Heartland

Hi, most of you might have seen my name earlier Anyway, besides sharing stuff I also run the http://www.ultimatesistersguide.org website.
It still needs a bit of tweeking here and there - but my main concern is the bootleg section. At first I just had some huge pages - then I split
them into several pages (too many to handle when it comes to updating stuff!) so I have been thinking I might need some form of database that pages can be created from. However I have NO knowledge in databases and don't even know where to begin. Is there anyone that could give me tips and tricks and perhaps help me with some light programming? (The webserver I'm using does have MySQL intergrated in it so it is not impossible to do on the site...)

I do like the the layout of the bootleg section as it is - by type and/or format - and how it is shown when you load a page. So what I need help with is HOW to do the basic database and HOW to get the pages to look for the information required by pressing one of the links. HTML is one thing to mess around with but it seems databases is over my head From what I understand I need:

1) A database - one that can handle pictures as well since there is quite a lot of pictures in the bootleg section these days
2) MySQL to get stuff from that database
3) code in the HTML/PHP to get MySQL to show stuff from the database
4) I'm not even sure if I can use HTML for the rest of the site or not or if everything has to be PHP?

Anyone? Please?

Pro web monkey here: Some thoughts:

Well, firstly, you can stick with HTML for the static pages, and use php for the bits that are generated from the database. Mixing php and HTML is fine. In fact the output that php sends from the server to the browser is HTML.

MySQL can store images -- it can store anything in fact -- but its far more efficient to store the images as files and just store information about the images in the database.

Your site is absolutely ideal for a simple MySQL/php setup.

There are some good tutorials on the w3schools site: Clicky

I would recommend you set up a test environment on your home PC so you can make sure you have everything working before you upload it to the web.

Hope this helps to get you started!

Sorry, that what I meant with pictures, not that the database should store them but be able to link to an URL.

Been looking at the w3school site and it just makes me MORE confused at times. Is MySQL a database or an interface to access an database? If it's only an interface which database is the easiest to handle??

Will look at the php section some more and see if I get a "Eureka" moment, but considering I have been looking into this for about a year now and STILL haven't managed to understand anything (Although the basis for PHP is pretty simple, it's the other part of it all that confuses me beyond belief...)