Website help

[Soapy Bones]

I currently have a website which I am trying to overhaul and make a bit easier to update/manage. I have a fairly strong grasp on standard html programming even though as you can see I used Frontpage to put this together. The site is here. The site is designed in a simple table format with a navigation bar on the left and a basic footer at the bottom. I dont have any plans to put anything on the right cell but would like to leave that open for possibilities.

Here is my problem. I want to be able to update or change all of the sidebars without too much difficulty which cannot be done as the site is made now. If i wanted to change one thing on the left side bar, I would have to change it on every single page and this is obviously not ideal. I know that I can accomplish what I want to do with frames, but I know there also must be a better way to do this. The site needs to be relatively easy to navigate and follow which is why it looks as simple as it does.

I am just completely stumped as to my options other than a frames page as to what I can do. The body cell is the only one that needs to change by clicking on links that are on the sidebars or within the body cell itself. I hate to use frames because I dont like the look of it, and it will make using backgrounds and styling hard to do.

What can I do?

 

[ZoomStop]

What's wrong with well done frames?

 

[gigapet]

Do you know how to use dreamweaver and templates???

 

[notfred]

Use whatever variety of includes you like. SSI, PHP, etc.

 

[webdave]

use PHP and create a header.php and a footer.php. For each page include the header and footer and put that static stuff in the middle. When you need to update the navigation just update the header and/or footer files.

 

[BeauJangles]

Originally posted by: webdave
use PHP and create a header.php and a footer.php. For each page include the header and footer and put that static stuff in the middle. When you need to update the navigation just update the header and/or footer files.

Yup. Use php's include function... you will be updating in no time.

 

[Hammerhead]

Definitely not Web 2.0 compliant

 

[iamme]

try a Content Management System:

http://www.joomla.org/

the backend is really slick and makes the website very easy to update. here's what the site looks like out of the box:

http://demo.joomla.org/

 

[Shlong]

Easiest way I think is doing SSI... but I'm not an expert.

 

[toekramp]

just use iframes

 

[WobbleWobble]

Originally posted by: gigapet
Do you know how to use dreamweaver and templates???

This is the easiest and most fool proof way IMO.

 

[Injury]

Originally posted by: BlinderBomber

Originally posted by: webdave
use PHP and create a header.php and a footer.php. For each page include the header and footer and put that static stuff in the middle. When you need to update the navigation just update the header and/or footer files.

Yup. Use php's include function... you will be updating in no time.

I'd actually do the opposite.

Make the content of the pages, then just make index.php and have all the items go to like "index.php?page=home.txt"

That way, you only have 1 file to edit the design of the site instead of a top and a bottom. Trying to go between two files while using tables can be a pain if you discover that you didn't close a cell or something.


Alternatively, if it's just the menu you are worried about, you can do a simple server-side include of a txt file which contains the code for the menu.

NOW... if you get really adventurous, you could just use XML and make 2-3 files for the whole site (excluding images.)

 

[Rayden]

This is what a content management system is for, like iamme said.

 

[Soapy Bones]

Thanks to those who offered advice, I finally was able to use SSI and it will work exactly as I wanted it to. Of course I will have to go through all of the already completed pages and remove the html and add the include function in place of it, but that is a small price to pay to be able to update the site incredibly easy in the future.

Thanks for your advice everyone.

 

[Injury]

Originally posted by: AcidBath
What's wrong with well done frames?

It's not 1998. That's what's wrong.

Frames are horrible in looks and one of the commands that never really work the same across browsers.

Bottom line... they're ugly and annoying.