how to creat a multi-level user website

i want to build a website that have multi level of user and level 1 users have their own subdomain and can creat and manage lower level users on their own subdomain and manage their permissions to access and change different areas.
this is my college project and i have to do it !
i started recently and learned some html, css, javascript.
i am allowed to use any programming language and CMS.
i have 90 days.
-is here the right place for asking this question?
-where should i begin ?
-whats best platform and language for this website?

 

It would really depend on what your data is and how it's stored/ displayed. You could use TAC or maybe something like Organic Groups and if the provided access control isn't enough, you could use Organic Groups Access Roles.

 

Well... this is a multi-purpose project - there are several ways to do this, but I do hope you have some sort of programming experience (the questions doesn't really imply you do) - or this will be a tough task. I'd go for PHP (it's easy to learn and to get running, and any LAMP/WAMP-stack (Linux/Windows - Apache - MySQL - PHP) will get you up and running with a working server in a few minutes.
The user-levels are controlled via a database-lookup, same for storing users and what they have accesss to.
The designation of sub-domains depends a bit on what the assignment says - if it just needs to LOOK like a subdomain, like http://user.example.com then you can just do a .htaccess rewrite (which will basically do something like this: http://www.example.com/?username=exampleuser and rewrite that to http://exampleuser.example.com).
It's not a VERY complicated task, but the logic behind it and the actual code (which I'm assuming you'll get graded on) are ripe with potential pitfalls and securityholes. Not something I would demand a rookie build.

 

my project is managing kindergartens and for each news kindergarten there should be a new subdomain and for each kindergarten there is users with different permissions.
i am studying software engineering but i did'nt do much programming. some c++,c# .
isn't there some sort of add-on/plugin for wordpress/drupal for doing this ?
my coding isn't that important and the finished product is more important

 

You're studying software engineering, and you want a ready-made solution for this? Sorry, but that just sounds stupid. Isn't the purpose to learn something? Creating a basic interface capable of keeping up with both users of the system and even enrolled kids/parents using the kindergarten wouldn't be much of a job - we're talking a few db-tables, some user-management, some forms and listings of different types.

 

you right about learning
i'll start working with php and ask my further questions.
would you recommend any framework for php for this website?
thanks for your answers

 

The first place to look after you install your web server, server-side language and dbms is the Apache documentation; specifically Authentication and Authorization. Then dig into PHP docs and security docs for your dbms of choice, e.g. MySQL or PostgreSQL.

cheers,

gary

p.s. It would be a good thing, if you haven't already, to install Linux on your work machine. The web runs on Linux. ~g

 

Absolutely not. You have to learn to write bare nekkid code before you can be trusted for anything non-trivial.

cheers,

gary

 

As for the comment "the web runs on linux" - well. That's a bit of an over-simplification. And there's no need to run linux on your workstation (unless you want to) - first off, running WAMP (or any other AMP-stack on Windows) is trivial, and works 98% same as on Linux - and since you actually have to consider coding so it works in both a Windows-environment and a Linux-environment, you might actually learn something. If you DO want to play with a Linux-installation, dual-boot or running it in a VM will do just fine.
As for the Apache-docs, they're not at all needed - good to know, of course, but definitely not needed for making a website - depends on what you want to do, of course, but usually the "webguy" is not the same as the "server guy", although in some companies these overlap (more than a little bit).
If you do chose to go with PHP, I would recommend you steer clear of anything prefixed mysql_ <- that db-engine is outdated, deprecated and so full of holes it'd do swiss cheese green with envy. Go with mysqli_ or PDO (my personal preference), utilize parameterized queries and make sure that you create a safe DB <-> app/program environment.

 

1) I suggest a Linux development os and prefer it as the production os because of its plethora of tools that are not generally ported to Win (though in truth, I can only speak for v.≤7), nor does Win (same limits) have file ownership and permissions security. In my case, I work in Linux and play in Windows, e.g. trying to deal with the cable company that won't talk to my Linux machine unless I change the referer to say I'm running Win or Mac, or I fire up Win7 in the VM. Assholes!

2) The Apache doc on authentication and authorization are easy to understand and easy to implement. As such they are a good teaching tool if not otherwise needed. Since the OP has a limited knowledge base, I figured it would help.

3) PHP has become almost universal, Python and Perl less so. Java, I don't consider appropriate for less than large projects (too much overhead), and server-side javascript seems to lack the security I want on my server. The php manual documents many bad practices and potential holes. Stay updated and use good practices.

4) Best practice has long been to maintain orthogonality between mid tier logic and back end queries. The API should be outside the docroot structure seen as a black box from both directions. Nothing new there. Likewise, just as style and behavior should be orthogonal to structure on the client, so should logic and structure be separate on the server. Some say that php is a templating language, and it is in the same sense that javascript is. Either may be entwined with html or vice versa. That you can use them in that manner doesn't mean you should.

cheers,

gary