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	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.

Top 10 Entries

Question	How do I debug email integration issues?
Answer	Email Tracking: Composr marks emails as read when processing posts. Marking an email unread will trigger re-processing. Log File: Create an empty file named data_custom/mail_integration.log to capture detailed log data for troubleshooting.

Question	How can I control who can post in my forums?
Answer	You can manage posting permissions using Composr's usergroup system. Forum View Access: Determine which usergroups can view each forum. Privilege Overrides: Grant or deny specific privileges (e.g., posting) to usergroups within a forum. Bypass Validation: Allow trusted members to post without moderation (or vice versa, require validation for certain usergroups).

Question	What special features does Composr's Conversr offer compared to other forum software?
Answer	Advanced Polls: Blind polls, forcing or setting of default options, and point-weighting. Private Topics: More sophisticated than traditional private messages. Forum Introduction Questions: A flexible way to control access and encourage engagement (e.g. forum-specific rules or forum passwords). Cascading Topics: Pinned topics that appear in multiple forums. Integrated Moderation: Streamlined moderation tools within the forum interface.

Question	How do topic polls work?
Answer	Topic polls are a powerful tool for gauging opinion within discussions. You can: Control Result Visibility: Choose whether results are visible before voting. Require Topic Reply: Force users to reply to the topic before voting. Show Voter Identities: Optionally display which members voted for each option. Allow Vote Revocation: Let voters change their vote while the poll is open. Set Voting Close Time: Define a specific date or time for the poll to close. Restrict Selections: Limit the number of options voters can choose. Allow Guest Voting: Enable voting for unregistered users. Weight Votes by Points: Give more influential members greater voting power (requires the points addon).

Question	What are the different types of posts in Composr forums?
Answer	Regular Posts: Standard posts made by members within a topic. Quick Replies: Shorter replies made directly from the topic view. Anonymous Posts: Members can choose to post anonymously, appearing as a guest. Staff can track the actual user if needed. Emphasised posts: Posts made by staff (or marked by staff) which are highlighted to draw attention as they are important. Whispers: Private messages embedded within public topics, allowing for side conversations. Private Topic Posts: Private messages sent between specific members (e.g. an on-site "inbox").

Question	Can I integrate email with my forums (mailing list)?
Answer	Yes, you can enable email integration for each forum individually. This allows members to post and receive updates via email. Requirements: PHP IMAP extension installed System scheduler (Cron) running IMAP-compatible mail server Recommended: Mail server enforces SPF and DKIM for email validation Mail server limits email size to prevent abuse System scheduler runs frequently (e.g., every minute) so members get prompt updates

Question	How do I organize my forums effectively?
Answer	Structure: Composr's forums follow a hierarchical structure. You can create forum groupings, forums, and sub-forums (and sub-sub-forums etc) in that order of hierarchy. Strategies: Avoid creating too many forums, which can dilute activity. Start with a few well-defined forums and expand as needed. Permissions: Use Composr's permission system to control access to forums and features. For example, you can create private staff forums.

Question	How can I keep track of activity in busy forums?
Answer	Composr provides several tools to help you stay up-to-date with forum activity: Virtual Forums: Special forums like "Posts since last visit" and "Topics with unread posts" provide filtered views of recent activity. Read Status: Topics with unread posts are displayed in bold with a jump-to-first-unread link. You can manually mark topics or entire forums as read or unread. Notifications: You can enable email notifications for specific topics or forums, either manually or automatically based on your activity.

Question	What security measures should I consider for local payments?
Answer	While Composr supports local payments (Authorize.Net), it requires high PCI compliance. Ensure you adhere to the PCI Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) guidelines, including secure coding practices, firewalls, intrusion detection systems, regular security audits, and staff screening.

Question	How can I audit my eCommerce activity in Composr?
Answer	Composr provides tools for monitoring your eCommerce activities: Sales list management: Cancel purchases, view sales history, and manage refunds (Admin Zone > Audit > eCommerce > Sales list management). Charts: Generate profit/loss accounts and cash flow diagrams for specific periods (Admin Zone > Audit > eCommerce, and Admin Zone > Audit > Site statistics). Manual transactions: Record transactions outside of Composr for accurate accounting (Admin Zone > Audit > eCommerce > Manual transaction).

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