Contributors: A-Z Index

A

Name Photograph Title / Role Contributions / Notes
Allen Ellis Image 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 Image 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 Image 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 Image 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

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.

Top 10 Entries

Question How can members edit their profiles and account settings?
Answer Members can edit their profiles and account settings through the "Edit" tab on their profile page. They can change their password, update personal information, manage their avatar and signature, and adjust their privacy settings. Administrators have access to additional options for managing member accounts.
Question What is the difference between member terms?
Answer
  • Visitor: Any one or device who visits the site but is not necessarily identified
  • User: Any visitor who can be identified (e.g. has a session ID or tracked IP address)
  • Guest: A user who is not logged in (in Conversr, they all share a special "Guest" ID / account)
  • Member: A user who is logged in with a registered account on the website (they have a username and a member ID)
  • Author: Specific to the authors addon, a profile of an entity (could be a member, individual, or even a company) who makes content for the site
  • Subscriber: A user who receives newsletters from the site (they do not necessarily have to be a member)
  • Submitter: A user who submitted content (usually a member, but could be a guest if the site is very open to submissions)
  • Staff: A member who moderates any significant portion of the website
  • Super-moderator: A staff member with global moderation capabilities
    • Moderator: Same as super-moderator but does not have those capabilities globally; they may only be able to moderate certain sections or content
  • Super-administrator: A staff member with literally undeniable access to everything on the site
    • Administrator: Same as super-administrator but they might not have access to the most elevated of privileges such as accessing maintenance scripts

It's important to understand these distinctions to properly manage permissions, track user activity, and personalize the website experience.
Question What are Welcome Emails and how do they work?
Answer Welcome Emails are a series of automated emails sent to new members on a predefined schedule. They can be used to introduce the website's features, encourage engagement, and provide helpful information. Website administrators can customize the content and schedule of these emails.
Question How can I enhance or enforce the security of member passwords?
Answer Composr offers several features to improve password security:

  • Password Strength Setting: Administrators can set a minimum password strength requirement, forcing members to choose stronger passwords. Password strengths are calculated on a scale of 1-10 using algorithms that take into account letters (including case), numbers, symbols, repeat characters, use of dictionary words, and use of usernames / dates of birth / e-mail addresses.
  • Forced Password Resets: Administrators can force specific members or all members to change their passwords upon next login, enhancing security in case of potential breaches.
  • Expiring passwords: Administrators can require members to change their password after so many days.
  • Encrypted CPFs: If the server has the OpenSSL PHP extension installed, specific CPFs (such as ones containing other passwords) can be encrypted to protect sensitive member data in case of a server compromise.
Question Can I import or export member data?
Answer Yes, Composr allows you to import and export member data using CSV spreadsheet files. This is useful for transferring member information between different systems, performing bulk updates, or creating backups. The export feature provides various filtering options, and the import feature supports adding new members and updating existing ones.

Go to Admin Zone > Security > Members > Export members.
Question What are usergroups and how do they work?
Answer Usergroups are a way to categorize members and assign them specific permissions and privileges. Each member can belong to one or more usergroups, and the permissions granted by those usergroups determine what actions they can perform on the website. Website administrators can create and manage usergroups, define their permissions, and assign members to them. They can also assign leaders who then have permission to manage the members of that specific usergroup.
Question What are Custom Profile Fields (CPFs) and how are they used?
Answer CPFs allow website administrators to collect additional information from members beyond the basic profile fields. These fields can be customized to fit the specific needs of the website, such as collecting job roles, hobbies, or interests. CPFs can be used to:
  • Enforce specific requirements for membership (e.g., job role in a company forum).
  • Categorize members based on their interests or affiliations (e.g., football players in a school forum).
  • Display additional information on member profiles and forum posts.
Question How do new members join a Conversr website?
Answer Members can join your Composr site in a few ways:
  • Regular Registration: Users can click on "join" links, agree to your rules, and fill out a registration form. They will then receive an activation email to confirm their email address (if enabled).
  • Invites: You can restrict joining to invite-only. Existing members can send invites, and only those who receive an invite can register.
  • Manual Addition: Administrators can manually create member accounts through the Admin Zone. This is useful for pre-joining members or handling issues with the regular registration process.
  • Other Methods: Composr also supports automatic member joining through LDAP and HTTP authentication.
Question What is the Composr Member System?
Answer The Composr Member System is the system used by the Conversr forum software to manage user accounts and information. This includes usernames, passwords, profile information, and usergroups. It also handles user registration, login, and account management. For websites not using Conversr, the member system of the third-party forum software would be used.
Question Can I Use Composr Galleries to Publish Podcasts?
Answer Yes, Composr supports creating podcasts from galleries. The podcast URL follows this format: http://yourbaseurl/backend.php?mode=galleries&select=galleryname&type=rss&itunes=1. Replace yourbaseurl and galleryname accordingly. This URL can be used to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes or other podcast applications.