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DYNAMIC/DATABASE CONTENT
OK, so the word 'database' conjures up images of complete boredom but in actual fact, bringing a database into the picture opens up a stack of possibilities.

If you've ever had a web site before you may know how frustrating it is to have to constantly go back to the person who made it when you want to change even the smallest bit of text. Often sites that I do have sections that contain 'latest news' or 'upcoming events/gigs' and these need to be kept up to date constantly.
Using a database I can set your site up so that you can update these sections from a browser at any time.
Updating isn't just restricted to text - Images galleries can be updated (see the Phil Aynsley site) and even sounds (see the sds site)

Once you have a database in place you have the foundation for many possible extensions to the site. Some examples of these are given below.

Databases & Scripting Languages

There are a number of different databases available to use and a number of different scripting languages that can be used to make the connection between your database and your web page. This information is not essential for you to know, but if you are interested read on....

PHP & MySQL - This is my preferred combination. PHP is the scripting language and MySQL is the database. Both are open source (non commercial) and the combination provides a very reliable, very fast set up that can cope with heavy loads.

ASP & MSACCESS - ASP is microsoft's version of a scripting language and is used with an Access database on a small scale and a SQL database on a larger scale.
Usually if your web site is being hosted on a Microsoft server I would use this combination.

Owner updateable text & the custom admin section

In order to update the text on your site I would provide you with your own password protected admin section. This would become the central point where you carry out this and any other database related tasks such as checking the mailing list, viewing shopping cart orders, uploading new images etc etc. Try out the example to see what I mean - the text on the right in the red box is updateable - just click on 'enter admin' and follow the instructions. Once you are done you'll have single handedly changed my web site....	And the latest word from visitors to my site is.... Why frames???
	ENTER ADMIN (opens in a new window)

Mailing Lists

Mailing lists are another popular database related feature that I have incorporated into many of my sites. The idea is pretty simple, people want to receive information from you in the form of something like a newsletter and in return you get some information about the people visiting your site, such as their name, location etc.

Once someone subscribes to your list, their name, and any other details, are added to the database and they are sent an automatic email confirming their subscription. If you had a look in the admin section in the example above you would have seen that this list is accessible and emails can be sent to individual list members or the whole mailing list at once.

In these times of high volume spam you may have noticed on the web that it is quite common to have some kind of confirmation system set up, firstly to make sure people are signing up with legitimate email addresses and secondly to make sure that the owner of the email address is actually the one signing up.

The process is as follows :
(1) Visitor fills out subscription form and clicks 'Submit'
(2) An email is automatically sent to them notifying them of the request and asking them to do something (usually click on a link) to confirm that this request was made by them.
(3) Once they click on the link they are taken to a page that says something along the lines of 'Thank you for subscribing, you'll receive your first newsletter shortly' , instructions for unsubscribing etc.

The disadvantage of this technique is that people may think they have subscribed after step 1 and not realise that they need to complete their subscription by clicking on the link. However, these days people are especially wary about handing out their email addresses to just anyone and having procedures like this in place may just serve to make your visitors feel a bit more looked after.

Mailing List Example

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More Dynamic/Database examples to come including image uploads and a shopping cart..

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