Questions for those who know HTML/Perl/etc. [web page design]

[samoth]

We had to make a web site last semester for a class, so I kinda got interested playing around with HTML and writing stuff like that for my site. I have no formal knowledge of any of this, so I just sorta learn by trial-and-error and messing around. I'm pretty computer illiterate.


Anyway, I was looking at how to make a very basic message board format using HTML or something like that. I was playing around with this site http://jaw.iinet.net.au/programming/messageboard.html and looking at this script here http://jaw.iinet.net.au/cgi-bin/showscript.cgi?post.cgi, and realized it'd be easier to ask someone than play with it for a month and still have no idea what I was doing .


I was just wondering if I'm on the right track? Is is possible to make a basic message board (something basic, for myself and some friends, like less than 15 members) using this concept? Or is this way over my head and more complex than I think it would be? If anyone has any links that might help me, feel free to post 'em.







[edit]
(...keep in mind I don't even know what Perl is, lol. I know some HTML and C (for math programs at school) concepts and stuff, and have played around with pre-made Java and CSS scripts. But I don't even know any of the basic theory behind programming or the extent of various HTML/Java/etc capabilities... so I probably sound like a rambling idiot right now trying to describe something I know nothing about, lol.)

 

[Lestat]

fuck you samote

 

[samoth]

fuck you samote

God dammit!!!!

lol

 

[chewyxrage]

I think it would be pretty complicated. I mean the stupid programs I had to do in Java class weren't near that level as far as I know.

You should ask Javaguru and I bet he could give you some answers. The only HTML I've done is with "what you see is what you get" html editor programs.

 

[samoth]

I think it would be pretty complicated. I mean the stupid programs I had to do in Java class weren't near that level as far as I know.

You should ask Javaguru and I bet he could give you some answers. The only HTML I've done is with "what you see is what you get" html editor programs.

Yeah, I thought about Javaguru, but don't see him on too often.

I've never taken any programming class, lol, but HTML is really easy to pick up on after reading and playing with the lines of code, so if it's possible in HTML or borrowing pre-made JS, I could figure that out. I think Java is more like a 'real' programming language, but I totally couldn't do any of that from scratch with the math and such that I've seen in there.

It seems it would be kinda easy to make a really basic board thing, like closer to those "leave a comment" page small sites have -- if that makes any sense.

Meh.

 

[samoth]

So how are new web pages/URL's created when someone makes a new post?

 

[Lestat]

posting on this thread makes me feel like i'm hanging out with the low life.. the non plats.

 

[samoth]

Dammit!!!!!!!!!

"The extension php is currently not supported"

 

[javaguru]

Unless you want to pick up server side programming it would be easier to use a "canned" program. Don't re-invent the wheel. My .02

Javascript isn't java which a lot people don't understand; There is a lot more to making a web application than HTMl. It's only a way of "formatting" information and not a way of manipulating it.

 

[Lestat]

Dammit!!!!!!!!!

"The extension php is currently not supported"

pwned

 

[samoth]

posting on this thread makes me feel like i'm hanging out with the low life.. the non plats.

Hey, feel free to pay for my out-of-state tuition and medical bills for three major surgeries and I'd be happy to go plat.

'Till then... well, life sucks sometimes.

 

[Lestat]

Hey, feel free to pay for my out-of-state tuition and medical bills for three major surgeries and I'd be happy to go plat.

'Till then... well, life sucks sometimes.

sorry bro, I still got love for the non plat good bros

 

[samoth]

Unless you want to pick up server side programming it would be easier to use a "canned" program. Don't re-invent the wheel. My .02

Umm... "canned"? I'm really ignorant to this stuff... I don't know what the wheel is here, honestly, so I don't even know if I'm trying to re-invent one.

Any links to "canned" programs, or a technical term I can google?

 

[samoth]

sorry bro, I still got love for the non plat good bros

LOL, I know.

I'd love to tell George that I'd go plat if I could do a platinum member board for general science, but I just don't have the means to be buying anything outside of school stuff and food

Hopefully, it'll all be over soon...

 

[samoth]

"The extension pl is currently not supported"

Meh!

 

[javaguru]

Try message board software

 

[Dial_tone]

I believe Frontpage has a message board server extension; it requires a Frontpage enabled website obviously. Frontpage is evil to real developers though.

 

[Sassy69]

Frontpage and Bill Gates suck moose balls.

I am also fairly new to forum software despite having worked as a product manager in the web hosting space for more than 5 yrs. And further having had a dis interchange w/ Javaguru regarding the kicking ass of a guy by a girl, I will have to agree w/ him on doing a search on "message board software". I recommend open source software for your purposes. Many muscle boards for ex use vBulletin, but that involves a licensing fee. There are other board softwares such as YaBB that will work - you should find these via a search on "internet forums", "message boards" or some such search.

Note that you need some sort of hosting account that supports php (ref: samoth's posts above that make him pwned) and also a MySQL database.

Another one I've seen is infopop.

Not sure if I helped the discussion at all -- php is a scripting language and your hoster will need to support it if you end up using a php application. Its sort of like coding languages, but it is scripting. Generally they are very similar to structured English so you should be able to pick up on the syntax fairly quickly. But I think there's a little more to it than just download the app & let it rip.

Good luck samoth - I know you are a smart dude & the logic should be elementary to you , but the " how you set it up" is something that you need to sit down & research a bit the first time.

Check http://www.hotscripts.com for some options as well. Just a quick perusal is showing me that these also require PHP & MySQL...

On my plate - I have the challenge of converting Flex Wheeler's 1998 discussion forum to something more updated. I'd like to keep it open source but also support the sort of functionality that boards such as EF offer.

Good luck & mooooooo

 

[samoth]

Thanks!!

Note that you need some sort of hosting account that supports php (ref: samoth's posts above that make him pwned)

 

[digger]

If you just want something that works, grab a copy of YaBB (it comes in Perl and PHP flavors). If you're poking around to try to figure out how it works and the board-thing itself is secondary, here's a little guestbook you can take apart and play with: http://jonroig.com/freecode/jonboard/

Short answer is that you need a form to push text at the app with a GET or POST, and the app has to be able to write to some sort of persistent storage, either a plain "flat" file or a database. There's going to be either two files, or one file that runs in two modes -- one mode pushes the form at the visitor and the other mode accepts the form data back and writes the stuff to disk. This might help: http://handsonhowto.com/cgi101.html See how Jonboard switches between displaying the guestbook and accepting a new entry. Once you get past that hurdle the rest becomes clearer.

Sounds like you're going to have to sweet talk your server admin if you don't have either Perl or PHP, but it may just be that you're not going about it quite right -- for one thing, Perl should NOT respond to requests unless the perl file you're trying to feed it is located in the so-called "cgi-bin" directory. Just dropping it into your web space doesn't work. PHP is different and can work in your web directory; sounds like your admin hasn't had a reason to allow that yet. Maybe he had a bad experience, or maybe no one asked?

 

[digger]

BTW, if you just want to fool around at home and only have one PC, you can still drop a Knoppix CD into it to turn it into a Linux server for an hour or two, then reboot and you're back where you were, no harm done.

 

[Sassy69]

It sux huh?

Here's another one you might look at -- Matt's www board - http://www.scriptarchive.com/wwwboard.html

This has been around for most of the internet era. Might be interesting for ya. But still similar issues - need a place online for it (i.e. hosting account), scripting language support and possibly a database. If you have a personal homepage say w/ your email or dial-up service, you might have access to some tools there as well.

There's always groups.yahoo.com....

 

[samoth]

Of course, it is written entirely in PHP, which makes it easy to customize and revise... and you will only need to change a few elements to get it running the way you like.

Thanks anyway. I do think it's pretty possible to do Digger's idea of the guestbook thing without php. I'd like something kinda functional, but it's mainly to just mess around and learn how the languages and websites work.

It's really ironic that I'm using the elitefitness.us host and I need to upgrade to be able to use php, lol. GO PLAT!! lol

 

[Sassy69]

If you just want something that works, grab a copy of YaBB (it comes in Perl and PHP flavors). If you're poking around to try to figure out how it works and the board-thing itself is secondary, here's a little guestbook you can take apart and play with: http://jonroig.com/freecode/jonboard/

Short answer is that you need a form to push text at the app with a GET or POST, and the app has to be able to write to some sort of persistent storage, either a plain "flat" file or a database. There's going to be either two files, or one file that runs in two modes -- one mode pushes the form at the visitor and the other mode accepts the form data back and writes the stuff to disk. This might help: http://handsonhowto.com/cgi101.html See how Jonboard switches between displaying the guestbook and accepting a new entry. Once you get past that hurdle the rest becomes clearer.

Sounds like you're going to have to sweet talk your server admin if you don't have either Perl or PHP, but it may just be that you're not going about it quite right -- for one thing, Perl should NOT respond to requests unless the perl file you're trying to feed it is located in the so-called "cgi-bin" directory. Just dropping it into your web space doesn't work. PHP is different and can work in your web directory; sounds like your admin hasn't had a reason to allow that yet. Maybe he had a bad experience, or maybe no one asked?

Can I rent you for an hour or two??

(and no, this doesnt' involve bondage gear, 2 goats and a stick of salt-free real butter....)