Affiliate links stored in a database

[Nigel]

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I am new to using affiliate links and from what I understand you create links to advertisers by copying and pasting their HTML into your own pages.

Is is possible (or normal) to store these links in a database and have the HTML page dynamically generated by reading the HTML from the database? It may not necessarily be done on the fly but possibly as a overnight batch job to create the static HTML pages (for performance reasons).

This would allow for easier maintenance by just updating the database rather than having to update potentially 100's of individual web pages.

Any advice?

[morleymouse]

Hi, welcome to the forums!

Yes you could do that, you don't want to copy THEIR html, you want the linking code off a networks site (TD, AF, POR, buy.at etc) as long as the end result is a page with that code in sales will track.

[rogerlittin]

Is the best wat to go IMO.

from the networks edit box I copy every thing in between href= quotes into one field and img src=" to " into another field.

That way, on your page you just call up the link field where you whant the link and img field where you want the img.

php with mysql in a nutshell.

first create a recordset.

put <a href="<?php echo recordset['link']; ?>"><img src="<?php echo recordset['img']; ?>"></a> where you want the link.

If you put that in a table row inside a do while loop it will print all the links in the recordset for you in a nice neat column down the page.

Use something like dreamweaver and it's a doddle.

Also beats trolling through loads of pages deleting links when thay don't pay up

Depending on the hosting server, you can log on from just about anywhere and update the database to change a link.

[linkyjinx]

Sounds so organsied! all my links are currently stored on a spreadsheet, could do with a natter system like that!

[Nigel]

Roger,

Thanks for the advice and your example.
I was worried about the maintenance of all those links, but you've put my mind at rest.

Thanks again.