Building a CMS - An Outline
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The user is presented with a form like many other forms that they have seen on the Web or in other applications. The form below shows what you might need to publish a press release.
Text fields for press release main heading, company, date and subhead are supplied. You should allow the current date to be inserted automatically or let a date be entered if the release is being done for another date.
Below that is a subhead field and a text area for typing the body of the press release.
Below this the user has three options. As a default, a standard company description is supplied at the bottom of the release. They can also elect to insert a different one, or add a second, or even add more company descriptions if the press release involves other companies that are partners in a joint venture of some sort. In this design we provide a "Add Company" button and "Delete Company," a "Restore Default" button as well as a selection menu to display each company that is currently stored.
Below this is a field to insert a link to the email of a PR person to contact for further information, and the company URL. A button for building the document and for clearing the form is also provided. I have seen some press releases that put address and contact information at the top. The order should be subject to the client's wishes, of course.
When the user chooses to build the document, the resulting HTML is presented in a new window for previewing. The markup generated need only be the central content. You could allow it to be viewed as it would be in a standard site page by providing remote links to graphics, stylesheets etc.
The user then saves the document when they are satisfied and it can then be emailed for inclusion on the site or put in a designated directory for retrieval by a web admin.
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