Can someone help me if possible? CMS?

[Crouchie]

Hey everyone,
i have just joined as there seemed to be very knowledgeable people here but i do apologise if i have put this in the wrong area, but it seemed kinda similar.

My problem is that i have just been asked to do a website for someone, and what he wants is a website that he can update easy. So what i thought is i could use a Content Management System, but i have no idea how they work within the website? for example do i design a website in dreamweaver so i make a WYSIWYG and then leave editable content area then the Content Management system is put in with the Database?? or is the Content management System a hole different stand along piece that works with the database?? im totally lost?? if someone can explain or send me in the right direction then i would much appreciated.

kind regards :)
Chris

[logictrap]

You probably need to decide which direction you want to go first:

1) Use Dreamweaver templates with editable regions and let the end users use Contribute to manage the content.

2) Write a system from scratch which usually means using php/mysql plus a wysiwyg content editor such as fckeditor. This is usually not a small project unless you want to limit the content to text only.

3) Start with a CMS system such as joomla/drupal in which case you are generally creating a skin for the CMS system but don't have to write much code if any.

4) Use a CMS programmers library and integrate it into your site. This can save a lot of time but be prepared for a learning curve.

Hope this helps.

[Crouchie]

well what the guy asked for is a website where he has a news archive and with every new article of news that he adds will be displayed on the homepage under the "latest news", now i have never really done anything like this before but i do really want to learn how a dynamic website is done. All i know is that he has got a domain running a Windows Server and that he will probably need CMS to add or edit the news articles.

So i am kinda lost on where to begin with this project.

but in regards to the cms will drupal or joomla work on a windows server or will there be extra stuff that i will need to do to get it to work?

thanks
chris

[logictrap]

most cms's will run on windows server as long as you have php and mysql available.

Without knowing you're budget and programming experience as well as the customers expectations it's kind of hard to recommend a specific direction.

For a low budget site I would go the dreamweaver/contribute route.

If they want something where the news can be available as an rss feed and/or have the system post a short article on the home page with a link to the full article I would recommend joomla/drupal or Wordpress.

All of these are free and most shared hosting plans will install them through their control panel so if you have that option you might try one out and see if it helps narrow the choices.

[Crouchie]

well i am not going to lie to you my programming language isn't at all great :eek: but i do have some essential training videos and some books to read which will hopefully give me enough knowledge to make this website. i hope lol!

but I think the second idea with the rss feed and the short article on the homepage is exactly what my guy is looking for. I will give the hosts a ring tomorrow to see if they will allow me to use either drupal/joomla with this website.

Is this website going to be a hard one to build, or not to bad once i get the know how?

thanks for your fast replies btw this is much appreciated

[logictrap]

Websites using joomla, etc are not built in the traditional sense. The way they generally work is you install the basic system which is a complete website and then change the look of the site using different skins (some or free and some are not). The skins are installed through the admin control panel.

I would recommend finding a skin that is close to what you want then tweak it with your own banner or other graphics.

[_Aerospace_Eng_]

I actually think wordpress might be better to use. Then you can customize the theme anyway you want.