How to use PHP to create new web pages

jennyp

I'm trying to do something simple - use a form on a web page to create a new web page in the same directory. The user enters the new page's name and some "content" in the form, and then a php file that is the subject of the form's action creates the page, and displays an option to go to it.

I realise there may be many ways to do this, and the above is just a way that I thought might be appropriate.

I know how to construct a form and send "filename' and "content" variables and so-on, but I need some help after that!

Can someone point me to a tutorial to do this? (Or help me with the basics of the code if it really is very simple?)

Many thanks!

cbesh2

You could use the POST method in the form which could pass the variables into a webpage template. Of course, by doing it this way it would be a one time thing since all data would be lost after your broser is closed. If the data needed to be saved you could send the data to a database which could be retrieved at a later date if needed. Hope that guides you in the right direction.

jennyp

Not sure what you mean. Creating "contents" variables and passing them via forms isn't a problem, it's coding the PHP to actually create the new HTML/PHP page..

cbesh2

I'm not sure if I'm understanding the purpose of using PHP since it doesn't seem to be a server-sided situation. Can you explain in more detail?

cbesh2

Or are you wanting to create a .php file (non displayed) that contains the data that is entered from a form?

tbobker

This is the exact thing that i wanted to do and i did it using a database.
The content and title of the page is in the database and it is called into one page which is the template, so you get

www.mysite.com/page.php?title=page1
www.mysite.com/page.php?title=page2

to add a new page you simply insert a new title and content into the database. Problem im having is being able to add pictures through the form based template system, will update when i figure it out!

jennyp

cbesh2 wrote:
I'm not sure if I'm understanding the purpose of using PHP since it doesn't seem to be a server-sided situation. Can you explain in more detail?

Imagine a web page with a form on it. In the form the user enters a name for a new web page, and some text content for it, and then clicks the 'submit' button. The form's action passes the variables to a PHP script which creates a new web page, with the name and content that the user chose. Maybe the user is taken to a page where they can click something to actually view the new web page.

Anyway I actually found an answer to this question (sort of), here, though I'm new to the heredoc syntax and I'm still plodding my way through a very simple model of this.

Still interested in simple approaches to doing this!

jennyp

Thanks tbobker - I was thinking of using that approach, and maybe I will. Like you I need to be able to add other sorts of content.

cbesh2

If you only need to view the new webpage, you could pass the data through the form -- that's it. A database wouldn't be needed unless you needed to retrieve that data later. If you're needing to create a .php file to be saved, that's another story and the link you supplied would be a good start or you may want to try this site: http://www.tizag.com/phpT/filecreate.php