Contributors: A-Z Index

A

Name Photograph Title / Role Contributions / Notes
Allen Ellis Image 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

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C

Name Photograph Title / Role Contributions / Notes
Chris Graham Image 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.

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Chris Warburton developer for ocProducts

Made some key contributions to ocPortal

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H

Name Photograph Title / Role Contributions / Notes
Haydn Maidment project manager for ocProducts

None available

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J

Name Photograph Title / Role Contributions / Notes
Jim Davidson contributor

written many tutorials via Arvixe

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P

Name Photograph Title / Role Contributions / Notes
Patrick Schmalstig Image 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.

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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

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R

Name Photograph Title / Role Contributions / Notes
Robert Goacher Image 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

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S

Name Photograph Title / Role Contributions / Notes
Steve Jarvis project manager for ocProducts

Wrote many tutorials via Arvixe

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Newest 10 Entries

Question How do I set up the forum base URL correctly?
Answer The forum base URL should be a URL prefix to your forums without a script name. For example, http://forums.example.com is correct, while http://forums.example.com/index.php is incorrect. You can fix this using the config_editor.php script and then clear the Comcode page cache.

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Question How do comment topics work?
Answer Most Composr resources with commenting enabled create comment topics in the configured comment forum. If the forum uses BBCode, Comcode features not supported by BBCode may not display correctly. Moderate comments from the forum as you would any other topic.

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Question Can I switch forums after installing Composr?
Answer It's not easy to switch forums after installing Composr. The member and usergroup IDs referenced by Composr would lose their association. Check the "Importing data into Composr" tutorial for more information on this.

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Question What is Conversr and why is it recommended?
Answer Conversr is Composr's built-in forum system. It offers seamless integration, allowing you to use Comcode for forum posts, a unified Admin Zone, shared themes and templates, and innovative features like Private Topics and in-post whispers. Using a third-party forum can be clunky and may lead to maintenance headaches.

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Question What forum drivers does Composr support?
Answer Composr supports several forum drivers, including Invision Board, phpBB, myBB, vBulletin, Burning Board, and Simple Machine Forum. If your forum is not listed, professional developers can add support. Composr also provides converters for migrating from these forums to its own forum system, Conversr.

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Question What are the web server requirements for running Composr?
Answer Composr is compatible with Apache and IIS servers.

For Apache:
  • Enable mod_rewrite for URL Schemes or URL Redirects.
  • Ensure AllowOverride All or at least AllowOverride Options FileInfo Limit is set in the server configuration.
  • Recommended modules for optimal performance include mod_headers, mod_setenvif, mod_env, mod_deflate, and mod_filter.

For IIS:
  • Don't disable default Feature Delegation for settings changed in the bundled web.config file.
  • Install the URL Rewrite module, essential for URL Schemes, URL Redirects, and basic security.
  • Configure IIS for additional mime-types if needed, as it doesn't serve unrecognized file types by default.

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Question What are the PHP requirements for running Composr?
Answer Composr requires PHP 7.2 or higher, but versions not officially supported by PHP developers are discouraged. The maximum tested version is PHP 8.3.

Required PHP extensions:
  • GD2 (gd) with PNG and JPEG support
  • MySQL extension (mysqli or pdo_mysql)
  • XML extension (xml)
  • Multibyte String (mbstring)
  • cURL extension (curl)
  • JSON support (usually available by default)
  • Sodium (libsodium)
  • ZIP extension (zip) if ZIP file support is needed

Additional recommendations:
  • posix extension for permission checks
  • zlib extension for faster upgrades, compressed backups, and page compression
  • ctype extension for slightly faster performance
  • IMAP extension (imap) for managing newsletter bounces
  • OpenSSL extension (openssl) for encrypted CPFs, DKIM, and SSL certificate expiry checks
  • Pspell (pspell) or Enchant (enchant) extensions for spell checking

Ensure the following PHP settings are configured:
  • File upload size limit of at least 5MB (or higher as needed)
  • Maximum execution time of at least 30 seconds
  • Memory limit of at least 128MB
  • The installer will warn you if any critical functions have been disabled via disable_functions or other PHP modifications. Avoid web hosts that heavily restrict standard PHP functionality.

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Question How do I uninstall Composr?
Answer To uninstall Composr, access the uninstall.php file in your web browser, enter your administrator password, and follow the prompts to remove the database data. Afterward, you can safely delete the Composr installation directory.

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Question What are the recommended web hosting options for Composr?
Answer Choosing a web host is crucial. Avoid the cheapest options and look for hosts with recent positive reviews and minimal credible complaints. Ensure they meet Composr's requirements, including adequate disk space, no restrictive file size limits, and support for required PHP extensions.

Composr is compatible with various hosting control panels like Plesk and cPanel, and works on Windows, Linux, or Mac OS servers.

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Question Can I install Composr on a Windows desktop?
Answer Yes, you can install Composr on a Windows desktop using software packages like WampServer, XAMPP, EasyPHP, or ampps for simplified setup. Alternatively, you can manually install Apache, PHP, and MySQL, following the instructions provided in the respective documentation. Remember to configure file permissions appropriately and ensure the webserver isn't accessible from outside your network.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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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