Is PHP+mySQL the right choice here? Advice needed, please.

Hi,

What I'm trying to do is a kind of a portal with local underground music. Content should be fed by a database. Basically I want to set up a template for the page and then create the content separately and let the website deal with it. Sounds like a simple PHP + mySQL, I know, but here's the twist: First of all I want each band to have an individual page name. Second of all I don't intend to create each of those pages manually - not what I have a template and database for. Once I've done editing I want to press the button and let some engine create all those pages. Purpose? I wan't it to be SEO friendly and have each band's name incorporated into the page address. It's been ages since I've done any web-designing so I might be on a completely wrong path here - if such is he case, please illuminate!

The second thing I'd like to do is create (automatically, of course) keywords for the whole database using something like a cloud tag, if it makes any sense. Preferably I'd like to be able to filter those words by nouns, verbs, adjectives etc. but that is not necessary. Once that is done, I'd like every word in the database that matches any keyword to be changed into a hyperlink that would lead to an index listing all the pages which have that keyword within their content.

Any help would be really, really, really appreciated. I really have no clue where to start. It sounded pretty easy when I have first thought about it and then I came to the point where I had to admit that I don't know what to do.

As I've mentioned - it's been a long time since I've done any webdesigning. I know I have a lot of catching-up to do but I'm willing to learn and not afraid of it. I know basic html, I have used PHP and mySQL. I've used Access once or twice and I'm vaguely aware of how to use CSS. I've never done any JavaSript but I used to be quite comfortable with C++ (again - that was quite a long time ago).

Thanks!

 

I think wordpress is good enough for this. Just my idea...

 

ok, that's not how I wanted to do it, but it does sound like an idea. I'll look into it - thank's for the tip!

 

Hi peregrinus,

I think you are on exactly the right track - PHP/MySQL will allow you to do all of this. Of course, it won't be simple if you don't know what you're doing, but once you get stuck in and learn a trick or two it will become simple, and fun! Tip: establish all variables as soon as possible in order to fully design your database, information flow and user experience - it's a right pain having to go back and change things once you've already started coding, so having these sorted before you start will make life a lot easier!

A brilliant (and funny) PHP tutorial is on the devzone.zend.com website called PHP 101: PHP For the Absolute Beginner, it'll show you the basics and uses relevant examples (I'm too new to leave a link)
I also think looking through the methods (functions) list on W3 schools is useful for learning what the ready made features can do.

Good luck!!!

 

easy to do with PHP/MySQL, either from scratch or using a PHP-based CMS such as Joomla/Mambo etc. perhaps doable with WordPress too, but you should know in advance that customizing WordPress beyond just changing the theme is not really a beginner task.

 

Thank you for your answers guys!

I already had a look into WP and it seems that it has too many drawbacks - one of them is that it needs to add id or date before page name. It can be changed however over 150 pages is not working properly, or so I've been told. I'm looking into Joomla, Drupal and ModX right now.
And I'm in two minds now - from one hand I'd really love to do it from scratch, from the other one, using CMS could be much easier. Then again it could me much more frustrating if I need to customise something, I'd imagine...
I guess I'll have to meditate on it a little bit more

Thanks again!

 

ext/mysql (all mysql_* functions) is getting deprecated in PHP, use prepared statements. Also, you might try looking into Drupal, it's very extensible.

 

ok, that's a novelty for me, thank for pointing that out. Also, you're the second person to recommend Drupal, I'll make sure to check it out. Cheers!

 

I think it will be better if You adapt some CMS (joomla, drupal?) to your needs. Writing it from scratch might be too hard.

 

yeah, I'm messing around with drupal right now, I'll see how it goes...