Labs

If you want your users to interact with your site so that its content changes in response, you need a database-driven site. This approach offers a wide range of features, from simple user login and password-protection functions to completely dynamic pages that are generated entirely on the basis of the user's input (although the site template, its look and feel, will remain constant). There is a snag, though: to create a database-driven website, you need a programmer.

That's where EasyGen comes in. It's designed to automate the programming behind database-driven websites.

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If you already have a database, EasyGen simply connects to it using the database connection tool. You can then use the Action Builder to create, get and post actions that allow your page to interact with the database. It takes some practice and you will have to read the manual carefully to get the results you want, but it's a lot easier than learning how to program.

Alternatively, you can start from scratch and create a database using the Build Data Source tool. Simply specify the input fields on your webpage that you wish to store in your database - you can create an entirely new database to fill using the database connector - and EasyGen will create a new table in your database for you.

EasyGen's design environment isn't as polished as that of Namo WebEditor. It has fewer useful properties on display by default, but for the most part you can work with precision. Happily, despite EasyGen using its own file format, you can edit HTML as you go.

While it won't suite all small businesses and home users, this package is excellent for anyone who wants to create a dynamic, interactive website but doesn't have the budget to hire a programmer.