How to do this...?

[gcam032]

Hi there everyone,

My first post, so go easy. I'm adept at using HTML and CSS. I'm about to start learning javascript,php,SQL. I have a quick question.

Imagine a site (there are plenty of them) where a person registers, can login, alter their personal information etc etc... they can also post to a common area (similar to an ebay type thing rather than a forum). What is the program behind this type of site? Is it a SQL database that holds all of the users personal information and is updated as they go etc...

Just have no idea about where to start to develop a site where users can login and alter their details.

Thanks very much

[Kravvitz]

You need a server-side language, like PHP, and a database, like MySQL, to do that.

Since you're a novice in those languages, making a system like that will take a long time, especially if it's fairly secure.

[pcthug]

As Kravvitz explained; you would need to use a server-side language/database combination to achieve such. If your planning on building your own, you can look at about 6-12 months (varying on your learning curve) to sufficiently learn the skills to complete such a project and another 1-2 months to complete all aspects of the project (planning, initial coding, debugging, testing, etc.). I suggest either using a free CMS (content management system) or hiring a developer to do it for you.

A good resource for free content management systems is Open Source CMS dot com (http://opensourcecms.com)