie]

wordpress: there is nothing to 'run'. it's just a set of php scripts.

 

[dmacster]

Sweet - I'll go through the stuff again.

Thanks,
Donna