Dear Lazyweb,
I'm building a website. I'm trying to avoid a complicated kind of thing - just 'a bunch of static html pages'.
One of the first things I did was code a header and footer. Cut - paste to other pages and we're good to go. You know where this is going, don't you Lazyweb?
Now there are more pages than I thought there would be, based on the design spec [1]. Okay no problem - cut - paste the header and footer code to the new pages. Except that what was 'simple' if tedious for two pages is now becoming lame as the problem space scales. And the footer and header will change so I'll have to edit 10 .. or 12 .. or 15 files to execute a single change in the header ... this way lies madness!
What I (think I) need, then, is a way for a plain-jane html page to refer to a common source for the header and footer. A single file to change and bam all my complexity goes away. [2] [3]
So: static html, load up an element common to the website. How 'bout it, Lazyweb?
[1] design spec in this case being 'conversation with my wife' over dinner.
[2] I wish. But at least I've reduced the number of complex things.
[3] I know how to do it with PHP, but I'm trying really hard to avoid that - my hope is to turn the job of 'creating pages' over to someone else (Hi Sarah) and she doesn't know PHP. Plus PHP seems like overkill for the task. [4]
[4] It does seem like I'm heading into the realm of needing a CMS, doesn't it?
I'm building a website. I'm trying to avoid a complicated kind of thing - just 'a bunch of static html pages'.
One of the first things I did was code a header and footer. Cut - paste to other pages and we're good to go. You know where this is going, don't you Lazyweb?
Now there are more pages than I thought there would be, based on the design spec [1]. Okay no problem - cut - paste the header and footer code to the new pages. Except that what was 'simple' if tedious for two pages is now becoming lame as the problem space scales. And the footer and header will change so I'll have to edit 10 .. or 12 .. or 15 files to execute a single change in the header ... this way lies madness!
Of course I'm inserting a '300' related graphic here. Wouldn't you?
What I (think I) need, then, is a way for a plain-jane html page to refer to a common source for the header and footer. A single file to change and bam all my complexity goes away. [2] [3]
So: static html, load up an element common to the website. How 'bout it, Lazyweb?
[1] design spec in this case being 'conversation with my wife' over dinner.
[2] I wish. But at least I've reduced the number of complex things.
[3] I know how to do it with PHP, but I'm trying really hard to avoid that - my hope is to turn the job of 'creating pages' over to someone else (Hi Sarah) and she doesn't know PHP. Plus PHP seems like overkill for the task. [4]
[4] It does seem like I'm heading into the realm of needing a CMS, doesn't it?
