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 are "breadcrumbs," and how can I customize them?
Answer	Breadcrumbs are a navigation aid that shows the user their current location within the website's hierarchy. In Composr, breadcrumbs are customizable through an XML file. You can override default breadcrumbs using "match-keys" to target specific pages and define the desired breadcrumb structure. This allows you to adjust the breadcrumb trail to better match your website's organization. To edit, go to Admin Zone > Structure > Configure breadcrumb overrides.

Question	How can I control which panels are displayed on specific pages?
Answer	Panels are the areas around your main content area where you can place menus, blocks, and other dynamic elements. You can control panel visibility using display rules within your panel's Comcode: `{+START,IF,{$NEQ,{$PAGE},example_page_1,example_page_2,example_page_3}} ... panel content ... {+END}` This example prevents the panel from showing on pages named "example_page_1," "example_page_2," and "example_page_3."

Question	What is a "page-link," and how does it differ from a URL?
Answer	A page-link is a Composr-specific way to reference a page or screen within your website. It's a simplified, local representation of a URL, independent of the URL scheme you might be using. For example, the page-link `site:downloads:browse:10` points to the download category with ID 10 in the site zone. This page-link remains consistent even if your URL scheme changes the way URLs are structured. Page-links also do not consider monikers, so if a URL moniker changes, page-links will stay the same. This is a powerful feature as you can use the Comcode `[page="page-link"]Page title[/page] tag to generate URLs of local content. And these will always work regardless of URL scheme or moniker.`

Question	How do menus work in Composr, and can I customize them?
Answer	Composr has a flexible menu system that can be customized to your needs. Default Menu: Generated automatically from the Sitemap, reflecting the structure of your content. Editable Menus: You can create and fully customize these menus, adding links to specific content or external websites. Menus can be added to panels (sidebars, headers, footers) or embedded directly within Comcode pages. The menu editor provides tools for adding branches, setting captions, tooltips, and URLs, and even defining context-sensitive behavior using "match-keys."

Question	What are "zones" in Composr, and what are they used for?
Answer	Zones are like sub-sites within your Composr website. They provide a way to organize content and apply different settings, like permissions, themes, and navigation. Some default zones include: Welcome Zone: The initial landing page, often used for login/signup. Site Zone: Your main website content, with features for viewing, submitting, editing, and deleting content on the member level. Admin Zone: For site administrators to manage the website. Content Management Zone: Where content is added, edited, and deleted, typically by site staff. Forum Zone (if using Conversr): Houses the forum section of your site.

Question	What are the different ways to control access in Composr?
Answer	Composr offers a robust permission system with various methods for controlling access: Zones, Pages, and Categories: Control which usergroups can view specific zones, pages, and categories (permissions). Admin Zone > Security > Permissions Tree Editor, or on the UI for the Zone / Page / Category. Global Privileges: Define permissions for actions like using advanced Comcode or bypassing the word filter, applicable across the entire site. Admin Zone > Security > Global privileges Module/Page Overrides: Tailor privileges for particular content types by overriding them on the controlling module or page. Admin Zone > Security > Permissions Tree Editor [> Content permissions] Category Overrides: Modify privileges for specific categories, allowing fine-grained control over actions within those categories. Admin Zone > Security > Permissions Tree Editor Match-key Permissions: Implement ad-hoc access control based on specific match-keys, offering flexibility beyond traditional permission structures. Admin Zone > Security > Match-key page restrictions

Question	What happens when I add a new usergroup to a third-party forum integrated with Composr?
Answer	If you are not using Conversr as your forum, Composr won't automatically assign any permissions to the new usergroup. To rectify this, you can use the "Absorb usergroup-permissions" feature in the Admin Zone. This tool allows you to copy the permissions from an existing usergroup to the newly created one, ensuring consistent access and functionality.

Question	What are some security considerations regarding super-moderators and super-administrators?
Answer	While super-moderators have extensive access to manage your site, certain sensitive privileges are reserved for super-administrators. This includes the ability to impersonate other users, execute arbitrary code, and view private content. These restrictions help prevent potential privilege escalation and ensure the overall security of your website. Exercise caution when granting super-moderator status and trust only reliable individuals.

Question	What are some useful tools for debugging permission issues?
Answer	Composr provides a couple of tools to help pinpoint permission problems: FirePHP: This browser add-on allows you to view detailed logs of permission checks performed by Composr. By analyzing these logs, you can identify which checks are failing and adjust your settings accordingly. Permission Check Logging: Enable logging of failed permission checks to a file (data_custom/permission_checks.log). This provides a persistent record of permission issues that you can review and troubleshoot.

Question	How can I test if my permission settings are working correctly?
Answer	Composr's "SU" feature allows administrators to temporarily assume the identity of another user, enabling you to experience the site as they would. Simply enter the desired username in the "SU" box in the footer. You can also use "Guest" to browse as an unauthenticated visitor. Remember that using "SU" doesn't accurately reflect online status and retains administrator access to sensitive areas.

Top 10 Entries

Question	How do I manage refunds in Composr?
Answer	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).

Question	What are the shipping options in Composr?
Answer	You can handle shipping costs in three ways: Flat rate per order: Configure a fixed shipping cost for all orders. Weight-based calculation: Define shipping costs based on the order's total weight. Shippo integration: Get real-time shipping quotes from various carriers based on weight, dimensions, and destination.

Question	How do I handle taxes in Composr?
Answer	Composr offers flexible tax handling: TaxJar integration: Supports international taxation for many countries. TaxCloud integration: Supports complex USA taxation, including destination-based rules. EU digital goods tax: Handles EU-specific regulations for digital products. Custom tax rates: Define your own percentage-based tax rates. Tax hooks: Developers can extend tax functionality and implement additional tax providers.

Question	What are the different types of products in Composr?
Answer	Composr offers various "products," which are broader than typical eCommerce products. They include: Usergroup subscriptions: Offer access to specific usergroups with recurring payments. Catalogue items: Physical or digital goods sold through the shopping cart and a special "products" catalogue. Orders: Collections of products purchased together. E-mail addresses: Sell personalized email addresses on your domain. Topic pinning: Allow users to pay to pin forum topics. Name highlighting: Offer highlighted usernames on the forum. Banners: Sell banner advertising space. Custom products: Define and sell any product or service you wish. Permission products: Sell access to specific permissions, such as download categories. Gambling: Allow users to wager points. Work: Represent invoiced services. Non-purchasable products: For accounting purposes (interest, tax, wages, other).

Question	How do I set up PayPal in Composr?
Answer	Sign up for a PayPal Business Account. Enable "Auto Return" in PayPal and set the return URL to `http://yourbaseurl/index.php?page=purchase` Enable "Payment data transfer" in PayPal and copy the data transfer identifier for Composr. In Composr, go to Admin Zone > Setup > Configuration > eCommerce options > Payment gateway (PayPal-specific). Paste the data transfer identifier and save.

Question	What payment gateways does Composr support?
Answer	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.

Question	What are the limitations for uploading large files?
Answer	32-bit PHP build: Files larger than 2GB are not supported. 64-bit PHP build: Files larger than 2GB are supported, but the file size will not be displayed. For very large files, it's recommended to upload them manually and provide the URL instead of directly uploading them through the web form.

Question	Can users search for specific downloads?
Answer	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).

Question	Can I add images to my downloads?
Answer	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.

Question	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.

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