Preventing the client from destroying the beauty

[Glen@DIRTT]

I am usually a hand coder, not a dreamweaver user, but I do have experience
with it. I want to build a site that will allow our computer un-savvy clients
to edit it (including adding images as they wish). Now I realize that I can
control what size of an image the client can put in (based on security
settings), but:

1) is there was for me to make it so they can only put images in certain
locations (not text)?
2) is there a way for me to put in placeholder images (say 1 image that is
320x240 and a second that is 150x600) that the client can change, but that the
client can only change with the right sized image? Preventing them from putting
a wide graphic into a narrow slot and messing up the layout (for example).
3) does anyone have any advice - dos and don'ts for creating a site, making it
more bulletproof against the client messing it up? I am use to having fully
control on content edits and while text changes are fairly safe, when the
client wants to add images I get a shutter down my spine.

Any help is appreciated.

[ThinkInk]

Do's and don'ts
1) To my knowledge that is not possible with the program as it is right now.
It is possible to let users edit only text, but not only images (main menu:
Edit, Administer websites, Users and Roles, Edit Role Settings, Editing)
2) That's not possible, but maybe you can create a small PHP app. that takes
care of that.
3) You can limit the size (width, height, size) of placed images (main menu:
Edit, Administer websites, Users and Roles, Edit Role Settings, Nerw images).
4) You can limit the uploaded filesize (main menu: Edit, Administer websites,
Users and Roles, Edit Role Settings, File placement).
5) You can give the users 'Writer-roless', that doesn't give them publishing
rights, so you can see the draft-pages before you publish them.
Hope this helps.

[Charles_G]

Issue #1.
Why not just simply put in the editable regions instructional text.

Like:
<!-- TemplateBeginEditable name="HappyImage" -->
Image goes here
Max width = 465px
Min width = 100px
Max height = 450px
Min height = 100px
IF you don't follow these rules do not bug me when it breaks.
<!-- TemplateEndEditable -->

If they cannot follow simple rules, or basically if they cannot read, then
well i think unfortunately you have other problems. Problems you really should
not be too concerned about.

Issue #2:
As far as limiting the area of the editable region this is achievable through
CSS.

Just put a div or span around the editable region and make overflow: scroll or
hidden...then when they cry about the image looking all bogus... u simply tell
them you did that to enforce the width/height of that image area.

Template based design only goes so far. If you don't want them to screw it up
make them use Contribute this by it's very nature limits most screw ups since
they prob won't be using HTML at all and thus cannot miss a closing div or
table etc. Also make the end users library items so they can insert them and
just fill in values. Like you can create a table that is setup to handle
styles already, so they just insert that table library object into the editable
region and fill it in. Thus they don't have to do anything at all except fill
in the blanks.

In the end tho they can always bypass your protections if they wish-- through
html snippits or editing in external browser that is not dreamweaver. that is
not something you can control, and it's something you should just let them know
if they do it will cost them, either in time (if your salrey, or in money if
your a contractor).

[GGinPA]

I also hand code. My solution is to use the Contribute option to limit the
user to style sheets that I define. They cannot create any objects, change
structure, or use other formatting except what I permit in the styles. If you
carefully design this way, it keeps their changes consistent with the layout
and formatting you originally create. On caveat... all styles must be in one
CSS file. I normally segregate layout styles from format styles in two
separate CSS files. That won't work with Contribute.

[Glen@DIRTT]

Thanks for your contributions. I will look into "library items" to see what they can do, and GGinPA - that sounds like what I was thinking. Lock it down as much as possible so they can't screw it up.