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 is Tempcode, and how is it used in website themeing?
Answer	Tempcode is a templating language used within Composr. It offers a powerful way to control the output of dynamic content and design elements on a website. It works by using: Parameters: Placeholders for content passed to the template from Composr / PHP. Symbols: Global functions that perform operations, calculations, or retrieve information. Directives: Instructions that control the flow or logic of content, such as conditional statements and loops. Language strings: References to pre-defined text stored in language files for easy translation. Escaping: Ensures the content generated is properly escaped according to its use case. Tempcode empowers theme designers to create highly customizable and dynamic websites, allowing for logic, conditional rendering, and manipulation of various website elements.

Question	What are some alternatives to Photoshop for web design?
Answer	While Photoshop is a popular choice, there are other excellent options available, including: GIMP/GIMPShop: These free, open-source image editors provide a robust set of features comparable to Photoshop. Paint.NET: This free, Windows-only software offers a user-friendly interface and essential image editing tools. Corel Paint Shop Pro: A more affordable alternative to Photoshop, Corel Paint Shop Pro delivers a good balance of features and ease of use.

Question	How can design elements like dominance and attention to detail improve a website?
Answer	Dominance and attention to detail are key to a balanced and engaging website. Important elements can be emphasized using techniques like larger text, unique colors, and increased spacing. Conversely, less crucial elements should receive less emphasis. This interplay helps guide the visitor's eye and ensures a visually harmonious layout. Attention to detail involves eliminating inconsistencies and distractions, such as typos, misaligned elements, and low-quality images, that can detract from the overall aesthetics and message of the website.

Question	What is the importance of color schemes in website design?
Answer	Color schemes are crucial as they convey emotions and brand identity. Choosing colors that align with your website's purpose can evoke desired feelings in visitors. For example, a website selling chocolates might use shades of brown to subconsciously trigger associations with chocolate. However, an environmental website would be better suited using green, aligning with pre-existing perceptions of environmentalism. It is also important to maintain consistency with your color scheme, limiting the number of colors used to avoid a conflicting and cluttered appearance.

Question	Can I use Comcode / resource IDs directly when working with the repository?
Answer	Using Comcode / resource IDs directly is not recommended as they may not match between different sites. Use GUIDs instead, which Composr automatically substitutes for IDs before parsing Comcode. You can use Commandr commands like find_guid_via_id to find the GUID for specific resources.

Question	What precautions should I take when using the Composr Repository?
Answer	Exercise caution when working with the repository: Avoid using it as the sole backup method; rely on regular database backups. Work primarily under the "var" meta-filesystem and copy specific folders/files rather than the entire repository. Do not use tools like "rsync" or Git on the whole repository without careful consideration.

Question	What are the limitations of the Composr Repository?
Answer	While powerful, the repository has limitations: Automatic syndication is not performed for content added via the repository. Multi-language content translations are not retained. Transferring complex data schemas between staging sites may have limitations. Merging separate websites into one is not supported through the repository. You should use Composr's import tool instead.

Question	How can I access the Composr Repository?
Answer	You can access the repository using WebDAV (non-bundled addon), which allows you to view it as a folder on your computer. Composr uses the SabreDAV PHP library for WebDAV functionality. However, please be aware that SabreDAV is deprecated and may not function correctly on newer PHP versions.

Question	How is the Composr Repository structured?
Answer	The repository is structured as a filesystem with various meta-filesystems mounted under a root directory. These meta-filesystems include: bin: Stores Commandr scripts. database: Provides access to the raw database. etc: Allows access to Composr configuration options. home or filedump: Provides access to the File/Media Library. home contains the files in a special JSON format with metadata filedump contains the raw files members: Lists registered members with their settings and user groups. raw or root: Provides access to the Composr installation directory. raw contains the raw files without overrides, and modifying any file modifies them directly without automatic override handling root contains the files with applicable overrides applied automatically, and Composr will automatically handle overrides and utilizing _custom directories when these files are modified var: Contains structured website resources and content.

Question	What are the benefits of using the Composr Repository?
Answer	The repository offers several benefits: Opacity: Provides a clear view of Composr's content and resource data. Tactility: Allows easy manipulation of data through drag-and-drop operations. Data transfer: Simplifies transferring data between sites. Desktop application integration: Enables using text editors and file-search tools for tasks like mass search and replace. Configuration management: Tracks changes to options and facilitates transfer between sites. Backups: Allows backing up portions of the repository. Revision control: Supports built-in and advanced revision control. Filesystem for Commandr: Acts as a file system for the Commandr command line. Resource API: Offers an abstract resource API for programmers. API for external apps: Provides an API for mobile apps and other external applications.

Top 10 Entries

Question	What is the Composr Member System?
Answer	The Composr Member System is the system used by the Conversr forum software to manage user accounts and information. This includes usernames, passwords, profile information, and usergroups. It also handles user registration, login, and account management. For websites not using Conversr, the member system of the third-party forum software would be used.

Question	Can I Use Composr Galleries to Publish Podcasts?
Answer	Yes, Composr supports creating podcasts from galleries. The podcast URL follows this format: `http://yourbaseurl/backend.php?mode=galleries&select=galleryname&type=rss&itunes=1`. Replace yourbaseurl and galleryname accordingly. This URL can be used to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes or other podcast applications.

Question	How Do Gallery Slide-shows Work?
Answer	When viewing an image or video in a gallery, visitors can initiate a slide-show that automatically cycles through subsequent entries. The slide-show can be paused with a click or keypress. The default slide-show speed can be adjusted by modifying the GALLERY_ENTRY_SCREEN.tpl template.

Question	What are Watermarks and How Do They Work?
Answer	Watermarks are semi-transparent images overlaid on gallery images to mark their origin or deter unauthorized use. When you add or edit a gallery, you can choose to apply watermarks to the corners of images. Watermarking applies permanently to the uploaded image. Composr uses a reverse tree structure for watermarks: if a sub-gallery doesn't have a watermark defined, it inherits the watermark from its parent gallery.

Question	Can Members Create Their Own Personal Galleries?
Answer	Yes, members with the "have personal galleries" permission can create their own galleries. These personal galleries are displayed under designated "Personal category container" galleries. They also show up in a tab on the member's profile. Members can only add content to their own galleries unless they have the "Submit to categories belonging to other members" permission.

Question	What are Rep-Images and How Do I Set Them?
Answer	Rep-images, short for "representative images," are thumbnails that represent a gallery when it's displayed within a list of galleries. They offer a visual preview of the gallery's contents. You can set a rep-image when adding or editing a gallery, or when adding an image to a gallery.

Question	How Do I Import Images in bulk into a Gallery?
Answer	You can import images in bulk using a CSV file. The file should be named descriptions.csv and placed in the uploads/galleries directory. The first column should contain filenames (without the path), and the second column should contain descriptions. The filenames should correspond to images also located in the uploads/galleries directory. Composr will automatically match the descriptions to the images during import.

Question	What Image and Video Formats are Supported?
Answer	Images: .jpg/.jpeg: Highly compressed, best for photos due to minimal noticeable quality loss. .png: Good compression with no quality loss, ideal if bandwidth isn't a concern. .gif: Limited to 256 colors and poor compression. Better alternatives are video or APNG. Note that Composr does not support SVG because hackers can leverage the XML-like structure of SVG files to compromise a website. Videos: .mp4 (h.264 aac encoding): The recommended format, widely supported. .mov (h.264 aac encoding): Identical to .mp4. .webm: Supported natively in most browsers, but requires plugins for Internet Explorer/Microsoft Edge and Safari. Other formats, while they may work, are generally discouraged due to compatibility issues and lack of consistent addon or browser support.

Question	What are Composr Galleries?
Answer	Composr Galleries are a system for storing, organizing, and displaying images and videos. They function like categories, allowing you to group related media together. Galleries can be structured hierarchically, with sub-galleries nested under parent galleries, similar to a folder system. Each gallery has settings that control its appearance and behavior.

Question	How are forums structured in Composr?
Answer	Composr forums are organized hierarchically: Forum Groupings: Broad categories that contain forums. Forums: Contain topics related to a specific subject. Sub-forums: Forums nested under other forums, providing further categorization. Topics: Threads of conversation containing a series of posts. Posts: Individual messages within a topic.

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