I have a friend involved with a small non-profit mag who can't pay for assistance.

They are having to raise subscription prices. So as an inexpensive way to provide some value added, they are putting their content online, but they want to limit access to subscribers only (accepting that some of it will then be forwarded). They want to do it cheaply, with off the shelf software. Right now they are looking at a "merchant" package that will require logged in subscribers to put articles in their shopping cart and check them out for $0. That is a really kludgy way to do this. I'm sure there have to be off the shelf access management systems that are not full blown merchant systems. Anyone able recommend a good one? Failing that anyone know a good source for software for the tiny end of the publishing spectrum?

On Edit: I think I've figured out the buzzwords. They are looking for a web site content manager that includes password management as well. Can't find one, but maybe that will help you help me. Or at least maybe someone can suggest alternate search terms for google. So far "Website content management" comes closer than anything, but does not quite hit what they want.

Sophia,

Here is something simple to try:

Create a new version of your query without any criteria. Create a new form. For the form's record source, select the new query you just made. Change the Default View of the form to Datasheet. Click on the Field List icon on the toolbar (if it's not open) and then drag every field (that you want to see) down to the form. Since the form is in Datasheet View you don't need to arrange any of the fields. Save this form.

Now when you open the form, it'll sorta' appear like a table or query view. You can right-click on any of the fields in order to sort or filter by that field. You can also enter wildcards. You can filter on one field and then filter on another and it will then use both filters at once. You can also select and move columns, and select more than one column at a time and sort by all the columns you've selected. And you can do a bunch of other stuff.

You could also create a report that will only print the records that you've just filtered for - ask me how!

Thanks tommy and Gud.

Thank Tommy, I haven't been helpful. I don't know enough about Access to offer any advice. I only use Access databases through ODBC.

Access makes a pretty good front end, in our experience. (If you don't mind a thick client.) Generally we use SQL Server as a back end. We will generally create most of the queries in Access, but if a query is too slow we'll convert it into an SQL Server stored procedure or view.

I think I've figured out the buzzwords. They are looking for a web site content manager that includes password management as well.

Could you just use some Wiki software, I'm pretty sure most, if not all, provide user management to read / edit articles. I've used docuWiki and I know there is user management to limit the ability to edit articles and I'm pretty sure you can limit reading as well.

Technically we don't support Access as a back end, but it still is used quite a bit in demos and testing and, sadly, production.

Oh my god, I love this: [link]

Steampunk lightsaber!

I have an HTML question. I am taking this page [link] and moving it into our CMS. To do that, I have to change the table width from 700 to 550, since our CMS requires content fit in the correct sized box.

When I change the table width, the hand-coded, using 'div class' tags, spacing gets frelled up. (It comes out like this: [link] ) Is there any way to fix this other than going in to each example and counting the spaces required and moving the hand-coded tags? This is one page of about 20, each with about 10 exmples, that I need to move.

Or should I thow myself on the mercy of our in-house web developers?

The odd jumps to the next line seem to be caused by a div starting at that point. On most entries, the div class "apa" opens and closes, and then opens again to cause the line break. It's made fuzzier by the font size not being part of the div class.

The guy who originally coded it is an asshole, if that matters.

Can I just strip out the whole div thing and put in ' ' spaces by hand? I'm thinking that would be easier. I can't imagine why he used a div in the first place.