Featured Sites: A-Z Index

H


Newest 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.

Top 10 Entries

Question What are the different ways to target recipients for my newsletters?
Answer Composr offers several targeting options:
  • Subscriptions: Users can specifically subscribe to newsletters, separate from site membership.
  • Usergroups (Conversr only): You can send newsletters to members of specific usergroups, regardless of their newsletter subscriptions.
  • CSV imports/exports: You can import subscribers from a CSV file or export your subscriber list for custom targeting.
Question How can I prevent my emails from being marked as spam?
Answer Here are some tips to reduce the likelihood of your emails being flagged as spam:
  • Set up SPF records: SPF (Sender Policy Framework) helps verify that your server is authorized to send emails from your domain.
  • Ask users to whitelist your email address: Encourage recipients to add your email address to their contacts list or "Safe Senders" list.
  • Configure DKIM: DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) adds a digital signature to your emails, increasing their legitimacy.
  • Use a reputable email service provider: Consider using a third-party email service if you're struggling with email deliverability.
Question Why are my emails being blocked by spam filters?
Answer Several factors can cause emails to be blocked:
  • Server issues: Your server might be on a spam blacklist, or there may be problems with your server's reverse DNS or HELO settings.
  • Content issues: Your email content might trigger spam filters due to factors like an unreasonable image-to-text ratio, broken reply-to addresses, or inconsistent text and HTML versions.
  • SPF records: Your "Website email address" might be hosted on a different server with an SPF record that doesn't authorize your web server to send emails from that address.
Question How do I configure SMTP settings in Composr?
Answer Composr can use either its own SMTP connection code or PHP's built-in SMTP functionality. Using PHP's SMTP settings is generally recommended and can be managed at the server level. However, if your SMTP server requires authentication (which PHP doesn't support natively) or if your server lacks an SMTP server, you'll need to use Composr's SMTP connection code, configurable in the Configuration module.
Question How does Composr send emails?
Answer Composr constructs emails using language strings and templates written in Comcode. It sends emails in both HTML and plain text formats to ensure compatibility with different email clients. To minimize the chance of emails being marked as spam, Composr embeds CSS and images directly into the email instead of linking to them externally.
Question How can I make my website design more appealing to different thinking styles?
Answer Different individuals process information differently. Some are more visual, while others are more analytical. To appeal to diverse thinking styles, a website design should incorporate a balance of elements. For instance, using a striking header image coupled with well-structured, informative text can cater to both visual and analytical thinkers. Understanding your target audience and their thinking styles is key to creating a design that resonates with them.
Question What considerations are necessary when designing for different user levels on a website?
Answer User levels often necessitate different content or functionalities. For instance, administrators might need access to content creation tools, while regular visitors only view published content. Consider these factors during design:
  • Visibility: Some elements might need to be hidden or displayed based on user roles (e.g., admin-only links).
  • Permissions: Design elements and interactive features should reflect the permissions granted to different user levels.
  • Customization: Consider allowing users to customize their experience based on their preferences and roles.

Remember, a well-designed website should cater to all user levels while maintaining security and a cohesive experience.
Question How do I make my website theme mobile-friendly in Composr?
Answer Composr offers several features to optimize themes for mobile:
  • Mobile mode: You can design separate layouts and CSS styles specifically for mobile devices, which Composr automatically activates when a mobile user visits your site.
  • Tempcode's 0 symbol: This symbol helps conditionally display content based on whether the user is on a mobile device or desktop.
  • CSS media queries: By using media queries, you can target specific screen sizes and adjust styles accordingly, making your theme responsive.
  • Viewport meta tag: This tag controls how the browser scales and displays the webpage on mobile devices, ensuring a properly sized and zoomable experience.
Question What is responsive design, and why is it essential for mobile devices?
Answer Responsive design ensures a website adapts seamlessly to different screen sizes, providing an optimal viewing experience across devices, particularly mobile phones and tablets. It utilizes techniques like flexible grids, fluid images, and CSS media queries to adjust layout and content based on screen dimensions.

This is crucial because mobile device usage is significant, and a non-responsive site leads to a poor user experience on smaller screens, potentially driving visitors away.
Question How can I create a theme pack for release in Composr?
Answer After designing your theme, go to the admin panel's "Addons" section. You'll find an option to export your current theme as an addon. Composr will package the necessary files into a downloadable archive, ready to be shared with others or submitted to the Composr community for installation on other sites.