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Newest 10 Entries

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.

Question	How can I make sure my Composr website is accessible?
Answer	Enable the web standards checker in Composr while editing templates. Also do the same when previewing edited or new Comcode pages. Use the provided accessibility options in the Admin Zone to customize the webmaster experience according to your accessibility needs. Follow the webmaster concerns outlined in the "Helping improve site accessibility for disabled users" tutorial. Regularly test your website using third-party accessibility validation tools such as the WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool or the AChecker.

Question	What accessibility features are built into Composr?
Answer	Composr has an inbuilt web standards checker that helps ensure compliance with accessibility guidelines. Composr provides automatic sitemap generation functionality, a default sitemap page, and an advanced menu editor to manage navigation. Composr supports ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications), which helps make dynamic content accessible. Composr includes options in the Admin Zone to fine-tune the webmaster experience for specific accessibility requirements.

Question	Does Composr comply with accessibility standards?
Answer	- Yes, Composr complies with the highest level of the WCAG (version 1.0 at the time of writing), level 3. - Composr also meets Section 508 guidelines, XHTML and CSS specifications, and the highest level of ATAG. - Composr conforms to these standards throughout, from user-facing screens to administrator interfaces.

Name	Patrick Schmalstig
Photograph
Title / Role	Lead Developer
Contributions / Notes	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.
Links	PDStig, LLC

Name	Jim Davidson
Title / Role	contributor
Contributions / Notes	written many tutorials via Arvixe

Name	Chris Warburton
Title / Role	developer for ocProducts
Contributions / Notes	Made some key contributions to ocPortal

Name	Haydn Maidment
Title / Role	project manager for ocProducts
Contributions / Notes	None available

Name	Steve Jarvis
Title / Role	project manager for ocProducts
Contributions / Notes	Wrote many tutorials via Arvixe

Top 10 Entries

Question	How can I communicate privately with other members?
Answer	Conversr offers two ways to have private conversations: Private Topics: Start a private topic from a member's profile, by clicking "Whisper" on their post and selecting "Quote post to a new Private Topic with this member," or from your account by selecting "Start a Private Topic" and entering the desired username. Participate in the topic just like a regular forum topic. You will receive notifications for new posts in your private topics. Topics can be moved to the "Trash" category or other categories of your choosing for organization. Inline Personal Posts (Whispers): Send a private message within a public topic by clicking "Whisper" on a post and selecting "In-topic personal post to this member." Whispers are visible only to the sender and recipient, and the whispered post is highlighted. Receive notifications for new whispers.

Question	What are some key considerations when choosing field types for my catalogue?
Answer	When selecting field types, consider: Data type: Choose the appropriate field type for the data you want to collect (text, numbers, dates, etc.). Comcode support: If you need rich text formatting or translation support, opt for fields that support Comcode. Validation: Some field types offer built-in validation to ensure data accuracy. Privacy implications: Be mindful of the sensitivity of the information and whether it requires specific privacy considerations.

Question	How can I ensure the privacy of personal information stored in my catalogues?
Answer	Composr's privacy system can help manage personal data within catalogues. To leverage it: Use specific field types: Utilize dedicated field types for sensitive data like member IDs, usernames, emails, IP addresses, and passwords for efficient handling by the privacy system. Enable "May contain personal information": Mark fields that may contain personal information, enabling the privacy system to identify and handle such data during purging or downloading.

Question	What are some specialized types of catalogues available in Composr?
Answer	Composr supports specialized catalogues, including: eCommerce catalogues: Integrate with the Composr shopping cart for online stores. Classified ads: Offer features like archival categories and usergroup-specific advert durations.

Question	How are breadcrumbs handled in catalogue views?
Answer	Catalogue breadcrumbs can be customized using XML code (Admin Zone > Structure > Configure breadcrumb overrides). By default, they include the list of catalogues. However, Composr provides default breadcrumb XML that removes this, focusing on the current category hierarchy. Tree catalogues omit the index link, while non-tree catalogues include it.

Question	What is a tree catalogue and how do I create one quickly?
Answer	A tree catalogue has a hierarchical category structure (which can contain sub-categories), similar to the download system. Composr offers a special feature for creating tree catalogues by simply typing the desired categories in a specific format (which is explained and available when adding a new catalogue), which automatically generates the tree structure. Alternatively, a non-tree catalogue is simpler and only has top-level categories.

Question	Can I customize the look and feel of my catalogue?
Answer	Yes, Composr allows advanced users to customize catalogue appearance through Tempcode programming. This involves using template IF directives to apply specific styles based on the catalogue's name and manipulating template parameters for complex layouts. Alternatively, you can create new template files using the catalogue name in the file to specify complete templates for specific catalogues. Check out the tutorials for more information.

Question	What are the different display types for catalogue entries?
Answer	Composr provides four main display types for catalogue entries: Title lists: Simple lists of entry titles linking to the full entry page. Field-maps: Highly flexible, displaying as many fields as you desire within the category view. Tabular listings: Organizes entries into columns, suitable for short data fields. Grids of images: Displays entries as a grid of images, ideal for visual catalogues. It is possible to create your own templates including ones that are specific to a catalogue. Check out the catalogues tutorial for more information.

Question	Why might I need a programmer for my catalogue?
Answer	While Composr catalogues offer great flexibility, they can become complex if you need sophisticated data relationships, efficient searching, high data reliability, or advanced customization. In these cases, a programmer's expertise in database design, normalization, and templating can be invaluable.

Question	What are catalogues in Composr?
Answer	Catalogues are custom databases you can create within your Composr website. They allow you to define your own records with custom fields and organize them into categories. Think of them as powerful tools for managing various types of content, like a database of books, a directory of businesses, or even a classified ads system.

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