Advice/Help - Which tool for multiple user text addition?

#1 · 14-12-2008 7:49pm #1

Hi

I have a family website that I maintain and I would like the ability to allow users from anywhere in the world to go to a pages that lets them enter text in a simple box, that then gets put up immediately for everyone else to read.

So its sort of like a blog but doing a web search the term "article manager" seems more appropriate.

Can anyone recommend a tool for me to use please that is easy to add into a site and is cheap!

Many Thanks
Redman

14-12-2008 9:46pm

I think you'll need to explain what you want a bit more? Usually retro-fitting something like this can be a bit difficult. Can you go into more detail about the current site, how's it built and who precisely is allowed change the content.

kjt · 14-12-2008 11:00pm

You could just install a wordpress blog and add all the users that way. With the new layout of 2.7 it's easy for them to add new articles.

Nice and simple with no cost

redman · 15-12-2008 8:02pm

A bit more detail, it's a html site that I put together with simple linked pages of photos and text. I simply want to add a linked page within my site that has perhaps a blank area that a user can type into and that these results are shown at the top. The area presumably should scroll to show the historical comments. My site is password protected for only allowing access to specific family members. Don't want to use a third party site and would like it self contained.

BenjAii · 15-12-2008 10:22pm

I'd second the recommendation for Wordpress. As it's just a family site, you'll find a free template that will suit, then you just need to create users for whoever wants to add to it - and let them know the usernames/passwords. In which case it will be a blog with multiple authors, but easy to add text or photos/videos for that matter.

Cantab. · 16-12-2008 1:19am

redman wrote: »

A bit more detail, it's a html site that I put together with simple linked pages of photos and text. I simply want to add a linked page within my site that has perhaps a blank area that a user can type into and that these results are shown at the top. The area presumably should scroll to show the historical comments. My site is password protected for only allowing access to specific family members. Don't want to use a third party site and would like it self contained.

One option would be to enable PHP and MySQL on your server and implement:

### 'family_page.php;:
<html>
...

<form name="happy_form" method="POST" action="./form_handler.php">
<input type="textarea" name="message"></input><br>
<input type="Submit" value="Click" name="Submit"></input>
</form>
...
<?php
include_once('display_messages.php');
?>
</html>

### 'form_handler.php':
<?php
if($_POST['Submit'])
{
	$message=$_POST['message'];
	
	$uname="your_mysql_username";
	$pword="your_top_secret_mysql_password";
	$db_name="the_name_of_your_data_base";	

	$connection=mysql_connect('localhost',$uname,$pword);
	$db=mysql_select_db($db_name);
	
	$query="INSERT INTO `my_table_name` WHERE etc., etc.";   //change according to your MySQL database's structure
	mysql_query($query);
}
echo "Message posted.";
?>

### 'display_messages.php':
<?php
$uname="your_mysql_username";
$pword="your_top_secret_mysql_password";
$db_name="the_name_of_your_data_base";	

$connection=mysql_connect('localhost',$uname,$pword);
$db=mysql_select_db($db_name);

$query="SELECT * FROM `my_table_name`";
$result=mysql_query($query);
while($rows=mysql_fetch_assoc($result))
{
	echo "<b>".$rows['name']."</b><br>";
	echo $rows['message']."<br><br>";
}
echo "<br><br><br>";

?>

redman · 16-12-2008 8:29am

Thanks to each of you for your input, I'll let you know how I get on with those recommendations.
Regards
Redman

Eoin · 16-12-2008 10:53am

Sounds like a "shoutbox". Does everyone have a logon for your site, or is it one password for everyone?

redman · 16-12-2008 1:18pm

Its one password for everyone. I haven't heard of shoutbox and will google it...

Eoin · 16-12-2008 1:34pm

It's more just the practice then a specific tool - basically a very simply chat system - pretty much like what cantab posted, but as the password is the same for everyone, you'd probably want to add a textbox for people to enter their name.

Advice/Help - Which tool for multiple user text addition?

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