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	Where are download galleries located, and can I move them?
Answer	By default, download galleries (to contain screenshots of a download) are placed under the root gallery. You can move them to a different gallery for better organization. Here's how: Create a new container gallery (e.g., with codename "downloads"). Change the "Create download galleries under" configuration option to your new gallery's codename. Use Commandr to move existing galleries to the new location.

Question	Can I sell downloads on my Composr site?
Answer	Yes, the download system integrates with the points system, allowing you to charge for downloads. This is particularly useful for communities where members create and share content, like game modifications. You can set prices for downloads and creators earn points when users purchase them. Additionally, you can create a subscription-based system by requiring points for downloads, which users can purchase via methods like PayPal.

Question	What does it mean to "outmode" a download?
Answer	Outmoding means marking a download as superseded or replaced by a newer version. When editing the older download, you link it to the new one in the "outmode" field. This makes it clear to users that there is a newer version available. This is handy especially if you provide software.

Question	What are the different ways to add downloads to my Composr site?
Answer	Composr offers several methods for adding files to the download system: Uploading via web form (when adding a download in the Content Management Zone): This is the simplest method, where you attach the file directly when defining the download details. However, it's not suitable for large files and can be affected by unreliable internet connections. Uploading and referencing the URL: You can manually upload the file using FTP/SFTP/SCP and then provide the URL to the file in the 'Add download' form. While this is better for large files, it requires additional access, and the file isn't managed directly by Composr. Batch adding from an FTP server: This allows staff to add multiple downloads from an FTP server in one go using FTP URLs. It's efficient for bulk uploads but requires separate addition of descriptions. Batch adding from a directory: Similar to the FTP method, staff can add downloads from a web server directory accessible by URL. File/media library (filedump): Webmasters can use any of the above methods to upload a file to `uploads/filedump` and then reference it in a download. This is especially handy if you are going to reference the file more than once on your site.

Question	What is the Composr Setup Wizard and what does it do?
Answer	The Setup Wizard is a guided process to help you configure essential settings for your Composr website after installation. It can: Generate a default theme and logo Set initial site options Remove predefined content and unnecessary addons Place initial blocks on your pages While convenient, be aware that re-running the Setup Wizard may overwrite existing settings and customizations if you already configured your site.

Question	How can I change the structure of my Composr website's pages?
Answer	You can delete and move pages using the Admin Zone > Structure > Sitemap editor. However, moving pages between zones might invalidate existing page-links unless specified using the _SEARCH zone in the link. To avoid issues with existing links and search engine indexing, consider setting up redirects when moving pages. This can be done through Admin Zone > Structure > Redirects. It is recommended not to move default Composr pages as it can complicate future upgrades.

Question	What are Installation Options and how can I change them?
Answer	Installation Options are low-level settings for Composr, such as database details and default language. You can access the Installation Options editor through: The script: `http://yourbaseurl/config_editor.php` The Admin Zone: Admin Zone > Setup > Configuration > Installation Options Remember that you'll need your maintenance password, specified during installation, to access and modify these options.

Question	How do I open or close my Composr website to the public?
Answer	By default, your Composr site is closed after installation. To open it to the public (or to close an opened site), go to Admin Zone > Setup > Configuration > Site options > Closed site and adjust the setting accordingly. You can also configure a closed site message. While a closed site prevents public access, it's worth noting that users can still join a closed Conversr-powered site if they have access to the join module URL. However, they won't be able to log in unless they're assigned to a usergroup with "Access closed site" permissions. You can modify the join module's permissions to restrict access further.

Question	What is the .htaccess file and how does it relate to Composr?
Answer	The .htaccess file is a configuration file for the Apache web server. It allows you to define settings that apply to the directory where it's located and its subdirectories. Composr can leverage .htaccess to enhance security and enable features like "URL Schemes." You can try renaming the provided recommended.htaccess file to .htaccess. This file includes recommended options that tighten security and ensure Composr has necessary PHP and Apache features activated. Note that some web hosts might restrict the use of .htaccess files. You should regularly review recommended.htaccess for changes between Composr updates.

Question	How do Composr permissions work?
Answer	Composr employs a multi-layered permission system with two main types: privileges and access permissions. The system grants users the best possible access based on the combination of their usergroups. Privileges define broad permissions, such as accessing a closed site or content manipulation abilities based on impact level (low, medium, high). You can set privileges for usergroups via checkboxes, with the option to override them for specific pages or categories. Go to Admin Zone > Security > Global privileges. Access permissions control what content users can view. These permissions are layered: Zone access permissions Page (or content entry) access permissions Catalogue access permissions Category access permissions To configure access permissions, you can edit the specific resource or utilize the Permissions Tree Editor under Admin Zone > Security > Permissions Tree Editor.

Top 10 Entries

Question	What are the different media types supported for banners?
Answer	The Composr banner system supports various media types: Images: Uploaded directly or via an image URL. Text: Textual banners, including support for "hot text" that dynamically displays banners based on keyword matches within the content. Frames: Banners embedded within frames using an iframe URL. Direct Code: Raw HTML or PHP code can be used to integrate banners from third-party banner networks or create custom banner implementations.

Question	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.

Question	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.

Question	Can I restrict who can see specific banners?
Answer	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.

Question	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.

Question	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.

Question	What should I do if an addon causes problems on my Composr website?
Answer	Composr's Safe Mode can help isolate addon-related problems. Enable Safe Mode: Use the safe mode link or the config editor (http://yourbaseurl/config_editor.php) to enable Safe Mode. Uninstall the problematic addon: Once in Safe Mode, navigate to the addon management section and uninstall the addon causing the issue. Disable Safe Mode: After resolving the problem, disable Safe Mode through the config editor.

Question	How can I manually edit my Composr database?
Answer	phpMyAdmin is a widely used web-based tool for managing MySQL databases. It allows you to: Browse tables: View and edit individual rows within database tables. Run SQL queries: Execute SQL commands directly for specific tasks. Repair corrupted tables: Access table repair functions. Refer to the "Manually editing your database with phpMyAdmin" tutorial for more detailed instructions.

Question	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.

Question	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.

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