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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Monetary payments: Issue refunds through your payment gateway.
Point payments: Manually refund points through the points system.
Cancellations: Cancel purchases in the Admin Zone to allow repurchasing. Remember to manually undo any associated actions (e.g., removing name highlighting).
Composr supports PayPal, CCBill, and Authorize.Net for processing payments. While Composr could be extended to support other gateways, doing so may require professional development and customization.
Yes, the unified Composr search system allows users to find downloads based on keywords. This includes searching within download titles and descriptions, as well as within the content of certain file types like PDFs, text files, and even some binary formats (providing they are not too large in size).
Yes, Composr automatically creates a gallery for each download (if the galleries addon is enabled). You can easily add images directly after creating the download or through the download-view screen. The download gallery is displayed within the download-view screen itself.
Are there security features to protect downloaded files?
Answer
Yes, Composr includes security measures to protect downloads.
Protection from hackers: Uploaded files are stored with obscured filenames, preventing direct access and bypassing of the download system. Additionally, an anti-leech feature (when enabled) prevents direct download links from being shared on other websites (this is done by requiring a session ID which is validated against the person / device accessing it and only provided when Composr presents the download links to you on the site).
Basic security: Composr will not let anyone upload dangerous scripts (such as PHP files) which can be executed.
Rootkit detection: The rootkit detection tool under yourbaseurl/rootkit_detection.php can help scan files for shell scripts and backdoors. Composr's Health Check can also do this regularly. Note this only offers very basic detection and will not work for obfuscated backdoors (you should use antivirus to scan for those).
It is the responsibility of webmasters to run antivirus on their site to regularly scan files uploaded to it. Composr does not include antivirus software or virus scanning.
