This is just a placeholder site for Composr CMS 11 beta. It will become the new homesite once version 11 reaches stable. For the current v10 homesite, click here. Please also use the v10 tracker to report v11 issues.

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 the action log, and how can I use it?
Answer	The action log keeps track of administrative and content-related actions on your website. It allows you to see who did what and when, providing valuable insights into site activity and accountability. You can filter the log to focus on specific actions, users, or timeframes. It's also helpful for revisiting previous tasks by providing links to the relevant content or settings. Go to the Admin Zone > Audit > Action logs. A quick action log block is also available on the dashboard.

Question	What is the staff checklist in the Admin Zone?
Answer	The staff checklist is an automatically generated list of tasks that need attention on your website. It includes routine updates like assigning new awards or adding news, as well as less frequent but important tasks like backups, software updates, newsletters, content validation, and periodic content reviews. You can customize the frequency of these tasks in the 'Configuration' section under 'Administrative options'. You can also add your own custom tasks. Anyone with Admin Zone access can see the checklist. So you can collaborate with your highest level staff on it.

Question	I'm lost! How can I find a specific feature or setting?
Answer	The Admin Zone has a powerful search feature that you can access under the Help icon. It searches through various categories, including configuration options, privileges, templates, language strings, administrative modules, and more. You can even refine your search by adding "@sectionname" to the end of your search term to limit results to a specific section.

Question	How do I access the Admin Zone?
Answer	You can access the Admin Zone by clicking the "Admin Zone" link located at the bottom of every page on your website, assuming you are using the default theme. If you are logged in as a staff member, your user menu will also have a link to the Admin Zone or the Content Management Zone. You might be asked to log in again / confirm your session for security reasons.

Question	What is the Admin Zone?
Answer	The Admin Zone is a special section of your Composr website that allows authorized staff members to perform various administrative tasks. It serves as the central hub for managing content, configuring settings, monitoring activity, and maintaining the overall health of your website.

Question	What should I avoid doing in Composr to maintain accessibility?
Answer	Avoid using Comcode tags or other HTML elements that create dynamic effects in the user's browser, such as ticker and jumping. These can have a negative impact on navigation and scrolling. Provide alternate information for multimedia you upload so those with auditory impairments can still understand the content. Avoid creating multiple content items with the same title, as this can lead to accessibility issues and general user confusion.

Question	How does Composr handle forms for accessibility?
Answer	The web standards checker ensures that form labels are properly positioned and explicitly associated with their controls. It also checks that form elements have a logical tab order and are keyboard operable.

Question	How does Composr ensure accessible data tables?
Answer	The web standards checker enforces proper markup for data tables, including identifying row and column headers, and associating data cells with header cells. It ensures that tables are not used for layout (flex boxes and HTML grids are preferred for mobile responsiveness) unless they make sense when linearized. Composr provides summaries for tables to aid non-visual user agents in understanding their structure and content.

Question	How does Composr handle color contrast for accessibility?
Answer	Composr is designed with high graphic standards that aim to avoid poor color contrast in the default theme and Theme Wizard. But it is not perfect, especially for dark mode themes. Webmasters are still responsible for ensuring sufficient contrast in their own content and in custom themes.

Question	How do I provide text equivalents for images and multimedia in Composr?
Answer	Composr's web standards checker ensures that alternative text (using the "alt" attribute) is provided for images. It will warn if any images do not contain alt text. For multimedia, webmasters are responsible for providing captions and auditory descriptions either in the multimedia itself, on the description of the media, or uploaded as a caption file.

Top 10 Entries

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".

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