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Newest 10 Entries
| Question | How can I make sure my Composr website is accessible? |
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| 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? |
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| 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? |
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| 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 |
| 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 |
| Name | Philip Withnall |
|---|---|
| Title / Role | Early Developer |
| Contributions / Notes | 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 |
| Name | Allen Ellis |
|---|---|
| Photograph |  |
| Title / Role | Founder |
| Contributions / Notes | 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 |
Top 10 Entries
| Question | What is the action log, and how can I use it? |
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| 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? |
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| 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? |
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| 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? |
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| 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? |
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| 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? |
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| 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? |
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| 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? |
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| 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? |
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| 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. |