Website Help

[Lady Moreta]

I need some help from people more tech-savvy than myself.

I am helping a friend update/fix our church website, and I want to create/add a search function on the main page. I cannot for the life of me figure out how. I'm using Seamonkey Composer - it's the only editing program on the computer and the only one I'm even vaguely familiar with, so please don't simply suggest using something else.

I have gone into the html code for another page from the website that does have a search function, and I suppose I could just copy/paste the code, but I'm worried that it'll royally screw up the rest of the page, since I don't really understand html code. I can't just ask the person who originally created the website, because they aren't around any more and I don't have contact details for them.

Does anyone know how to insert a search function into a webpage in Seamonkey that doesn't involve me copying and pasting and praying?

(and I haven't included a link to the website in question, because it is for a church and I'm not sure if that would consistute breaking the rules)

[Iruka]

... copying and pasting and praying ...



... it is for a church a ...

Seems appropriate. :smallbiggrin:

Sorry, I know next to nothing about programming, so I can't contribute anything but smartbehindery. :smalltongue:

[Reinboom]

What is the site actually written in? That is what does the extension on the source files end in? (.html, .htm, .php, .rb, .asp, etc.)

Based on your use of Seamonkey Composer, I'm guessing it's pure html.
If you wish to do more things like this in the future, I highly suggest avoiding visual html editors. Anything beyond simple display won't work.


The simplest option you have available to you would be to use google's site searching.


<form method="get" action="http://www.google.com/search">
<input type="text" name="q" size="32"
maxlength="255" value="" />
<input type="submit" value="Google Search" />
<input type="radio" name="sitesearch" value="" />
The Web
<input type="radio" name="sitesearch"
value="{WWW.YOURWEBSITEADDRESS.COM" checked />{YOUR WEBSITE NAME}<br />
</form>


That way you don't have to deal with actual searching. I'm assuming the site isn't highly complex.

[Anxe]

Most sites just use google's search thing like SweetRein said.

[Rawhide]

Even some very large sites use Google's search box. For the site you've described, it's probably the best, simplest, easiest, and more resource friendly solution you could implement for the site.

[Lady Moreta]

What is the site actually written in? That is what does the extension on the source files end in? (.html, .htm, .php, .rb, .asp, etc.)

Ummmm :smallredface: html I think... I'm not actually at church right now, so I can't check.


If you wish to do more things like this in the future, I highly suggest avoiding visual html editors. Anything beyond simple display won't work.

Yes, I was getting that impression. The site was created by a programmer, but done intentionally like this so that the pastor could tweak and adjust things as he wanted. Said pastor is no longer at the church and the new pastor wanted to make changes/update the site. Unfortunately, the original creator has left as well and no one else (apart from my husband) knows how to work with code. I'd just make my husband do it, but he works and consequently isn't available. Apparently, the wife of a hobbyist programmer/Computing teacher is the next best thing :smalltongue:



The simplest option you have available to you would be to use google's site searching.

That way you don't have to deal with actual searching. I'm assuming the site isn't highly complex.

Ha, no the site is not complex... I'll be back at church tomorrow, I'll give it a try then. Now, if I could just figure out how to create a sidebar so I've got somewhere to put the darn thing...

[Flickerdart]

It may be a good idea to switch over to something like Wordpress, which a) has a built in search function, b) has a ton of themes you can pick from, c) is really easy to post updates with, d) most themes have a sidebar specifically for putting in widgets and e) doesn't require any knowledge of coding unless you want to get fancy.

[Lady Moreta]

Yeah, even switching to something else is beyond me.

I talked it over with my friend and we decided not to bother with a search function at the moment, the website is pretty small and doesn't get a huge amount of traffic, so we decided it wasn't really necessary. If it becomes necessary later, I'll just get my husband to do it.