Bulletin Programs - Science and Technology

**supra** · 09/29/09 05:20 PM (16 years, 10 months ago)

im pretty sure that shroomery's bulleting board software is not someone elses package, but was built up from scratch. I think phpBB has some great features, and for free, you can't beat it...what type of features are yo looking for that it doesn't have anyways, its a pretty nice package...if you have some skills with code you could always modify/add on to it to make it do what you want anyways.

peace

**Ythan** · 09/29/09 07:07 PM (16 years, 10 months ago)

We use a heavily modified version of UBB.threads 6.5.2, but note that most of the unique features we added ourselves. Without any enhancements it would look something like this. I strongly discourage people from investing in UBB.threads these days, their support is a joke and their updates are sporadic at best. vBulletin and IP.Board seem to be the best commercial options right now, with phpBB and Simple Machines Forum offering good open-source alternatives. It's a bad idea to install pirated scripts on your server, they can contain backdoors and you may end up as part of a botnet.

**ThePheonix** · 09/29/09 09:33 PM (16 years, 10 months ago)

I guess I can show my noobism by stating that I have no idea what a botnet is.

I have a layout I drew freehand on paper. But i am struggling to teach myself webdesign. Everytime i get something done. I discover something I should have been doing from the beginning. Such as css.

I want to build a cheap comp to use as a server, and I'm sorry to say, that while I know a modest amount of html, and css, I have no idea about how to install or get a forum up and running.

I have ambition and great ideas. But need advice. I have been searching for a sort of build a forum from scratch type tutorial, but have had no luck.

Should i use frames or tables? Should i use apache or microsoft ii whatever? Right now I am studying html, css, webdesign, and javascript all from for dummies ebooks.

When I look at something great such as The Shroomery homepage I realize I have no idea how to do it. How to round the edges of the layout. How to position my links a way other than straight across the top of the screen. Your homepage site navigation links are awesome. I have designed myself a logo and want it to spin 360deg in a 3d way with my navigation links around it.

Maybe you can advise me on other things to learn in addition to these

Xhtml
Css
Javascript
Adobe cs4
php
Mysql

I have a very basic beginners knowledge of these.

The shroomery is the first forum I have really gotten into. So the way it is organized is comfortable to me. So is the site you provided a link to earlier. I would like to follow suit with the way the forum is set up. Without biting your style of course.

Need advice
Thanx

**ThePheonix** · 09/29/09 09:50 PM (16 years, 10 months ago)

Dude if I scanned in my drawings. If you had the time could you look at them if I sent them to u maybe? And maybe you could tell me what to learn, to accomplish what I wanna do?

**Ythan** · 09/30/09 01:11 AM (16 years, 10 months ago)

Well, the best advice I can give you is to start slow. Building a forum from scratch is incredibly ambitious. I wouldn't try and tackle that as your first project. A more practical approach would be to set up a site with a third party forum like phpBB or SMF, and then modify it to your specifications. But even that could be pretty daunting if you don't have any previous programming experience.

Roughly in order, I would recommend you learn:

HTML (not XHTML), CSS, and Photoshop (or another image editor). This will allow you to build a basic site and control its layout and appearance.
PHP and MySQL. This will allow you to display and store information, and automatically alter the content of your page based on various conditions and user input. This enables dynamic features like guestbooks, message boards, etc.
Javascript and jQuery. These can be used to run scripts in the browser which operate on the current page, without requiring a reload.

A good site to have for reference is http://www.kayodeok.btinternet.co.uk/favorites/webdesign.htm.

If you want a simple lesson plan, a reasonable progression would be something like this:

Use HTML to create a simple page which lists your favorite links.
Use CSS to alter the appearance of the page to your liking. It's okay to use tables sparingly but stick with CSS as much as possible. Make sure to test in multiple browsers (IE and Firefox at least).
Use an image editor to create custom graphics for your page.
Create a MySQL database to store your links. Include fields to store URL, title, description, and date.
Write a simple PHP script which allows you to add links to the database.
Learn about MySQL injection vulnerabilities and cross site scripting attacks. Make sure you understand how they work and how to prevent them. Go back and verify that your script is secure, and fix it if necessary.
Replace the static HTML page with a PHP script which loads the links from your MySQL database.
Add a feature to the PHP script so you can sort links by title or date.
Create new PHP scripts with 'edit' and 'delete' functionality, so you can modify the links in your database.
Use Javascript and jQuery, along with PHP and MySQL, to add, edit, and delete links without reloading the page.

I'd go with a server running Linux and Apache but I don't recommend trying to manage it yourself. We've had excellent luck using Hostgator (affiliate link alert), and their plans are very cheap. They offer cPanel for easy site management, and one-click install for popular software like phpBB and SMF. If you only want to run a single site, you'll do fine with their $4.95/month plan. If you anticipate the need for multiple sites, you'll want the one that's $7.95.

If you start to feel overwhelmed or impatient, take a look at http://www.elance.com and http://www.rentacoder.com. Those sites will connect you with freelancers who can work on aspects of your site which you don't want to deal with.

If you have any questions let me know. I'll be glad to take a look at your sketches if you'd like, but the skills I mentioned in this post should cover pretty much anything you'd want to accomplish. The only other thing you might want to learn eventually is Flash, but don't worry about it until you have a solid understanding of the other stuff first. Good luck!

**ThePheonix** · 09/30/09 09:21 AM (16 years, 10 months ago)

Wwll. That will keep my busy. I appreciate that Ythan. I threw this up not to long ago.

WorthyWebStylez.co.cc

It's incomplete, Only the home page and movies page are done. It still looks plain to me.

**Ythan** · 09/30/09 11:11 AM (16 years, 10 months ago)

Oh okay nice you're further along than I thought. :smile2:

If you want to add curved corners to your site using CSS there's a few examples listed here. If you want to add a toolbar you can use this example. If you're looking for a setup similar to this site, I would probably start with SMF and customize it as much as possible with existing modifications. Then if there are still things you want to add or change, try and learn how to do it.

**tak** · 09/30/09 12:08 PM (16 years, 10 months ago)

I second SMF. It is a pretty capable, and freeeee forum. They also have SSI.php which is used like an API to access forum content, authentication, etc on non-forum pages. Templates are also easy to customize to fit your site.

**ThePheonix** · 09/30/09 12:30 PM (16 years, 10 months ago)

That site is just something I threw together to try and learn basic skills. My real site I have planned is far more in depth and visually appealing.

Thanks for taking the time to look at it and advise.

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