Interactive Site

[Dianne]

I need to create a site so as to be able to allow designated persons to upload documents and make comments regularly.

I design web sites, but they are static, simple sites, though I can add Flash when it's an integral part of the design.

But someone just asked me if I can create a site as noted above, and I'm lost. What type of software would this entail? Can I find it in Fantastico? I looked there, but was a bit overwhelmed. They also want a blog, which I can probably figure out how to do.

Thanks for the help.
Dianne

[regentronique]

Originally Posted by Dianne

I need to create a site so as to be able to allow designated persons to upload documents and make comments regularly.

This can be done in various number of ways, using CMS(Drupal,Joomla, etc.) or giving FTP access if only a few people are involved or simply coding your own solution in PHP...

I design web sites, but they are static, simple sites, though I can add Flash when it's an integral part of the design.

But someone just asked me if I can create a site as noted above, and I'm lost. What type of software would this entail? Can I find it in Fantastico? I looked there, but was a bit overwhelmed. They also want a blog, which I can probably figure out how to do.

Yes you can find many applications in Fantastico that could respond to your needs.

Thanks for the help.
Dianne

Just hope this will help.

[atlan]

I would recommend a custom CMS solution. I develop these for clients on a regular basis.

You would need to create an admin area where you can add/edit or delete new users and what area they would have access too. Then they would simply login, be directed to the area you have granted access too, and be able to do as you wish, which in this case is upload documents or make comments via a php form.

[episkey]

Dianne,

Based on the information you've provided so far, there are many ways to approach this. One approach is to create a custom solution using PHP or a similar language. However, if you don't already know PHP or a similar language, you are not going to be able to do this yourself. You could hire someone to do it for you -- but then you've got the problem of having a website you're responsible for containing code you don't really understand. How can you be sure it doesn't have security holes or errors that could get your site shut down?

Using a well-known open source CMS (content management system) like Joomla or Drupal gives you the benefit of being part of a community that has a shared interest in understanding, testing, and improving the application. On the downside, however, you get lots of stuff you don't need that will use resources on your hosting account. Also, learning how to use a CMS and getting it to do what you want require a significant investment of time.

Before investing time into learning how to program in PHP or learning how to setup and customize a CMS, make sure you understand your client's requirements. Depending on these requirements, there might be a simpler and easier solution than either of the above.

Is there one group of people who need to be able to upload and comment on one set of documents, or are there different groups of people for different sets of documents? Is group membership relatively fixed or does it change frequently? Do all group members have the same permissions for all documents available to the group? What's the approval process for group membership? Do you need to make sure that only one person at a time can change or comment on a document? Do you need to keep a history of changes that have been made to a document?

Depending on the answers to such questions, you might be able to get by with something like Site Studio + ftp or a relatively simple CMS. If not, you might find out if your client is willing to allow you to take a couple of months to put together their site -- perhaps in exchange for a discounted price -- so that you can take the time to learn new tools properly.

[for2hg]

Drupal:
http://drupal.org/

CivicSpaceLabs
http://civicspacelabs.org/
http://drupal.org/node/71635

Drupal tutorials
http://drupalzilla.com/