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 do I restore my Composr website from a backup?
Answer	Composr backups come as .tar or .tar.gz files. Extract the archive using an extraction program like 7-zip or your web hosting control panel. To restore a full backup: Upload the extracted files to your webserver, overwriting the existing files. Run the included restore.php script in your browser. This script will restore the database from the restore_data.php file. To restore incremental backups: Restore the initial full backup. Sequentially extract and overwrite files from each incremental backup over the restored full backup. The last extracted restore_data.php will contain the latest database state. Run restore.php to restore the final database version.

Question	What alternative backup strategies are available?
Answer	Many web hosting control panels include built-in backup features that operate at the system level, often offering higher reliability than web-based scripts. Ensure you back up both files and the database. For database backups, you can use tools like phpMyAdmin, which allows you to export your database as a .sql file.

Question	How do I create a backup of my Composr website?
Answer	Composr offers a built-in backup addon accessible from Admin Zone > Tools > Backups. You can choose between full, incremental, and database-only backups. Full backup: Backs up all files and folders within the Composr installation directory, including the database. Incremental backup: Backs up only new or changed files since the last backup, resulting in smaller backup files. Database backup only: Backs up only the database. The addon allows scheduled backups or manual backup generation. It is recommended to download backups to a location outside your web server for better security. Note: The Composr backup addon is limited by server-side PHP capabilities and might not always be reliable. Consider using alternative backup strategies offered by your web hosting control panel for increased reliability.

Question	Why are backups necessary for my Composr website?
Answer	Disasters like hard disk failures, data corruption, and unexpected errors can happen at any time. A good backup strategy helps you recover your website and its data in case of such events. Backups can also help you roll back to a previous state if needed, such as after a failed upgrade or accidental changes.

Question	How can I control the privacy of member profile fields?
Answer	You can control the privacy of member profile fields through the "Member privacy controls" configuration option. If you enable the "Extended privacy option control", you can fine-tune visibility settings for each field. Otherwise, you can set simple access levels (e.g., not at all, to members, to friends, to everyone) for each field.

Question	What is the difference between a Composr member and an author?
Answer	A member is someone who has created an account on your Composr website and can log in. They have a unique member ID and username, and can interact with the site's features. An author is someone who creates content for the site. They may or may not be a member. For example, you might have an author who submits articles via email but never actually visits or joins the website.

Question	What advanced techniques are available for dealing with persistent spammers who repeatedly create new accounts?
Answer	Composr's advanced banning features target sophisticated human spammers. Automatic bans can be configured to block users based on specific strings in their posts, while reasoned bans display customized messages to banned users, potentially deterring them. These measures, coupled with the ability to investigate users via IP address analysis, offer robust tools for managing persistent threats. You can configure advanced banning under Admin Zone > Security > Configure advanced banning.

Question	How does Composr handle user banning and what options are available?
Answer	Composr offers various banning mechanisms. You can ban members by editing their accounts (ban member tick box), preventing logins while still allowing guest access. IP address banning blocks access from specific IP addresses or ranges (Admin Zone > Security > Members > Investigate user to see their IP addresses and flag certain ones for banning). You can also restrict member submissions, or you can effectively "suspend" users by assigning them to a usergroup with minimal privileges (e.g. probation).

Question	What is the "Warn Member" form and how can I use it to handle rule violations?
Answer	The "Warn Member" form provides a centralized interface for addressing user misconduct. You can issue formal or off-the-book warnings, apply punitive actions like IP bans, usergroup changes, or probation, and even delete content or charge points. This form allows you to document reasons for actions, improving transparency and consistency in moderation. This tool can be accessed on a member's profile as staff, under Audit > Warn member. You can also review their warnings history on their "Standing" tab.

Question	How does Composr track user activity?
Answer	Composr logs IP addresses for various actions like guest posting, page views, and content submissions. This data helps identify potential spammers and track user behavior. The "Investigate user" module provides tools to analyze IP addresses and gather additional information about suspicious activity.

Top 10 Entries

Question	What web technologies does Composr use beyond HTML, CSS, and JavaScript?
Answer	Composr relies on a wide range of web technologies (depending on what features and settings you use), including: Protocols: HTTP/HTTPS, FTP, SFTP, SMTP, IMAP, POP3, DNS, and others Data formats: XML, JSON, CSV, PHP's serialized format, iCalendar, and various image and archive formats Standards: Accessibility standards (WCAG, WAI-ARIA), metadata standards (Open Graph, schema.org, Dublin Core), and microformats Server-side technologies: PHP, SQL (for database interaction) Composr-specific technologies: Tempcode (template system), Comcode (content language), Page-links, Filtercode, Selectcode, and Language packs

Question	How does Composr ensure printed web pages look appropriate?
Answer	Composr uses a combination of approaches to ensure printed web pages have a suitable layout: Automatic browser behavior: Browsers typically disable background images when printing. CSS print stylesheets: Composr utilizes CSS to define specific display rules for printed versions of pages, such as removing margins and hiding social media links. wide_print parameter: This parameter, activated through specific links or specifying it in the URL, further influences page layout for printing.

Question	How can I test my website's compatibility across different browsers and devices?
Answer	Testing your website on different browsers and devices can be challenging due to operating system limitations and device availability. Here are some solutions: Virtual Machines: Use virtual machines to run different operating systems and test various Internet Explorer versions. Device Emulation: Use built-in device emulation features in browsers like Chrome to simulate mobile devices. Online Testing Services: Employ commercial online testing services like BrowserStack to access a wide range of browsers and devices hosted in the cloud. Real Devices: Conduct testing on physical mobile devices for a more realistic user experience.

Question	What are the recommended desktop settings for viewing a Composr website?
Answer	A minimum screen resolution of 1024x768 is strongly recommended for viewing a Composr website. This is the minimum resolution for which the default theme is designed. Using a lower resolution might lead to display issues or an unsatisfactory browsing experience. As of version 11, smaller resolutions will often trigger the mobile layout automatically (responsiveness) to ensure a better UI for smaller displays.

Question	How does Composr handle browser compatibility?
Answer	Composr aims to support all modern browsers, including the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and Internet Explorer 11. It is designed to work seamlessly with browsers that automatically update, like Chrome and Firefox. For browsers with manual updates, Composr generally supports the last two releases. While not explicitly supported, Composr will often address bug reports for other popular browsers like Opera, Chromium, and Konqueror. Additionally, Composr strives to provide an accessible experience for text-mode browsers and those designed for users with disabilities.

Question	What is CSS and how does it impact website design?
Answer	CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) is a language used to describe the visual presentation of a web page written in HTML or XHTML. It controls aspects like: Fonts and typography: Defining font families, sizes, weights, and styles. Colors and backgrounds: Setting colors for text, backgrounds, borders, and other elements. Layout and positioning: Controlling the placement and arrangement of elements on a page. Visual effects: Adding shadows, gradients, transitions, and other visual enhancements. By separating content structure (XHTML) from visual presentation (CSS), websites become easier to maintain and update. Changes to the design can be made without altering the underlying HTML structure. Composr utilizes CSS extensively for theming, allowing users to manipulate the website's visual appearance.

Question	Why is understanding XHTML important for website customization?
Answer	XHTML (Extensible HyperText Markup Language) is the language used to structure web page content. It defines the various elements of a webpage, such as headings, paragraphs, images, and links. Understanding XHTML is crucial for website customization because it allows you to: Modify page layout: Change the arrangement and positioning of elements on a page. Add new content: Insert additional text, images, or other multimedia elements. Customize the appearance of existing elements: Change fonts, colors, sizes, and other visual styles. Integrate interactive features: Embed JavaScript code for dynamic functionality. Composr uses XHTML for its templates, allowing users to extensively customize the website's design and layout.

Question	How does JavaScript enhance website interactivity?
Answer	JavaScript is a programming language that runs in web browsers, allowing for dynamic and interactive elements on web pages. It enables features like: Dynamic content updates: Modifying page content without requiring a full page reload. User interface enhancements: Creating interactive elements like dropdown menus, image sliders, and form validation. Animations and visual effects: Adding visual appeal and engaging user experiences. Asynchronous communication: Fetching data from, or sending data to, servers in the background without disrupting user interaction. Composr relies on JavaScript for its default theme and administrative features.

Question	What is the difference between cookies and sessions?
Answer	While both cookies and sessions are used for user identification and maintaining state, there are key differences: Storage: Cookies are stored on the user's computer, while sessions are stored on the server. Expiration: Session cookies expire when the browser is closed, while persistent cookies have a set expiration date. Sessions typically expire after a period of inactivity. Data sensitivity: Sessions are generally used for more sensitive data, as the information is not stored on the user's computer and therefore less likely to be stolen by a hacker. Composr uses both cookies and sessions. Session cookies are primarily used for user identification (such as anonymously matching a user to a session in the server database), while persistent cookies can be used for remembering login details if the user chooses.

Question	What are cookies and how do they work?
Answer	A cookie is a small piece of data that a website stores on a user's computer. It is sent from the user's web browser to the web server each time a page is viewed. Cookies are used for various purposes, including: User identification: Cookies can be used to identify a specific user, even if they are not logged in. This allows websites to remember user preferences, shopping cart contents, and other information. Tracking user behavior: Cookies can be used to track user behavior on a website, such as the pages they visit and the links they click. This information can be used to improve the website's design and content. Advertising: Cookies can be used to deliver targeted advertising to users based on their browsing history. There are two main types of cookies: Session cookies: These cookies are temporary and are deleted when the user closes their web browser. They are often used to store information about the user's current session, such as the items in their shopping cart. Persistent cookies: These cookies are stored on the user's computer for a longer period. They can be used to remember user preferences, such as their login details or language settings.

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