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	How are time zones handled in Composr statistics?
Answer	All times in Composr statistics are displayed according to the configured website time zone, regardless of visitor or user account time zones. While this is a limitation due to pre-computation, some graphs displaying hourly stats and country filtering offer insights into local times for manual analysis.

Question	What are the limitations of pre-computed statistics in Composr?
Answer	Pre-computed statistics introduce certain limitations: Filtering constraints: Limits filtering options to those incorporated in the data structure. Historical data limitation: To maintain site stability, statistics older than 31 days aren't pre-processed. This may lead to data gaps if the system scheduler malfunctions or statistical data is manually deleted.

Question	Why does Composr use pre-computed statistics?
Answer	Composr generates statistics from pre-computed data for several reasons: GDPR compliance: Prevents indefinite storage of raw (potentially personal) data while preserving historical statistics. Computational efficiency: Avoids real-time execution of complex calculations, ensuring optimal performance. Scalability: Handles vast amounts of data without performance degradation. Responsiveness: Enables quick and seamless statistics browsing and filtering. Data accessibility: Makes generated data readily available for other Composr components.

Question	What are KPIs and how are they used in Composr?
Answer	KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) are specific measurements selected for marketing analysis. In Composr, time-series graphs can be added as KPIs. They offer several benefits: Quick reference: Available on the Admin Zone dashboard staff checklist. Target setting: Allows setting targets against KPIs, visualized on graphs and in overview summaries. Notifications: Staff members receive regular notifications regarding target achievement status.

Question	How can I perform split testing in Composr?
Answer	Split testing in Composr involves combining tracking codes with events. The simplest approach utilizes Tempcode: Random tracking code: Choose a random tracking code from a set and activate it for the user session. Conditional output: Generate different content variations based on the active tracking code. Subsequently, you can analyze event success rates based on the assigned tracking codes, utilizing both inbuilt events and custom-created events.

Question	What is the purpose of tracking codes in Composr?
Answer	Tracking codes help you identify the sources driving user sessions to your website or associate specific split testing variations with users. Composr offers integrated referral tracking through various means: URL parameter: The _t URL parameter can contain any custom tracking code, automatically registered by the stats addon. Recommend addon: This addon automatically includes tracking codes for the referral source, referring member, and the referred page. Member joining: When a referred member joins, the referring member receives points and a friend request. Referrals addon: Allows manual tracking code input upon joining and facilitates a referrer reward system. Stats addon: Generates graphs of tracking codes, including conversion rate measurements. User lookup tool: Allows checking if a user accessed the site via a tracking code. Tempcode integration: Inject tracking codes into Tempcode using symbols like `{$SET_TRACKING_CODE,some code}` or `{$SPLIT_TEST,some code,some other code}`.

Question	What are the different ways to track events in Composr?
Answer	Composr offers various methods for tracking events: Inbuilt events: Automatically recorded for actions like form submissions, purchases, newsletter signups, etc. Tempcode symbol: Use the `{$LOG_STATS_EVENT,event}` symbol within your templates to track events when the template is displayed. JavaScript function: Employ the `$cms.statsEventTrack` JavaScript function to track events from within your JavaScript code. HTML data attribute: Add `data-click-stats-event-track="{ category: 'some event', nativeTracking: true }"` to HTML elements. This method acts as a wrapper for the JavaScript function. URL wrapping: Wrap URLs in links using the `{$STATS_TRACK_URL,URL,event}` symbol. This approach records events via a redirection script and doesn't rely on JavaScript. The JavaScript and HTML data attribute methods can also be integrated with Google Analytics events.

Question	How do I install geo-location data for Composr statistics?
Answer	Geo-location data installation is usually automatic during the Composr installation process. If not, you can manually install it by navigating to Admin Zone > Audit > Site statistics > Install geolocation data. This action will reschedule the installation task. If you don't see this option, the geo-location data is already installed.

Question	What are the key differences between Google Analytics and Composr statistics?
Answer	While there is some overlap, Composr statistics and Google Analytics are complementary tools. Google Analytics Pros: Offers sophisticated functionality for professional marketers. Integrates with other Google products like AdSense and Search Console. Provides insights based on Google's marketing data, such as visitor demographics. Google Analytics Cons: Limited to web visit data unless custom programming or complex configuration is implemented. Relies on JavaScript for tracking, which can be blocked by users. Uses tracking cookies, raising privacy concerns and potential GDPR compliance issues. Data is potentially sold to third-party data brokers or used for targeted advertising by Google. Closed-source platform. Composr Statistics Pros: Server-side tracking, independent of JavaScript and browser configurations. Contextual information and graphs for data beyond web visits (e.g., sales). Enhanced privacy as it only uses IP addresses, session IDs, and member IDs. Complete data control as it is hosted on your website. Open-source addon, fully customizable. Basic users may find Composr statistics sufficient, while expert marketers might prefer the power of Google Analytics.

Question	What tools and strategies can be used for staff training and development?
Answer	While Composr itself doesn't provide built-in training features, several approaches can be used for staff development: Documentation & Tutorials: Utilize the extensive Composr documentation and tutorials available online to familiarize staff with the platform's functionalities. Mentorship: Pair experienced staff with newcomers to provide guidance and support during the initial learning phase. Private Forums & Chat: Create dedicated communication channels where staff can exchange knowledge, ask questions, and share best practices. Regular Meetings: Conduct regular staff meetings to discuss updates, share information, and address any arising challenges. External Resources: Leverage external resources like online courses or workshops focused on relevant skills, such as content management or community moderation. By investing in ongoing staff training and development, communities can ensure their teams possess the necessary knowledge and skills to perform their roles effectively and contribute to the platform's overall success.

Top 10 Entries

Question	How can I ensure my website complies with email marketing laws?
Answer	Email marketing laws like CAN-SPAM protect recipients' rights to unsubscribe. Your website must include a clear 'List-Unsubscribe' header in every email, offer an easy unsubscribe process, and respect unsubscribe requests promptly. Composr provides built-in mechanisms, including an unsubscribe endpoint and support for the List-Unsubscribe header, to facilitate compliance.

Question	What are my responsibilities regarding user privacy?
Answer	You must have a comprehensive privacy policy that details the personal data you collect, its usage, and if it's shared with third parties. Laws like GDPR have strict requirements, including logging data access, data purging, and security measures. California law mandates specific elements in your policy, like handling "Do Not Track" requests and a clear process for communicating changes. Composr has an automatic Privacy Policy generator block to help you get started. This is used by default.

Question	How can I create effective website rules?
Answer	A well-defined rules page is crucial for setting expectations for user behavior and outlining consequences for violations. It should cover a range of offenses with appropriate punishments, reference relevant laws, and assign legal responsibility to users. Composr provides default rules pages that can be customized, and this page is displayed to users upon joining the site.

Question	What are the key legal considerations for running a website?
Answer	Several legal aspects need careful attention when operating a website, especially for large or corporate sites. These include establishing clear rules and terms of service, adhering to privacy laws like GDPR and California's regulations, managing personal data responsibly, complying with email marketing regulations like CAN-SPAM, ensuring website accessibility, addressing eCommerce regulations, and understanding liability for content and user actions.

Question	How do data-tpl and data-view behaviors work in Composr's JavaScript?
Answer	Composr uses data-tpl and data-view behaviors for associating HTML templates and JavaScript views, respectively. This facilitates clean separation of presentation and logic: data-tpl: Used with the $cms.behaviors.initializeTemplates function and PARAMS_JSON tempcode directive to bind JavaScript logic to HTML templates. data-view: Used with the $cms.behaviors.initializeViews function to associate JavaScript view classes (inheriting from $cms.View) with specific HTML elements.

Question	What are the advantages of using Composr's JavaScript libraries?
Answer	Composr's JavaScript libraries like $cms, $util, and $dom offer several advantages: Organization: They provide a structured way to access Composr-specific functionalities, avoiding global namespace pollution. Abstraction: They encapsulate common tasks, simplifying DOM manipulation, form handling, and interaction with Composr's UI. Consistency: They offer a consistent API across different parts of Composr.

Question	How does Composr implement the Model-View-Controller (MVC) pattern?
Answer	Model/API: The sources directory primarily houses scripts forming the Model/API, handling data logic and business rules. View: Templates in themes/default/templates represent the View, responsible for presenting data to the user. Comcode pages can also be considered part of the View. Controller: Entry scripts like index.php and site/dload.php act as front controllers, directing requests. Modules and blocks, residing in */pages/modules and sources/[mini]blocks, respectively, serve as controllers, managing user interactions and determining which View to render.

Question	Can I translate my content into multiple languages?
Answer	Yes, Composr supports multi-language content. You can enable this feature by: Installing multiple language packs: Make sure you have at least two language packs installed. Enabling the Conversr multi-language option: Go to Admin Zone > Setup > Configuration > Site options > Internationalisation. Running a Commandr command: Execute the necessary command to set up the database structure for multi-language content (unless you already enabled Support content translations when installing). Once enabled, you can translate your content into different languages and allow visitors to choose their preferred language.

Question	My language uses gendered descriptors. How can I handle this in Composr?
Answer	Composr offers solutions for languages with gendered descriptors: Template editing: You can modify templates to use different language strings based on user gender. This involves adding Tempcode logic to dynamically select the appropriate string. Custom Profile Fields: Create a Custom Profile Field for "Gender" and use it to conditionally display gendered language strings in templates. These methods allow for flexible handling of gendered language variations.

Question	What are language strings, and how are they used?
Answer	Language strings are phrases or pieces of text used throughout Composr. They're identified by unique codenames, like WELCOME_MESSAGE. These strings are stored in .ini language files and used to display text in the user interface. By translating language strings, you change the text displayed on your website without modifying the underlying code.

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