How to automate user registration for download/upload access

[austinpctech]

I developed my first website in 97 using Front Page and have gotten fairly proficient maintaining and redesigning my site over the years but I am unsure of what direction to head in accomplishing a new site addition. Currently I am designing with Front Page 2003 and am hosted on a Windows 2003 server. I currently have a very basic subweb where a short list of users are able to log into a secure area and download and upload files. I now need to create a subweb where numerous users can register and then be issued a username and password and then after approval, be able to login and upload or download files. In other words, I need a more robust and automated method of handling the registration and approval aspects than my current method of manualy configuring access through the Front Page Server Extensions Site Administration interface as each user comes and goes.

Does anyone have any recomendations of how best to accomplish this. Or are you aware of any free or reasonably affordable scripts that can do this?

Thanks for your ideas.

[Rincewind]

Have a look at the many CMS (content management scripts). These will allow you to automate user registration, create various sub sections for users to use for example forums, download sections, wiki, blogs and so forth. I personally use Xoops form www.xoops.org but there are loads more similar systems. Have a look at cmsmatrix.com for a long listing of CMS's and features.