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	Can I use the calendar as a personal diary and keep my entries private?
Answer	Yes. When adding an event to the calendar, you can choose to make it public or private. Private events are generally used when someone wants to use the calendar system as a diary.

Question	How can I set up reminders for events?
Answer	When adding or editing an event, you can enable reminders for yourself and specific user groups. You can also choose how much notice you want for each reminder. Members can subscribe for reminders on an individual event screen. They can also personalize their reminder settings, including removing reminders or having multiple reminders at different times. Members can also subscribe for notifications to specific event types to be notified whenever events under those types are scheduled.

Question	How can I schedule Commandr commands to run automatically?
Answer	To schedule commands, create an event with the "System command" event type. This option needs to be enabled in the configuration first. In the event details, you can specify either a URL for Composr to call or a snippet of Commandr code to execute. Be sure to disable the WYSIWYG editor for this type of event. You'll also need to have the system scheduler configured for the commands to run automatically.

Question	Can I add external feeds to the calendar?
Answer	Yes, you can add RSS or Atom feeds to your calendar. This lets you view time-based information from external sources alongside your calendar events.

Question	What do I do if a recurring event needs to be changed or skipped?
Answer	Composr has a "fixing an event" feature to handle changes to recurring events. This is useful if an event needs to be cancelled or rescheduled. You edit the event as if it were a new, standalone event and choose the "Edit with fixing past recurrences" option. This separates the past occurrences from the modified event, ensuring future recurrences reflect the changes.

Question	What is the "recurrence pattern" and how does it work?
Answer	The recurrence pattern is a powerful tool that defines how often an event repeats. While it might seem complex at first, it provides a lot of flexibility. Think of it as a binary code where each digit represents a time period (like a day or week). A "1" indicates the event occurs, and a "0" means it doesn't. This lets you create complex schedules like "every weekday" (daily with pattern `1111100` if it starts on a Monday) or "every other Tuesday" (weekly on Tuesday with the pattern `10`).

Question	What are the different views available in the calendar?
Answer	The calendar has five views: Year view: Displays an overview of the entire year. Month view: Shows events within a specific month. Week view: Displays events for a selected week. Day view: Shows events scheduled for a specific day. Event view: Displays the details of a single event. You can easily navigate between these views to get different levels of detail and focus on specific periods or events.

Question	How do I add events to the calendar?
Answer	You can add events in several ways: Through the Admin Zone or Content Management Zone: Go to Admin Zone > Content > Calendar. Directly on the calendar: Click on a date box on the calendar view. Using the "Add Event" button on any calendar view. Deleting events can be done at the bottom of the event's edit form. You have options for recurring events, such as editing/deleting the specific occurrence, editing/deleting future ones, or all of them.

Question	How do I categorize events?
Answer	You categorize events using "Event types". Composr provides default types like "Anniversary", "Appointment", "Birthday", "General", "Public Holiday", "Task", "Vacation", and the special "System command" for executing Commandr commands. You can also add your own custom event types to suit your specific needs, such as "Appraisal Session" for a business website.

Question	What is an "event" in the Composr calendar system?
Answer	An event is any entry in the calendar. Importantly, an event isn't limited to a single point or range in time. Events can recur based on a schedule you define. This makes them very flexible – they can represent anything from one-time appointments to recurring birthdays or even weekly team practices.

Top 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.

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