I would like to create a site in Wordpress where users are able to log in, and by log in, I do not mean log into the wordpress admin panel. Login to a members area only part of the site. How would I go about this?
Is there a plugin for this or do I need to do this manually using custom php (and MySQL) inside wordpress?
I am asking because there has to be an easy way for this without having knowledge of php...
Several members area plugins exist for Word Press, both free and paid versions. You could try out http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/member-access/ which is a really simple and free solution. You could also try out BuddyPress for a complete social community overlay. Some other alternatives are reviewed here http://www.mytechopinion.com/2009/07/5-ways-add-membership-wordpress.html