Using ASP to change text fields in other pages 2

[Showtime99]

Hello,

I'm trying to develop an administrators page for my website that will allow me to change the text in other webpages without having to go into the page itself.

It doesn't necessarily have to be asp if you've got an idea, it could be something like javascript....
Any ideas would greatly be appreciated

Showtime

 

[ChrisHirst]

I think more of a explanation would help, like are these static pages or database driven etc.



Chris.

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[Genimuse]

You have a couple of basic choices, as I see it.

There are effectively two publishing models for pages that are updated or changed on a regular basis.

Dynamic: When a page is requested it is assembled on-the-fly, combining "template" data with other data, commonly from a database. These pages have the suffix ".asp". An administration page(s) is used to modify the data in the database, which results in a different public page when called by the user.

Generated Static: When as page is requested it already has the current data in it. These pages have the suffix ".htm". An administration page(s) takes data, either from a database or from the existing page, and writes out a new, changed .htm public page. The next time the user requests the page it will have been updated.

Deciding on which to use requires a lot of consideration, as there are many variables. In general Dynamic pages are used any time the page is likely to change for each user, like when someone is pulling specifically-requested data from a database (searching for records, what have you). Generated Static pages tend to be used when changes are very infrequent and when the demand for the pages will be very high.

You can get away without using a database, either by storing the data in text files (Dynamic or Generated Static) or by simply reading what's already on the page and allowing the administrative page(s) to modify it (Generated Static).

I don't want to go into more detail until you explain what you're planning on doing, and even then I'd probably just point you to a URL or two.

 

[ToddWW]

It sounds to me like you want to have administrators submit some content, then have that content displayed on certain web pages. Based on the content they submit, that is what will display on those pages.

If this is the case, you'll need to use ASP with a database to hold the content. Administrators would fill information into a form and submit it. You're database table could include fields such as Page Name, Content Type, and Content Data. Then when the page is loading into the users browser, ASP would reach out to the database, pull the content from the table and dynamically display the content on the page.

If I am right, and this is all new to you, start at your local bookstore and purchase a book on Active Server Pages. You'll be up and running faster than you think. At a minimum, you'll need a website that supports ASP. Basically, it needs to be running on a Windows 2000 Server or NT Server operating system. You can do development in a Windows 2000 Environment (Windows 2k Professional) comes with IIS which allows you to run webpages on your local computer for development and testing. Then you'll need a database. Easiest ones are Access or Fox Pro. Both are easy to use, but you'll find more support for Access in tutorial books.

Then, come back here with all your questions and we'll all be eager to help.

ToddWW

 

[ToddWW]

Oops. Sorry Genimuse. I think we both posted at the same time. Genimuse is right. You can use ASP's File Scripting Object to create text pages of the content you want displayed, then dynamically read / write those text files when the page is requested from the client. That could get a little hairy depending on how much or how many pages you want administrated. I recommend a database.

ToddWW

 

[Showtime99]

Thank you both for your input....it helped...I think I get it now.

Showtime