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 other methods exist for featuring content in Composr?
Answer	Random Quotes: The quotes feature allows you to display a rotating selection of quotes on your site. Community Billboard (Requires Addon): The Community Billboard addon provides a dedicated space for displaying important announcements or community messages.

Question	How can I create countdowns or display hit counters on my Composr website?
Answer	Composr offers blocks for both functionalities: Countdowns: Use the main_countdown block to add countdowns to specific dates and times. Hit Counters: While generally considered outdated, you can use the main_count block to display hit counters for specific content.

Question	Can I display forum content in a prominent way on my Composr site?
Answer	Absolutely! Composr provides several blocks designed for featuring forum content: News-Style Blocks: side_forum_news, main_forum_news, and bottom_forum_news display forum topics in a news format, ideal for forums used for news posting. Topic-Focused Block: main_forum_topics showcases recent topics from specific forums, allowing you to highlight active discussions or important announcements.

Question	What is the difference between using the main_awards block and directly selecting content with the main_content block?
Answer	Both blocks can feature content, but they offer different approaches: main_awards: Provides a structured system for managing featured content through award assignment, archives, and optional point rewards. Requires active management to update award holders. main_content: Offers direct control over specific content or allows random selection from chosen categories. May require manual updates or adjustments.

Question	What is the Composr Award system, and how do I use it?
Answer	The Award system is a powerful tool for highlighting and promoting specific content. Here's how it works: Award Types: Define awards associated with specific content types (e.g., "Download of the Week" for downloads). Award Assignment: When editing content, designate it as the current holder of a relevant award. Display: Use the main_awards block to showcase current award holders on your site. Archive: Awarded content is automatically archived for easy access and historical reference. Points: If you use points, recipients of awards can also receive points as a reward.

Question	How do I feature specific content items on my Composr site?
Answer	You can feature content using various methods: Blocks: The main_content block allows you to display specific items by content type and ID or randomize content from selected categories. Awards: Create awards for different content types and assign them to specific items. You can then use the main_awards block to display current award holders. Awards also integrate with points to credit points to award holders. And you can be reminded on the staff checklist to assign a new award every configurable amount of time. Advanced Embedding: For greater control, use the main_include_module block to embed entire module screens within other content.

Question	What are the benefits of featuring content on my Composr website?
Answer	Featuring content provides several advantages: Freshness and Activity: It gives your site a dynamic feel, showcasing updates and encouraging return visits. Effortless Variety: Featuring content introduces diversity without extensive effort. User Engagement: It draws users in and motivates them to check back for new featured items. Prominent Placement: Featured content receives prime visibility, highlighting its importance or rewarding its creator.

Question	How can I handle bounced emails?
Answer	Composr includes a bounce filter tool that helps you remove bounced email addresses from your subscriber list. To use this tool, you'll need: The PHP IMAP extension enabled on your server. A dedicated folder on your email server to collect bounced emails. The bounce filter tool scans the specified folder for bounce messages and lets you remove the corresponding addresses from your newsletter list. Composr will also halt attempts sending e-mails to those addresses to help prevent you from getting listed on spam blocklists.

Question	How can I customize the appearance of my newsletters?
Answer	You can customize the look of your newsletters by editing the following templates: NEWSLETTER_DEFAULT_FCOMCODE.txt: This template defines the default content and layout for newsletters. MAIL.tpl: This template controls the overall appearance of emails sent from Composr. Custom mail templates: You can create custom HTML templates for specific newsletters.

Question	How can I ensure my newsletters comply with data privacy regulations?
Answer	Composr provides built-in mechanisms for compliance: Unsubscribe links: Newsletters include an unsubscribe link, allowing recipients to opt out of the newsletters. Global unsubscribe: All Composr emails include a link to a global unsubscribe page (data/unsubscribe.php), letting users unsubscribe from all site emails.

Top 10 Entries

Question	How do I set the correct file permissions for Composr?
Answer	If you're using the quick installer, it will handle file permissions automatically. On a suEXEC-style server, default permissions (744 for directories and 644 for files) are usually sufficient. However, _config.php should have 600 permissions for security. Without suEXEC, specific directories (e.g., caches, uploads) and files (e.g., _config.php) require 777 (full access) or 666 (read/write) permissions. The fixperms.php script can automate this process on Linux and Windows.

Question	How do I install Composr on Linux?
Answer	After ensuring your web host meets the requirements and you have a database ready, you can install Composr on Linux using the following steps: Upload the Composr files to your web directory. Navigate to the install.php file in your web browser. Follow the on-screen instructions, providing the required information, such as database details and administrator credentials. After the installation is complete, delete the install.php file for security reasons.

Question	What are the prerequisites for installing Composr?
Answer	Before installing Composr, ensure your web host meets the minimum requirements. Familiarize yourself with your web host's control panel (e.g., Plesk, cPanel), which you'll use to manage databases, subdomains, and other settings. Gather your SFTP/FTP credentials (hostname, username, password), usually emailed upon signup. Set up a MySQL database and note its details: hostname (often 'localhost'), username, password, and database name. Ensure the database user has full read/write/administer access to the database.

Question	What tools are available for debugging Composr code?
Answer	Composr offers a code quality checker addon that helps identify various types of errors, including parser errors, run-time errors, and logical errors. This tool can significantly reduce debugging time and enhance code reliability. It is available through the testing_platform addon.

Question	What are some key coding standards in Composr?
Answer	Composr emphasizes clean, well-structured code with a focus on readability and maintainability. Key standards include proper indentation, consistent use of comments, and clear function headers with type definitions. Remember: beautiful code leads to better functionality and collaboration!

Question	Where can I find resources for learning PHP programming?
Answer	While Composr documentation doesn't cover basic PHP, resources like the official PHP documentation ( PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor PHP is a popular general-purpose scripting language that powers everything from your blog to the most popular websites in the world. View ), online tutorials, and the Composr API guide can help you learn.

Question	What is the purpose of the Code Editor?
Answer	The Code Editor is a web-based tool for editing Composr code files directly on the server. It requires password authentication and automatically manages overrides within _custom directories. To access it, go to `yourbaseurl/code_editor.php`.

Question	How can I export and import custom addons?
Answer	Composr allows exporting addons as TAR files, containing all necessary files and an addon.inf file for metadata. You can import these addons to share and reuse them across different Composr installations. To do this, make your necessary files for the addon in the Composr installation, and then go under Admin Zone > Structure > Addons > Export addon. You can select the relevant files for the addon, provide information about the addon, and then download the TAR file (which can then be imported on other Composr sites).

Question	Can you give an example of creating a new module?
Answer	Imagine creating a "Testing" module to manage collaborative testing: Define purpose: Allow testers to add, assign, and track tests, with security and forum integration. Design database: Plan the necessary database tables and fields to store the module's data. Create module shell: Write the basic module structure based on standard Composr modules. Define screens: Identify the module's screens and code their corresponding functions. Utilize API functions: Use Composr's built-in API functions like create_table, add_privilege, and do_template to implement functionality.

Question	What are the different ways to extend Composr functionality?
Answer	You can extend Composr through: File overrides: Replacing existing source files with modified versions in _custom directories. New Modules/Mini-modules: Creating new modules for complex functionalities or mini-modules for simpler ones. New Blocks/Miniblocks: Adding reusable content blocks. New API code: Adding new PHP files to the sources_custom directory. Hooks: Writing hooks to add features to specific areas of functionality.

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