Hi,
I have a games site called GPStudios.com
I paid to have it built in 2009, but as you can see, it's looking a bit ropey these days compared to most other sites.
Since having it built , I have made many alterations to the site, and gradually learnt a lot of html and php along the way.
I make games myself, I do all the coding and all the graphics, so I feel quite confident that I can design all the assets of my site with relative ease. I've been using Dreamweaver for years now and I can now quite easily design a page of my own using php, http, javascript and mySQl. My only weakness is getting to grips with css, but I'm working on it.
I want to redesign the site from the bottom up, ditch the old design and create something completely new.
I will obviously use certain elements of the old site (much like I re use functions/engines/frameworks in all my games), but the site design is SUCH a mess that I don't think it would be wise to tidy it up. It's too far gone IMO.
So, this is my rather broad question... I would like to know where I should start. What methods should I use? My site is currently made up of mostly .php files. Is this appropriate nowadays?
I have a attached a few files to show you generally how the site is written.
Because every page is largely the same, it uses a lot of includes. Even on a page with unique content, it is often included as a separate php (eg homepage_popular). Unfortunately, this makes it difficult to preview the site in the dreamweaver design view.
Also, all the functions for the site are contained within a single functions.class.php file, which I was once told was very bad practice. Is it?
I'd like to know generally a method or a practice I should use.
When every page more or less uses the same template, is repeating the same div tags and includes necessary? Is there a better way of repeating myself? For instance, if I wanted for some reason to not have a header on my site, this would require me to change every single page.
My current site has been a victim to php injection also, so I'd like to know exactly how I can prevent this happening in the new site.
I'm not interested in designing it for multiple screen sizes, because most Flash games aren't really made for mobile devices. I think a 950/1000 px width static container is all I need.
I am genuinely focussed on redesigning my site, and if it means I have to spend several months of weekends working on it and learning about stuff then so be it.
I don't want to pay anyone else to do it, I want it to be 100% my own creation.
index.php
functions.class.php
homepage_popular.php
