How can you let a client (with no experience) update his page?

[raging_peanut]

What would be the best way to let a client update a page in his website, without him having to know code? This applies to stock and price list pages, where for me to do it may be easy but very time consuming if you have a large number of clients. These changes are usually minimal and only involve changing text.
Is there a way to create an external file that presents the text in a clear word proccessy kind of way, with no code so that the client can just make the changes and ftp it to the server?
One more thing that would make this more complicated is that with stock lists there are tables involved.
I was thinking of a pdf file as a last resort since only new browsers can display the info in the same window.
I use Dreamweaver, Flash and Frontpage for the sites.
I would appreciate any comments and advice on the matter. Thanks in advance.

[Vladdy]

If server side scripting is not an option (for whatever reason) the closest to "word processy" solutions woudl be a js file that has data only and can be modified with a simple NotePad. Such file would contain entries in a form:

textvar=' type the text that needs to be changed here';

I assume that your client has enough IQ to follow the change-the-text-between-single-quotes instruction. Similar principle can be applied to tabular data (check out my implementation of dynamic tables to get an idea).

Still, using server side scripting is the most user friendly solution.

[lacrypta]

Originally posted by Vladdy
If server side scripting is not an option (for whatever reason) the closest to "word processy" solutions woudl be a js file that has data only and can be modified with a simple NotePad. Such file would contain entries in a form:

textvar=' type the text that needs to be changed here';

I assume that your client has enough IQ to follow the change-the-text-between-single-quotes instruction. Similar principle can be applied to tabular data (check out my implementation of dynamic tables to get an idea).

Still, using server side scripting is the most user friendly solution.
i think you should go with SSI (for you that don't know wat it means "Sever Side Includes") It's pretty easy to update
all you need is this code where you want the external .txt file( or other type of file) to appear

<!--#include file="myfile.txt" -->
<!--#End File -->

and save the page or document (the .html file as .shtml)
then all he/she has to do is open the .txt file(or other source) and edit it

Note: Using this method will only requir the person to in put these tags
<br>For the line break or the txt will run on
<p>for a new paragraph
<b></b>to make somthing stand out
<i></i> to add italcs to summtin

easy enough to rember rite?

:confused:

well hope this helps

[raging_peanut]

Thank you both for your advice, SSI is really easy to use it even inherits the shtml attributes.
Vladdy's page of tables involving clients is exceptional.
I'll definitely find use for both.

Thanks again
:thumbsup: