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Not really a beta test - I have been doing that for a little bit and think i have a good idea of what needs fixing

 

Quick background -

  This is my FIRST time messing around with PHP and database work- I took on this project really just because I said I wanted to learn PHP. The entire thing was written using code samples from various places around the web - most of everything was written in bluefish editor

 

I DID NOT write the user management end of things - that was pre-written by someone

 

Really looking at layout -  how does it feel and what can really be improved for making it more user friendly. I have had a few people tell me they are just simply lost.

 

any help in this area would be GREATLY appreciated -

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http://www.airlinewars.com/editplaneroute.php

 

Warning: Division by zero in /home/tucker17/public_html/airlinewars.com/editplaneroute.php on line 189

trying to load this as an image

http://www.airlinewars.com/planes/

 

also, maybe allow more image types for the company logo :)

 

That's a new one to me -  I can't recreate that error -

 

I am assuming that account had no planes purchased and when you went to edit the route it put up that one?

 

About the layout and instruction -  any obvious changes needed?

 

(EDIT: Sorry - i did forget to create a test account for everyone :*( 

 

user:phpfreaks

pass:phpfreaks

thank you RobertP

 

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sometimes, the tables border is rather irritating. for your homepage, you should use css for the background.

 

Tables border for listing routes?  that tables border?

 

And homepage as in the main control panel view with the menu?  how would css help on the background, what would it effect and change?

(I have honestly never dug deep into CSS and have really just kinda worked each page as a separate entity)

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mostly is on the start page. there are to many table border. for the homepage as in the one which have login and register. you could use ccs for that

 

 



<style>
body {
background-image: url(images/bodybeta.png);
background-size: 100%;
</style>

 

just entering http://www.airlinewars.com/editplaneroute.php in the address bar will cause mysql error

 

Warning: mysql_result() [function.mysql-result]: Unable to jump to row 0 on MySQL result index 8 in /home/tucker17/public_html/airlinewars.com/editplaneroute.php on line 118

Warning: mysql_result() [function.mysql-result]: Unable to jump to row 0 on MySQL result index 9 in /home/tucker17/public_html/airlinewars.com/editplaneroute.php on line 122

Warning: mysql_result() [function.mysql-result]: Unable to jump to row 0 on MySQL result index 10 in /home/tucker17/public_html/airlinewars.com/editplaneroute.php on line 126

Warning: mysql_result() [function.mysql-result]: Unable to jump to row 0 on MySQL result index 11 in /home/tucker17/public_html/airlinewars.com/editplaneroute.php on line 130

Warning: mysql_result() [function.mysql-result]: Unable to jump to row 0 on MySQL result index 12 in /home/tucker17/public_html/airlinewars.com/editplaneroute.php on line 135

Warning: mysql_result() [function.mysql-result]: Unable to jump to row 0 on MySQL result index 13 in /home/tucker17/public_html/airlinewars.com/editplaneroute.php on line 139

Warning: mysql_result() [function.mysql-result]: Unable to jump to row 0 on MySQL result index 14 in /home/tucker17/public_html/airlinewars.com/editplaneroute.php on line 143

Warning: mysql_result() [function.mysql-result]: Unable to jump to row 0 on MySQL result index 15 in /home/tucker17/public_html/airlinewars.com/editplaneroute.php on line 147

Warning: mysql_result() [function.mysql-result]: Unable to jump to row 0 on MySQL result index 16 in /home/tucker17/public_html/airlinewars.com/editplaneroute.php on line 151

Warning: mysql_result() [function.mysql-result]: Unable to jump to row 0 on MySQL result index 17 in /home/tucker17/public_html/airlinewars.com/editplaneroute.php on line 155

Warning: mysql_result() [function.mysql-result]: Unable to jump to row 0 on MySQL result index 18 in /home/tucker17/public_html/airlinewars.com/editplaneroute.php on line 159

Warning: mysql_result() [function.mysql-result]: Unable to jump to row 0 on MySQL result index 19 in /home/tucker17/public_html/airlinewars.com/editplaneroute.php on line 163

Warning: mysql_result() [function.mysql-result]: Unable to jump to row 0 on MySQL result index 20 in /home/tucker17/public_html/airlinewars.com/editplaneroute.php on line 167

Warning: mysql_result() [function.mysql-result]: Unable to jump to row 0 on MySQL result index 21 in /home/tucker17/public_html/airlinewars.com/editplaneroute.php on line 171

Warning: mysql_result() [function.mysql-result]: Unable to jump to row 0 on MySQL result index 22 in /home/tucker17/public_html/airlinewars.com/editplaneroute.php on line 175

Warning: mysql_result() [function.mysql-result]: Unable to jump to row 0 on MySQL result index 23 in /home/tucker17/public_html/airlinewars.com/editplaneroute.php on line 179

Warning: mysql_result() [function.mysql-result]: Unable to jump to row 0 on MySQL result index 24 in /home/tucker17/public_html/airlinewars.com/editplaneroute.php on line 183

Warning: mysql_result() [function.mysql-result]: Unable to jump to row 0 on MySQL result index 25 in /home/tucker17/public_html/airlinewars.com/editplaneroute.php on line 187

Warning: Division by zero in /home/tucker17/public_html/airlinewars.com/editplaneroute.php on line 189

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yes,  if you enter the direct url it will - because its looking for some information to create a query that is not being provided. All the pages are designed to be accessed via the start page - 

 

 

I will look more into CSS - thank you

 

Design issues aside (and, there are plenty), you need to learn when to use GET and when to use POST.

 

GET should be used to retrieve information.  POST should be used to, well, post information.  Using POST for navigation is bad because it, as we've seen, denies the user from accessing a particular page if they don't have the proper information.  Since POST sends data behind the scenes, then how would a user know that they broke the chain to begin with?

 

So, rule of thumb: if it's to something a user will actually navigate to, use GET.  If it's a part of your system that saves/updates data, use POST.

 

You also need to:

 

Do error checking.  MySQL errors should not be popping up on the screen.

Input filtering.  Never assume that incoming values are correct, or that a user is passing in legit info.

 

As far as the design goes.... there is no design.  Everything is just thrown up on the page with no rhyme or reason.  Is this a game?  Why is there a stock ticker?  What is the purpose of this site?

 

Added to this misfortune is the aesthetic itself.  Tables should only be used for tabular data.  Not for layout.  And when they are used, they shouldn't have chunky borders.  The graphics are horrible.  The header font is barely readable, there are round, garish buttons everywhere, and cartoony icons that do nothing to convey meaning. 

 

There's no cohesion, personality, or harmony.  A bunch of loud things mushed together in a table for who knows why.

 

I'm not trying to be overly harsh, but, really, this is the kind of aesthetic the internet moved away from years ago.  It's not 1998.  Geocities is dead.  Let's modernize a bit.

 

First thing's first: centered elements often look foolish.  Why?  Because centered elements create an hourglass figure, which is fine if you're staring at a beautiful woman, but hard to deal with when you're trying to read.  Imagine reading a magazine article that had centered text.  Hard to do, right?  Don't center elements unless it won't break the left-to-right flow.

 

Next: Structure.  Your site needs a main structure that remains the same from page-to-page.  This means not relying on the back button, whether it's the browser's or one you made, but rather having solid navigation visible on every page.  What sites do you visit?  Do they make you press a dedicated back button to navigate, or do they have other links visible on every page.  Every page needs a header, a footer, and some clean, easy to understand/use navigation.  No exceptions.

 

To that end learn CSS and get rid of the unnecessary tables.

 

Graphics: You need to pick a look and feel for your site.  Is it fun/cartoony?  Then go with the buttons and icons, and make the background interesting.  Is it supposed to be a serious airline sim?  Then tone it down.  The site, in addition to being confusing, is bipolar at the moment.  That said, standalone buttons are a bad way to go.  They break the flow of a site by adding navigation to content areas.  Again, having a proper navigation menu is paramount.

 

Information: Like I asked above, what is this site about?  A game?  Why is there stock information if it's about airlines?  What's the point?  Why would I want to join?

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Nightslyr,

  First off - thank you :*)

 

It is kinda a take off of an old tycoon kind of game called AeroBiz (on the super Nintendo system) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerobiz

 

To be perfectly honest, design was a very very back seat thought. Being so very new to PHP it was functionality first - design as a very far after thought (as in, right now as i am asking for help).

 

A lot of my query is based off of session ID so each page is really sort of a result of a query - and sort of intended to be linier (sp?) in the fact that one action needs to be completed before you can continue to another action. It's no so much a design flaw (as i see it) as it is a method of my design. IE: you should be doing step 1 before you ever touch step 2... you can't or shouldn't be skipping steps because you will be by passing the set up for that step.

 

The stock trades are really part of the corporate wall - investing / trading. Another mechanism to earn / save money. Do they really need to be on the front control panel? Probably not....

 

Input filtering is in place - however i have never checked to see if you could use alpha characters in numeric settings - i really doubt it would function as the data base set behind that is looking for a numeric input.

 

There is a design and a method to the madness - and, in all honesty I really do appreciate your input, but I think you took a rather fast look and played with nothing and read nothing. I agree 100% that in reading nothing and taking no time to look at things would leave you with a sour taste.

 

As far as the icons and markers they are more of a place holder - nothing was really set in stone but I needed something it hold its place.

 

standalone buttons -  some things needed a ease of use factor. A fast way to access a menu and not having them in place meant having to go back to start and take step 1-3 when it could have been achieved with the use of the standalone button.

 

Yes, Navigation is kind of a mess but as things are written, the step 1- whatever is necessary and direct navigation was not intended. I would possibly consider in the future a way to open the site in a window without a browser navigation section. 

 

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