It sounds like what you're looking for is a Web CMS. More info at Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_content_management_system
List of Web CMS: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_content_management_systems On Jul 17, 12:45 am, Kevin Blount <[email protected]> wrote: > Back in '06 I wrote a .NET based website for my company using > Dreamweaver and Contribute (not the faint of heart). Now that I have > more control over a potential re-write, I'm looking to tell my company > that I'm using Visual Studio ONLY (for my development work), but I > need a good, simple tool that my content authors can use to add and > update pages on the site. These authors are marketing people, mostly, > and not web developers, so the tool needs to be as basic as possible, > and Contribute was great for that. > > Ideally, I would be re-writing the site with the following in mind: > > - Master Pages - I'm done with Dreamweaver templates. We have approx > 20 templates, and each time they are updated I have to sync 3500 .aspx > files, check them out, update them and finally re-upload them - takes > about 15hrs usually. So, whatever tool I use for authors has to > understand Master Pages. > > - Web Application - I like the idea of writing a web application, > rather than a website. For me the ability to 'hide' my C# code, test > fully before deploying (local debug) and not be editing files that are > on the live/production web server. > > So, now all I need to a tool that my content authors can use, that > will allow me to do the item above, but will also have the following > features: > > - Access control & Roles - With Contribute Publishing Server (which > Contribute connects to) I can define who in my company can access the > website to edit it, by integrating with Active Directory. I can also > assign these lucky few to Roles within Contribute, and specify where > they are able to create/edit pages, control the styles they are able > to use, and various other "Go nuts... you can't break anything" type > features. > > - Publishing workflow - Again, with Contribute I can specify which > Roles can publish files to the live website, and which cannot. Those > that cannot must submit their new or updated page(s) for approval, and > the Role that does the approval can then publish the page(s). > Finally, I would prefer the tool to be as dummy proof as possible. > Contribute (I know, I keep talking about it.. if only it > supported .NET) is a simple tool, and didn't give much chance for my > authors to mess anything up! > > I've been looking at both Visual Web Developer 2010 Express and > Microsoft Expression Web 4, and both still seem a little 'technical' > for my marketeers. One feature in Expression Web that set of huge > alarm bells was the ability to "Detach from Master Page" - I could > just imagine my authors doing that and saving the document having > removed all kinds of registered controls and styles. *shudder* > > So, any advice? What tool would you want to give to your non-developer > colleagues so that they would add words (ok, and maybe pictures too.. > sheesh) to a complete site?
