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Question Are there any limitations to importing forum data?
Answer Yes, some limitations exist, particularly with specific forum platforms.
  • General: Private messages are often combined into private topics.
  • phpBB: Usergroup configuration and HTML entities may require manual adjustments after import.
  • vBulletin: Calendar recurrences, ratings (karma), and 'goes to coventry' are not imported perfectly. Attachments may need to be extracted directly from the live database due to potential corruption in SQL dumps.
  • Simple Machine Forum: Banning features may not import perfectly due to differences in how Composr handles bans.
Question Where can I find the import functionality in Composr?
Answer Navigate to Admin Zone > Tools > Import.
Question What data formats can Composr import?
Answer Composr primarily uses database connections for importing. However, it also supports neutral data formats like CSV spreadsheet files and importing downloads from a directory.
Question Can I import data from other platforms into Composr?
Answer Yes, Composr offers importers for several popular platforms:
  • Forum Software: Invision Board, MyBB, phpBB, Simple Machine Forum, vBulletin
  • Content Management Systems: WordPress
  • Special Importers: HTML website importer, Composr merge (for merging another Composr site)
Question How do I move my Composr website to a new server?
Answer Moving a Composr site involves transferring both the files and the database.

Files:
  • On the old server, ZIP the entire Composr directory.
  • Download the ZIP file to your computer.
  • Upload the ZIP file to the new server using SFTP/FTP.
  • On the new server, unzip the file.

Database:
  • On the old server, create an SQL dump of your database using the mysqldump command or phpMyAdmin.
  • Download the SQL dump file.
  • If your URL is changing, search and replace the old URL with the new one in the SQL dump file.
  • Upload the SQL dump file to the new server.
  • Restore the database on the new server using the mysql command or phpMyAdmin.

Important Steps:
  • File Permissions: After transferring files, ensure correct file permissions are set on the new server. You can use the fixperms.php script, the upgrader script, or manually adjust them.
  • Configuration: If database settings are different on the new server, update the _config.php file or use the config_editor.php script to change the settings for both the site and forum databases.
  • Base URL: If your URL has changed, update the base URL setting in the Installation Options editor (config_editor.php).
  • Caches: Clear the block cache using the upgrader.php script.
Question Can I integrate third-party JavaScript libraries into Composr?
Answer Yes, you can integrate third-party JavaScript libraries using various methods:
  • Direct reference by URL: Include the library's URL in your theme's HTML.
  • Composr's JavaScript API: Use Composr's API for organized inclusion and potential future compatibility benefits.
  • Manual integration: Directly include the library's code in appropriate template files.
Choose the method best suited for your needs and technical proficiency.
Question How does Composr handle user authentication with external systems like LDAP or HTTP authentication?
Answer Composr can integrate with LDAP and HTTP authentication, but these features are considered complex and may require programming experience to set up correctly. Both methods allow users to log in to Composr using their existing credentials from the external system, streamlining access and management.
Question What are the limitations of using a third-party forum driver?
Answer Using a third-party forum driver can lead to limitations. Custom profile fields of type LONG_TEXT are limited to TEXT length, cookie integration is not officially supported and can be complex, and some forum drivers have specific quirks detailed in the nuances tutorial.
Question What are the implications of using the "none-forum" driver?
Answer Using the "none-forum" driver disables or limits many Composr features, including commenting, points, and user interactions. Consider using Conversr instead and restricting access to the forum zone, join module, and personal zone.
Question How can I integrate my forum visually into my website?
Answer Composr allows you to integrate your forum visually into your website. Enable "Show forum within website" in the Admin Zone configuration module and update the forum link in your menu to pass through the "forums" embedding module. You may need to adjust CSS to achieve a seamless look.

Top 10 Entries

Question Can I use the calendar as a personal diary and keep my entries private?
Answer Yes. When adding an event to the calendar, you can choose to make it public or private. Private events are generally used when someone wants to use the calendar system as a diary.
Question How can I set up reminders for events?
Answer When adding or editing an event, you can enable reminders for yourself and specific user groups. You can also choose how much notice you want for each reminder.

Members can subscribe for reminders on an individual event screen. They can also personalize their reminder settings, including removing reminders or having multiple reminders at different times.

Members can also subscribe for notifications to specific event types to be notified whenever events under those types are scheduled.
Question How can I schedule Commandr commands to run automatically?
Answer To schedule commands, create an event with the "System command" event type. This option needs to be enabled in the configuration first. In the event details, you can specify either a URL for Composr to call or a snippet of Commandr code to execute. Be sure to disable the WYSIWYG editor for this type of event. You'll also need to have the system scheduler configured for the commands to run automatically.
Question Can I add external feeds to the calendar?
Answer Yes, you can add RSS or Atom feeds to your calendar. This lets you view time-based information from external sources alongside your calendar events.
Question What do I do if a recurring event needs to be changed or skipped?
Answer Composr has a "fixing an event" feature to handle changes to recurring events. This is useful if an event needs to be cancelled or rescheduled. You edit the event as if it were a new, standalone event and choose the "Edit with fixing past recurrences" option. This separates the past occurrences from the modified event, ensuring future recurrences reflect the changes.
Question What is the "recurrence pattern" and how does it work?
Answer The recurrence pattern is a powerful tool that defines how often an event repeats. While it might seem complex at first, it provides a lot of flexibility. Think of it as a binary code where each digit represents a time period (like a day or week). A "1" indicates the event occurs, and a "0" means it doesn't. This lets you create complex schedules like "every weekday" (daily with pattern 1111100 if it starts on a Monday) or "every other Tuesday" (weekly on Tuesday with the pattern 10).
Question What are the different views available in the calendar?
Answer The calendar has five views:
  • Year view: Displays an overview of the entire year.
  • Month view: Shows events within a specific month.
  • Week view: Displays events for a selected week.
  • Day view: Shows events scheduled for a specific day.
  • Event view: Displays the details of a single event.

You can easily navigate between these views to get different levels of detail and focus on specific periods or events.
Question How do I add events to the calendar?
Answer You can add events in several ways:
  • Through the Admin Zone or Content Management Zone: Go to Admin Zone > Content > Calendar.
  • Directly on the calendar: Click on a date box on the calendar view.
  • Using the "Add Event" button on any calendar view.

Deleting events can be done at the bottom of the event's edit form. You have options for recurring events, such as editing/deleting the specific occurrence, editing/deleting future ones, or all of them.
Question How do I categorize events?
Answer You categorize events using "Event types". Composr provides default types like "Anniversary", "Appointment", "Birthday", "General", "Public Holiday", "Task", "Vacation", and the special "System command" for executing Commandr commands. You can also add your own custom event types to suit your specific needs, such as "Appraisal Session" for a business website.
Question What is an "event" in the Composr calendar system?
Answer An event is any entry in the calendar. Importantly, an event isn't limited to a single point or range in time. Events can recur based on a schedule you define. This makes them very flexible – they can represent anything from one-time appointments to recurring birthdays or even weekly team practices.