What features do i need for a webpage like this:

[mkl]

Hi,

I want to create a webpage that consists of the following:

At the top: The Title of the homepage, short description of the site, and an image (that will be easy of course).

At the left (below top area): a menu-bar (doesn't need to be framed).

Middle/Right: an area for full news updates posted by the webmaster

Middle, above the full news area: a small box (about 10-20 lines for example), with short news announcements by co-webmasters. It would be nice if this area could be updated with a webbased form, instead of having to save/upload the html file.

So, it should look like this:

--------------------------------
HOMEPAGE TITLE
Picture
description

m news in brief
e (updated with form)
n
u
- Full news
b Full news
a Full news
r Full news
Full news
------------------------------

Which things do I need to create such a page? I have some basic html knowledge. I never used frames, but I'll probably be able to edit some existing frames pages. I don't have any knowledge of Java, CGI, etc.
Do I need a frame for the short news area. Or do I need Java or CGI or something else?

 

[DeZiner]

Frames are good if you want the menu bar to remain static and never scroll with the rest of the site. Although there are still browsers out there that don not support the use of frames. People linkng to your site can kill frames also if you don't take precautions. My two cents....Hate 'em.

How do you want the news updates handled? It wuld be labor intensive to hard code the news daily or weekly. So you may want to look into asp or coldfusion so you can update a database and let the web page do the rest. But, you can update manually if this is what your skill set will allow you to do.

For your layout I suggest yo learn how to utilize tables if you don't know already. This will keep the layout ckean and organized.

If you use say FrontPage I beleive it can do database interaction for you, you may want to check that forum as well. DeZiner

When the gears stop turning,
we all stop learning.

 

[gerrygerry]

I also recommend tables, but with the use of some javascript and preferably some cgi, any problem with frames is solved. Anyone that still uses a browser that doesn't support frames doesn't deserve to navigate a website... but I usually give in and put sites I design in tables anyway.

There are many free cgi scripts that will allow for simple form-to-html updates. I have a great one for a small donation...

DO NOT USE FRONT PAGE UNDER ANY CONDITIONS. Sorry, but Front Page is evil and will degrade any site beyond compare!

Hope this helped.

-gerrygerry
geraldschafer@hotmail.com

 

[artdirectoreric]

Explain that remark about Frontpage.

 

[GUJUm0deL]

I agree with gerrygerry, FrontPage is horrible!! Its bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, baaaaaadd!!
I had a site once, and before I discovered DreamWeaver, I used FrontPage (shows how naive I was back then, lol)...anyways, FrontPage messed up my entire layout; my frames, layers, scripting, et al. It took me three weeks to get everything back to the way I had it, after using DreamWeaver that is...
FrontPage is bad, there's no other way of describing it...but hey, if you don't believe us, try at your own risk...and then you'll feel all and then all , after that its either or ...
I have not failed; I have merely found 100,000 different ways of not succeding...

 

[Wullie]

Here Here... I agree with the majority..

Personal opinion but the benefits of not using it are are follows:

1) Faster page loading time.
2) Easier to correct errors.
3) No need for special server extensions.
4) More satisfaction knowing that YOU did all the work.

These are only some of the benefits, I could keep going all day with this one..

Hope this helps
Wullie

sales@freshlookdesign.co.uk

http://www.freshlookdesign.com

http://www.thomsonassociates.co.uk

The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails. - John Maxwell