Post history tracks changes made to forum posts, including edits and deletions. This feature helps monitor for inappropriate edits or attempts to cover up spam or rule violations. Staff can review the history, restore deleted content, or even permanently erase it.
Yes, Composr provides various moderation tools for managing forum content. Moderators can edit or delete posts and topics, move topics between forums, close or open discussions, and validate content submitted by users who require approval. These are done in an actions dropdown on a topic, or through buttons on individual posts.
What is the "black hole" technique and how does it work?
Answer
The "black hole" technique involves adding hidden fields to forms. While invisible to human users, bots often detect and fill these fields, revealing their nature. Composr uses this information to flag and block suspected spam submissions.
You can report spam using the "report this" link or "report" (forum post button) feature. This alerts staff to the issue, allowing them to investigate and take appropriate action, such as deleting the spam, warning the user, or banning them. It also creates a Support Ticket between the reporter and staff in case the staff need further information.
RBLs are third-party lists that track IP addresses associated with spamming activity. Composr can be configured to consult these lists and block or flag requests from suspicious IPs. However, relying solely on RBLs may lead to false positives, as some lists are overly broad.
CAPTCHAs are tests designed to differentiate between human users and bots. Composr's unique CAPTCHA method uses CSS and JavaScript to generate images or audio challenges that are difficult for bots to solve. While effective, some spammers use human workers to bypass CAPTCHAs, leading to the need for additional anti-spam measures.
Composr offers several tools and techniques to combat spam, including:
CAPTCHA: A visual or audio test that humans can easily pass but bots struggle with. This helps prevent automated spam submissions.
Heuristics: If Composr thinks an action is spam based off of configurable criteria, it can either flag the content for validation, block the attempt, or ban the IP address outright.
Public block lists: Composr can utilize the Stop Forum Spam system or other block list systems to identify and block known spammers based on IP addresses, usernames, and email addresses.
Link posting restrictions: Disallowing links in member profiles for users with no posts and adding "nofollow" attributes to links discourages spammers seeking backlinks.
Black hole fields: Hidden form fields that should remain empty. Bots often fill these in, allowing Composr to identify them.
Project Honey Pot integration: A system that places hidden links on pages, attracting and identifying spam bots.
Content/post reporting: Users can report spam, enabling staff to take action.
Guest posting limitations: Restricting guest permissions raises the bar for spammers.
Advanced techniques: Developer addons like "antispam_question" or probation systems provide additional layers of protection.
What is the "Sitemap" in Composr, and how is it used?
Answer
The Sitemap is a hierarchical representation of your website's content, including zones, pages, categories, and entries. Composr generates the Sitemap dynamically and uses it for various purposes:
Generating menus.
Creating the user-facing sitemap page.
Generating the XML Sitemap for search engines.
Providing a visual representation of your website structure in the Sitemap editor and Permissions tree editor.
You can edit the sitemap under Admin Zone > Structure > Sitemap editor.
Can I change the URL scheme after my website is already live?
Answer
Yes, you can enable or change a URL scheme on an existing website. Old URLs will redirect to the new format, ensuring that your SEO isn't negatively impacted. The canonical URL will also be specified in your website's HTML, further protecting your search rankings.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
