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Question How do I change my website's logo?
Answer You can change your site's logo manually or by using the Logo Wizard. To change it manually, go to Admin Zone > Style > Themes. Choose "logo/-logo" from the dropdown list, which represents the logo for the Welcome Zone and any zone without a specific logo. Replace the current image by uploading a new .jpeg, .gif, or .png file. Ensure that the 'Name' field remains unchanged.
Question What are Composr addons and how do I manage them?
Answer Composr is built using a series of addons that provide different functionalities. All "bundled" addons are installed by default. Once you are familiar with Composr, it's recommended to remove any bundled addons you don't need to simplify your site and prevent accidental exposure of unconfigured features to visitors (the Setup Wizard can also uninstall these addons based on your preferences). You can manage addons by navigating to Admin Zone > Structure > Addons. Uninstalled addons are archived and can be restored later, but any associated data will be permanently lost.

Composr also offers non-bundled addons. These addons are not bundled because they are not considered mainstream, rely on third-party services, haven't been vetted to Composr standards, or don't fully conform to those standards.

You can install non-bundled addons by going to Admin Zone > Structure > Addons, scrolling to the bottom and clicking "Import non-bundled addon(s)". You will need to browse to the addon file and click the import button. Once imported, review the warnings and proceed to install the addon.

You can also download and import addons from this website under the Downloads section.
Question What are some of the default Comcode pages in Composr?
Answer Composr includes several default Comcode pages, each serving a specific purpose:

  • home (Welcome and Site zones): The default front pages for the respective zones.
  • sitemap (Welcome zone): Displays the sitemap, typically generated automatically.
  • _rules (Welcome zone): Outlines the site rules, also displayed during registration. The "rules" page (no underscore) is a wrapper for this page.
  • privacy (Welcome zone): Provides privacy policy information. By default, this is generated automatically with Composr's privacy policy generator block.
  • 404 (Welcome zone): The page shown for 404 errors (page not found) and includes a sitemap.
  • help (Site zone): Contains general help information.
  • userguide_comcode (Site zone): A basic guide to Comcode for users.

Remember that you can edit these default pages or create entirely new ones to tailor your site's content to your specific needs.
Question How do I hide a Comcode page from the sitemap?
Answer If you want to prevent a Comcode page from appearing in your sitemap, you can simply prefix its name with an underscore (_). For example, pages named "_test" or "_example" would be excluded from the sitemap. Note that this generally does not hide the page from your site itself (to do that, use the validation addon to turn validated to "OFF" for the pages); it only hides them from the sitemap / search engines.
Question Can I organize Comcode pages in a hierarchical structure?
Answer Yes, Composr allows you to simulate a hierarchical structure for your Comcode pages using multi-part paths in the page monikers. By editing the page monikers to include slashes (e.g., "about/team"), you can create a virtual directory structure within a single zone, enhancing your site's organization and navigation.
Question How do I embed content from other modules into a Comcode page?
Answer You can use various blocks to embed content from different modules:

  • main_content block: Allows you to feature individual entries from modules/content like news or articles.
  • main_multi_content, main_cc_embed, main_gallery_embed, main_news blocks: Enable you to pull in and display multiple entries based on categories or other criteria.
  • main_include_module block: Provides a powerful way to integrate any module screen directly into a Comcode page.
Question What is the difference between blocks and boxes in Composr?
Answer While both terms may seem similar, they have distinct meanings in Composr:
  • Blocks are functional units that generate dynamic content or provide specific features. They don't inherently have a visual form and their output can vary widely.
  • Boxes are a visual design element in Composr, essentially containers that visually group content on a page and often with a title at the top.

In practice, blocks often place their content within a box, but this isn't a requirement / standard.
Question Can I customize the appearance of blocks?
Answer Yes, you can customize the appearance of blocks by editing the associated templates and CSS. Each block typically has a corresponding template file (e.g., BLOCK_MAIN_NEWS.tpl for the main_news block) that controls its HTML structure. You can modify this template to change the layout and styling of the block's output.

An easy way to do this is through the template editor in Admin Zone > Style > Themes, and click edit templates for the relevant theme.
Question How do I add dynamic content to my Comcode pages?
Answer Composr utilizes "blocks" to embed dynamic content and functionality within Comcode pages. These blocks can range from displaying recent forum posts to showing information about the logged-in user.

To add a block, you can use the "block construction assistant" accessible via a button above the editor. This tool provides a user-friendly way to:
  • Browse and select available blocks.
  • Configure the block parameters.
  • Preview the block output.
  • Generate the necessary Comcode to embed the block.
Question How do I create a new Comcode page?
Answer Composr provides two easy ways to create a new Comcode page:

Method 1: Direct URL Entry
Type the desired URL of your new page into your browser's address bar.
Since the page doesn't exist yet, Composr will present you with a 404 error and a link to create it. Click the link to open the Comcode page editor.

Method 2: Admin Zone
Navigate to Admin Zone > Content > Pages (Comcode pages).
Scroll down to the list of existing pages and enter the name of your new page using the ":" (page-link) format. For example, a new page in the Welcome zone named "about" would be entered as ":about", or a new page in the "site" zone named "foobar" would be entered as "site:foobar".

Top 10 Entries

Name Robert Goacher
Photograph Image
Title / Role Founder
Contributions / Notes

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

Name Chris Graham
Photograph Image
Title / Role Founder
Contributions / Notes

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.

Links

gameRevolt (@[email protected]) - LinuxRocks.Online

Website Earth & Sky
Screenshot Image
Short Description Earth & Sky is a Composr v11 gallery website showcasing natural photography by Mark Brunner.
Website Saving Wallden
Screenshot Image
Short Description This is an informational website for a Visual Pinball X game in development called "Saving Wallden". The site features the planned game rules, development news, and a download of the game as it is so far.
Website PDStig, LLC
Screenshot Image
Short Description This is an informational site / portfolio for PDStig, LLC, the company run by one of Composr's lead developers, Patrick Schmalstig.
Website Composr CMS: Content management meets social media
Screenshot Image
Short Description This is the main website for Composr CMS version 11. It runs the latest build of v11. Currently it is just a placeholder but will soon replace compo.sr when v11 becomes stable.
Question Should I use the bleeding edge releases or the git repository?
Answer

That depends on several factors. Here are some pros and cons of each:

Bleeding edge releases Git repository (v11 branch)
Easier to set up and use, and does not require knowledge of git Harder to set up and use unless you are familiar with git; must routinely run the file integrity check, database upgrade tool, and check database schema tools in the upgrader after pulling
More stable, but less frequent updates Less stable, but more frequent updates (almost daily!)
Only contains core code and addons unless you manually install non-bundled addons; non-bundled addons must be manually updated Contains all core code and non-bundled addons; non-bundled addons are updated with pulls (though you will need to check file/database integrity often and check blocks/modules for available upgrades)
Ability to test the upgrader / upgrading between new v11 versions Not able to effectively test the upgrader because git pull might load in and update new code early before the release is available
Always contains the latest files.bin and db_meta.bin because these are compiled with every release Does not always contain the latest files.bin and db_meta.bin. Therefore, file and database integrity may report false-positives.
Intended for general user testing Intended for developers / developer testing:
* special run-time checks are enabled for extra debugging (if the .git directory exists in the install)
* contains the automated test suite for running tests

Click here to access the git repository.
Question Can I switch a v11 install from git over to using the releases from composr.app?
Answer

It is not recommended you do this because you may run into issues. For example, some changes were made in crypto_master.php and data/upgrader2.php prior to the first v11 alpha. These changes will result in a broken upgrade unless you already pulled these changes from git. Similar situations could happen in the future as well.

It is recommended you either discard the git install and use a fresh install from the Downloads, or to maintain a git install and a bleeding-edge release install separately. Do not combine the two.

Question Should I update my non-bundled addons after updating to a newer release of version 11?
Answer

Absolutely! Frequent changes may be made to both bundled and non-bundled addons. Bundled addons will be updated via the upgrader. For non-bundled addons, you will have to update them through the addons management screen (Admin Zone > Structure > Addons). You will be informed which ones need updated.

Once version 11 reaches release candidate, we do not expect frequent updates to non-bundled addons anymore. But it is still good practice to check after every update.

Question Can I upgrade a version 10 site to version 11?
Answer

Yes, for basic non-custom v10 sites. However, expect some issues to arise in the process. And please report those issues to the tracker.

For v10 sites with non-bundled addons or customisations, upgrading to v11 will likely break the site until you update the non-bundled addons or temporarily remove the customisations.

We aim to have the upgrader fully functional for a large majority of types of sites and for sites using non-bundled addons by the time version 11 reaches release candidate stage.

We do not recommend upgrading production v10 sites at this time until v11 reaches stable.