Client update text
Hey Guys,
Is there an easy way to have a block of text in a cell (on a webpage), that I can make really super easy for a client to update without having to use FTP to upload an html file? Like a really watered down CMS?
Hey Guys,
Is there an easy way to have a block of text in a cell (on a webpage), that I can make really super easy for a client to update without having to use FTP to upload an html file? Like a really watered down CMS?
Greg K posted this at 04:18 — 3rd July 2007.
He has: 2,145 posts
Joined: Nov 2003
yes there is, but a big factor on dciding the route to go would be what exactly would they be editing? Pure text only, or text and formatting?
If it is just text only, that is fairly simple. If you want them to be able to edit formatting as well, you may want to go with a CMS or at least purchase a WYSIWYG editor for web pages.
I myself have been looking for a decent WYSISYG edtor for a site of mine, so if anyone has recomendations on ones they have used, I would welcome them (and I am willing to pay for one, nit just looking for a free one).
-Greg
Megan posted this at 13:18 — 3rd July 2007.
She has: 11,421 posts
Joined: Jun 1999
There are 3 options here that I can think of:
NVu/Mozilla Contributor (same thing, different interface) - free, works fine, but doesn't have the best code quality.
Amaya - put out by the W3C, works great for structured documents (such as reports or long articles with headers). Mark-up is good, but doesn't do well with CSS layouts; tends to be buggy.
Adobe Contribute - This is IMO the best option for complete beginners - it works like a web browser so they don't even have to find a file to open, they just have to browse the website, find the page they want to edit, and press edit. You can also set up different permissions so they can only do certain things (e.g. you can prevent them from using any presentational formatting). You can also set it up so you have to approve their changes before they are published to the website, although I don't know how that would work on different networks...
Megan
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Megan posted this at 14:22 — 3rd July 2007.
She has: 11,421 posts
Joined: Jun 1999
Okay, I'm going to take back what I said above about the quality of code in Mozilla Composer. The current version does not seem to write font tags (which is usually one of the biggest problems with tools like this). It is doing things with span tags and inline CSS. This is a very simple editor that would be very appropriate for clients who needed to edit some pages on their website. It doesn't seem to want to edit PHP pages though - only HTML. It doesn't understand all my comlex CSS but the layout holds together fine.
Eeew, it puts tags in instead of paragraphs! You'd have to show them how to highlight text and make it a paragraph.
Megan
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webwiz posted this at 19:34 — 3rd July 2007.
He has: 629 posts
Joined: May 2007
I guess the real question is, how much effort are you prepared to go to to make it easy for your client?
AT the moment, I am learning Textpattern. This is a relatively straightforward CMS that lets you design your own templates for web pages. It has a "client-friendly" interface that goes directly to the "write a new article" page. The client needs to know no HTML. Instead, it uses a simple markup language called "Textile" that is easy to learn. There's even a "cheat sheet" on that "write" page.
It is fairly easy to set up, and you need have no knowledge of PHP to employ it. You do need a good working knowledge of (X)HTML and CSS however. It comes with a pretty basic template. There are free templates from third parties, but these are mostly for blogs. Textpattern is for most kinds of web sites, not just blogs, so you are encouraged to write your own templates. This takes work! :eek:
If you have created the client's existing site using original (X)HTML and CSS, you should have no difficulties with the templating system. On the other hand, if you rely on tools such as Dreamweaver, this solution is probably not for you.
More info at textpattern.com
Cordially, David
--
delete from internet where user_agent="MSIE" and version < 8;
benj posted this at 22:09 — 26th July 2007.
They have: 36 posts
Joined: Apr 2007
Let me use a real scenario:
http://www.pendletonpeds.com
On this page there is a "News & Events" box...all I want is for my client to be able to update that text easily.
What would one of you do?
benjisa.com
Megan posted this at 13:02 — 27th July 2007.
She has: 11,421 posts
Joined: Jun 1999
On the site I manage at work I wrote a really simple database-based what's new script. You can see it on the right side of the page here. You could easily change it to only display one entry at a time.
To add an entry, I just have to log in to an admin page and enter my text into a textarea. I can also edit or delete an entry from the admin panel.
I could send you the code if you want...
Megan
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