I need to add a bit of Very Basic functionality to my Web site, the kind of thing that has to have been done—and hence written thousands of times. I can take care of the design side of things, and probably get it written myself with an effort, but I’d be reinventing the wheel.
There are bits of code all over the net, but I don’t have the skills or time to read through each one and be on the lookout for nefarious back doors or security holes—and that’s after finding a site that is worth spending time on.
Is there a good source out there?
If it helps for reference, I’m looking to add an FTP area where clients can log in and up/download files (mostly PDFs and Word documents) into their own directory, i.e., client A won’t see what’s in client B’s folder. I don’t need extra security, just the basics of stopping anyone executing things, keeping the general public out of the directories (there won’t even be direct links on the site), will give me control over assigning passwords and whatnot.
Thanks,
Rhythm
There are lots of good sources out there.
Unfortunately, IMHO, the code is good but the documentation more often than not is crap. If you’re just starting out, it can be a real hit and miss. My suggestion is go for a known source for quality, ease of use, understanding and documentation.
Spend a few bucks on these:
http://www.friendsofed.com/book.html?isbn=9781590597316
http://www.friendsofed.com/book.html?isbn=1590598598
http://www.apress.com/book/catalog?category=143
The writing is clear, even for beginners. Great documentation.
I’ll try and post again with a few site links from some decent sites just in case.
Thanks for the suggestions. To add my own to the list, I got started with PHP and MySQL for Dynamic Web Sites. It’s an excellent, step-by-step guide that moves at a good pace without assuming too much. Using it (and the Web for specific commands/problems), I’ve built dynamic MySQL-backed surveys, a small document library, and a few other junior programmer-level bits of functionality. Yay me!
But I’m in a weird place knowledge-wise. While I know enough to be able to figure out how to do this (in time), I also know that without a lot of experience I’ll likely leave security vulnerabilities and other functionality issues. I can program, but I’m not a programmer.
Hence, I started Googling “PHP code library” to see what’s pre-written, since a little up/download interface doesn’t seem that esoteric. But there are a lot of sites out there, and telling the wheat from the chaff is a bit daunting, so I posted the OP. Once I have a good (i.e., safe, well known) site or two to work with, I should be able to follow/ understand the code.