BleepingComputer.com: Dynamic Database Web Development Software

I am wanting to create a dynamic web site that will run off of access databases preferably (although SQL might have to be an option). I will need forms to keep track of user login information, allow users to upload files to the server, and I will need to be able to give different users different permissions based on their user status.

I have a basic knowledge of HTML and the like but I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to the coding side of things. I am looking for some software that will be able to assist me with this. It doesn't have to be free.

This easyGen 2 software is pretty much what I'm looking for but I've read some bad reviews and I'm skeptical. I was hoping to get some honest answers from people who have used comparable software about what I should download and/or purchase.

Any reason that you can't just use some forum software?

That would probably work.

I am going to have two different types of users...

Employers and students.

They will need two different interfaces. Not to mention their won't really be a forum. Can you use forum software and leave out the forum? Or would I just have to make an extremely simple forum that isn't really used for anything.

I'm not going to need to store very much information. It is my understanding that on most servers you have to pay more for SQL service. Is this correct? If so I'd like to try and use Microsoft Access as my database. I will be storing very minimal amounts of information.

It is also my understanding that if I'm going to use Access I can't use a PHP forum I'd have to use an ASP or ASP.NET forum. Am I still correct?

I was using this wikipedia page for comparison info.

From what I can tell my only options if I am going to use ASP, Access and have free software are:

iyzi Forum
punBB.net
Snitz Forums 2000


Have you had any experiences with any of these?

I guess if I knew what the function of the website was, it would be a bit easier to help you. A forum would have more than you need. Something like Wordpress would allow you to do all of the same things, but may be too simple.

You could try something like Drupal or Joomla to roll your own site, but the learning curve is tough, especially if you have no programming experience. Or you could just hire someone to do it for you. I realize that you may be trying to do this as inexpensively as possible, but there is more to creating a website than just throwing some code together. It has to be usable, which has nothing at all to do with code. There are a lot of other things that go into it also that have nothing to do with code, for instance, making sure that there is agreement on the needed functionality. One also has to look at what sort of data is being stored and evaluate whether or not precautions need to be taken to protect the data.

I'm not saying that you can't do it. I am saying that unless you have experience, you are going to be learning as you go, and presumably somebody is going to be paying you for your time. A poorly designed website will make it hard on users in which case there will be resistance to using it. If this were a personal site, I would say go for it, but since it is intended for business use, I would suggest that you consider all possible issues with doing it yourself.

Sorry for the double post, but I just saw that you edited yours, and I wanted to keep answers seperate.

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No, that is not correct.

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A database is a database. One doesn't cost more than another, and really, I don't know of a single hosting provider that includes Access as part of the package.

EDIT: Not saying that there isn't any; I just do not recall ever seeing one.

I do have a small amount of experience with web development just nothing this intense.

Yes, I will be learning as I go and this is expected of me.

No, I am not getting paid I am doing this for a teacher as a favor because I want to learn and he knows my experience and knows what to expect as well.

I have gone through all the planning stages for this site and I know what is required as far as security, legal issues and usability.

This site is being created because we have nothing in place and as far as we are concerned something is better than nothing even if it has to go through some beta stages.

Ok, cool. As long as you are at least aware of the issues.

My suggestion would be to spend some time researching 'content management systems' or 'cms.' There are loads of them. You should be able to find something that is relatively easy to use and free.

Nathan2508, on Oct 8 2009, 02:02 PM, said:

Most webhosting service provider now provide SQL databases using mySQL etc for free (flat rate fee for web hosting). SQL with mySQL is easy to learn and use too.

I'm still trying to find out if the server I'm going to be using supports SQL. I don't have a lot of wiggle room on this issue. I'll be back to this thread to keep you guys updated.