Xhtml instead of Php?

Question

I want to develop a site that will allow be to publish information to users, and give them and opportunity to subscribe to a mailing list so they can be updated each time I make a change to the site. *Add new information, etc.

I also would like for the users to be able to add comments about reviews posted, and give me suggestions...Things that will encourage user interaction

I understand that this is possible with php...

But I do not know php, and to learn and test it I apparently need a domain to begin with...etc. Is it possible that I use Xhtml/Html to get the same results?

-- I know I can use the <a href="mailto:[email protected]"; subject="Email from Site user">Mail</a>

but that would also leave my email open to spam...Any suggestions?

And I do apologize if this question has been posted before, I did some research and found no such thing. All helpful responses are appreciated.

Answer 1

No, you will need some kind of server side scripting language to be able to interrogate a database, print out comments and send the generated HTML to the browser.

If you don't know how to use PHP, how about using an open source solution like WordPress, this is a bloging platform but offers all the things you listed.

Answer 2

(X)HTML is the markup language that's interpreted by the browser, to display your web pages.

PHP is a language, used on the server, that can :

• Generate that HTML markup
• Act as a 'glue' with other systems, such as a database, for data-persitence.

(X)HTML by itself it not dynamic : it's only used to display data.

And PHP by itself doesn't display much information : it generates them.

So, basically, you'll need to use both (X)HTML and PHP :

• PHP for everything thats' dynamic
  • like interaction with a database, a form, ...
• HTML (possibly generated by the PHP code) to display the data.

Answer 3

HTML is just a markup language used by the browser to format data to display to users.

Most hosting solutions provide form mailer scripts that just take an HTML form and email the fields to a specified email address which you can configure.

They also provide mailing list functionality.

So, maybe check for a (PHP) hosting solution that provide this functionality and you won't need to write any PHP until you require more complex, custom functionality.

Answer 4

XHTML and HTML are essentially the same thing, just xhtml is based on an xml standard (thats where the x comes from), therefore being a bit more stricter.

HTML/XHTML is generally used for structure of your webpage, where as PHP is a server based language, meaning it works behind the scenes.

You could use html, but it'd be hideously complex to make, so i'd say you'd be better of biting the bullet and making a start on your first php app:) Don't worry it's very easy to get your head around. You do not need a domain to get started with the development, simply install WAMP (for windows), or MAMP (if your apple freak like me), these programs act as self contained mini servers, very useful for development!

Then i'd suggest trying it all out using html for starters, just so you get used to the WAMP/MAMP sever, before heading over to http://devzone.zend.com/article/627 for a brilliant set of tutorials on PHP!

EDIT: Another poster mentioned wordpress, its a great platform too! But i always favour learning the basics so in the event of something going wrong, or not working the way you want it to, you'll know what to do, or at least have an idea. Therefore i'd stick with your own php solution as a starter, then progressing to wordpress, when you feel comfortable.

I hope this helps :)

Answer 5

I would suggest using WordPress because:

• It is easy to learn, the documentation is excellent
• There are thousands of free plugins to add functionality to your site
• There is a plugin, Contact Form 7, that will allow your users to send your email while doing a good job of curbing spam
• There is a built in RSS feed to push out to your users notices when your site is updated
• WordPress can be installed on shared hosting, virtual private hosts, and almost any machine with the LAMP stack
• If you are new to creating websites, WordPress has free themes which are a good starting place

Finally, to answer your question, XHTML and PHP do different things. XHTML is like the idea of a picture. You can see it, it has shapes, outlines, sometimes words, etc. Where as PHP is like film where viewers can see something, but there is something in the background that is updating and moving.