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Question What are the different ways to target recipients for my newsletters?
Answer Composr offers several targeting options:
  • Subscriptions: Users can specifically subscribe to newsletters, separate from site membership.
  • Usergroups (Conversr only): You can send newsletters to members of specific usergroups, regardless of their newsletter subscriptions.
  • CSV imports/exports: You can import subscribers from a CSV file or export your subscriber list for custom targeting.
Question How can I prevent my emails from being marked as spam?
Answer Here are some tips to reduce the likelihood of your emails being flagged as spam:
  • Set up SPF records: SPF (Sender Policy Framework) helps verify that your server is authorized to send emails from your domain.
  • Ask users to whitelist your email address: Encourage recipients to add your email address to their contacts list or "Safe Senders" list.
  • Configure DKIM: DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) adds a digital signature to your emails, increasing their legitimacy.
  • Use a reputable email service provider: Consider using a third-party email service if you're struggling with email deliverability.
Question Why are my emails being blocked by spam filters?
Answer Several factors can cause emails to be blocked:
  • Server issues: Your server might be on a spam blacklist, or there may be problems with your server's reverse DNS or HELO settings.
  • Content issues: Your email content might trigger spam filters due to factors like an unreasonable image-to-text ratio, broken reply-to addresses, or inconsistent text and HTML versions.
  • SPF records: Your "Website email address" might be hosted on a different server with an SPF record that doesn't authorize your web server to send emails from that address.
Question How do I configure SMTP settings in Composr?
Answer Composr can use either its own SMTP connection code or PHP's built-in SMTP functionality. Using PHP's SMTP settings is generally recommended and can be managed at the server level. However, if your SMTP server requires authentication (which PHP doesn't support natively) or if your server lacks an SMTP server, you'll need to use Composr's SMTP connection code, configurable in the Configuration module.
Question How does Composr send emails?
Answer Composr constructs emails using language strings and templates written in Comcode. It sends emails in both HTML and plain text formats to ensure compatibility with different email clients. To minimize the chance of emails being marked as spam, Composr embeds CSS and images directly into the email instead of linking to them externally.
Question How can I make my website design more appealing to different thinking styles?
Answer Different individuals process information differently. Some are more visual, while others are more analytical. To appeal to diverse thinking styles, a website design should incorporate a balance of elements. For instance, using a striking header image coupled with well-structured, informative text can cater to both visual and analytical thinkers. Understanding your target audience and their thinking styles is key to creating a design that resonates with them.
Question What considerations are necessary when designing for different user levels on a website?
Answer User levels often necessitate different content or functionalities. For instance, administrators might need access to content creation tools, while regular visitors only view published content. Consider these factors during design:
  • Visibility: Some elements might need to be hidden or displayed based on user roles (e.g., admin-only links).
  • Permissions: Design elements and interactive features should reflect the permissions granted to different user levels.
  • Customization: Consider allowing users to customize their experience based on their preferences and roles.

Remember, a well-designed website should cater to all user levels while maintaining security and a cohesive experience.
Question How do I make my website theme mobile-friendly in Composr?
Answer Composr offers several features to optimize themes for mobile:
  • Mobile mode: You can design separate layouts and CSS styles specifically for mobile devices, which Composr automatically activates when a mobile user visits your site.
  • Tempcode's 0 symbol: This symbol helps conditionally display content based on whether the user is on a mobile device or desktop.
  • CSS media queries: By using media queries, you can target specific screen sizes and adjust styles accordingly, making your theme responsive.
  • Viewport meta tag: This tag controls how the browser scales and displays the webpage on mobile devices, ensuring a properly sized and zoomable experience.
Question What is responsive design, and why is it essential for mobile devices?
Answer Responsive design ensures a website adapts seamlessly to different screen sizes, providing an optimal viewing experience across devices, particularly mobile phones and tablets. It utilizes techniques like flexible grids, fluid images, and CSS media queries to adjust layout and content based on screen dimensions.

This is crucial because mobile device usage is significant, and a non-responsive site leads to a poor user experience on smaller screens, potentially driving visitors away.
Question How can I create a theme pack for release in Composr?
Answer After designing your theme, go to the admin panel's "Addons" section. You'll find an option to export your current theme as an addon. Composr will package the necessary files into a downloadable archive, ready to be shared with others or submitted to the Composr community for installation on other sites.

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.