I use VISIO to create and maintain this page: http://www.flyvifc.org/v2_0/Organization.htm and was wondering of there were alternatives that would allow the page to be updated with names and links to email addresses so a member without VISIO could update the page.

Suggestions are great-fully welcome.

No idea. Looks like the page is made up of just js, and I don't know any easy way to edit that online. Maybe a bit of php and a DB to hold the information that is to be edited? And then a WYSIWYG window where the actual editing could be done?

Dear David,

I note, as Inger points out, that this page is one big image (gif_1.gif) with a bunch of hot spots (defined by visImageMap) that are hooked to events.

1) You could separate the name / role / email address data from presentation using a database, as Inger suggests.

2) Alternatively, you could apply a big hammer to a small problem (IMHO) by applying a CMS (content management system). This would handle the database interfacing for you, allow users to update data via a form, and it would provide password-protected control over update, if that is important in this case.

If you're curious about CMS anyway, this problem offers an opportunity to learn your way into the technology at low risk. I can recommend MODx (http://www.modx.com), for which I am an over-the-top fanboy. MODx has a rather nice templating system that will allow you to use the original page's Javascript without modification.

3) However, if I were in your shoes, I would keep it simple by applying a little PHP to the problem. Either at the top of the page source, where it would be prominently visible and easy for another person to understand, or perhaps in a separate file, I would define an array containing the data needed to fill in the blanks later in the page, for example all of the stuff shown in quotes here:


ALT="Group Flights Events Cross Country Martin Schultz Click to..." origTitle="Group Flights Events Cross Country Martin Schultz Click to..." TITLE="Group Flights Events Cross Country Martin Schultz Click to..." HREF="mailto:vifc013@flyvifc.org"

Then I would have PHP fill in the blanks based on that array.

The way I look at it, the parts of the original page that you do not want to lose are the image map and the hot spot maps, which amount to a ton of numeric coordinates. As long as you can move the per-person, frequently edited data to a prominent, well organized position at the top of the page or to a separate file, you've done the job of making it easy for someone you train to keep the page up to date. While you're at it, you can format the page HTML to make it easier for humans to understand.