Features: A-Z Index

A

Administration Zone

Administration Zone

B

Banners

Banners

C

Calendar

Calendar

Catalogues

Catalogues

Chatrooms and IM

Chatrooms and IM

Community features

Community features

Content Sharing

Content Sharing

Conversr Forums

Conversr Forums

Conversr Topic Polls

Conversr Topic Polls

D

Design without barriers

Design without barriers

Downloads

Downloads

E

Ease of Use

Ease of Use

eCommerce and Subscriptions

eCommerce and Subscriptions

Extendable

Extendable

F

Featured Content

Featured Content

G

Galleries

Galleries

I

Installation

Installation

Integration

Integration

L

Localisation

Localisation

M

Membership

Membership

N

News and Blogs

News and Blogs

Newsletters

Newsletters

P

Parental Controls

Parental Controls

Performance

Performance

Points

Points

Privacy Tools

Privacy Tools

Q

Quizzes and Surveys

Quizzes and Surveys

R

Rich Media

Rich Media

S

Search Engine Optimisation

Search Engine Optimisation

Searching

Searching

Security

Security

Spam Protection

Spam Protection

Stay on Top

Stay on Top

Structure / Navigation

Structure / Navigation

Support Tickets

Support Tickets

T

Template Programming Language

Template Programming Language

Testing tools

Testing tools

Themeing tools

Themeing tools

Third party integration

Third party integration

W

Warnings / Moderation

Warnings / Moderation

Web Pages

Web Pages

Web standards

Web standards

Website Polls

Website Polls

White-labeling (Debranding)

White-labeling (Debranding)

Wiki+

Wiki+

Newest 10 Entries

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.

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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.

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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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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Top 10 Entries

Question What steps should I take if my website has been hacked?
Answer If you suspect a security breach, take immediate action:
  • Identify the Cause: Analyze access logs for suspicious activity and pinpoint the vulnerability.
  • Clean and Restore: Restore your website from a clean backup and thoroughly remove any malicious code.
  • Address Vulnerabilities: Patch security holes, update software, and strengthen security configurations.
  • Seek Expert Help: If needed, consult security professionals for assistance with cleanup and prevention.

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Question What additional security measures can I implement for my Composr website?
Answer
  • SSL: Enable HTTPS for encrypted communication and improved user trust.
  • Secure Zones: Configure sensitive zones to require confirmed sessions.
  • Restrict Logins: Enforce IP address confirmation for enhanced account security.
  • Maintenance Scripts: Restrict access to maintenance scripts like upgrader.php via IP restrictions.
  • Server Hardening: Disable unnecessary services, change default ports, enable automatic updates, and more.
  • Robots.txt: Use the robots.txt file to prevent search engine indexing of sensitive areas.

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Question How does Content Security Policy (CSP) contribute to Composr security?
Answer CSP adds a layer of protection by controlling the resources the browser is allowed to load. It helps prevent:
  • XSS Attacks: By restricting inline scripts and limiting script sources.
  • Data Injection Attacks: By controlling the allowed origins for data requests.
  • Clickjacking: By specifying allowed framing sources.

Composr's CSP implementation utilizes "Trusted partner sites" and nonces for fine-grained control.

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Question What is the purpose of "confirmed" and "non-confirmed" sessions?
Answer Composr distinguishes between confirmed and non-confirmed sessions for added security:
  • Confirmed: When you actively log in with your credentials.
  • Non-confirmed: When you return to the site and are automatically logged in via cookies.

You can configure zones to require confirmed sessions, preventing access from cookie-based logins alone. The Admin Zone uses this by default.

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Question How can I enhance the security of my Composr installation on shared hosting?
Answer Shared hosting environments can be inherently less secure. Here are some tips:
  • Choose a Secure Host: Opt for hosts that offer suEXEC and open_basedir for better account isolation.
  • Test Security: Verify the host's security measures with the provided filesystem_browser.php script.
  • Restrict _config.php: Remove world-writable permissions from _config.php after installation.

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Question How does Composr protect against Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks?
Answer Composr utilizes multiple layers of defense against XSS attacks:
  • HTML Filtering: Configurable levels of filtering prevent malicious script injection.
  • Content Security Policy (CSP): Restricts the sources from which scripts and other resources can be loaded.
  • Input Sanitization: Data is sanitized before being processed to prevent malicious code execution.
  • Output Encoding: Data displayed to users is properly encoded to prevent interpretation as active code.

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Question What are the different types of security alerts in Composr?
Answer Composr has a variety of hack-attack codenames that trigger security alerts and logging. Some common examples include:
  • DODGY_GET_HACK: Suspicious URLs with potentially harmful characters.
  • EVIL_POSTED_FORM_HACK: Possible CSRF attempts via malicious form submissions.
  • SCRIPT_UPLOAD_HACK: Attempts to upload PHP scripts, potentially malicious.
  • DOWNLOAD_PRIVATE_URL_HACK/TRY_TO_DOWNLOAD_SCRIPT: Attempts to download sensitive files.
  • BRUTEFORCE_LOGIN_HACK: Repeated failed login attempts.
  • SQL_INJECTION_HACK: Attempts to exploit SQL queries for data extraction.

You can customize alert handling for each type in data_custom/xml_config/advanced_banning.xml (Admin Zone > Security > Configure advanced banning).

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Question What are some tips for secure website maintenance?
Answer
  • Avoid FTP: Use secure alternatives like SFTP or SSH for file transfer.
  • Secure Email: Enable SSL for IMAP and POP3 email protocols.
  • Strong Passwords: Use unique and complex passwords for different services.
  • Secure Computers: Keep your own devices patched and secure.
  • Maintenance Password: Remove the maintenance password from _config.php when not in use.

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Question What are the main security features of Composr?
Answer Composr has a robust set of security features to protect your website, including:

Passwords:
  • Visual representation of password quality and enforcement of complexity rules.
  • Password expiry and prevention of re-use.
  • Secure password hashing, even if the database is compromised.
  • Temporary passwords for staff setup.

Login Restrictions:
  • Two-factor authentication via IP address approval.
  • IP address banning, including wildcard banning.
  • Session locking to IP addresses.
  • Configurable session expiry times.
  • Ability to prevent privileged actions from auto-logged in sessions.
  • Optional member approval process.

Auditing Systems:
  • Comprehensive audit logging of administrative actions.
  • Logging of user actions and IP address history.
  • Tools to analyze audit logs.
  • Failed login logging.
  • Hack attack detection, logging, and banning.
  • Email notifications for changes to user credentials.

Framework Security:
  • Protection against CSRF attacks.
  • Click-jacking prevention via CSP implementation.
  • Secure coding standards and scanning techniques.
  • Configurable HTML filtering to prevent XSS attacks.
  • Secure code modularization standards.

Other features:
  • Granular privileges and access permissions.
  • Content submission validation process.
  • Rootkit detection system.
  • Spam prevention systems.
  • Web application firewall rules.
  • Moderation systems.

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Question Why are my searches slow, and how can I improve search speed?
Answer Slow searches can occur when dealing with large amounts of content. Here are some workarounds and solutions:
  • MySQL timeout setting: For MySQL 5.7+, set a query timeout to prevent searches from locking up your database. Composr automatically sets this, but you can configure it manually if needed.
  • Use InnoDB tables: Switching to InnoDB tables in MySQL can prevent slow queries from affecting other users on your website. Note that InnoDB is not officially supported by Composr yet.
  • Enable the fast custom index: As mentioned earlier, the fast custom index is optimized for handling large datasets and filtered searches, potentially leading to significant speed improvements.

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