Need some help with the web site design please reposted from wrong area :D

[jcsllcx1]

okay got some advice on the menus but still not getting the results i want. site is here: http://jcsllc.x10host.com/

first issue is changing my default page to my home page, it is still going to my about us page and could be at this time due to server updating slower as shown here
http://prntscr.com/515cer

next issue is my menus as shown on this screen shot, have issues here: http://prntscr.com/515bu0

How do I add submenu pages so what happens in the above screen shot gives me what I want to see? If I change the page they all show the same thing.

for now that is all but I am sure more will pop up. I want to get my domain name done after this is working properly and pay for service for the added perks but a friend is trying to talk me into using wordpress and i don't care for that much but I can get his help designing it and getting it uploaded but I want to do this myself if possible.

it's hell getting old, i used to be good with php4 and the old adobe deamweaver and that has passed me up by a long shot

Thanks for reading and hope you understand my issues.

 

[essellar]

Two questions:

1. What tool are you using to build your website?
2. Do you need a dynamic (database-driven) site, or would a more-or-less static site do (other than the contact page, if you want to make a form of it)?

The menu problem is likely some quirk of the tool you're using, as is opening at the About page (without knowing the tool or being able to see the PHP the tool is creating, it's difficult to tell you how it might be fixed) and having the title "Landlord/Investor Services" on the home page. If all you want is a simple, basic site, it's probably easier (and more maintainable in the long run) to dispense with the tool and just hand-code the site, particularly as you can just copy, edit and paste the existing HTML. (I, for one, remember when Rasmus initially released his Personal Home Page Tools — before PHP was made into a real programming language.)

 

[jcsllcx1]

i did forget to mention i am using sitepro web template.

does it need to be a data--base driven? no, i need pages under services to define the different service we offer and details, most will be prety detailed and with some pictures so those are linked and not database attached unless all that has changed.

I am used to seeing from past experience an index page or home page then pages listed and linked and this is not there. A bit quirky but a lot of that could be from what i have done and i don't know what is causing it.

appreciate the help but i don't have any of the old editors i used to have loaded and i do have a copy of dreamweaver 6 and that is over my head now and i just don't feel like learning all this .css crap last web page i did for my business and a game i was associated with was about 9-11 years ago and seems people want to see a web page with details of services we provide and pictures of some of our work so i have to get this done and not financially in position to pay for it right now because of some screwings i have taken the past 3 months.

I may have to go with the wordpress and use static pages until i can get through this.

thanks for the reply!

 

[essellar]

CSS is actually pretty easy — unless you've mistaken the web browser for a piece of paper (as so many people do, unfortunately). And raw HTML is a piece of cake. Well, a piece of cake with the occasional bit of fancy piping and flowers on the icing, but you're not doing any of that. It beats trying to keep a site up when your site builder becomes obsolete or unsupported (always a danger — we've had a couple of 'em go missing here over the past few years when they failed to keep up with changes in PHP). WordPress is way overkill for what you're doing; all you really need is a text editor of some sort. (If you want a decent DreamWeaver substitute, try KompoZer — it's free, and it's not too far off of older versions of DW, except that it creates much better code for your web page than DW 4 used to do.)

 

[fretwizz]

Well, you did go with WP so I guess that's that... but I'd, at least, make a permalink setting (and get rid of that hotmail account for business).

 

[jcsllcx1]

Yes I did go with WP and nothing is final on this yet. I am happy with how it is coming along for now, just need more time to get it completed so i get a real domain again, and yes an e-mail addy with the domain.

Actually found this to work nice for what I am doing, was going to do static pages and still may in the future if work slows down and I am completely bored through the winter. A lot of changes to things and will have to learn the css crap and i see where that is going and how it works but still confuses the hell out of me. I am getting old and to be completely honest I just want the site up and running, detailed and pages to show what I want and end it there.

I am too old to sit here trying to understand and read things and trying to make them work, feeling like my head is in an orifice that isn't pretty and smells. Just want the fastest, easiest thing I can get online. in 5-7 years I am done doing the bulk of this type of work and will do little jobs that I know are not a problem. Tired of straddling ladders, climbing over steep roofs wondering how am I getting down now that I am on the ridge that is almost straight up, holding drywall with my head trying to get positioned properly, laying in mud in a tight crawl space in the middle of the winter fixing pipes etc, and the list goes on

Good point on the permalink settings, that I read about and will make that change soon, I did notice that it didn't direct the page like normal, ie. /services etc. appreciate that call out.

Thanks for the info, help, and guidance. Still may do the static pages like I wanted to do later on, then I can set and maintain the header and footer the way I want it and the menus I like on the wp theme, nice and easy to adjust and change just don't like having a db with the site, it goes down everything goes with it.

 

[fretwizz]

If you decide to stick with it you'll notice (if you haven't already) that there is a lot of free WP info out there (not all of it good, unfortunately). There are also some resources that are minimal cost that can really help out, for example - http://digwp.com/. This puts a lot of useful info in one place, as opposed to digging all over the net. While this stuff can be a pain, in my opinion, it's beats busting your butt by a long shot. By the way, you can do static pages inside of WP if you wish and retain all the cool functionality that comes with using it.