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 is "pinging" and how does it work in Composr?
Answer	In blogging, "pinging" is an automatic notification sent to blog search engines and other services when you publish a new post. Composr can automatically ping services defined in Admin Zone > Setup > Configuration > Feature options. These services then index your new article, making it searchable. A default ping service (`http://pingomatic.com/ping/?title=title&blogurl=url&rssurl=rss`) is pre-configured to relay your ping to numerous other services. You can customize the ping URL with these placeholders: title: The article title url: The article URL rss: The URL of your news RSS feed Pinging only occurs for news categories accessible to the public (guests).

Question	How do I schedule a news post to be published at a specific time?
Answer	Once you have enabled the system scheduler (requires the Composr calendar and commandr addons), an advanced scheduling option will appear when adding or editing news posts. By setting a future date and time, your post will remain unvalidated until the chosen time, at which point it will be automatically validated and published.

Question	How can members edit their profiles and account settings?
Answer	Members can edit their profiles and account settings through the "Edit" tab on their profile page. They can change their password, update personal information, manage their avatar and signature, and adjust their privacy settings. Administrators have access to additional options for managing member accounts.

Question	What is the difference between member terms?
Answer	Visitor: Any one or device who visits the site but is not necessarily identified User: Any visitor who can be identified (e.g. has a session ID or tracked IP address) Guest: A user who is not logged in (in Conversr, they all share a special "Guest" ID / account) Member: A user who is logged in with a registered account on the website (they have a username and a member ID) Author: Specific to the authors addon, a profile of an entity (could be a member, individual, or even a company) who makes content for the site Subscriber: A user who receives newsletters from the site (they do not necessarily have to be a member) Submitter: A user who submitted content (usually a member, but could be a guest if the site is very open to submissions) Staff: A member who moderates any significant portion of the website Super-moderator: A staff member with global moderation capabilities Moderator: Same as super-moderator but does not have those capabilities globally; they may only be able to moderate certain sections or content Super-administrator: A staff member with literally undeniable access to everything on the site Administrator: Same as super-administrator but they might not have access to the most elevated of privileges such as accessing maintenance scripts It's important to understand these distinctions to properly manage permissions, track user activity, and personalize the website experience.

Question	What are Welcome Emails and how do they work?
Answer	Welcome Emails are a series of automated emails sent to new members on a predefined schedule. They can be used to introduce the website's features, encourage engagement, and provide helpful information. Website administrators can customize the content and schedule of these emails.

Question	How can I enhance or enforce the security of member passwords?
Answer	Composr offers several features to improve password security: Password Strength Setting: Administrators can set a minimum password strength requirement, forcing members to choose stronger passwords. Password strengths are calculated on a scale of 1-10 using algorithms that take into account letters (including case), numbers, symbols, repeat characters, use of dictionary words, and use of usernames / dates of birth / e-mail addresses. Forced Password Resets: Administrators can force specific members or all members to change their passwords upon next login, enhancing security in case of potential breaches. Expiring passwords: Administrators can require members to change their password after so many days. Encrypted CPFs: If the server has the OpenSSL PHP extension installed, specific CPFs (such as ones containing other passwords) can be encrypted to protect sensitive member data in case of a server compromise.

Question	Can I import or export member data?
Answer	Yes, Composr allows you to import and export member data using CSV spreadsheet files. This is useful for transferring member information between different systems, performing bulk updates, or creating backups. The export feature provides various filtering options, and the import feature supports adding new members and updating existing ones. Go to Admin Zone > Security > Members > Export members.

Question	What are usergroups and how do they work?
Answer	Usergroups are a way to categorize members and assign them specific permissions and privileges. Each member can belong to one or more usergroups, and the permissions granted by those usergroups determine what actions they can perform on the website. Website administrators can create and manage usergroups, define their permissions, and assign members to them. They can also assign leaders who then have permission to manage the members of that specific usergroup.

Question	What are Custom Profile Fields (CPFs) and how are they used?
Answer	CPFs allow website administrators to collect additional information from members beyond the basic profile fields. These fields can be customized to fit the specific needs of the website, such as collecting job roles, hobbies, or interests. CPFs can be used to: Enforce specific requirements for membership (e.g., job role in a company forum). Categorize members based on their interests or affiliations (e.g., football players in a school forum). Display additional information on member profiles and forum posts.

Question	How do new members join a Conversr website?
Answer	Members can join your Composr site in a few ways: Regular Registration: Users can click on "join" links, agree to your rules, and fill out a registration form. They will then receive an activation email to confirm their email address (if enabled). Invites: You can restrict joining to invite-only. Existing members can send invites, and only those who receive an invite can register. Manual Addition: Administrators can manually create member accounts through the Admin Zone. This is useful for pre-joining members or handling issues with the regular registration process. Other Methods: Composr also supports automatic member joining through LDAP and HTTP authentication.

Top 10 Entries

Question	How does scoring work for quizzes with different question types?
Answer	Multiple-choice and short answer questions: These are automatically marked based on your defined correct answers. Long answer questions: These require manual marking, resulting in a percentage range being displayed to the user until you assess their response. Unmarked questions: These questions are collected but don't contribute to the overall score, allowing you to include optional or non-scored elements.

Question	Can I reward users for completing quizzes?
Answer	Yes, you can reward users with points for successfully passing a test. This incentivizes participation and encourages users to engage with your content.

Question	How can I implement security measures for my quizzes?
Answer	Composr provides several features to enhance quiz security and prevent cheating: Restrict access: Limit quiz participation to specific usergroups or newsletter subscribers. Shuffle content: Randomize question and answer order to make it harder to copy answers. Set time limits: Enforce quiz completion within a specified timeframe. Define open time ranges: Control when the quiz is accessible to participants.

Question	How do I create and manage quizzes in Composr?
Answer	You can create, edit, and delete quizzes from the Composr Admin Zone: Navigate to Admin Zone (or CMS Zone) > Content > Quizzes. Use the provided interface to define your quiz questions, answer options, and settings. You can manage quiz results and view participant responses under Admin Zone > Audit > Quizzes.

Question	What types of quizzes can I create in Composr?
Answer	Composr supports three main types of quizzes: Surveys: These quizzes gather information from participants without right or wrong answers, making them ideal for collecting opinions and feedback. Tests: Tests assess knowledge with right and wrong answers and provide immediate feedback to participants, including pass/fail results. They're suitable for evaluating understanding of a topic. Competitions: These quizzes rank participants based on their scores, allowing you to select winners. Competitions are great for engaging users and promoting specific content or events.

Question	How does rank work in Conversr?
Answer	Conversr utilizes a rank system based on your accumulated rank points. As you earn points, you progress through different usergroups, unlocking new privileges and benefits. Your rank is a status symbol within the community and often grants access to exclusive features or content. This is subject to your configuration. To make a rank ladder based on points, go to Admin Zone > Security > Usergroups. You are given options regarding ranks when adding or editing a usergroup. Members can see their rank and progress on their member profile rank tab. They can also see all the rank-based benefits they unlocked and ones yet to unlock in future ranks.

Question	What is points escrow and when would I use it?
Answer	Points escrow is a system that holds points securely during transactions involving a written agreement, often for a product or service. This ensures trust and provides a resolution mechanism in case of disputes. Creating an Escrow: You initiate an escrow on the member's profile points tab, specifying the amount, reason, and any agreement details. Points Held: The points are deducted from your balance and held by the system. Agreement Fulfillment: Both parties must mark the escrow as satisfied upon fulfilling the agreement. Points Release: Once both parties are satisfied, the recipient receives the points. Disputes: If either party has a dispute, they can dispute the escrow, which then locks it down and notifies a staff member to review and take a resolution action.

Question	Can I create a leaderboard to showcase top point earners?
Answer	Yes, Composr offers a leaderboard block and module to display top point holders. You can customize the leaderboard to show weekly, monthly, or yearly rankings, filter by usergroups, and exclude staff members if desired. This can encourage healthy competition and motivate members to earn points. Go to Admin Zone > Setup > Leader-boards to create a leader-board.

Question	How can I modify points for members?
Answer	Staff members with the "Moderate members' points" privilege can directly credit or debit points from members' accounts. This can be used to reward exceptional contributions, refund purchases, or penalize rule violations.

Question	What is the purpose of the points ledger?
Answer	The ledger provides a transparent and immutable record of every point transaction on the website. It ensures accountability and allows members to track their point activity. Members can view their own ledger, and with the appropriate privilege, they can also see the ledgers of others.

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