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 display different content to different usergroups?
Answer	Yes, you can achieve this by leveraging Tempcode within your templates. By using conditional statements like `{$IS_IN_GROUP}` and `{$HAS_PRIVILEGE}`, you can show or hide specific content sections based on the user's group membership or privileges. This technique allows you to "tease" premium content to non-paying users or tailor the user experience based on their access level.

Question	What are match-key permissions and why would I use them?
Answer	Match-key permissions provide a more granular level of access control beyond the standard zone, page, and category permissions. They allow you to restrict access based on specific "match-keys", which are unique identifiers for different actions or content within Composr. For instance, you could use match-key permissions to prevent guests from submitting banners or to restrict access to the member directory for all but specific usergroups. You can also specify custom access denied errors for each match-key. A "match-key" is typically a page-link, such as `cms:cms_banners:add`.

Question	How can I control who can view specific pages or categories?
Answer	You can manage access control for zones, pages, and categories primarily through the Permissions Tree Editor (Admin Zone > Security > Permissions Tree Editor). This tool provides a central location to set view permissions for different usergroups. You can also edit individual zone and category permissions through their respective editing interfaces, but the Permissions Tree Editor offers a more streamlined and efficient approach.

Question	What is the difference between access permissions and privileges in Composr?
Answer	Access permissions control whether members of a certain usergroup can view specific areas of your site, such as zones, pages, and categories. A member only needs one of their usergroups to have access permission to view the content. But permissions work on a deny-first policy; if one of the permissions applicable to viewing something is denied for a usergroup, then the whole thing is denied for that usergroup (e.g. even if a download itself grants access, access will be denied if its category denies access). Privileges, on the other hand, dictate what actions a usergroup is allowed to perform across the website, like using advanced Comcode or bypassing the word filter.

Question	How can I change the news archive display to show summaries instead of just headlines?
Answer	By default, the news archive screen shows only headlines. To display summaries like the news block, add :inline=1 to the page-link. For example, if your news archive page-link is site:news, modify it to site:news:inline=1. This will show summaries instead of just the headlines in the archive view.

Question	What are Trackbacks and how do they work in Composr?
Answer	Trackbacks are a blogging feature that creates a link from an article on one blog to an article on another, acting as a citation mechanism. How Trackbacks Work: The original article includes a "trackback" link in its HTML. When another blogger writes an article referencing the original, their software uses the trackback link to inform the original site. Composr receives the trackback and displays a list of articles linking back to the original. To enable trackbacks, go to Admin Zone > Setup > Configuration > Feature options and check the "Trackbacks" option. You can then enable trackbacks for individual content items.

Question	How can I filter the news archive to show specific content?
Answer	The news system allows advanced filtering: Blog vs. Non-Blog Posts: Choose to display blog posts only, regular news posts only, or both. Category Filtering: Limit results to specific news categories. Double Filtering: Apply a second category filter for a two-level categorization system (useful for large sites). These filters are controlled through parameters passed to the news blocks and carried through navigation links. When viewing a news post, you can also filter by the categories associated with that post.

Question	How do I display external RSS feeds on my Composr website?
Answer	Composr offers two blocks for displaying RSS and Atom feeds in a news-like format: main_rss block: Suitable for main content areas side_rss block: Designed for sidebars and smaller spaces To add a block, use the Block Construction Assistant or insert the following Comcode into your page: `[block="http://example.com/feed.xml"]main_rss[/block]` `[block="http://example.com/feed.xml"]side_rss[/block]` Replace "http://example.com/feed.xml" with the actual feed URL. Important: Exercise caution when using external feeds. Ensure the source is trustworthy, as malicious feeds can contain harmful code.

Question	What are RSS/Atom feeds and how do they benefit my website?
Answer	Feeds, in formats like RSS and Atom, are XML files that syndicate your website content, making it accessible beyond your website. They can be viewed using feed reader applications (e.g., Feedly, Vienna) or integrated into other websites or web browsers. Composr supports both RSS and Atom for syndicating news and other content. While RSS is more common, Atom is a cleaner, standardized format. Both effectively share your content updates. Benefits: Wider audience reach: Your content becomes accessible to those using feed readers and aggregators. Content repurposing: Other websites can incorporate your feed, increasing visibility. Increased traffic: Users discovering your content in feeds may visit your website directly. Staying on top: Those who use your RSS feeds will see when you post new news articles.

Question	What are Personal Categories/Blogs in Composr? How do I create one?
Answer	Composr allows members of permitted usergroups to have their own personal news categories, also known as "blogs". These blogs appear as a tab on the member's profile (Conversr-only) and may also appear in the main news block depending on your configuration. To create a blog, a member simply adds a news post and selects their personal category. If the category doesn't exist, it will be automatically created upon submission. A dedicated "Blogs" CMS module (Admin Zone > Content > Blogs) is available if the "Separate blogs" configuration option is enabled. This simplified module focuses on blog posting and can be used to restrict members from submitting to general website news.

Top 10 Entries

Question	Are there any limitations to importing forum data?
Answer	Yes, some limitations exist, particularly with specific forum platforms. General: Private messages are often combined into private topics. phpBB: Usergroup configuration and HTML entities may require manual adjustments after import. vBulletin: Calendar recurrences, ratings (karma), and 'goes to coventry' are not imported perfectly. Attachments may need to be extracted directly from the live database due to potential corruption in SQL dumps. Simple Machine Forum: Banning features may not import perfectly due to differences in how Composr handles bans.

Question	Where can I find the import functionality in Composr?
Answer	Navigate to Admin Zone > Tools > Import.

Question	What data formats can Composr import?
Answer	Composr primarily uses database connections for importing. However, it also supports neutral data formats like CSV spreadsheet files and importing downloads from a directory.

Question	Can I import data from other platforms into Composr?
Answer	Yes, Composr offers importers for several popular platforms: Forum Software: Invision Board, MyBB, phpBB, Simple Machine Forum, vBulletin Content Management Systems: WordPress Special Importers: HTML website importer, Composr merge (for merging another Composr site)

Question	How do I move my Composr website to a new server?
Answer	Moving a Composr site involves transferring both the files and the database. Files: On the old server, ZIP the entire Composr directory. Download the ZIP file to your computer. Upload the ZIP file to the new server using SFTP/FTP. On the new server, unzip the file. Database: On the old server, create an SQL dump of your database using the mysqldump command or phpMyAdmin. Download the SQL dump file. If your URL is changing, search and replace the old URL with the new one in the SQL dump file. Upload the SQL dump file to the new server. Restore the database on the new server using the mysql command or phpMyAdmin. Important Steps: File Permissions: After transferring files, ensure correct file permissions are set on the new server. You can use the fixperms.php script, the upgrader script, or manually adjust them. Configuration: If database settings are different on the new server, update the _config.php file or use the config_editor.php script to change the settings for both the site and forum databases. Base URL: If your URL has changed, update the base URL setting in the Installation Options editor (config_editor.php). Caches: Clear the block cache using the upgrader.php script.

Question	Can I integrate third-party JavaScript libraries into Composr?
Answer	Yes, you can integrate third-party JavaScript libraries using various methods: Direct reference by URL: Include the library's URL in your theme's HTML. Composr's JavaScript API: Use Composr's API for organized inclusion and potential future compatibility benefits. Manual integration: Directly include the library's code in appropriate template files. Choose the method best suited for your needs and technical proficiency.

Question	How does Composr handle user authentication with external systems like LDAP or HTTP authentication?
Answer	Composr can integrate with LDAP and HTTP authentication, but these features are considered complex and may require programming experience to set up correctly. Both methods allow users to log in to Composr using their existing credentials from the external system, streamlining access and management.

Question	What are the limitations of using a third-party forum driver?
Answer	Using a third-party forum driver can lead to limitations. Custom profile fields of type LONG_TEXT are limited to TEXT length, cookie integration is not officially supported and can be complex, and some forum drivers have specific quirks detailed in the nuances tutorial.

Question	What are the implications of using the "none-forum" driver?
Answer	Using the "none-forum" driver disables or limits many Composr features, including commenting, points, and user interactions. Consider using Conversr instead and restricting access to the forum zone, join module, and personal zone.

Question	How can I integrate my forum visually into my website?
Answer	Composr allows you to integrate your forum visually into your website. Enable "Show forum within website" in the Admin Zone configuration module and update the forum link in your menu to pass through the "forums" embedding module. You may need to adjust CSS to achieve a seamless look.

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