Help with forms and server side programming

trust34

ok..im going to try and explain this the best i can....so bear with me...me and a friend are creating a website dedicated to myspace.com..its a community site that uses html and css coding..you can make ur site however you want it...we are making a site similar to this http://www.mygen.co.uk/index.php?page=create its a site that allows you to pick diffreint styles of whatever...text, bordrs, font, colors...u pick it..and once you click "generate" it generates the code for you and you can copy the code and place it in ur profile....NOW...we got the form part down..we have it created to where u can select your stuff...whatever...but we dont understand how we get the "generate" button to submit the information onto a page where it would display the code.....

when i asked the guy that made mygen all he told me was this

"You need to learn HTML, CSS, and some form of server-side scripting, whether it be ASP, PHP, Perl, or Coldfusion.

Then do all your coding in Notepad, Dreamweaver, or whatever text/html editor you want really."

i would really like to know more..i got the form down...now we just need it to beable to generate the code..if anyone can help or thinks they can try to help i would really appreciate it...i will do anything..pay ect if you can figure this out for me...

thanks..cody

Roger_Ramjet

Sent you a pm about it

Roger_Ramjet

Some tips

get a copy of UltraEdit or the like for writing the code. Get one that has syntax checking and code colouring for various languages (like ultraedit). go to tucows.com for shareware downloads
Next you need to know how to use CSS, cos that is where you are going to use the design/layout choices that the user selects.

W3C CSS tutorial
W3C CSS guide
another CSS tutorial

You will need to know how to use a database so that you can store the base code for your CSS and the individual user's settings that will be embedded in that base when they login

That in itself is enough to get you started.

LoganK

I don't think he's actually making a community site, just a generator...so he won't need to know any DB commands or store anything.

Why does everyone like UltraEdit so much?!?!?

Roger_Ramjet

LoganK wrote:
I don't think he's actually making a community site, just a generator...so he won't need to know any DB commands or store anything.

Take a look at it and you'll see that they are.

LoganK wrote:
Why does everyone like UltraEdit so much?!?!?

Everyone doesn't. Only the people who use it 🆒

There is/was a thread in the Lounge where people discussed their favourite editor and plenty of people love other editors.

I like it becuase:
View as : lots of languages
auto-indent once you are
basic syntax checking
code colouring
built-in FTP
and it's cheap

It's got loads of features I've not even begun to explore but then I'm not a techno-junkie, I just like stuff that does what it says on the packet.

LoganK

Roger Ramjet wrote:
Take a look at it and you'll see that they are.

He never posted a link!!

Roger Ramjet wrote:
Everyone doesn't. Only the people who use it 🆒

There is/was a thread in the Lounge where people discussed their favourite editor and plenty of people love other editors.

I like it becuase:
View as : lots of languages
auto-indent once you are
basic syntax checking
code colouring
built-in FTP
and it's cheap

It's got loads of features I've not even begun to explore but then I'm not a techno-junkie, I just like stuff that does what it says on the packet.

And guess what? The price you pay (besides the physical money) for all those extra features is bloat. It's gotta be bigger than notepad. We call them plain-text editors - so why aren't the editors themselves plain? Notepad - ane extremely simple, very fast, not bloated, plain-text editor. I don't need all those fancy tools. Give me a simple editor - I can indent myself for crying out loud. Are people too lazy that they can't press "Tab"?!?!?
</rant>

Roger_Ramjet

Sorry, sent it to my when replying to my pm.

I paid the license fee for UltraEdit cos it's a quality piece of shareware and Ian deserves his reward. But it is genuine shareware and loads of people just use it for free.

Quite agree, lots of software is bloated, can't say I've noticed that about UE. Loads fast, opens files fast, etc.

Yes I can press the tab key, and count how many brackets I've opened, or indent to ensure they are all closed, and manually check my syntax, etc, etc, etc. and waste my valuable brain-power and even more valuable time doing so.

I could do all that with notepad - but not open and save via FTP. HA HA. So I could use notepad and save the $30 license fee - only to spend more on a reliable FTP program that does just that, FTP.

So, you waste your time in notepad, and your money on CuteFTP, and I'll save my time and some of my money by using UltraEdit.

trust34

thank you!!! i am NOT making a community....i simply need help with a CODE GENERATOR....thats all im asking...we are getting the forms down..the layout ect is down..we just need help trying to figure out how to get it to..once hit generate...go to a popup window displaying the correct code...no community..just a generator...dont want anyone to do it for me either..just need help so that i can learn on my own...900$ sounded kinda steep for help with a gen :p that link i posted in my first post was simply so u could see the format of his gen..not the community...i just need the gen....sorry for the confusion

LoganK

Open and save via FTP - I have to concede that you. However, IE (built into Windows), offers free FTP. Also, the FTP program I know and love, WS_FTP LE 95 is completely free. Basic FTP - and that's all you need. Who needs fancy features? Note: they discontinued WS_FTP LE 95, but you can still find it around the web somewhere. Or e-mail me for it 😉

thank you!!! i am NOT making a community....i simply need help with a CODE GENERATOR....

Aha! I was right! 😃

Roger_Ramjet

When you finish your degree in IT and start earning a living you will not consider $450 a day too much for freelance work - rather you will feel it is not enough. It sounds like a 'simple' project, but I know just how long simple things like that take. And, when one is charging for it, one has to make it 'boiler-plate', document it, and provide help and support for a reasonable period. So 2 days is not an excessive time-estimate, infact it will trun out to be a gross underestimate cos you'll have problems with your end and I'd have to fix them as well.

trust34

LoganK wrote:
Open and save via FTP - I have to concede that you. However, IE (built into Windows), offers free FTP. Also, the FTP program I know and love, WS_FTP LE 95 is completely free. Basic FTP - and that's all you need. Who needs fancy features? Note: they discontinued WS_FTP LE 95, but you can still find it around the web somewhere. Or e-mail me for it 😉

Aha! I was right! 😃

im sorry..but i have no clue what u are talking about..what am i opening and saving?? i use dreamweaver if u must know....umm..yeah...im confused lol

trust34

Roger Ramjet wrote:
When you finish your degree in IT and start earning a living you will not consider $450 a day too much for freelance work - rather you will feel it is not enough. It sounds like a 'simple' project, but I know just how long simple things like that take. And, when one is charging for it, one has to make it 'boiler-plate', document it, and provide help and support for a reasonable period. So 2 days is not an excessive time-estimate, infact it will trun out to be a gross underestimate cos you'll have problems with your end and I'd have to fix them as well.

well i didnt mean for u to get all offensive on me..i was siimply making a joke..i know this stuff isnt easy...reason im here looking for help...

Roger_Ramjet

trust34 wrote:
im sorry..but i have no clue what u are talking about..what am i opening and saving?? i use dreamweaver if u must know....umm..yeah...im confused lol

Sorry, we kind of sidetracked your thread with a private discussion about text editors.

Dreamweaver eh. No wonder you're having problems with your coding for this.

trust34

Roger Ramjet wrote:
Sorry, we kind of sidetracked your thread with a private discussion about text editors.

Dreamweaver eh. No wonder you're having problems with your coding for this.

nah its cool...so is dreamweaver not good to use or what?? its what iv been using for awhile now....something simpler to use?

Roger_Ramjet

Simpler to use? Dunno. I code everything by hand.

Dreamweaver is fast and good for project teams I hear. I just hate the code I've seen it produce. Total crap from my point of view. It seems to teach very bad habits from a software engineering perspective as well. But then web DESIGNERS are not software engineers so I suppose it does not matter. Most people say it's the best of those tools.

It's not going to teach you how to use CSS properly though, or even let you use CSS properly if you do know how, which kind of explains why I'm not surprised you're having problems.