dynamic website

[b2b182002]

Is DT going to make a video on how to build a dynamic webpage in the future. Thanks
Bob

[danlefeb]

Hello, and welcome to DT! I'd advise you check out the Dreamweaver 8 training kit as it has some good tips on the dynamic capabilities in the latest version of Dreamweaver. Beyond that, as "dynamic websites" is an extremely broad term, perhaps you could give a little more insight into what your needs are?

http://www.digitaltutors.com/store/product.php?productid=933&cat=50&page=1

[b2b182002]

developing a site that uses php, MySQL, ect..

Also I have the DW8 and when I try to style the XML (http://www.dt-webdesign.com/quotes.xml) (the page background should be black )page I lose the black backgrounf in the page properties. Even the site that is up by DY does that. Any fix for that ?
Thanks
Bob

[probie]

developing a site that uses php, MySQL, ect..


Hi Bob,

I do some coding in PHP and MySQL and still use quite a list of resources as I am not a programmer by trade. What I can suggest is, since each application is unique, if you can perhaps let us know what certain aspects of using PHP, MySQL and so on you are looking to learn.

The reason for requesting as much information on what you are going to be doing is that with PHP you can do so many things. Feel free to message me and I will try to get you pointed in the right direction. :)

[danlefeb]

Like probie, I'm not a programmer but I have done quite a few sites in the past. When I do a site that requires dynamic capabilities I generally use .NET and SQL Server, so when it comes to PHP I'm not as well-versed as others...but feel free to ask any questions here we'll do our best.

[b2b182002]

i am building a lacrosse web page with 20 teams. Each have schedule and roster, along with news events. I was think that building a dynamic site was the way to go. I dont have php or My SQL experience. SO I though maybe xml list into dreamweaver table ? But the DT tutorial; did not help me in that area. SO what I want is a webpage that I can upload excel maybe sheet right into a "tight" table, not the beloated ones that fill the web page. I have flash too and considered that but dont want to limit access to only people that have flash. Any suggestions ? Thanks
Bob

[danlefeb]

Lacrosse seems to be popping up everywhere - I have a really good friend who's working on a lacrosse special on TV. :)

Anyway, try not to use Flash if possible...if there's no need for it then don't use it. Regarding your website, if you're not extremely familiar with the scripting language you're working with then I would highly recommend getting a pre-built template and customizing it. Even if you are extremely familiar with the language you're using, sometimes it's completely pointless to build something from scratch when you can tweak someone else's work. Especially dealing with PHP and MySQL, there's tons of open-source stuff out there and what you're requesting (schedule, news, list of values, etc.) isn't something I would think you'd have a hard time finding.

[probie]

i am building a lacrosse web page with 20 teams. Each have schedule and roster, along with news events. I was think that building a dynamic site was the way to go. I dont have php or My SQL experience. SO I though maybe xml list into dreamweaver table ? But the DT tutorial; did not help me in that area. SO what I want is a webpage that I can upload excel maybe sheet right into a "tight" table, not the beloated ones that fill the web page. I have flash too and considered that but dont want to limit access to only people that have flash. Any suggestions ? Thanks
Bob

Hi Bob,

PHP can parse XML and you can also write XML from a MySQL query. Really it depends on how complex you want to get. PHP also can export the data from PHP to Excel too.

If you want to make it custom to your stuff then it's actually not too hard. The part that I normally get hung on is the authentication to keep others from accessing the page. Course you can bury the page in some obscure location and not worry about it, but that's very insecure.

To get you started, you will need a general query to get all the teams. Something like this:


mysql_connect($server, $username, $password) or die("Can not connect: " . mysql_err());
mysql_select_db($dbName);

$query1= "select TeamName from $table";
$rersult = mysql_query($query1);

// MYSQL_NUM, MYSQL_ASSOC, MYSQL_BOTH //
// For this example we will use ASSOC to choose by name //

while ($row = mysql_fetch_array($result, MYSQL_ASSOC)) {
printf("Team Name: %s", $row["TeamName"]);
}

mysql_free_result($result);
// We can prepare for another query here if we'd like.

mysql_close();
//Close up shop


Since we don't need all the other info, this will suffice. Now in PHP5 they maded some changes (and course this is where I stopped coding as smuch as I used to) where the Name="" and Value="" options are no longer retrieved via a variable. I would have to do some digging to see what the new way of doing this is and test it.

This is nothing special by no means, but it's quick and will get a list of the teams so it can be listed on a page. I will try to find some time to get some more code going, but shoot me a message on DT and I will see what I can do to point you in the right direction.

In addition, I just found a nice site that should get you well on your way at http://www.freewebmasterhelp.com/tutorials/phpmysql/1 and covers inserting, deleting and so on in the database.

[b2b182002]

thanks for your help, and I will go to that site and try to learn php. I can see now I need to learn a lot more if I want php.
Bob