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 are URL Monikers and how do they benefit SEO?
Answer	URL Monikers replace generic numerical IDs in your URLs with descriptive keywords derived from your content titles. For example, instead of yoursite.com/page.php?id=123, you can have yoursite.com/about-us. This makes your URLs more user-friendly and helps search engines understand the topic of each page, improving your search ranking. You can set monikers in the "Metadata" section when adding / editing content.

Question	What is an XML Sitemap and why is it important?
Answer	An XML Sitemap is a file that lists all the pages on your website, helping search engines understand your site's structure and content. Composr automatically generates a comprehensive sitemap, including forum topics if you are using Conversr. Ensure your system scheduler is enabled for automatic sitemap submission to search engines. You can also manually generate and submit the sitemap if necessary.

Question	How can I improve my website's ranking in search engines?
Answer	Composr offers various features and best practices to enhance your SEO: Content Optimization: Write high-quality, keyword-rich content using clear headings, relevant links, and descriptive image alt text. URL Monikers: Enable this feature to create human-readable URLs that incorporate keywords instead of numerical IDs. XML Sitemaps: Composr automatically generates and submits XML Sitemaps to major search engines, aiding them in discovering and indexing your content. robots.txt: This file allows you to control which parts of your site search engines can access and index. Composr provides a default robots.txt that can be customized as needed.

Question	What are the primary metadata elements I should focus on?
Answer	While Composr provides extensive metadata options, the key elements to prioritize are: Title: The title tag appears in browser tabs, search results, and when your page is shared. It should be concise, descriptive, and include relevant keywords. Meta Description: This short summary entices users to click on your search result. It should be engaging, informative, and accurately reflect the page's content. Open Graph data: These protocols control how your content appears when shared on social media and other websites. They utilize elements like title, description, and images to create visually appealing previews. Favicon and Apple Web Clip image: These small icons represent your website in bookmarks, browser tabs, and on mobile home screens. They contribute to branding and visual recognition.

Question	What is metadata and why is it important for my website?
Answer	Metadata is information about your web pages that isn't directly visible to visitors, but is used by search engines and social media platforms to understand and categorize your content. Well-crafted metadata helps search engines properly index your site, making it more likely to appear in relevant search results. It also improves how your website appears when shared on social media, encouraging clicks and engagement.

Question	What should I do about offensive or off-topic discussions?
Answer	Decide on your moderation approach: balancing viewpoints, adhering to community standards, or focusing on topic relevance. Be prepared to face criticism regardless of your decisions. Establish clear rules and policies to guide user behavior.

Question	What resources are available to help me navigate these legal and social challenges?
Answer	Composr offers various resources, including tutorials on accessibility, staff management, and general website dos and don'ts. You can also consult external resources like the COPPA website and Wikipedia for more in-depth information on specific laws and regulations. Remember that seeking legal counsel may be necessary for complex situations.

Question	What are some social considerations for running a website with community features?
Answer	Managing a community involves addressing social issues like child protection, free speech, discrimination, and abuse. Establish clear policies on these matters, including content moderation guidelines and procedures for handling feedback. Consider the diverse personalities and potential vulnerabilities of your users.

Question	What are my legal responsibilities regarding illegal content posted by users?
Answer	While "safe harbor" laws offer some protection, you are still obligated to take down illegal content upon becoming aware of it. Implement measures like content checks, clear rules prohibiting illegal uploads, and liability disclaimers. The level of responsibility varies depending on the severity of the content, from copyright infringement to more serious criminal content.

Question	What steps should I take to make my website accessible?
Answer	Website accessibility is essential for inclusivity and may be legally required under anti-discrimination laws. Composr is designed to meet high accessibility standards, but you need to maintain this when creating content or modifying templates. Following WCAG guidelines is crucial, and you can find more information in the accessibility tutorial.

Top 10 Entries

Question	What are the different media types supported for banners?
Answer	The Composr banner system supports various media types: Images: Uploaded directly or via an image URL. Text: Textual banners, including support for "hot text" that dynamically displays banners based on keyword matches within the content. Frames: Banners embedded within frames using an iframe URL. Direct Code: Raw HTML or PHP code can be used to integrate banners from third-party banner networks or create custom banner implementations.

Question	What is a banner wave, and how is it different from a banner rotation?
Answer	A banner wave displays all banners within a specific type as a single advertising block, similar to a list of sponsors. In contrast, a banner rotation randomly displays banners from a set based on factors like display likelihood. You can add a banner wave using the main_banner_wave block and configure it to show a specific number of banners or all banners within a type.

Question	What is a banner network, and how can I create one?
Answer	A banner network is a system for exchanging banners between websites. You can create a banner network in Composr by associating banners with specific websites. When a site joins your banner network, you provide them with an iframe code to display banners from your rotation. Composr uses a "hit balancing" system where sites in the network receive banner impressions based on the clicks they generate for other sites in the network.

Question	Can I restrict who can see specific banners?
Answer	Yes, by enabling the "Permissions" configuration option in the Admin Zone (Admin Zone > Setup > Configuration > Feature options > Banners), you can control which usergroups can see individual banners. This feature allows for banner targeting and prevents inappropriate banners from being shown to specific audiences, such as adult banners to minors.

Question	What are the different types of banner deployment agreements?
Answer	There are three types of banner deployment agreements: Permanent: These banners are always displayed as long as there is available space. Campaign: These banners have a limited number of impressions or clicks before they stop displaying. They can be associated with specific campaigns and can have their hits increased if needed. Default: These banners are displayed only when there are no permanent or campaign banners available to show. The system displays permanent and campaign banners with a 50:50 split.

Question	What should I do if URL Schemes are not working properly?
Answer	If URL Schemes, which rely on web server rewrites, are not functioning correctly, you can disable them using the `http://yourbaseurl/config_editor.php` script. Enable the option "Whether to block the URL Scheme (mod_rewrite)" to override the main configuration setting.

Question	What should I do if an addon causes problems on my Composr website?
Answer	Composr's Safe Mode can help isolate addon-related problems. Enable Safe Mode: Use the safe mode link or the config editor (http://yourbaseurl/config_editor.php) to enable Safe Mode. Uninstall the problematic addon: Once in Safe Mode, navigate to the addon management section and uninstall the addon causing the issue. Disable Safe Mode: After resolving the problem, disable Safe Mode through the config editor.

Question	How can I manually edit my Composr database?
Answer	phpMyAdmin is a widely used web-based tool for managing MySQL databases. It allows you to: Browse tables: View and edit individual rows within database tables. Run SQL queries: Execute SQL commands directly for specific tasks. Repair corrupted tables: Access table repair functions. Refer to the "Manually editing your database with phpMyAdmin" tutorial for more detailed instructions.

Question	How can I reset a forgotten account password in Composr?
Answer	If you have access to phpMyAdmin: Access the f_members table. Find the row corresponding to the user whose password needs to be reset. Edit the row, setting m_pass_hash_salted to the new password using MD5 encryption, clearing m_pass_salt, and setting m_password_compat_scheme to 'md5'. If you have FTP access: Obtain your IP address. Edit your _config.php file, setting $SITE_INFO['backdoor_ip'] to your IP address. This enables a temporary backdoor login for your IP address, bypassing security restrictions. Remove the backdoor entry after logging in and resetting the password through standard means. Caution: Using the backdoor method is a security risk and should be done with extreme caution.

Question	My Composr installation seems corrupted. How can I repair it?
Answer	Composr offers several tools and methods for repairing corrupted installations: Integrity checker: The upgrader tool, accessible via `http://yourbaseurl/upgrader.php`, includes an integrity checker that identifies outdated or corrupted files. MySQL table repair: The Admin Zone > Tools > Cleanup tools provides access to MySQL table repair functionalities. Alternatively, use phpMyAdmin or your web host's database management tools for more direct control. Safe Mode: Access safe mode via the bookmarked link from the setup wizard or by adding &keep_safe_mode=1 to any website URL. This disables custom themes and caching, helping isolate problems caused by themes or custom code.

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