Contributors: A-Z Index

A

Name	Photograph	Title / Role	Contributions / Notes
Allen Ellis		Founder	Original designer for ocPortal Also conceived and coded the Theme Wizard and Point Store Son of one of the early inventors of Internet protocols (Usenet, aka Internet newsgroups) Token non-brit	View

C

Name	Photograph	Title / Role	Contributions / Notes
Chris Graham		Founder	Original developer of ocPortal, former lead developer of Composr CMS Masters degree in Computer Science from The University Of Sheffield Undertaken work for over 15 FTSE-100 companies, as well as many small and mid-sized organisations. Includes a number of banks and major brands.	View
Chris Warburton		developer for ocProducts	Made some key contributions to ocPortal	View

H

Name	Photograph	Title / Role	Contributions / Notes
Haydn Maidment		project manager for ocProducts	None available	View

J

Name	Photograph	Title / Role	Contributions / Notes
Jim Davidson		contributor	written many tutorials via Arvixe	View

P

Name	Photograph	Title / Role	Contributions / Notes
Patrick Schmalstig		Lead Developer	Joined Chris Graham behind the scenes in the development of Composr CMS in 2016. Took on the lead developer role in 2023 when Chris Graham stepped back to attend to his new lifestyle changes. Spearheaded the development of Composr CMS v11 and the new website, Composr.app. Formed the company PDStig, LLC to take on professional support and development for Composr CMS users especially after the discontinuation of ocProducts, Ltd.	View
Philip Withnall		Early Developer	Coded the chatroom, blogging support, the analytics system, and OcCLE (now Commandr) Masters Degree in Computer Science degree from The University Of Cambridge Other work has included helping out with Firefox, and ongoing work on GNOME	View

R

Name	Photograph	Title / Role	Contributions / Notes
Robert Goacher		Founder	Ran some of the early websites where ocPortal came from Technically the original developer of ocPortal, in that he wrote the first few lines of code Heavily involved in the feature design process Hosted some of our early meet-ups	View

S

Name	Photograph	Title / Role	Contributions / Notes
Steve Jarvis		project manager for ocProducts	Wrote many tutorials via Arvixe	View

Newest 10 Entries

Question	What is Wiki+?
Answer	Wiki+ is a feature in Composr that allows you to create a collaborative, tree-structured database of information. It functions similarly to a traditional wiki but offers enhanced features such as post contributions, a hierarchical structure, and moderation capabilities.

Question	Are there other Composr features helpful for support?
Answer	Yes, features like: Staff-only replies in the Support Ticket system enable private communication among support staff. Notifications for new tickets, replies, or feedback ensure timely responses. Blocks like main_contact_us provide a simplified front-end for ticket creation. Forum moderation tools help manage support discussions effectively.

Question	Can I integrate a dedicated issue management system with Composr?
Answer	While Composr doesn't have a built-in issue tracker, a non-bundled addon (cms_homesite_tracker) provides an integrated, modified version of Mantis. Additionally, the Support Ticket system can function as a basic private issue tracker using features like Post Templates.

Question	How can I restrict access to the support system to specific users?
Answer	Utilize Composr's page access permissions to control who can access the Support Ticket page. This ensures only authorized users can submit support requests. You can also control permissions based on ticket type when adding or editing a ticket type. Make sure if you go this route that the Support Ticket page permissions are very liberal (e.g. allow anyone to access, or just restrict to guests if you will never allow guests to make tickets). Otherwise, some people cannot make tickets even if they have permission on the type.

Question	What are Post Templates and how are they beneficial for support?
Answer	Post Templates are predefined text blocks that can be used as templates for new forum posts. They are particularly useful in support scenarios by: Providing quick responses to common questions. Ensuring consistency in staff responses. Saving time and effort for staff. Post Templates can be configured to be the default post in specific forums or restricted to certain user groups. Go to Admin Zone > Structure > Forums > Post Templates.

Question	How does Composr handle email integration for support?
Answer	Composr can integrate with email for ticket management, assuming certain requirements are met: PHP IMAP extension installed. Functional PHP mail command (local SMTP server or configured Windows SMTP settings). Active system scheduler (Cron). With email integration, users can submit tickets via email, and staff can reply through the system. Composr cleans up email text for ticket clarity and allows forwarding emails to the integrated address for efficient handling.

Question	How can I categorize and prioritize support requests?
Answer	Support Ticket System: Utilize support ticket types, managed in the Admin Zone > Setup > Support tickets. Staff can set individual notifications for different types. Discussion Forums: Create dedicated subforums for different support categories or priority levels. Feedback System: The content to which the feedback is attached implicitly categorizes it. For prioritization, subforums can be used.

Question	What are the advantages of using the Support Ticket system over the Discussion Forums?
Answer	While both systems can be used for support, the Support Ticket system provides advantages like: Separating replies into individual tickets. Ticket assignment to specific staff members. Tracking who has read a ticket. Private replies between staff members. Filtering tickets by type. Automatic ticket creation, unlike manually creating forum topics. Conflict detection when multiple staff are working on the same ticket. Real-time alerts and display updates upon ticket replies.

Question	How can Composr be used as a support desk tool?
Answer	Composr offers three main systems for providing online support: 1. Support Ticket System: This system allows users to submit tickets and staff to respond, track, and resolve them. It features email notifications, ticket categorization and prioritization, staff assignment, and attachment support. 2. Discussion Forums: Conversr, Composr's built-in forum software, can be utilized for support by creating dedicated forums or subforums. Features like post templates and multi-moderations enhance support capabilities. 3. Feedback System: This system allows for comments on various content types, facilitating support directly related to that content.

Question	How can I access the raw data behind the statistics graphs?
Answer	Every graph in Composr offers a spreadsheet export option. This allows you to download the data in a spreadsheet format, enabling detailed manual review or further analysis using third-party tools.

Top 10 Entries

Question	How do I report an emergency problem with my Composr site?
Answer	Emergency problems are events that have significantly and suddenly affected your website's functionality due to legitimate bugs or undocumented usability issues. To report these: Open a tracker issue explaining the problem and providing as much detail as possible (mark it as a major bug). Help the developers help you. Provide access to your site (see the software feedback tutorial for more information), describe the exact situation, and avoid protracted back-and-forth communication. Take backups before upgrading. This allows for easier recovery in case of problems. Remember that bug fixing is not a free service. While developers are committed to Composr's stability, maintaining backups and practicing restoration procedures is your responsibility.

Question	How can I get support for Composr?
Answer	The community forum is an excellent resource for support. Users can help each other out with various problems. However, please remember that there's no guarantee of free professional support. If you need immediate or guaranteed assistance, consider hiring a professional developer.

Question	I'm getting a lot of spam on my site. What can I do?
Answer	Composr offers various anti-spam measures. Refer to the Anti-spam settings tutorial for advice on configuring these settings. If you believe there's an issue with the anti-spam system itself, report it to the issue tracker. Do not report general spam incidents.

Question	My website is experiencing performance issues. What should I do?
Answer	If you are experiencing performance issues, first identify the specific problem with your web host's help. Composr provides tools to manage database size, bandwidth, and disk I/O. However, high request volume or CPU usage may require server upgrades like a VPS or dedicated server. If your web host complains about resource usage, gather detailed information from them, including specific URLs causing problems and resource usage metrics. If their limits are unreasonable, consider switching web hosts.

Question	How do I report a security problem?
Answer	Security problems must be reported privately. You can do this by marking the issue as 'Private' on the issue tracker (if you use the Report Issue Wizard, it will do that automatically when you select security-hole). Publicly disclosing security holes is irresponsible and may result in penalties. The core developer team will disclose the issue after a patch is released.

Question	How do I report a bug in Composr?
Answer	Every bug, no matter how small, should be reported. You can report bugs using the Report Issue Wizard or directly through the issue tracker. There is also a link to report bugs on your Admin Zone Dashboard where the version information is located. And when clicking that link, you can view open issues specific to your version of Composr. When reporting a bug, be sure to: Check for duplicates: Make sure the bug hasn't already been reported. Report bugs individually: Each issue should be reported separately for better tracking and resolution. Verify it's a Composr bug: Issues with third-party addons and code should be reported to their respective developers. Consult the FAQ and tutorials: Check for common problems and solutions, particularly server configuration issues. Provide comprehensive information: Include a clear and specific title, detailed steps to reproduce the problem, your browser version, Composr version, error messages, stack traces (if available), and any other relevant details. Use clear and concise language: Write in proper English, use correct terminology, and avoid vagueness. Be respectful and patient: Remember that developers are volunteers and may not respond immediately.

Question	What is the role of robots.txt in SEO?
Answer	The robots.txt file provides instructions to search engine crawlers about which parts of your website they should and should not access. You can customize the robots.txt file to prevent sensitive content from being indexed or to guide crawlers toward the most important areas of your site.

Question	What is SEO and why is it important for my Composr website?
Answer	SEO is the practice of optimizing your website to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). By improving your SEO, you increase the visibility of your website, driving more organic (non-paid) traffic to your content.

Question	How can I edit the metadata in Composr?
Answer	Composr provides several ways to customize your metadata: Site-wide Settings: You can configure default metadata for your entire site in the Admin Zone under Setup > Configuration > Site options. Content-Specific Settings: When adding or editing content like Comcode pages or news posts, Composr provides fields for customizing titles, descriptions, and keywords specific to that content under the "Metadata" section. Automatic Detection: Composr can automatically generate metadata by analyzing your content, but it's generally recommended to refine these suggestions manually for best results.

Question	Should I trust agencies that promise top search engine results?
Answer	No; be wary of agencies guaranteeing top rankings for any desired keyword. Achieving top results for competitive terms requires significant effort, expertise, and often, an ongoing strategy. Focus on agencies that prioritize ethical "white-hat" SEO techniques like creating valuable content, optimizing website structure, and building natural backlinks. Avoid those employing "black-hat" methods that can lead to penalties from search engines.

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