How would you add a Members only area to your website?

[Ken C]

I was wondering how would you add a members only area to your website. I'm thinking that you would have to create the website without the members area and then create another one but put it in a subdirectory (members) and somehow link the two together.
Is the right and how would you do that to where when you create the final version and upload it that all the links work. I really need help with that. It seems that this would be a great feature to add to the WD program in the future to where you could define a members area while just creating one site and do the members area at the same time.

[gwpriester]

Welcome to TalkGraphics Ken

If I had a dollar for every time this question is asked I would be a wealthy man.

Xara cannot do this directly. But you can use a third party solution such as CoffeeCup Web Access Manager. There are other products that can do this as well. I have used Web Access Manager and it is simple and effective. You publish your entire website and then use Web Access Manager to password protect sections of your site.

[Ken C]

Well would you then put your members pages at the end of the build and how would you block the members buttons on the nav bar? My hosting site I can put the members pages into another directory instead of the home directory. Also do you know where I can get a members sign up form and a members sign in form? Or how do you create them?

[gwpriester]

Well how are the members going to know there is a members area? I do a Volunteer Fire Brigade website that is mostly for the public. But there is an area entitled Members Only that links to a section that is password protected. Go to this page http://www.placitasfireandrescue.com/ and click on the Members Only link in the second column. This brings up what is basically a member sign in dialog that asks for user name and password.

If you use or create a Navigation Bar, you can edit the members page out so that it does not appear in the navigation bar but is still part of the site.