CSY Designs Vincent D'Onofrio WebSite
For Fans
CSY Designs' Portfolio

This web site started out as a sideline project used by Corrinne as a fun thing to relax with when needing a break from work related web design, but still wanting to stay in a web work frame of mind. Frustrated by the limited number of fan web sites devoted to one of her favorite actors, Vincent D’Onofrio, and that none of these sites had compiled a large collection of content, she decided to create her own site. Somewhere along the way, this site went from being a sideline, to becoming a showpiece of her design, integration, and programming skills.

The site is built on an html core, two pages, with the majority of it consisting of several php applications, which have all been heavily modified in appearance, and most have been extensively hacked, or modified to provide additional functionality. The site uses multiple installations of Gallery, has a full Invision Bulletin Board, a scrapbook, and of course a guest book.  It also features a variety of custom java scripts running pop up mailers, viewers, and more. She also took the extra time to write a perfect set of meta tags, which combined with a well crafted listing with DMOZ, resulted in the site from no traffic, to averaging in excess of 5 GB of bandwidth worth of traffic in about 6 months.

The Contents Page

One of the few html pages in this site, the primary navigation uses java sub-menus to provide direct access to every section of the site. A custom style, which included banners in several variations, button sets, a multitude of other graphics, and a precise color set used for content, is integrated into every part of the site.  The page also has a second navigation bar at the bottom of the page, and several text links across the page, provide three different locations to access any other part of the site from here.

The Contact Page

Several custom forms were created, each designed for specific purpose. There is are two on-line forms, and one java scripted mailer.  Both online forms have a custom submission confirmation page, and the login request form, also has error pages for incomplete submissions.  All mailer scripts use hidden fields to protect site mail accounts from abuse or spam.

The Guest Book

The guest book is a highly customized version of Advanced GuestBook 2.2, a php application, using it’s own MySQL database.  A custom banner, home link image, and sign the book graphic were created to match the base site style.  The book was hacked to allow full modification of the style, and to insert the home link, and image.  The book is highly flexible, and allows more information than most other applications of it’s type.

The Scrapbook

A custom style sheet, and graphic elements, in conjunction with changes to the code, were required to extend the site style into this install of MyScrapbook 3.1. This php application was also hacked to provide the return link to the site. The book is broken into several chapters, each of which is devoted a specific type of primarily text based information on the actor. It has a visitor contribution section, and also contains a chapter of wav files of dialogue, and transcriptions, taken from episodes of Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

The Forum

A custom theme set was created for an Invision Bulletin Board, to apply the site style to it.  A hack to provide a return to site link was needed to provide fuller integration with the site.  The forum is highly configurable in every way, but required hours of work to create the user groups, and topic hierarchy, and permissions.  Like most of the other applications it requires it’s own MySQL database.  Corrinne has become so proficient with the databases, that she will often directly edit tables, and entries to save time.

The Galleries

The crown jewel of this site are the multiple installations of Gallery used on the site.  The multiple style sheets, and graphics to match the site style are a small part of the customization. Major modifications were written to create the return link, and the embedded pop up mailer scripts.

The LOCI gallery is a second installation nested within the main gallery install, which took more major hack work. More custom scripts, and modification allowed video files, and some images to be displayed in a pop up window. The Fans’ gallery has multiple access levels and is set up to allow guests to create their own albums. 

All the galleries are installed in their own set of subdomains, which improves security.

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