Frequently Asked Questions: A-Z Index

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.

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Question Are there security features to protect downloaded files?
Answer Yes, Composr includes security measures to protect downloads.
  • Protection from hackers: Uploaded files are stored with obscured filenames, preventing direct access and bypassing of the download system. Additionally, an anti-leech feature (when enabled) prevents direct download links from being shared on other websites (this is done by requiring a session ID which is validated against the person / device accessing it and only provided when Composr presents the download links to you on the site).
  • Basic security: Composr will not let anyone upload dangerous scripts (such as PHP files) which can be executed.
  • Rootkit detection: The rootkit detection tool under yourbaseurl/rootkit_detection.php can help scan files for shell scripts and backdoors. Composr's Health Check can also do this regularly. Note this only offers very basic detection and will not work for obfuscated backdoors (you should use antivirus to scan for those).

It is the responsibility of webmasters to run antivirus on their site to regularly scan files uploaded to it. Composr does not include antivirus software or virus scanning.
Question Are there any safety guidelines for younger users?
Answer It's crucial to emphasize safety, especially for younger users. Encourage them to follow these guidelines: never arrange to meet anyone from a chatroom in person, be cautious about sharing personal information, and report any suspicious behavior to moderators.
Question Are there any limitations to the Composr Chat system?
Answer While the Composr Chat system provides robust chat and IM features, it does have some limitations. Currently, it does not support video chat, sales-focused chat features, desktop app integration, or optimal performance for very high volumes of concurrent users. Additionally, it is only near real-time as Composr queries for new messages using AJAX at a set interval.
Question Are there alternative chat solutions that integrate with Composr?
Answer Yes, you can integrate third-party chat solutions with Composr. For example, CometChat is a commercial chat system that provides a Composr integration. You can also leverage video chat services like Talky, Jitsi, or appear.in by embedding links within your chat templates. For sales-chat needs, consider integrating a dedicated live chat platform like Comm100.
Question Are there any limitations to importing forum data?
Answer Yes, some limitations exist, particularly with specific forum platforms.
  • General: Private messages are often combined into private topics.
  • phpBB: Usergroup configuration and HTML entities may require manual adjustments after import.
  • vBulletin: Calendar recurrences, ratings (karma), and 'goes to coventry' are not imported perfectly. Attachments may need to be extracted directly from the live database due to potential corruption in SQL dumps.
  • Simple Machine Forum: Banning features may not import perfectly due to differences in how Composr handles bans.
Question Are there other Composr features helpful for support?
Answer Yes, features like:
  • Staff-only replies in the Support Ticket system enable private communication among support staff.
  • Notifications for new tickets, replies, or feedback ensure timely responses.
  • Blocks like main_contact_us provide a simplified front-end for ticket creation.
  • Forum moderation tools help manage support discussions effectively.

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Question Can I upgrade a previous version 11 release to a newer one using the upgrader?
Answer

Yes (probably). Always remember especially during alpha and beta phases that things can break. Please make backups first. And let us know on the issue tracker if an issue occurs.
 

Note: You cannot upgrade from 11 alpha to 11 beta without first upgrading to 11.alpha4 (if you are not already on 11.alpha4).

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.

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 Can I leave notes for myself or other staff members?
Answer Yes, the Admin Zone includes a dedicated "Notes" block for you and your staff to leave messages and reminders. This space serves as a shared communication hub for your team.
Question Can I create custom Comcode tags?
Answer Yes, you can create custom Comcode tags through the Admin Zone > Setup > Custom Comcode. This allows you to add unique functionality or wrap specific HTML code (especially if you use a certain block of HTML frequently on your site) for easier use. Custom Comcode tags can be tailored to your needs and even include your own parameters. You can also specify if the Comcode is dangerous so only those with elevated privileges can use it.
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 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 Can I sell downloads on my Composr site?
Answer Yes, the download system integrates with the points system, allowing you to charge for downloads. This is particularly useful for communities where members create and share content, like game modifications. You can set prices for downloads and creators earn points when users purchase them. Additionally, you can create a subscription-based system by requiring points for downloads, which users can purchase via methods like PayPal.
Question Can I add images to my downloads?
Answer Yes, Composr automatically creates a gallery for each download (if the galleries addon is enabled). You can easily add images directly after creating the download or through the download-view screen. The download gallery is displayed within the download-view screen itself.
Question Can users search for specific downloads?
Answer Yes, the unified Composr search system allows users to find downloads based on keywords. This includes searching within download titles and descriptions, as well as within the content of certain file types like PDFs, text files, and even some binary formats (providing they are not too large in size).
Question Can I integrate email with my forums (mailing list)?
Answer Yes, you can enable email integration for each forum individually. This allows members to post and receive updates via email.

Requirements:
  • PHP IMAP extension installed
  • System scheduler (Cron) running
  • IMAP-compatible mail server

Recommended:
  • Mail server enforces SPF and DKIM for email validation
  • Mail server limits email size to prevent abuse
  • System scheduler runs frequently (e.g., every minute) so members get prompt updates
Question Can Members Create Their Own Personal Galleries?
Answer Yes, members with the "have personal galleries" permission can create their own galleries. These personal galleries are displayed under designated "Personal category container" galleries. They also show up in a tab on the member's profile. Members can only add content to their own galleries unless they have the "Submit to categories belonging to other members" permission.
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.
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 Can I display different content to different usergroups?
Answer Yes, you can achieve this by leveraging Tempcode within your templates. By using conditional statements like {$IS_IN_GROUP} and {$HAS_PRIVILEGE}, you can show or hide specific content sections based on the user's group membership or privileges. This technique allows you to "tease" premium content to non-paying users or tailor the user experience based on their access level.
Question Can I change the URL scheme after my website is already live?
Answer Yes, you can enable or change a URL scheme on an existing website. Old URLs will redirect to the new format, ensuring that your SEO isn't negatively impacted. The canonical URL will also be specified in your website's HTML, further protecting your search rankings.
Question Can I moderate content in Composr forums?
Answer Yes, Composr provides various moderation tools for managing forum content. Moderators can edit or delete posts and topics, move topics between forums, close or open discussions, and validate content submitted by users who require approval. These are done in an actions dropdown on a topic, or through buttons on individual posts.
Question Can I restrict who can see specific banners?
Answer Yes, by enabling the "Permissions" configuration option in the Admin Zone (Admin Zone > Setup > Configuration > Feature options > Banners), you can control which usergroups can see individual banners. This feature allows for banner targeting and prevents inappropriate banners from being shown to specific audiences, such as adult banners to minors.
Question Can I add external feeds to the calendar?
Answer Yes, you can add RSS or Atom feeds to your calendar. This lets you view time-based information from external sources alongside your calendar events.
Question Can I use the calendar as a personal diary and keep my entries private?
Answer Yes. When adding an event to the calendar, you can choose to make it public or private. Private events are generally used when someone wants to use the calendar system as a diary.
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 Can I download chat logs?
Answer Yes, you can download logs of any chat conversation. Simply navigate to the chatroom, click on the "Download chat logs" link, specify the desired date/time range, and the system will generate a downloadable log file for you.
Question Can I use Comcode / resource IDs directly when working with the repository?
Answer Using Comcode / resource IDs directly is not recommended as they may not match between different sites. Use GUIDs instead, which Composr automatically substitutes for IDs before parsing Comcode. You can use Commandr commands like find_guid_via_id to find the GUID for specific resources.
Question Can I display forum content in a prominent way on my Composr site?
Answer Absolutely! Composr provides several blocks designed for featuring forum content:
  • News-Style Blocks: side_forum_news, main_forum_news, and bottom_forum_news display forum topics in a news format, ideal for forums used for news posting.
  • Topic-Focused Block: main_forum_topics showcases recent topics from specific forums, allowing you to highlight active discussions or important announcements.
Question Can I customize the appearance of blocks?
Answer Yes, you can style blocks by editing the associated templates and CSS. Templates are typically named after the block they represent. For example, the main_news block uses the BLOCK_MAIN_NEWS.tpl template.
Question Can you give an example of creating a new module?
Answer Imagine creating a "Testing" module to manage collaborative testing:
  • Define purpose: Allow testers to add, assign, and track tests, with security and forum integration.
  • Design database: Plan the necessary database tables and fields to store the module's data.
  • Create module shell: Write the basic module structure based on standard Composr modules.
  • Define screens: Identify the module's screens and code their corresponding functions.
  • Utilize API functions: Use Composr's built-in API functions like create_table, add_privilege, and do_template to implement functionality.
Question Can I install Composr on a Windows desktop?
Answer Yes, you can install Composr on a Windows desktop using software packages like WampServer, XAMPP, EasyPHP, or ampps for simplified setup. Alternatively, you can manually install Apache, PHP, and MySQL, following the instructions provided in the respective documentation. Remember to configure file permissions appropriately and ensure the webserver isn't accessible from outside your network.
Question Can I switch forums after installing Composr?
Answer It's not easy to switch forums after installing Composr. The member and usergroup IDs referenced by Composr would lose their association. Check the "Importing data into Composr" tutorial for more information on this.
Question Can I integrate third-party JavaScript libraries into Composr?
Answer Yes, you can integrate third-party JavaScript libraries using various methods:
  • Direct reference by URL: Include the library's URL in your theme's HTML.
  • Composr's JavaScript API: Use Composr's API for organized inclusion and potential future compatibility benefits.
  • Manual integration: Directly include the library's code in appropriate template files.
Choose the method best suited for your needs and technical proficiency.
Question Can I import data from other platforms into Composr?
Answer Yes, Composr offers importers for several popular platforms:
  • Forum Software: Invision Board, MyBB, phpBB, Simple Machine Forum, vBulletin
  • Content Management Systems: WordPress
  • Special Importers: HTML website importer, Composr merge (for merging another Composr site)
Question Can I switch from a third-party forum to Conversr (Composr's built-in forum)?
Answer Yes, if an importer exists for your current forum software, you can switch to Conversr during the import process. Composr will handle the forum driver switch and remap user IDs, but it's recommended to double-check permissions afterward.
Question Can I translate images with text on them?
Answer Yes, you can translate images containing text. In the themes/default/images/ directory, you'll find an EN folder containing images with English text.
  • Copy the EN folder: Create a new folder with the ISO code of your target language (e.g., FR for French).
  • Replace the images: Replace the English images with translated versions.
  • Ensure correct image paths: Update any references to these images in your templates or content to point to the translated versions.
Question Can I translate my content into multiple languages?
Answer Yes, Composr supports multi-language content. You can enable this feature by:
  • Installing multiple language packs: Make sure you have at least two language packs installed.
  • Enabling the Conversr multi-language option: Go to Admin Zone > Setup > Configuration > Site options > Internationalisation.
  • Running a Commandr command: Execute the necessary command to set up the database structure for multi-language content (unless you already enabled Support content translations when installing).
Once enabled, you can translate your content into different languages and allow visitors to choose their preferred language.
Question Can I have subsites and subcommunities within a single Composr installation?
Answer Yes, Composr offers various tools to create subsites and subcommunities within a single installation:
  • Zones: Create separate sections under different URLs with their own pages and content.
  • Redirects: Make modules appear in different zones without actually moving them.
  • Categories & Virtual Roots: Organize content like galleries, downloads, and catalogs into sub-trees that appear as separate entities.
  • Usergroups & Permissions: Group members into subcommunities and control their access to specific content.
  • Themes: Customize the look of different zones.
Question Can I share content like news and banners across the M.S.N.?
Answer Yes, you can share news by placing it on the central site and using RSS blocks on satellite sites to display it. Banners can be shared by adding them to the central site and configuring satellite sites to use the central site's banner.php script.
Question Can I control which notifications members receive?
Answer Yes, you can control notification settings through two mechanisms:
  • Notification Defaults: You can set default notification preferences for all members. You can enable or disable specific notifications and choose the delivery method (Admin Zone > Setup > Notification defaults).
  • Notification Lock-down: You can force members to receive or prevent them from receiving certain notifications (Admin Zone > Setup > Notification lock-down). This allows you to enforce specific notification policies and manage email volume.
Question Can I reward members who use specific browsers or operating systems?
Answer Yes, Composr allows you to configure bonus points based on browser/platform criteria. You can set bonus points for members using Open Source browsers, specific operating systems, or even those who have enabled privacy features like "Do Not Track" (DNT) or "Global Privacy Control" (GPC).
Question Can members send points to each other?
Answer Yes, members can send points to each other as a token of appreciation, reward for a service, or as part of an agreement using the Points Escrow system.
Question Can I create a leaderboard to showcase top point earners?
Answer Yes, Composr offers a leaderboard block and module to display top point holders. You can customize the leaderboard to show weekly, monthly, or yearly rankings, filter by usergroups, and exclude staff members if desired. This can encourage healthy competition and motivate members to earn points.

Go to Admin Zone > Setup > Leader-boards to create a leader-board.
Question Can I reward users for completing quizzes?
Answer Yes, you can reward users with points for successfully passing a test. This incentivizes participation and encourages users to engage with your content.
Question Can I create complex, multi-screen quiz interfaces in Composr?
Answer While Composr's built-in quiz system is excellent for standard formats, creating intricate multi-screen quizzes might require custom development using Composr's decision tree framework or other programming tools. This allows for highly customized quiz structures and advanced branching logic.
Question Can I filter my search results?
Answer Yes, you can filter your search results by:
  • Content type: Choose to search specific content types like news, forum posts, or Comcode pages.
  • Author/Submitter: Search for content submitted by a specific member.
  • Date: Limit your search to content submitted within a specific time frame.
  • Category (for certain content types): Narrow down your search to specific categories within a content type.
Question Can I integrate a dedicated issue management system with Composr?
Answer While Composr doesn't have a built-in issue tracker, a non-bundled addon (cms_homesite_tracker) provides an integrated, modified version of Mantis. Additionally, the Support Ticket system can function as a basic private issue tracker using features like Post Templates.
Question Can users contribute content to Wiki+?
Answer Yes, users can contribute content to Wiki+ through posts. When the "Show posts" option is enabled for a page, users can add their insights and information as posts below the main page content.
Question Can I track changes made to Wiki+ pages?
Answer Yes, Wiki+ includes a revision history feature accessible through the page edit screen. This feature allows you to view a log of edits, see changes highlighted in tooltips, and revert to previous versions of a page as needed.
Question Can I move a Wiki+ page?
Answer Technically, Wiki+ pages cannot be moved because they don't have a fixed location within the network structure. Creating child links forms a path, not a strict hierarchy. However, you can manipulate the breadcrumbs by ensuring only one path leads to a page.

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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.

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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 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 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 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 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 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 How can I stay informed about the latest Composr version?
Answer The Admin Zone dashboard displays information about your current Composr version and alerts you if it's not the most recent one. A link will be provided to guide you through the upgrade process if necessary.
Question How do I use Comcode tags?
Answer Comcode tags are similar to HTML tags, but use square brackets [] instead of angle brackets <>. Each tag has an opening and closing tag, with content in between.

Example: [b]This text would be bold.[/b]

Tags can also have parameters:
Example: [img src="image.jpg" alt="Image description"]

A shorthand exists for the param parameter (the primary parameter of Comcode tags):
Example: [page="_SEARCH:howdy_do"]Howdy do[/page]
Question How do I add attachments to my content?
Answer Composr has an integrated attachment system. You can upload files, like images or documents, via the attachments section (or the image button if using the WYSIWYG editor with simplified attachments UI), and they will be automatically added to your Comcode using the attachment tag. You can then move this tag within your content to position the attachment as needed.
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".
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 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 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 How do I set up the system scheduler in Composr?
Answer The system scheduler is crucial for scheduled tasks like sending notifications, running backups, and processing reports. To set it up, you need to schedule a system-level task to run the data/cron_bridge.php file at least every 10 minutes. This links Composr's scheduler with your server's scheduler (like Cron on Linux).

Composr can often detect the correct command to use for your setup. You can check by visiting http://yourbaseurl/data/cron_bridge.php?query_mode=1, which should display the suggested Cron command. Note that you may need to replace the php command with the absolute path to PHP if you cannot use the php command directly.

If your hosting doesn't support Cron or scheduled tasks, you can enable scheduled tasks to run when visitors access your site. Navigate to Admin Zone > Setup > Configuration > Performance options and check "Web requests run scheduled tasks". Keep in mind that this method relies on visitor traffic and isn't as reliable as a dedicated scheduler.

Alternatively, consider using external services like EasyCron, setcronjob.com, or onlinecronjobs.com. These services allow you to schedule calls to the data/cron_bridge.php script by URL at specified intervals.
Question How do Composr permissions work?
Answer Composr employs a multi-layered permission system with two main types: privileges and access permissions. The system grants users the best possible access based on the combination of their usergroups.

Privileges define broad permissions, such as accessing a closed site or content manipulation abilities based on impact level (low, medium, high). You can set privileges for usergroups via checkboxes, with the option to override them for specific pages or categories. Go to Admin Zone > Security > Global privileges.

Access permissions control what content users can view. These permissions are layered:

  • Zone access permissions
  • Page (or content entry) access permissions
  • Catalogue access permissions
  • Category access permissions

To configure access permissions, you can edit the specific resource or utilize the Permissions Tree Editor under Admin Zone > Security > Permissions Tree Editor.
Question How do I open or close my Composr website to the public?
Answer By default, your Composr site is closed after installation. To open it to the public (or to close an opened site), go to Admin Zone > Setup > Configuration > Site options > Closed site and adjust the setting accordingly. You can also configure a closed site message.

While a closed site prevents public access, it's worth noting that users can still join a closed Conversr-powered site if they have access to the join module URL. However, they won't be able to log in unless they're assigned to a usergroup with "Access closed site" permissions. You can modify the join module's permissions to restrict access further.
Question How can I change the structure of my Composr website's pages?
Answer You can delete and move pages using the Admin Zone > Structure > Sitemap editor. However, moving pages between zones might invalidate existing page-links unless specified using the _SEARCH zone in the link.

To avoid issues with existing links and search engine indexing, consider setting up redirects when moving pages. This can be done through Admin Zone > Structure > Redirects.

It is recommended not to move default Composr pages as it can complicate future upgrades.
Question How do I set up PayPal in Composr?
Answer
  • Sign up for a PayPal Business Account.
  • Enable "Auto Return" in PayPal and set the return URL to http://yourbaseurl/index.php?page=purchase
  • Enable "Payment data transfer" in PayPal and copy the data transfer identifier for Composr.
  • In Composr, go to Admin Zone > Setup > Configuration > eCommerce options > Payment gateway (PayPal-specific).
  • Paste the data transfer identifier and save.
Question How do I handle taxes in Composr?
Answer Composr offers flexible tax handling:

  • TaxJar integration: Supports international taxation for many countries.
  • TaxCloud integration: Supports complex USA taxation, including destination-based rules.
  • EU digital goods tax: Handles EU-specific regulations for digital products.
  • Custom tax rates: Define your own percentage-based tax rates.
  • Tax hooks: Developers can extend tax functionality and implement additional tax providers.
Question How do I manage refunds in Composr?
Answer
  • Monetary payments: Issue refunds through your payment gateway.
  • Point payments: Manually refund points through the points system.
  • Cancellations: Cancel purchases in the Admin Zone to allow repurchasing. Remember to manually undo any associated actions (e.g., removing name highlighting).
Question How can I audit my eCommerce activity in Composr?
Answer Composr provides tools for monitoring your eCommerce activities:

  • Sales list management: Cancel purchases, view sales history, and manage refunds (Admin Zone > Audit > eCommerce > Sales list management).
  • Charts: Generate profit/loss accounts and cash flow diagrams for specific periods (Admin Zone > Audit > eCommerce, and Admin Zone > Audit > Site statistics).
  • Manual transactions: Record transactions outside of Composr for accurate accounting (Admin Zone > Audit > eCommerce > Manual transaction).
Question How can I keep track of activity in busy forums?
Answer Composr provides several tools to help you stay up-to-date with forum activity:

  • Virtual Forums: Special forums like "Posts since last visit" and "Topics with unread posts" provide filtered views of recent activity.
  • Read Status: Topics with unread posts are displayed in bold with a jump-to-first-unread link. You can manually mark topics or entire forums as read or unread.
  • Notifications: You can enable email notifications for specific topics or forums, either manually or automatically based on your activity.
Question How do I organize my forums effectively?
Answer
  • Structure: Composr's forums follow a hierarchical structure. You can create forum groupings, forums, and sub-forums (and sub-sub-forums etc) in that order of hierarchy.
  • Strategies: Avoid creating too many forums, which can dilute activity. Start with a few well-defined forums and expand as needed.
  • Permissions: Use Composr's permission system to control access to forums and features. For example, you can create private staff forums.
Question How do topic polls work?
Answer Topic polls are a powerful tool for gauging opinion within discussions. You can:

  • Control Result Visibility: Choose whether results are visible before voting.
  • Require Topic Reply: Force users to reply to the topic before voting.
  • Show Voter Identities: Optionally display which members voted for each option.
  • Allow Vote Revocation: Let voters change their vote while the poll is open.
  • Set Voting Close Time: Define a specific date or time for the poll to close.
  • Restrict Selections: Limit the number of options voters can choose.
  • Allow Guest Voting: Enable voting for unregistered users.
  • Weight Votes by Points: Give more influential members greater voting power (requires the points addon).
Question How can I control who can post in my forums?
Answer You can manage posting permissions using Composr's usergroup system.

  • Forum View Access: Determine which usergroups can view each forum.
  • Privilege Overrides: Grant or deny specific privileges (e.g., posting) to usergroups within a forum.
  • Bypass Validation: Allow trusted members to post without moderation (or vice versa, require validation for certain usergroups).
Question How do I debug email integration issues?
Answer
  • Email Tracking: Composr marks emails as read when processing posts. Marking an email unread will trigger re-processing.
  • Log File: Create an empty file named data_custom/mail_integration.log to capture detailed log data for troubleshooting.
Question How are forums structured in Composr?
Answer Composr forums are organized hierarchically:
  • Forum Groupings: Broad categories that contain forums.
  • Forums: Contain topics related to a specific subject.
  • Sub-forums: Forums nested under other forums, providing further categorization.
  • Topics: Threads of conversation containing a series of posts.
  • Posts: Individual messages within a topic.
Question How Do I Import Images in bulk into a Gallery?
Answer You can import images in bulk using a CSV file. The file should be named descriptions.csv and placed in the uploads/galleries directory. The first column should contain filenames (without the path), and the second column should contain descriptions. The filenames should correspond to images also located in the uploads/galleries directory. Composr will automatically match the descriptions to the images during import.
Question How Do Gallery Slide-shows Work?
Answer When viewing an image or video in a gallery, visitors can initiate a slide-show that automatically cycles through subsequent entries. The slide-show can be paused with a click or keypress. The default slide-show speed can be adjusted by modifying the GALLERY_ENTRY_SCREEN.tpl template.
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 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 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 How do I schedule a news post to be published at a specific time?
Answer Once you have enabled the system scheduler (requires the Composr calendar and commandr addons), an advanced scheduling option will appear when adding or editing news posts. By setting a future date and time, your post will remain unvalidated until the chosen time, at which point it will be automatically validated and published.
Question How do I display external RSS feeds on my Composr website?
Answer Composr offers two blocks for displaying RSS and Atom feeds in a news-like format:
  • main_rss block: Suitable for main content areas
  • side_rss block: Designed for sidebars and smaller spaces

To add a block, use the Block Construction Assistant or insert the following Comcode into your page:

[block="http://example.com/feed.xml"]main_rss[/block] [block="http://example.com/feed.xml"]side_rss[/block]
Replace "http://example.com/feed.xml" with the actual feed URL.

Important: Exercise caution when using external feeds. Ensure the source is trustworthy, as malicious feeds can contain harmful code.
Question How can I filter the news archive to show specific content?
Answer The news system allows advanced filtering:
  • Blog vs. Non-Blog Posts: Choose to display blog posts only, regular news posts only, or both.
  • Category Filtering: Limit results to specific news categories.
  • Double Filtering: Apply a second category filter for a two-level categorization system (useful for large sites).

These filters are controlled through parameters passed to the news blocks and carried through navigation links. When viewing a news post, you can also filter by the categories associated with that post.
Question How can I change the news archive display to show summaries instead of just headlines?
Answer By default, the news archive screen shows only headlines. To display summaries like the news block, add :inline=1 to the page-link. For example, if your news archive page-link is site:news, modify it to site:news:inline=1. This will show summaries instead of just the headlines in the archive view.
Question How can I control who can view specific pages or categories?
Answer You can manage access control for zones, pages, and categories primarily through the Permissions Tree Editor (Admin Zone > Security > Permissions Tree Editor). This tool provides a central location to set view permissions for different usergroups. You can also edit individual zone and category permissions through their respective editing interfaces, but the Permissions Tree Editor offers a more streamlined and efficient approach.
Question How can I test if my permission settings are working correctly?
Answer Composr's "SU" feature allows administrators to temporarily assume the identity of another user, enabling you to experience the site as they would. Simply enter the desired username in the "SU" box in the footer. You can also use "Guest" to browse as an unauthenticated visitor. Remember that using "SU" doesn't accurately reflect online status and retains administrator access to sensitive areas.
Question How do menus work in Composr, and can I customize them?
Answer Composr has a flexible menu system that can be customized to your needs.
  • Default Menu: Generated automatically from the Sitemap, reflecting the structure of your content.
  • Editable Menus: You can create and fully customize these menus, adding links to specific content or external websites.

Menus can be added to panels (sidebars, headers, footers) or embedded directly within Comcode pages. The menu editor provides tools for adding branches, setting captions, tooltips, and URLs, and even defining context-sensitive behavior using "match-keys."
Question How can I control which panels are displayed on specific pages?
Answer Panels are the areas around your main content area where you can place menus, blocks, and other dynamic elements. You can control panel visibility using display rules within your panel's Comcode:
{+START,IF,{$NEQ,{$PAGE},example_page_1,example_page_2,example_page_3}}
... panel content ...
{+END}

This example prevents the panel from showing on pages named "example_page_1," "example_page_2," and "example_page_3."
Question How do URL schemes work, and what are the benefits of using them?
Answer URL schemes allow you to control the structure of your website's URLs. Composr offers several schemes that create shorter, more user-friendly URLs:
  • /pg/ (e.g., /pg/home)
  • .htm (e.g., /home.htm)
  • Simple unadorned URLs (e.g., /home)

Benefits of using URL schemes include:
  • Improved user experience with more readable URLs.
  • Potential SEO benefits, as some believe search engines favor cleaner URLs.
  • Easier sharing on social media and other platforms.
Question How does Composr prevent spam?
Answer Composr offers several tools and techniques to combat spam, including:
  • CAPTCHA: A visual or audio test that humans can easily pass but bots struggle with. This helps prevent automated spam submissions.
  • Heuristics: If Composr thinks an action is spam based off of configurable criteria, it can either flag the content for validation, block the attempt, or ban the IP address outright.
  • Public block lists: Composr can utilize the Stop Forum Spam system or other block list systems to identify and block known spammers based on IP addresses, usernames, and email addresses.
  • Link posting restrictions: Disallowing links in member profiles for users with no posts and adding "nofollow" attributes to links discourages spammers seeking backlinks.
  • Black hole fields: Hidden form fields that should remain empty. Bots often fill these in, allowing Composr to identify them.
  • Project Honey Pot integration: A system that places hidden links on pages, attracting and identifying spam bots.
  • Content/post reporting: Users can report spam, enabling staff to take action.
  • Guest posting limitations: Restricting guest permissions raises the bar for spammers.
  • Advanced techniques: Developer addons like "antispam_question" or probation systems provide additional layers of protection.
Question How can I report spam in Composr?
Answer You can report spam using the "report this" link or "report" (forum post button) feature. This alerts staff to the issue, allowing them to investigate and take appropriate action, such as deleting the spam, warning the user, or banning them. It also creates a Support Ticket between the reporter and staff in case the staff need further information.
Question How does Composr track user activity?
Answer Composr logs IP addresses for various actions like guest posting, page views, and content submissions. This data helps identify potential spammers and track user behavior. The "Investigate user" module provides tools to analyze IP addresses and gather additional information about suspicious activity.
Question How does Composr handle user banning and what options are available?
Answer Composr offers various banning mechanisms. You can ban members by editing their accounts (ban member tick box), preventing logins while still allowing guest access. IP address banning blocks access from specific IP addresses or ranges (Admin Zone > Security > Members > Investigate user to see their IP addresses and flag certain ones for banning). You can also restrict member submissions, or you can effectively "suspend" users by assigning them to a usergroup with minimal privileges (e.g. probation).
Question How can I control the privacy of member profile fields?
Answer You can control the privacy of member profile fields through the "Member privacy controls" configuration option.

If you enable the "Extended privacy option control", you can fine-tune visibility settings for each field. Otherwise, you can set simple access levels (e.g., not at all, to members, to friends, to everyone) for each field.
Question How do I create a backup of my Composr website?
Answer Composr offers a built-in backup addon accessible from Admin Zone > Tools > Backups. You can choose between full, incremental, and database-only backups.
  • Full backup: Backs up all files and folders within the Composr installation directory, including the database.
  • Incremental backup: Backs up only new or changed files since the last backup, resulting in smaller backup files.
  • Database backup only: Backs up only the database.

The addon allows scheduled backups or manual backup generation. It is recommended to download backups to a location outside your web server for better security.

Note: The Composr backup addon is limited by server-side PHP capabilities and might not always be reliable. Consider using alternative backup strategies offered by your web hosting control panel for increased reliability.
Question How do I restore my Composr website from a backup?
Answer Composr backups come as .tar or .tar.gz files. Extract the archive using an extraction program like 7-zip or your web hosting control panel.

To restore a full backup:
  • Upload the extracted files to your webserver, overwriting the existing files.
  • Run the included restore.php script in your browser. This script will restore the database from the restore_data.php file.

To restore incremental backups:
  • Restore the initial full backup.
  • Sequentially extract and overwrite files from each incremental backup over the restored full backup.
  • The last extracted restore_data.php will contain the latest database state. Run restore.php to restore the final database version.
Question How can I reset a forgotten account password in Composr?
Answer If you have access to phpMyAdmin:
  • Access the f_members table.
  • Find the row corresponding to the user whose password needs to be reset.
  • Edit the row, setting m_pass_hash_salted to the new password using MD5 encryption, clearing m_pass_salt, and setting m_password_compat_scheme to 'md5'.

If you have FTP access:
  • Obtain your IP address.
  • Edit your _config.php file, setting $SITE_INFO['backdoor_ip'] to your IP address. This enables a temporary backdoor login for your IP address, bypassing security restrictions.
  • Remove the backdoor entry after logging in and resetting the password through standard means.
Caution: Using the backdoor method is a security risk and should be done with extreme caution.
Question How can I manually edit my Composr database?
Answer phpMyAdmin is a widely used web-based tool for managing MySQL databases. It allows you to:
  • Browse tables: View and edit individual rows within database tables.
  • Run SQL queries: Execute SQL commands directly for specific tasks.
  • Repair corrupted tables: Access table repair functions.

Refer to the "Manually editing your database with phpMyAdmin" tutorial for more detailed instructions.
Question How does JavaScript enhance website interactivity?
Answer JavaScript is a programming language that runs in web browsers, allowing for dynamic and interactive elements on web pages. It enables features like:
  • Dynamic content updates: Modifying page content without requiring a full page reload.
  • User interface enhancements: Creating interactive elements like dropdown menus, image sliders, and form validation.
  • Animations and visual effects: Adding visual appeal and engaging user experiences.
  • Asynchronous communication: Fetching data from, or sending data to, servers in the background without disrupting user interaction.

Composr relies on JavaScript for its default theme and administrative features.
Question How does Composr handle browser compatibility?
Answer Composr aims to support all modern browsers, including the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and Internet Explorer 11. It is designed to work seamlessly with browsers that automatically update, like Chrome and Firefox. For browsers with manual updates, Composr generally supports the last two releases.

While not explicitly supported, Composr will often address bug reports for other popular browsers like Opera, Chromium, and Konqueror. Additionally, Composr strives to provide an accessible experience for text-mode browsers and those designed for users with disabilities.
Question How can I test my website's compatibility across different browsers and devices?
Answer Testing your website on different browsers and devices can be challenging due to operating system limitations and device availability. Here are some solutions:
  • Virtual Machines: Use virtual machines to run different operating systems and test various Internet Explorer versions.
  • Device Emulation: Use built-in device emulation features in browsers like Chrome to simulate mobile devices.
  • Online Testing Services: Employ commercial online testing services like BrowserStack to access a wide range of browsers and devices hosted in the cloud.
  • Real Devices: Conduct testing on physical mobile devices for a more realistic user experience.
Question How does Composr ensure printed web pages look appropriate?
Answer Composr uses a combination of approaches to ensure printed web pages have a suitable layout:
  • Automatic browser behavior: Browsers typically disable background images when printing.
  • CSS print stylesheets: Composr utilizes CSS to define specific display rules for printed versions of pages, such as removing margins and hiding social media links.
  • wide_print parameter: This parameter, activated through specific links or specifying it in the URL, further influences page layout for printing.
Question How do I categorize events?
Answer You categorize events using "Event types". Composr provides default types like "Anniversary", "Appointment", "Birthday", "General", "Public Holiday", "Task", "Vacation", and the special "System command" for executing Commandr commands. You can also add your own custom event types to suit your specific needs, such as "Appraisal Session" for a business website.
Question How do I add events to the calendar?
Answer You can add events in several ways:
  • Through the Admin Zone or Content Management Zone: Go to Admin Zone > Content > Calendar.
  • Directly on the calendar: Click on a date box on the calendar view.
  • Using the "Add Event" button on any calendar view.

Deleting events can be done at the bottom of the event's edit form. You have options for recurring events, such as editing/deleting the specific occurrence, editing/deleting future ones, or all of them.
Question How can I schedule Commandr commands to run automatically?
Answer To schedule commands, create an event with the "System command" event type. This option needs to be enabled in the configuration first. In the event details, you can specify either a URL for Composr to call or a snippet of Commandr code to execute. Be sure to disable the WYSIWYG editor for this type of event. You'll also need to have the system scheduler configured for the commands to run automatically.
Question How can I set up reminders for events?
Answer When adding or editing an event, you can enable reminders for yourself and specific user groups. You can also choose how much notice you want for each reminder.

Members can subscribe for reminders on an individual event screen. They can also personalize their reminder settings, including removing reminders or having multiple reminders at different times.

Members can also subscribe for notifications to specific event types to be notified whenever events under those types are scheduled.
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 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 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 How does the chat system work?
Answer The chat system utilizes AJAX technology, enabling dynamic updates without requiring page reloads. It includes a "Chat Lobby" where users can view available chatrooms and manage their friend lists for instant messaging. Users can join chatrooms to participate in group conversations or engage in private conversations with friends.
Question How can I moderate the chatrooms?
Answer Composr offers a range of moderation features. Moderators can edit or delete messages, ban disruptive users, and delete entire chatrooms if necessary. Inline moderation links are available within chatrooms for quick actions, while the Admin Zone provides comprehensive moderation tools for managing chat content and user behavior.
Question How is the Composr Repository structured?
Answer The repository is structured as a filesystem with various meta-filesystems mounted under a root directory. These meta-filesystems include:
  • bin: Stores Commandr scripts.
  • database: Provides access to the raw database.
  • etc: Allows access to Composr configuration options.
  • home or filedump: Provides access to the File/Media Library.
    • home contains the files in a special JSON format with metadata
    • filedump contains the raw files
  • members: Lists registered members with their settings and user groups.
  • raw or root: Provides access to the Composr installation directory.
    • raw contains the raw files without overrides, and modifying any file modifies them directly without automatic override handling
    • root contains the files with applicable overrides applied automatically, and Composr will automatically handle overrides and utilizing _custom directories when these files are modified
  • var: Contains structured website resources and content.
Question How can I access the Composr Repository?
Answer You can access the repository using WebDAV (non-bundled addon), which allows you to view it as a folder on your computer. Composr uses the SabreDAV PHP library for WebDAV functionality. However, please be aware that SabreDAV is deprecated and may not function correctly on newer PHP versions.
Question How can design elements like dominance and attention to detail improve a website?
Answer Dominance and attention to detail are key to a balanced and engaging website. Important elements can be emphasized using techniques like larger text, unique colors, and increased spacing. Conversely, less crucial elements should receive less emphasis. This interplay helps guide the visitor's eye and ensures a visually harmonious layout.

Attention to detail involves eliminating inconsistencies and distractions, such as typos, misaligned elements, and low-quality images, that can detract from the overall aesthetics and message of the website.
Question How can I create a theme pack for release in Composr?
Answer After designing your theme, go to the admin panel's "Addons" section. You'll find an option to export your current theme as an addon. Composr will package the necessary files into a downloadable archive, ready to be shared with others or submitted to the Composr community for installation on other sites.
Question How do I make my website theme mobile-friendly in Composr?
Answer Composr offers several features to optimize themes for mobile:
  • Mobile mode: You can design separate layouts and CSS styles specifically for mobile devices, which Composr automatically activates when a mobile user visits your site.
  • Tempcode's 0 symbol: This symbol helps conditionally display content based on whether the user is on a mobile device or desktop.
  • CSS media queries: By using media queries, you can target specific screen sizes and adjust styles accordingly, making your theme responsive.
  • Viewport meta tag: This tag controls how the browser scales and displays the webpage on mobile devices, ensuring a properly sized and zoomable experience.
Question How can I make my website design more appealing to different thinking styles?
Answer Different individuals process information differently. Some are more visual, while others are more analytical. To appeal to diverse thinking styles, a website design should incorporate a balance of elements. For instance, using a striking header image coupled with well-structured, informative text can cater to both visual and analytical thinkers. Understanding your target audience and their thinking styles is key to creating a design that resonates with them.
Question How does Composr send emails?
Answer Composr constructs emails using language strings and templates written in Comcode. It sends emails in both HTML and plain text formats to ensure compatibility with different email clients. To minimize the chance of emails being marked as spam, Composr embeds CSS and images directly into the email instead of linking to them externally.
Question How do I configure SMTP settings in Composr?
Answer Composr can use either its own SMTP connection code or PHP's built-in SMTP functionality. Using PHP's SMTP settings is generally recommended and can be managed at the server level. However, if your SMTP server requires authentication (which PHP doesn't support natively) or if your server lacks an SMTP server, you'll need to use Composr's SMTP connection code, configurable in the Configuration module.
Question How can I prevent my emails from being marked as spam?
Answer Here are some tips to reduce the likelihood of your emails being flagged as spam:
  • Set up SPF records: SPF (Sender Policy Framework) helps verify that your server is authorized to send emails from your domain.
  • Ask users to whitelist your email address: Encourage recipients to add your email address to their contacts list or "Safe Senders" list.
  • Configure DKIM: DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) adds a digital signature to your emails, increasing their legitimacy.
  • Use a reputable email service provider: Consider using a third-party email service if you're struggling with email deliverability.
Question How can I ensure my newsletters comply with data privacy regulations?
Answer Composr provides built-in mechanisms for compliance:
  • Unsubscribe links: Newsletters include an unsubscribe link, allowing recipients to opt out of the newsletters.
  • Global unsubscribe: All Composr emails include a link to a global unsubscribe page (data/unsubscribe.php), letting users unsubscribe from all site emails.
Question How can I customize the appearance of my newsletters?
Answer You can customize the look of your newsletters by editing the following templates:
  • NEWSLETTER_DEFAULT_FCOMCODE.txt: This template defines the default content and layout for newsletters.
  • MAIL.tpl: This template controls the overall appearance of emails sent from Composr.
  • Custom mail templates: You can create custom HTML templates for specific newsletters.
Question How can I handle bounced emails?
Answer Composr includes a bounce filter tool that helps you remove bounced email addresses from your subscriber list. To use this tool, you'll need:
  • The PHP IMAP extension enabled on your server.
  • A dedicated folder on your email server to collect bounced emails.

The bounce filter tool scans the specified folder for bounce messages and lets you remove the corresponding addresses from your newsletter list. Composr will also halt attempts sending e-mails to those addresses to help prevent you from getting listed on spam blocklists.
Question How do I feature specific content items on my Composr site?
Answer You can feature content using various methods:
  • Blocks: The main_content block allows you to display specific items by content type and ID or randomize content from selected categories.
  • Awards: Create awards for different content types and assign them to specific items. You can then use the main_awards block to display current award holders. Awards also integrate with points to credit points to award holders. And you can be reminded on the staff checklist to assign a new award every configurable amount of time.
  • Advanced Embedding: For greater control, use the main_include_module block to embed entire module screens within other content.
Question How can I create countdowns or display hit counters on my Composr website?
Answer Composr offers blocks for both functionalities:
  • Countdowns: Use the main_countdown block to add countdowns to specific dates and times.
  • Hit Counters: While generally considered outdated, you can use the main_count block to display hit counters for specific content.
Question How can I filter content in Composr?
Answer Composr provides two filtering systems: Filtercode and Selectcode.
  • Filtercode is used for selecting content based on defined filters, such as field values, ratings, or keywords. It utilizes a syntax of comparisons, separated by commas, where each comparison specifies a field and a matching condition.
  • Selectcode is a simpler syntax for specifying a list of IDs or categories to include or exclude from the results. It uses a comma-separated list of match-specifier tokens, such as individual IDs, ranges, or wildcard characters.
Question How do I create custom filter forms for my content?
Answer The main_content_filtering block can help you generate filter forms automatically. You can use it to create a default form and then customize the generated Filtercode string to refine the filtering options. Once satisfied, you can either continue using the block or extract the HTML and modify it further.
Question How can I embed third-party widgets into my Composr pages?
Answer Composr supports embedding widgets from various websites, like Google Maps, Vimeo, and YouTube, by simply pasting the URL. For manually embedding widget code, you can paste it into the HTML source view of the WYSIWYG editor or within Comcode html tags if not using the WYSIWYG editor.
Question How can I customize Composr without modifying the core files?
Answer Composr offers a robust override system. Instead of altering the original files, create a parallel structure within _custom directories. For example, to modify site/pages/modules/polls.php, place your customized version in site/pages/modules_custom/polls.php.

The tutorials outline additional information on how to utilise overrides.
Question How can I export and import custom addons?
Answer Composr allows exporting addons as TAR files, containing all necessary files and an addon.inf file for metadata. You can import these addons to share and reuse them across different Composr installations.

To do this, make your necessary files for the addon in the Composr installation, and then go under Admin Zone > Structure > Addons > Export addon. You can select the relevant files for the addon, provide information about the addon, and then download the TAR file (which can then be imported on other Composr sites).
Question How do I install Composr on Linux?
Answer After ensuring your web host meets the requirements and you have a database ready, you can install Composr on Linux using the following steps:
  • Upload the Composr files to your web directory.
  • Navigate to the install.php file in your web browser.
  • Follow the on-screen instructions, providing the required information, such as database details and administrator credentials.
  • After the installation is complete, delete the install.php file for security reasons.
Question How do I set the correct file permissions for Composr?
Answer If you're using the quick installer, it will handle file permissions automatically. On a suEXEC-style server, default permissions (744 for directories and 644 for files) are usually sufficient. However, _config.php should have 600 permissions for security.

Without suEXEC, specific directories (e.g., caches, uploads) and files (e.g., _config.php) require 777 (full access) or 666 (read/write) permissions. The fixperms.php script can automate this process on Linux and Windows.
Question How do I uninstall Composr?
Answer To uninstall Composr, access the uninstall.php file in your web browser, enter your administrator password, and follow the prompts to remove the database data. Afterward, you can safely delete the Composr installation directory.
Question How do comment topics work?
Answer Most Composr resources with commenting enabled create comment topics in the configured comment forum. If the forum uses BBCode, Comcode features not supported by BBCode may not display correctly. Moderate comments from the forum as you would any other topic.
Question How do I set up the forum base URL correctly?
Answer The forum base URL should be a URL prefix to your forums without a script name. For example, http://forums.example.com is correct, while http://forums.example.com/index.php is incorrect. You can fix this using the config_editor.php script and then clear the Comcode page cache.
Question How can I integrate my forum visually into my website?
Answer Composr allows you to integrate your forum visually into your website. Enable "Show forum within website" in the Admin Zone configuration module and update the forum link in your menu to pass through the "forums" embedding module. You may need to adjust CSS to achieve a seamless look.
Question How does Composr handle user authentication with external systems like LDAP or HTTP authentication?
Answer Composr can integrate with LDAP and HTTP authentication, but these features are considered complex and may require programming experience to set up correctly. Both methods allow users to log in to Composr using their existing credentials from the external system, streamlining access and management.
Question How do I move my Composr website to a new server?
Answer Moving a Composr site involves transferring both the files and the database.

Files:
  • On the old server, ZIP the entire Composr directory.
  • Download the ZIP file to your computer.
  • Upload the ZIP file to the new server using SFTP/FTP.
  • On the new server, unzip the file.

Database:
  • On the old server, create an SQL dump of your database using the mysqldump command or phpMyAdmin.
  • Download the SQL dump file.
  • If your URL is changing, search and replace the old URL with the new one in the SQL dump file.
  • Upload the SQL dump file to the new server.
  • Restore the database on the new server using the mysql command or phpMyAdmin.

Important Steps:
  • File Permissions: After transferring files, ensure correct file permissions are set on the new server. You can use the fixperms.php script, the upgrader script, or manually adjust them.
  • Configuration: If database settings are different on the new server, update the _config.php file or use the config_editor.php script to change the settings for both the site and forum databases.
  • Base URL: If your URL has changed, update the base URL setting in the Installation Options editor (config_editor.php).
  • Caches: Clear the block cache using the upgrader.php script.
Question How does the HTML website importer work?
Answer The HTML website importer is an advanced tool for migrating static HTML websites to Composr. It analyzes the HTML structure to create zones, Comcode pages, and a basic template. It also attempts to fix links and file paths for Composr compatibility.
Question How do I change the language of my Composr website?
Answer Composr comes with English as the default language. To change to a different language:
  • Download the language pack: You can download language packs from the Composr website.
  • Install the language pack: Upload the downloaded language pack addon through Admin Zone > Structure > Addons > Import non-bundled addon(s).
  • Change the default language: Go to http://yourbaseurl/config_editor.php and set the desired language.
  • Update your profile: If you had a previous language set in your profile, update it to the new language.

You can test a language without changing settings by appending &keep_lang=XX to the URL, where XX is the language code (e.g., FR for French).
Question How do I translate the content on my Composr website?
Answer Once you've installed a new language pack, you can translate existing content by:
  • Editing the content directly: Go to the specific content item (page, news post, etc.) and edit it in the new language.
  • Using the language editor: Access the language editor from Admin Zone > Style > Translate/rephrase Composr to modify language strings used on specific pages.
Note that some elements like forum names are not designed to be translated directly. Instead, you should create separate forums for each language.
Question How can I contribute to translating Composr?
Answer You can contribute to Composr's internationalization by:
  • Joining the translation team on Transifex: Translate language strings collaboratively with other volunteers.
  • Becoming a language maintainer: Take responsibility for the translation and support of Composr in your native language.
  • Reporting translation issues: If you encounter unclear, incorrect, or duplicated language strings, file bug reports.
  • Providing feedback and suggestions: Share your thoughts on improving the translation process through feature suggestions.
Your contributions are valuable and help make Composr accessible to a wider audience.
Question How does Composr implement the Model-View-Controller (MVC) pattern?
Answer
  • Model/API: The sources directory primarily houses scripts forming the Model/API, handling data logic and business rules.
  • View: Templates in themes/default/templates represent the View, responsible for presenting data to the user. Comcode pages can also be considered part of the View.
  • Controller: Entry scripts like index.php and site/dload.php act as front controllers, directing requests. Modules and blocks, residing in */pages/modules and sources/[mini]blocks, respectively, serve as controllers, managing user interactions and determining which View to render.
Question How do data-tpl and data-view behaviors work in Composr's JavaScript?
Answer Composr uses data-tpl and data-view behaviors for associating HTML templates and JavaScript views, respectively. This facilitates clean separation of presentation and logic:
  • data-tpl: Used with the $cms.behaviors.initializeTemplates function and PARAMS_JSON tempcode directive to bind JavaScript logic to HTML templates.
  • data-view: Used with the $cms.behaviors.initializeViews function to associate JavaScript view classes (inheriting from $cms.View) with specific HTML elements.
Question How can I create effective website rules?
Answer A well-defined rules page is crucial for setting expectations for user behavior and outlining consequences for violations. It should cover a range of offenses with appropriate punishments, reference relevant laws, and assign legal responsibility to users. Composr provides default rules pages that can be customized, and this page is displayed to users upon joining the site.
Question How can I ensure my website complies with email marketing laws?
Answer Email marketing laws like CAN-SPAM protect recipients' rights to unsubscribe. Your website must include a clear 'List-Unsubscribe' header in every email, offer an easy unsubscribe process, and respect unsubscribe requests promptly. Composr provides built-in mechanisms, including an unsubscribe endpoint and support for the List-Unsubscribe header, to facilitate compliance.
Question How can I improve my website's ranking in search engines?
Answer Composr offers various features and best practices to enhance your SEO:
  • Content Optimization: Write high-quality, keyword-rich content using clear headings, relevant links, and descriptive image alt text.
  • URL Monikers: Enable this feature to create human-readable URLs that incorporate keywords instead of numerical IDs.
  • XML Sitemaps: Composr automatically generates and submits XML Sitemaps to major search engines, aiding them in discovering and indexing your content.
  • robots.txt: This file allows you to control which parts of your site search engines can access and index. Composr provides a default robots.txt that can be customized as needed.
Question How can I edit the metadata in Composr?
Answer Composr provides several ways to customize your metadata:
  • Site-wide Settings: You can configure default metadata for your entire site in the Admin Zone under Setup > Configuration > Site options.
  • Content-Specific Settings: When adding or editing content like Comcode pages or news posts, Composr provides fields for customizing titles, descriptions, and keywords specific to that content under the "Metadata" section.
  • Automatic Detection: Composr can automatically generate metadata by analyzing your content, but it's generally recommended to refine these suggestions manually for best results.
Question How do I report a bug in Composr?
Answer Every bug, no matter how small, should be reported. You can report bugs using the Report Issue Wizard or directly through the issue tracker. There is also a link to report bugs on your Admin Zone Dashboard where the version information is located. And when clicking that link, you can view open issues specific to your version of Composr.

When reporting a bug, be sure to:
  • Check for duplicates: Make sure the bug hasn't already been reported.
  • Report bugs individually: Each issue should be reported separately for better tracking and resolution.
  • Verify it's a Composr bug: Issues with third-party addons and code should be reported to their respective developers.
  • Consult the FAQ and tutorials: Check for common problems and solutions, particularly server configuration issues.
  • Provide comprehensive information: Include a clear and specific title, detailed steps to reproduce the problem, your browser version, Composr version, error messages, stack traces (if available), and any other
relevant details.
  • Use clear and concise language: Write in proper English, use correct terminology, and avoid vagueness.
  • Be respectful and patient: Remember that developers are volunteers and may not respond immediately.
Question How do I report a security problem?
Answer Security problems must be reported privately. You can do this by marking the issue as 'Private' on the issue tracker (if you use the Report Issue Wizard, it will do that automatically when you select security-hole). Publicly disclosing security holes is irresponsible and may result in penalties. The core developer team will disclose the issue after a patch is released.
Question How can I get support for Composr?
Answer The community forum is an excellent resource for support. Users can help each other out with various problems. However, please remember that there's no guarantee of free professional support. If you need immediate or guaranteed assistance, consider hiring a professional developer.
Question How do I report an emergency problem with my Composr site?
Answer Emergency problems are events that have significantly and suddenly affected your website's functionality due to legitimate bugs or undocumented usability issues. To report these:
  • Open a tracker issue explaining the problem and providing as much detail as possible (mark it as a major bug).
  • Help the developers help you. Provide access to your site (see the software feedback tutorial for more information), describe the exact situation, and avoid protracted back-and-forth communication.
  • Take backups before upgrading. This allows for easier recovery in case of problems.
Remember that bug fixing is not a free service. While developers are committed to Composr's stability, maintaining backups and practicing restoration procedures is your responsibility.
Question How do I make a feature suggestion for Composr?
Answer You can suggest features through the tracker or the Report Issue Wizard. When making a suggestion:
  • Be comprehensive and self-contained. Provide all necessary information and context for the developers to understand your suggestion.
  • Focus on widely beneficial features. Esoteric suggestions are less likely to be implemented.
  • Understand developer constraints. Feature development depends on factors like developer availability, funding, and project strategy.
  • Consider sponsoring features. Financial contributions can prioritize the development of desired features as it affords developers the time to implement it.
Question How can I provide design feedback for Composr?
Answer Constructive design feedback is valuable. To provide effective feedback:
  • Be specific and detailed. Identify particular issues and provide clear examples.
  • Offer solutions. Suggest improvements or provide mockups demonstrating your ideas.
  • Avoid vague statements. General comments like "it looks dated" are unhelpful.
  • Understand design constraints. Consider factors like modularity, generality, feature density, compatibility, performance, and the subjective nature of design.
Directly reporting specific design bugs to the tracker or redesigning Composr interfaces yourself are excellent ways to contribute.
Question How can I obtain Composr Mobile SDK?
Answer The iOS/Android SDK can be found on GitLab at: Composr ecosystem / Composr Mobile SDK · GitLab.

To connect to a Composr site, you will need to install the composr_mobile_sdk addon, which is not bundled. This addon provides scripting to generate app assets from the Composr site.
Question How do I access the server-side API for my mobile app?
Answer The server-side API can be accessed via HTTP calls to http://yourbaseurl/data/endpoint.php. Results are returned in JSON format. The API utilizes endpoints with a 'hook' name and a 'hook type' categorization. Both REST-style and GET-parameter style requests are supported, with the latter recommended for simplicity.
Question How does authentication work with the server-side API?
Answer Authentication is handled automatically using cookies, similar to regular website requests. If cookies are not feasible, the response parameters device_auth_member_id_cn/device_auth_pass_hashed_cn/device_auth_member_id_vl/device_auth_pass_hashed_vl from the login endpoint can be resent as POST parameters in subsequent requests.
Question How do I set up Composr Mobile SDK in my iOS and Android projects?
Answer iOS (Xcode):
  • Create a new project or open an existing one.
  • Add a Prefix Header file (.pch) if you don't have one, following the provided instructions.
  • Add required frameworks to your project's Build Phases.
  • Add the CMS SDK to your project, then remove references to unwanted files.
  • Set the header search path to the CMS SDK folder in build settings.
  • Add a compiler option for the JsonKit library.
  • Import CMS_SDK.h in your .pch file.

Android (Eclipse):
  • Create a new project or open an existing one.
  • Import CMS SDK into your workspace as an Android project.
  • Ensure "Is Library" is checked in the CMS SDK's "Android" properties tab.
  • Add CMS SDK as a dependent library in your project's properties.
  • Clean and rebuild your project.
Question How can I troubleshoot notification problems?
Answer If you're having issues with notifications, here are some troubleshooting steps:
  • Check Email Logs: View the email log (Admin Zone > Audit > E-mail queue/log) to see what notifications have been sent.
  • Use the SU Feature: Impersonate a member using the SU feature (described in the "Testing access and privileges" tutorial) to view their notification settings and confirm they are set up correctly.
  • Enable Carbon-copy Email: Configure a "Carbon-copy e-mail address" in the configuration settings to receive copies of all outgoing emails, including notifications. This helps you monitor email delivery.
  • Verify System Scheduler: Ensure the system scheduler is configured correctly if members are not receiving digest emails.
  • Check Digest Settings: Confirm that "Enable digest notifications" is enabled in the Messages configuration settings.
  • Review "Safety listing limit": If a notification has too many categories, members might not see the full selection tree. Adjust the "Safety listing limit" in the configuration settings if necessary.
Question How can I reduce disk activity to improve performance?
Answer If your hard disk is slow, you can implement the following settings in your _config.php file to minimize disk access:
  • $SITE_INFO['disable_smart_decaching'] = '1';
  • $SITE_INFO['no_disk_sanity_checks'] = '1';
  • $SITE_INFO['hardcode_common_module_zones'] = '1';
  • $SITE_INFO['prefer_direct_code_call'] = '1';
  • $SITE_INFO['charset'] = 'utf-8';
  • $SITE_INFO['known_suexec'] = '1';
  • $SITE_INFO['dev_mode'] = '0';
  • $SITE_INFO['no_extra_logs'] = '1';
  • $SITE_INFO['no_extra_bots'] = '1';
  • $SITE_INFO['no_extra_closed_file'] = '1';
  • $SITE_INFO['no_installer_checks'] = '1';
  • $SITE_INFO['assume_full_mobile_support'] = '1';
  • $SITE_INFO['no_extra_mobiles'] = '1';

Note: These settings override default behaviors and may have unintended consequences. Use with caution.
Question How can I use Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) to enhance my website?
Answer CDNs improve website performance by serving content from geographically distributed servers, reducing latency and server load. You can leverage CDNs for your Composr website by:
  • Configuring the CDN option in Composr with a comma-separated list of CDN domain names.
  • Ensuring your files are mirrored on the CDN servers.
  • Utilizing the CDN_FILTER directive and symbol to control what content is served via CDN.
Question How can I access PHP-Info in Composr?
Answer PHP-Info provides a comprehensive overview of your PHP configuration. You can access it within Composr by navigating to Admin Zone > Tools > PHP-Info / Server Checks.

This page also provides additional useful server information.
Question How can members earn points on my Composr website?
Answer Members can earn points in various ways, including:
  • Joining the website: A welcome bonus for new members.
  • Daily visits: Encourage regular engagement.
  • Content interactions: Liking, rating, and submitting various forms of content.
  • Forum participation: Posting and having posts validated.
  • Chatroom activity: Reward active participation in chatrooms.
  • Quizzes and polls: Encourage learning and engagement.
  • Website recommendations: Reward referrals.
  • Receiving points from other members: Facilitate community appreciation.
  • Selling downloads: Monetize content creation.
  • Birthdays: Offer a special bonus on their birthdays.

Most earning methods can be customized in the Admin Zone > Setup > Configuration > Points options to fit your website's needs.
Question How does content validation affect point earning?
Answer Points are typically awarded immediately upon content submission to encourage participation. However, forum posts requiring validation only earn points after approval to deter spam. To further encourage high-quality content, consider using the "awards" addon to reward exceptional contributions.
Question How can I modify points for members?
Answer Staff members with the "Moderate members' points" privilege can directly credit or debit points from members' accounts. This can be used to reward exceptional contributions, refund purchases, or penalize rule violations.
Question How does rank work in Conversr?
Answer Conversr utilizes a rank system based on your accumulated rank points. As you earn points, you progress through different usergroups, unlocking new privileges and benefits. Your rank is a status symbol within the community and often grants access to exclusive features or content.

This is subject to your configuration. To make a rank ladder based on points, go to Admin Zone > Security > Usergroups. You are given options regarding ranks when adding or editing a usergroup.

Members can see their rank and progress on their member profile rank tab. They can also see all the rank-based benefits they unlocked and ones yet to unlock in future ranks.
Question How do I create and manage quizzes in Composr?
Answer You can create, edit, and delete quizzes from the Composr Admin Zone:
  • Navigate to Admin Zone (or CMS Zone) > Content > Quizzes.
  • Use the provided interface to define your quiz questions, answer options, and settings.
  • You can manage quiz results and view participant responses under Admin Zone > Audit > Quizzes.
Question How can I implement security measures for my quizzes?
Answer Composr provides several features to enhance quiz security and prevent cheating:
  • Restrict access: Limit quiz participation to specific usergroups or newsletter subscribers.
  • Shuffle content: Randomize question and answer order to make it harder to copy answers.
  • Set time limits: Enforce quiz completion within a specified timeframe.
  • Define open time ranges: Control when the quiz is accessible to participants.
Question How does scoring work for quizzes with different question types?
Answer
  • Multiple-choice and short answer questions: These are automatically marked based on your defined correct answers.
  • Long answer questions: These require manual marking, resulting in a percentage range being displayed to the user until you assess their response.
  • Unmarked questions: These questions are collected but don't contribute to the overall score, allowing you to include optional or non-scored elements.
Question How can I analyze quiz results effectively?
Answer Composr enables you to export quiz results to a spreadsheet file, facilitating in-depth data analysis. This is especially useful for manually marked questions, identifying competition winners, and processing data for marketing or research purposes.
Question How do I mark correct answers in a quiz?
Answer For questions with predefined answers, you can mark correct answers by adding [*] after the answer. If no answer is marked correct, the question will require manual marking. You can also use the [UNMARKED] tag after a question to exclude it from scoring.
Question How do I search my Composr website?
Answer There are a few ways to search your Composr website:
  • Using the search bar in the header: This is the simplest way to search. Just type your search term in the box and click the search button.
  • Using the 'Search' module: This module offers more detailed search options. You can access it via the 'site:search' page-link (usually under About > Search in the default menu).
  • From the Forum: Click the 'Search' button on the forum or use the contextual search box on the forum member bar. This will search within your current forum or topic.
Question How can I improve my search results?
Answer Here are some tips for improving search results:
  • Use specific keywords: The more specific your keywords, the better your results.
  • Use boolean operators: Use "+", "-", and quotation marks to refine your search.
  • Optimize content titles and meta keywords: These fields are given priority during search, so make sure they accurately reflect your content.
  • Consider enabling the fast custom index: Especially beneficial for large websites or frequent filtered searches.
Question How do stop words affect search results?
Answer Stop words are common words (like "the", "a", "is") that are ignored by the search engine because they add noise and don't contribute to the meaning of the search query. You can customize the list of stop words for the fast custom index. See the search tutorial for more information.
Question How does the search engine handle different languages?
Answer Composr's fast custom index supports multiple languages. Content is indexed based on its translated version, ensuring that you get relevant results even when searching in a different language.
Question How does Composr protect against Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks?
Answer Composr utilizes multiple layers of defense against XSS attacks:
  • HTML Filtering: Configurable levels of filtering prevent malicious script injection.
  • Content Security Policy (CSP): Restricts the sources from which scripts and other resources can be loaded.
  • Input Sanitization: Data is sanitized before being processed to prevent malicious code execution.
  • Output Encoding: Data displayed to users is properly encoded to prevent interpretation as active code.
Question How can I enhance the security of my Composr installation on shared hosting?
Answer Shared hosting environments can be inherently less secure. Here are some tips:
  • Choose a Secure Host: Opt for hosts that offer suEXEC and open_basedir for better account isolation.
  • Test Security: Verify the host's security measures with the provided filesystem_browser.php script.
  • Restrict _config.php: Remove world-writable permissions from _config.php after installation.
Question How does Content Security Policy (CSP) contribute to Composr security?
Answer CSP adds a layer of protection by controlling the resources the browser is allowed to load. It helps prevent:
  • XSS Attacks: By restricting inline scripts and limiting script sources.
  • Data Injection Attacks: By controlling the allowed origins for data requests.
  • Clickjacking: By specifying allowed framing sources.

Composr's CSP implementation utilizes "Trusted partner sites" and nonces for fine-grained control.
Question How can staff members collaborate effectively in Composr?
Answer Composr offers various tools to facilitate staff collaboration:
  • Private forums: Dedicated forums with restricted access enable staff to discuss site operations and coordinate activities. Composr installs a staff forum by default in Conversr.
  • Conflict detection: When multiple staff members attempt to edit the same resource simultaneously, Composr displays warnings at the top to prevent accidental overwrites.
  • Staff checklist & dashboard: The Admin Zone dashboard provides a shared checklist for task management, along with space for notes and links.
  • Staff notifications and tickets system: Staff receive notifications about various site events, including support tickets from the "Contact Us" page, allowing for efficient issue handling.
  • Content notes: Staff can embed notes within Comcode or use dedicated "staff notes" fields for various content types to share information and context.
  • Validation and workflows: Content can be intentionally left unvalidated even by staff, enabling secondary checks before publishing. A dedicated workflows addon allows for complex approval processes with multiple stages involving different staff groups.
Question How can content issues be reported and addressed by staff?
Answer Composr's content reporting system, powered by the Tickets addon, allows users to report problematic content to staff. Key features include:
  • Report links: "Report this" links embedded throughout the site enable users to flag content for review.
  • Custom reporting interface: Forums offer a dedicated interface for reporting individual posts.
  • Anonymous reporting: Logged-in users can choose to report content anonymously.
  • Ticket-based management: Reports are automatically created as support tickets, facilitating staff collaboration and record-keeping.
  • Comprehensive report details: Tickets include content title, type, ID, submitter information, an embedded rendering of the reported content, and the reporter's explanation.

This system ensures efficient handling of content issues, allowing staff to address concerns effectively while maintaining a transparent record of actions taken.
Question How should staff members be chosen for a Composr-based online community?
Answer Choosing staff for online communities differs from traditional hiring processes due to factors like unpaid positions, varying time commitments, and remote interactions. Focus should be placed on identifying individuals with:
  • Genuine interest: Look for members passionate about the community and its goals.
  • Available time: Ensure potential staff can dedicate sufficient time to fulfill their responsibilities.
  • Relevant skills: Prioritize skills and experience aligned with the specific role requirements.
  • Maturity and discipline: Seek individuals who demonstrate responsible behavior and commitment.
  • Recruitment methods like directly approaching active community members or allowing the Composr points system (or the karma non-bundled addon) to identify dedicated contributors can be more effective than traditional advertising.
Question How can staff be effectively managed in a Composr community?
Answer Successful staff management requires a mindful approach that prioritizes fostering a positive and productive environment. Key recommendations include:
  • Respect staff limitations: Avoid overwhelming staff with excessive workload or overly ambitious site expansions.
  • Active involvement: Maintain active involvement in overseeing staff activities and ensuring their effective functioning.
  • Open communication: Engage in regular communication, providing feedback, addressing concerns, and recognizing achievements.
  • Foster teamwork: Encourage collaboration and information sharing among staff members.
  • Lead by example: Ensure staff adhere to community rules and demonstrate expected behavior.
  • Empowerment and trust: Grant sufficient freedom and control to enable staff to excel in their roles.

By fostering a supportive and empowering environment, community managers can enable staff to contribute their best efforts and drive the community's success.
Question How can potential conflicts between staff members be avoided (regarding content moderation)?
Answer Composr incorporates "conflict detection" features to prevent staff from accidentally overwriting each other's work. When multiple staff members attempt to edit the same resource simultaneously, a warning message appears, prompting communication and coordination.

Open communication and transparency are crucial. Encourage staff to share their ongoing tasks and plans with each other to prevent overlaps and potential conflicts. Utilizing shared tools like the staff checklist and private forums can further facilitate coordination.
Question How do I install geo-location data for Composr statistics?
Answer Geo-location data installation is usually automatic during the Composr installation process. If not, you can manually install it by navigating to Admin Zone > Audit > Site statistics > Install geolocation data. This action will reschedule the installation task. If you don't see this option, the geo-location data is already installed.
Question How can I perform split testing in Composr?
Answer Split testing in Composr involves combining tracking codes with events. The simplest approach utilizes Tempcode:
  • Random tracking code: Choose a random tracking code from a set and activate it for the user session.
  • Conditional output: Generate different content variations based on the active tracking code.
Subsequently, you can analyze event success rates based on the assigned tracking codes, utilizing both inbuilt events and custom-created events.
Question How are time zones handled in Composr statistics?
Answer All times in Composr statistics are displayed according to the configured website time zone, regardless of visitor or user account time zones. While this is a limitation due to pre-computation, some graphs displaying hourly stats and country filtering offer insights into local times for manual analysis.
Question How can I access the raw data behind the statistics graphs?
Answer Every graph in Composr offers a spreadsheet export option. This allows you to download the data in a spreadsheet format, enabling detailed manual review or further analysis using third-party tools.
Question How can Composr be used as a support desk tool?
Answer Composr offers three main systems for providing online support:

1. Support Ticket System: This system allows users to submit tickets and staff to respond, track, and resolve them. It features email notifications, ticket categorization and prioritization, staff assignment, and attachment support.

2. Discussion Forums: Conversr, Composr's built-in forum software, can be utilized for support by creating dedicated forums or subforums. Features like post templates and multi-moderations enhance support capabilities.

3. Feedback System: This system allows for comments on various content types, facilitating support directly related to that content.
Question How can I categorize and prioritize support requests?
Answer Support Ticket System: Utilize support ticket types, managed in the Admin Zone > Setup > Support tickets. Staff can set individual notifications for different types.

Discussion Forums: Create dedicated subforums for different support categories or priority levels.

Feedback System: The content to which the feedback is attached implicitly categorizes it. For prioritization, subforums can be used.
Question How does Composr handle email integration for support?
Answer Composr can integrate with email for ticket management, assuming certain requirements are met:
  • PHP IMAP extension installed.
  • Functional PHP mail command (local SMTP server or configured Windows SMTP settings).
  • Active system scheduler (Cron).

With email integration, users can submit tickets via email, and staff can reply through the system. Composr cleans up email text for ticket clarity and allows forwarding emails to the integrated address for efficient handling.
Question How can I restrict access to the support system to specific users?
Answer Utilize Composr's page access permissions to control who can access the Support Ticket page. This ensures only authorized users can submit support requests.

You can also control permissions based on ticket type when adding or editing a ticket type. Make sure if you go this route that the Support Ticket page permissions are very liberal (e.g. allow anyone to access, or just restrict to guests if you will never allow guests to make tickets). Otherwise, some people cannot make tickets even if they have permission on the type.
Question How does Wiki+ differ from a regular wiki?
Answer While Wiki+ shares similarities with traditional wikis, it provides two key distinctions:
  • Optional Post Contributions: Wiki+ allows users to contribute short snippets of information (posts) directly on pages, enriching the content without formally editing the page itself. This feature is optional and can be enabled or disabled as needed.
  • Optional Tree Structure: Unlike standard wikis that rely solely on cross-linking, Composr's Wiki+ offers the flexibility of organizing pages within a hierarchical tree structure. This structure can be used in conjunction with or as an alternative to cross-linking.
Question How can I create and organize pages in Wiki+?
Answer Pages in Wiki+ can be created in several ways:
  • Referencing them in the child-list of an existing page.
  • Using the special Comcode syntax [[pagename]] to create inline links, which automatically generates new pages when accessed.
  • Utilizing the "Edit tree" button visible on Wiki+ pages to add child pages directly.
The tree structure can be easily manipulated through the same interface, allowing you to arrange pages in a hierarchy that suits your needs.
Question How can I view the complete tree structure of my Wiki+?
Answer You can access a view of the complete Wiki+ tree structure through the designated option in the admin panel. However, it's important to note that this view will reflect guest access permissions. Some pages may be hidden if they are restricted to specific user groups.

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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 I'm getting a lot of spam on my site. What can I do?
Answer Composr offers various anti-spam measures. Refer to the Anti-spam settings tutorial for advice on configuring these settings. If you believe there's an issue with the anti-spam system itself, report it to the issue tracker. Do not report general spam incidents.

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Question My Composr installation seems corrupted. How can I repair it?
Answer Composr offers several tools and methods for repairing corrupted installations:
  • Integrity checker: The upgrader tool, accessible via http://yourbaseurl/upgrader.php, includes an integrity checker that identifies outdated or corrupted files.
  • MySQL table repair: The Admin Zone > Tools > Cleanup tools provides access to MySQL table repair functionalities. Alternatively, use phpMyAdmin or your web host's database management tools for more direct control.
  • Safe Mode: Access safe mode via the bookmarked link from the setup wizard or by adding &keep_safe_mode=1 to any website URL. This disables custom themes and caching, helping isolate problems caused by themes or custom code.
Question My language uses gendered descriptors. How can I handle this in Composr?
Answer Composr offers solutions for languages with gendered descriptors:
  • Template editing: You can modify templates to use different language strings based on user gender. This involves adding Tempcode logic to dynamically select the appropriate string.
  • Custom Profile Fields: Create a Custom Profile Field for "Gender" and use it to conditionally display gendered language strings in templates.
These methods allow for flexible handling of gendered language variations.
Question My website is experiencing performance issues. What should I do?
Answer If you are experiencing performance issues, first identify the specific problem with your web host's help. Composr provides tools to manage database size, bandwidth, and disk I/O. However, high request volume or CPU usage may require server upgrades like a VPS or dedicated server.

If your web host complains about resource usage, gather detailed information from them, including specific URLs causing problems and resource usage metrics. If their limits are unreasonable, consider switching web hosts.

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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 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 Should I trust agencies that promise top search engine results?
Answer No; be wary of agencies guaranteeing top rankings for any desired keyword. Achieving top results for competitive terms requires significant effort, expertise, and often, an ongoing strategy.

Focus on agencies that prioritize ethical "white-hat" SEO techniques like creating valuable content, optimizing website structure, and building natural backlinks. Avoid those employing "black-hat" methods that can lead to penalties from search engines.

W

Question Why is there a separate website for version 11?
Answer That is explained in detail in this news article on compo.sr including the migration plans and implications.
Question What are the current release plans for version 11?
Answer

As of July 22, 2024, we entered beta status where our focus is now smashing bugs and stabilising the software. All planned features have been implemented for 11.0 (and most others deferred to 11.1 or later), though we may still merge in a few minor features or tweaks. The upgrader has been tested on a typical non-custom v10 site.

We will be releasing several beta versions in the beta phase.

We do not know when we will be able to release the first Release Candidate or stable versions at this time.

These plans are all subject to change without notice.

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 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 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 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 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 Comcode?
Answer Comcode is Composr's markup language, similar to BBCode used in forums. It allows you to create formatted text, embed dynamic content like blocks and attachments, and even mix in HTML for advanced styling. It's user-friendly and designed to work alongside standard web technologies.
Question What are the advantages of using Comcode?
Answer Comcode offers several advantages:

Intuitive content authoring: It's written like plain text, making it easy to learn and use.
Dynamic functionality: You can embed dynamic content like blocks, comments, and forms using Comcode.
Special effects: You can easily add prebuilt graphical features like tabs, carousels, and more.
Basic styling and layout: Comcode allows for basic website styling and page layout.
HTML integration: For advanced styling and layout, you can embed HTML code within Comcode with the semihtml tag.
Question What is oEmbed and how does it work with Comcode?
Answer oEmbed is a system that allows you to embed content from other websites simply by pasting its URL. When you paste a supported link in Comcode, oEmbed will automatically embed the content for you in a nicely-formatted box. For example, pasting a YouTube video link will embed the video directly into your content so it can be played on your website.
Question What are the security considerations when using Comcode?
Answer Composr has a multi-tiered security system for Comcode. HTML code is filtered based on user permissions to prevent XSS attacks. Content is parsed with different credentials depending on who is editing or adding it, ensuring users can't elevate their privileges by modifying existing content.
Question What are Comcode pages?
Answer Comcode pages are standalone content pages within the Composr system that you can create and edit using either a WYSIWYG editor, a simple markup language called Comcode, or a combination of both.

Think of them as documents within your website, offering flexibility beyond the structured content provided by modules like forums or news. You can use them to build landing pages, about us sections, contact pages, and more.
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 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 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 the different security levels in Composr's Setup Wizard and what do they affect?
Answer Composr offers five security levels in the Setup Wizard: Minimum, Low, Medium, High, and Ultra High. Each level sets various security configurations that you can later customize under Admin Zone > Setup > Configuration.

The security levels influence settings such as:

  • Content Security Policy
  • Session expiry time
  • Password reset process
  • Password expiry days
  • Minimum password length and strength
  • Login error secrecy
  • IP strictness for sessions
  • Cryptographic ratchet
  • CAPTCHA usage
  • Brute force threshold
  • Audio CAPTCHA
  • URL Monikers
  • .htaccess restrictions on maintenance scripts
  • Enquiry on new IP addresses

The higher the security level, the more stringent the security measures, with Ultra High offering the most robust protection but the most potential inconvenience to users.

Generally, you should use these settings depending on your site:
  • Minimum: Very bare-bones informational-only sites
  • Low: Sites which do not allow public registrations and do not use eCommerce but have content managed by different staff, and are not concerned with privacy or data
  • Medium: Sites with social features / public accounts but do not use eCommerce.
  • High: Sites which use eCommerce.
  • Ultra High: Sites containing very sensitive data, such as but not limited to cybersecurity sites, government departments, banks, healthcare, etc.
Question What is the .htaccess file and how does it relate to Composr?
Answer The .htaccess file is a configuration file for the Apache web server. It allows you to define settings that apply to the directory where it's located and its subdirectories.

Composr can leverage .htaccess to enhance security and enable features like "URL Schemes." You can try renaming the provided recommended.htaccess file to .htaccess. This file includes recommended options that tighten security and ensure Composr has necessary PHP and Apache features activated.

Note that some web hosts might restrict the use of .htaccess files.

You should regularly review recommended.htaccess for changes between Composr updates.
Question What are Installation Options and how can I change them?
Answer Installation Options are low-level settings for Composr, such as database details and default language.

You can access the Installation Options editor through:

  • The script: http://yourbaseurl/config_editor.php
  • The Admin Zone: Admin Zone > Setup > Configuration > Installation Options

Remember that you'll need your maintenance password, specified during installation, to access and modify these options.
Question What is the Composr Setup Wizard and what does it do?
Answer The Setup Wizard is a guided process to help you configure essential settings for your Composr website after installation.

It can:
  • Generate a default theme and logo
  • Set initial site options
  • Remove predefined content and unnecessary addons
  • Place initial blocks on your pages

While convenient, be aware that re-running the Setup Wizard may overwrite existing settings and customizations if you already configured your site.
Question What are the different ways to add downloads to my Composr site?
Answer Composr offers several methods for adding files to the download system:

  • Uploading via web form (when adding a download in the Content Management Zone): This is the simplest method, where you attach the file directly when defining the download details. However, it's not suitable for large files and can be affected by unreliable internet connections.
  • Uploading and referencing the URL: You can manually upload the file using FTP/SFTP/SCP and then provide the URL to the file in the 'Add download' form. While this is better for large files, it requires additional
 access, and the file isn't managed directly by Composr.
  • Batch adding from an FTP server: This allows staff to add multiple downloads from an FTP server in one go using FTP URLs. It's efficient for bulk uploads but requires separate addition of descriptions.
  • Batch adding from a directory: Similar to the FTP method, staff can add downloads from a web server directory accessible by URL.
  • File/media library (filedump): Webmasters can use any of the above methods to upload a file to uploads/filedump and then reference it in a download. This is especially handy if you are going to reference the file more than once on your site.
Question What does it mean to "outmode" a download?
Answer Outmoding means marking a download as superseded or replaced by a newer version. When editing the older download, you link it to the new one in the "outmode" field. This makes it clear to users that there is a newer version available. This is handy especially if you provide software.
Question Where are download galleries located, and can I move them?
Answer By default, download galleries (to contain screenshots of a download) are placed under the root gallery. You can move them to a different gallery for better organization. Here's how:

  • Create a new container gallery (e.g., with codename "downloads").
  • Change the "Create download galleries under" configuration option to your new gallery's codename.
  • Use Commandr to move existing galleries to the new location.
Question What are the limitations for uploading large files?
Answer
  • 32-bit PHP build: Files larger than 2GB are not supported.
  • 64-bit PHP build: Files larger than 2GB are supported, but the file size will not be displayed.

For very large files, it's recommended to upload them manually and provide the URL instead of directly uploading them through the web form.
Question What payment gateways does Composr support?
Answer Composr supports PayPal, CCBill, and Authorize.Net for processing payments. While Composr could be extended to support other gateways, doing so may require professional development and customization.
Question What are the different types of products in Composr?
Answer Composr offers various "products," which are broader than typical eCommerce products. They include:

  • Usergroup subscriptions: Offer access to specific usergroups with recurring payments.
  • Catalogue items: Physical or digital goods sold through the shopping cart and a special "products" catalogue.
  • Orders: Collections of products purchased together.
  • E-mail addresses: Sell personalized email addresses on your domain.
  • Topic pinning: Allow users to pay to pin forum topics.
  • Name highlighting: Offer highlighted usernames on the forum.
  • Banners: Sell banner advertising space.
  • Custom products: Define and sell any product or service you wish.
  • Permission products: Sell access to specific permissions, such as download categories.
  • Gambling: Allow users to wager points.
  • Work: Represent invoiced services.
  • Non-purchasable products: For accounting purposes (interest, tax, wages, other).
Question What are the shipping options in Composr?
Answer You can handle shipping costs in three ways:

  • Flat rate per order: Configure a fixed shipping cost for all orders.
  • Weight-based calculation: Define shipping costs based on the order's total weight.
  • Shippo integration: Get real-time shipping quotes from various carriers based on weight, dimensions, and destination.
Question What security measures should I consider for local payments?
Answer While Composr supports local payments (Authorize.Net), it requires high PCI compliance. Ensure you adhere to the PCI Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) guidelines, including secure coding practices, firewalls, intrusion detection systems, regular security audits, and staff screening.
Question What are the different types of posts in Composr forums?
Answer
  • Regular Posts: Standard posts made by members within a topic.
  • Quick Replies: Shorter replies made directly from the topic view.
  • Anonymous Posts: Members can choose to post anonymously, appearing as a guest. Staff can track the actual user if needed.
  • Emphasised posts: Posts made by staff (or marked by staff) which are highlighted to draw attention as they are important.
  • Whispers: Private messages embedded within public topics, allowing for side conversations.
  • Private Topic Posts: Private messages sent between specific members (e.g. an on-site "inbox").
Question What special features does Composr's Conversr offer compared to other forum software?
Answer
  • Advanced Polls: Blind polls, forcing or setting of default options, and point-weighting.
  • Private Topics: More sophisticated than traditional private messages.
  • Forum Introduction Questions: A flexible way to control access and encourage engagement (e.g. forum-specific rules or forum passwords).
  • Cascading Topics: Pinned topics that appear in multiple forums.
  • Integrated Moderation: Streamlined moderation tools within the forum interface.
Question What are Composr Galleries?
Answer Composr Galleries are a system for storing, organizing, and displaying images and videos. They function like categories, allowing you to group related media together. Galleries can be structured hierarchically, with sub-galleries nested under parent galleries, similar to a folder system. Each gallery has settings that control its appearance and behavior.
Question What Image and Video Formats are Supported?
Answer Images:
  • .jpg/.jpeg: Highly compressed, best for photos due to minimal noticeable quality loss.
  • .png: Good compression with no quality loss, ideal if bandwidth isn't a concern.
  • .gif: Limited to 256 colors and poor compression. Better alternatives are video or APNG.
Note that Composr does not support SVG because hackers can leverage the XML-like structure of SVG files to compromise a website.

Videos:
  • .mp4 (h.264 aac encoding): The recommended format, widely supported.
  • .mov (h.264 aac encoding): Identical to .mp4.
  • .webm: Supported natively in most browsers, but requires plugins for Internet Explorer/Microsoft Edge and Safari.

Other formats, while they may work, are generally discouraged due to compatibility issues and lack of consistent addon or browser support.
Question What are Rep-Images and How Do I Set Them?
Answer Rep-images, short for "representative images," are thumbnails that represent a gallery when it's displayed within a list of galleries. They offer a visual preview of the gallery's contents. You can set a rep-image when adding or editing a gallery, or when adding an image to a gallery.
Question What are Watermarks and How Do They Work?
Answer Watermarks are semi-transparent images overlaid on gallery images to mark their origin or deter unauthorized use. When you add or edit a gallery, you can choose to apply watermarks to the corners of images. Watermarking applies permanently to the uploaded image. Composr uses a reverse tree structure for watermarks: if a sub-gallery doesn't have a watermark defined, it inherits the watermark from its parent gallery.
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 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 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 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 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 is "pinging" and how does it work in Composr?
Answer In blogging, "pinging" is an automatic notification sent to blog search engines and other services when you publish a new post. Composr can automatically ping services defined in Admin Zone > Setup > Configuration > Feature options. These services then index your new article, making it searchable.

A default ping service (http://pingomatic.com/ping/?title=title&blogurl=url&rssurl=rss) is pre-configured to relay your ping to numerous other services.

You can customize the ping URL with these placeholders:
  • title: The article title
  • url: The article URL
  • rss: The URL of your news RSS feed

Pinging only occurs for news categories accessible to the public (guests).
Question What are Personal Categories/Blogs in Composr? How do I create one?
Answer Composr allows members of permitted usergroups to have their own personal news categories, also known as "blogs". These blogs appear as a tab on the member's profile (Conversr-only) and may also appear in the main news block depending on your configuration.

To create a blog, a member simply adds a news post and selects their personal category. If the category doesn't exist, it will be automatically created upon submission.

A dedicated "Blogs" CMS module (Admin Zone > Content > Blogs) is available if the "Separate blogs" configuration option is enabled. This simplified module focuses on blog posting and can be used to restrict members from submitting to general website news.
Question What are RSS/Atom feeds and how do they benefit my website?
Answer Feeds, in formats like RSS and Atom, are XML files that syndicate your website content, making it accessible beyond your website. They can be viewed using feed reader applications (e.g., Feedly, Vienna) or integrated into other websites or web browsers.

Composr supports both RSS and Atom for syndicating news and other content. While RSS is more common, Atom is a cleaner, standardized format. Both effectively share your content updates.

Benefits:
  • Wider audience reach: Your content becomes accessible to those using feed readers and aggregators.
  • Content repurposing: Other websites can incorporate your feed, increasing visibility.
  • Increased traffic: Users discovering your content in feeds may visit your website directly.
  • Staying on top: Those who use your RSS feeds will see when you post new news articles.
Question What are Trackbacks and how do they work in Composr?
Answer Trackbacks are a blogging feature that creates a link from an article on one blog to an article on another, acting as a citation mechanism.

How Trackbacks Work:
  • The original article includes a "trackback" link in its HTML.
  • When another blogger writes an article referencing the original, their software uses the trackback link to inform the original site.
  • Composr receives the trackback and displays a list of articles linking back to the original.

To enable trackbacks, go to Admin Zone > Setup > Configuration > Feature options and check the "Trackbacks" option. You can then enable trackbacks for individual content items.
Question What is the difference between access permissions and privileges in Composr?
Answer Access permissions control whether members of a certain usergroup can view specific areas of your site, such as zones, pages, and categories. A member only needs one of their usergroups to have access permission to view the content. But permissions work on a deny-first policy; if one of the permissions applicable to viewing something is denied for a usergroup, then the whole thing is denied for that usergroup (e.g. even if a download itself grants access, access will be denied if its category denies access).

Privileges, on the other hand, dictate what actions a usergroup is allowed to perform across the website, like using advanced Comcode or bypassing the word filter.
Question What are match-key permissions and why would I use them?
Answer Match-key permissions provide a more granular level of access control beyond the standard zone, page, and category permissions. They allow you to restrict access based on specific "match-keys", which are unique identifiers for different actions or content within Composr. For instance, you could use match-key permissions to prevent guests from submitting banners or to restrict access to the member directory for all but specific usergroups. You can also specify custom access denied errors for each match-key.

A "match-key" is typically a page-link, such as cms:cms_banners:add.
Question What are some useful tools for debugging permission issues?
Answer Composr provides a couple of tools to help pinpoint permission problems:
  • FirePHP: This browser add-on allows you to view detailed logs of permission checks performed by Composr. By analyzing these logs, you can identify which checks are failing and adjust your settings accordingly.
  • Permission Check Logging: Enable logging of failed permission checks to a file (data_custom/permission_checks.log). This provides a persistent record of permission issues that you can review and troubleshoot.
Question What are some security considerations regarding super-moderators and super-administrators?
Answer While super-moderators have extensive access to manage your site, certain sensitive privileges are reserved for super-administrators. This includes the ability to impersonate other users, execute arbitrary code, and view private content. These restrictions help prevent potential privilege escalation and ensure the overall security of your website. Exercise caution when granting super-moderator status and trust only reliable individuals.
Question What happens when I add a new usergroup to a third-party forum integrated with Composr?
Answer If you are not using Conversr as your forum, Composr won't automatically assign any permissions to the new usergroup. To rectify this, you can use the "Absorb usergroup-permissions" feature in the Admin Zone. This tool allows you to copy the permissions from an existing usergroup to the newly created one, ensuring consistent access and functionality.
Question What are the different ways to control access in Composr?
Answer Composr offers a robust permission system with various methods for controlling access:
  • Zones, Pages, and Categories: Control which usergroups can view specific zones, pages, and categories (permissions).
    • Admin Zone > Security > Permissions Tree Editor, or on the UI for the Zone / Page / Category.
  • Global Privileges: Define permissions for actions like using advanced Comcode or bypassing the word filter, applicable across the entire site.
    • Admin Zone > Security > Global privileges
  • Module/Page Overrides: Tailor privileges for particular content types by overriding them on the controlling module or page.
    • Admin Zone > Security > Permissions Tree Editor [> Content permissions]
  • Category Overrides: Modify privileges for specific categories, allowing fine-grained control over actions within those categories.
    • Admin Zone > Security > Permissions Tree Editor
  • Match-key Permissions: Implement ad-hoc access control based on specific match-keys, offering flexibility beyond traditional permission structures.
    • Admin Zone > Security > Match-key page restrictions
Question What are "zones" in Composr, and what are they used for?
Answer Zones are like sub-sites within your Composr website. They provide a way to organize content and apply different settings, like permissions, themes, and navigation. Some default zones include:
  • Welcome Zone: The initial landing page, often used for login/signup.
  • Site Zone: Your main website content, with features for viewing, submitting, editing, and deleting content on the member level.
  • Admin Zone: For site administrators to manage the website.
  • Content Management Zone: Where content is added, edited, and deleted, typically by site staff.
  • Forum Zone (if using Conversr): Houses the forum section of your site.
Question What is a "page-link," and how does it differ from a URL?
Answer A page-link is a Composr-specific way to reference a page or screen within your website. It's a simplified, local representation of a URL, independent of the URL scheme you might be using.

For example, the page-link site:downloads:browse:10 points to the download category with ID 10 in the site zone. This page-link remains consistent even if your URL scheme changes the way URLs are structured. Page-links also do not consider monikers, so if a URL moniker changes, page-links will stay the same.

This is a powerful feature as you can use the Comcode [page="page-link"]Page title[/page] tag to generate URLs of local content. And these will always work regardless of URL scheme or moniker.
Question What are "breadcrumbs," and how can I customize them?
Answer Breadcrumbs are a navigation aid that shows the user their current location within the website's hierarchy. In Composr, breadcrumbs are customizable through an XML file.

You can override default breadcrumbs using "match-keys" to target specific pages and define the desired breadcrumb structure. This allows you to adjust the breadcrumb trail to better match your website's organization.

To edit, go to Admin Zone > Structure > Configure breadcrumb overrides.
Question What is the "Sitemap" in Composr, and how is it used?
Answer The Sitemap is a hierarchical representation of your website's content, including zones, pages, categories, and entries. Composr generates the Sitemap dynamically and uses it for various purposes:
  • Generating menus.
  • Creating the user-facing sitemap page.
  • Generating the XML Sitemap for search engines.
  • Providing a visual representation of your website structure in the Sitemap editor and Permissions tree editor.

You can edit the sitemap under Admin Zone > Structure > Sitemap editor.
Question What are CAPTCHAs and how do they work?
Answer CAPTCHAs are tests designed to differentiate between human users and bots. Composr's unique CAPTCHA method uses CSS and JavaScript to generate images or audio challenges that are difficult for bots to solve. While effective, some spammers use human workers to bypass CAPTCHAs, leading to the need for additional anti-spam measures.
Question What are Remote Block Lists (RBLs)?
Answer RBLs are third-party lists that track IP addresses associated with spamming activity. Composr can be configured to consult these lists and block or flag requests from suspicious IPs. However, relying solely on RBLs may lead to false positives, as some lists are overly broad.
Question What is the "black hole" technique and how does it work?
Answer The "black hole" technique involves adding hidden fields to forms. While invisible to human users, bots often detect and fill these fields, revealing their nature. Composr uses this information to flag and block suspected spam submissions.
Question What is post history and why is it important?
Answer Post history tracks changes made to forum posts, including edits and deletions. This feature helps monitor for inappropriate edits or attempts to cover up spam or rule violations. Staff can review the history, restore deleted content, or even permanently erase it.
Question What is the "Warn Member" form and how can I use it to handle rule violations?
Answer The "Warn Member" form provides a centralized interface for addressing user misconduct. You can issue formal or off-the-book warnings, apply punitive actions like IP bans, usergroup changes, or probation, and even delete content or charge points. This form allows you to document reasons for actions, improving transparency and consistency in moderation.

This tool can be accessed on a member's profile as staff, under Audit > Warn member. You can also review their warnings history on their "Standing" tab.
Question What advanced techniques are available for dealing with persistent spammers who repeatedly create new accounts?
Answer Composr's advanced banning features target sophisticated human spammers. Automatic bans can be configured to block users based on specific strings in their posts, while reasoned bans display customized messages to banned users, potentially deterring them. These measures, coupled with the ability to investigate users via IP address analysis, offer robust tools for managing persistent threats.

You can configure advanced banning under Admin Zone > Security > Configure advanced banning.
Question What is the difference between a Composr member and an author?
Answer A member is someone who has created an account on your Composr website and can log in. They have a unique member ID and username, and can interact with the site's features.

An author is someone who creates content for the site. They may or may not be a member. For example, you might have an author who submits articles via email but never actually visits or joins the website.
Question Why are backups necessary for my Composr website?
Answer Disasters like hard disk failures, data corruption, and unexpected errors can happen at any time. A good backup strategy helps you recover your website and its data in case of such events. Backups can also help you roll back to a previous state if needed, such as after a failed upgrade or accidental changes.
Question What alternative backup strategies are available?
Answer Many web hosting control panels include built-in backup features that operate at the system level, often offering higher reliability than web-based scripts. Ensure you back up both files and the database.

For database backups, you can use tools like phpMyAdmin, which allows you to export your database as a .sql file.
Question What should I do if an addon causes problems on my Composr website?
Answer Composr's Safe Mode can help isolate addon-related problems.
  • Enable Safe Mode: Use the safe mode link or the config editor (http://yourbaseurl/config_editor.php) to enable Safe Mode.
  • Uninstall the problematic addon: Once in Safe Mode, navigate to the addon management section and uninstall the addon causing the issue.
  • Disable Safe Mode: After resolving the problem, disable Safe Mode through the config editor.
Question What should I do if URL Schemes are not working properly?
Answer If URL Schemes, which rely on web server rewrites, are not functioning correctly, you can disable them using the http://yourbaseurl/config_editor.php script. Enable the option "Whether to block the URL Scheme (mod_rewrite)" to override the main configuration setting.
Question What are the different types of banner deployment agreements?
Answer There are three types of banner deployment agreements:
  • Permanent: These banners are always displayed as long as there is available space.
  • Campaign: These banners have a limited number of impressions or clicks before they stop displaying. They can be associated with specific campaigns and can have their hits increased if needed.
  • Default: These banners are displayed only when there are no permanent or campaign banners available to show.
The system displays permanent and campaign banners with a 50:50 split.
Question What is a banner network, and how can I create one?
Answer A banner network is a system for exchanging banners between websites. You can create a banner network in Composr by associating banners with specific websites.

When a site joins your banner network, you provide them with an iframe code to display banners from your rotation. Composr uses a "hit balancing" system where sites in the network receive banner impressions based on the clicks they generate for other sites in the network.
Question What is a banner wave, and how is it different from a banner rotation?
Answer A banner wave displays all banners within a specific type as a single advertising block, similar to a list of sponsors. In contrast, a banner rotation randomly displays banners from a set based on factors like display likelihood.

You can add a banner wave using the main_banner_wave block and configure it to show a specific number of banners or all banners within a type.
Question What are the different media types supported for banners?
Answer The Composr banner system supports various media types:
  • Images: Uploaded directly or via an image URL.
  • Text: Textual banners, including support for "hot text" that dynamically displays banners based on keyword matches within the content.
  • Frames: Banners embedded within frames using an iframe URL.
  • Direct Code: Raw HTML or PHP code can be used to integrate banners from third-party banner networks or create custom banner implementations.
Question What are cookies and how do they work?
Answer A cookie is a small piece of data that a website stores on a user's computer. It is sent from the user's web browser to the web server each time a page is viewed. Cookies are used for various purposes, including:
  • User identification: Cookies can be used to identify a specific user, even if they are not logged in. This allows websites to remember user preferences, shopping cart contents, and other information.
  • Tracking user behavior: Cookies can be used to track user behavior on a website, such as the pages they visit and the links they click. This information can be used to improve the website's design and content.
  • Advertising: Cookies can be used to deliver targeted advertising to users based on their browsing history.

There are two main types of cookies:
  • Session cookies: These cookies are temporary and are deleted when the user closes their web browser. They are often used to store information about the user's current session, such as the items in their shopping cart.
  • Persistent cookies: These cookies are stored on the user's computer for a longer period. They can be used to remember user preferences, such as their login details or language settings.
Question What is the difference between cookies and sessions?
Answer While both cookies and sessions are used for user identification and maintaining state, there are key differences:
  • Storage: Cookies are stored on the user's computer, while sessions are stored on the server.
  • Expiration: Session cookies expire when the browser is closed, while persistent cookies have a set expiration date. Sessions typically expire after a period of inactivity.
  • Data sensitivity: Sessions are generally used for more sensitive data, as the information is not stored on the user's computer and therefore less likely to be stolen by a hacker.

Composr uses both cookies and sessions. Session cookies are primarily used for user identification (such as anonymously matching a user to a session in the server database), while persistent cookies can be used for remembering login details if the user chooses.
Question Why is understanding XHTML important for website customization?
Answer XHTML (Extensible HyperText Markup Language) is the language used to structure web page content. It defines the various elements of a webpage, such as headings, paragraphs, images, and links.

Understanding XHTML is crucial for website customization because it allows you to:
  • Modify page layout: Change the arrangement and positioning of elements on a page.
  • Add new content: Insert additional text, images, or other multimedia elements.
  • Customize the appearance of existing elements: Change fonts, colors, sizes, and other visual styles.
  • Integrate interactive features: Embed JavaScript code for dynamic functionality.

Composr uses XHTML for its templates, allowing users to extensively customize the website's design and layout.
Question What is CSS and how does it impact website design?
Answer CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) is a language used to describe the visual presentation of a web page written in HTML or XHTML. It controls aspects like:
  • Fonts and typography: Defining font families, sizes, weights, and styles.
  • Colors and backgrounds: Setting colors for text, backgrounds, borders, and other elements.
  • Layout and positioning: Controlling the placement and arrangement of elements on a page.
  • Visual effects: Adding shadows, gradients, transitions, and other visual enhancements.

By separating content structure (XHTML) from visual presentation (CSS), websites become easier to maintain and update. Changes to the design can be made without altering the underlying HTML structure.

Composr utilizes CSS extensively for theming, allowing users to manipulate the website's visual appearance.
Question What are the recommended desktop settings for viewing a Composr website?
Answer A minimum screen resolution of 1024x768 is strongly recommended for viewing a Composr website. This is the minimum resolution for which the default theme is designed. Using a lower resolution might lead to display issues or an unsatisfactory browsing experience. As of version 11, smaller resolutions will often trigger the mobile layout automatically (responsiveness) to ensure a better UI for smaller displays.
Question What web technologies does Composr use beyond HTML, CSS, and JavaScript?
Answer Composr relies on a wide range of web technologies (depending on what features and settings you use), including:
  • Protocols: HTTP/HTTPS, FTP, SFTP, SMTP, IMAP, POP3, DNS, and others
  • Data formats: XML, JSON, CSV, PHP's serialized format, iCalendar, and various image and archive formats
  • Standards: Accessibility standards (WCAG, WAI-ARIA), metadata standards (Open Graph, schema.org, Dublin Core), and microformats
  • Server-side technologies: PHP, SQL (for database interaction)
  • Composr-specific technologies: Tempcode (template system), Comcode (content language), Page-links, Filtercode, Selectcode, and Language packs
Question What is an "event" in the Composr calendar system?
Answer An event is any entry in the calendar. Importantly, an event isn't limited to a single point or range in time. Events can recur based on a schedule you define. This makes them very flexible – they can represent anything from one-time appointments to recurring birthdays or even weekly team practices.
Question What are the different views available in the calendar?
Answer The calendar has five views:
  • Year view: Displays an overview of the entire year.
  • Month view: Shows events within a specific month.
  • Week view: Displays events for a selected week.
  • Day view: Shows events scheduled for a specific day.
  • Event view: Displays the details of a single event.

You can easily navigate between these views to get different levels of detail and focus on specific periods or events.
Question What is the "recurrence pattern" and how does it work?
Answer The recurrence pattern is a powerful tool that defines how often an event repeats. While it might seem complex at first, it provides a lot of flexibility. Think of it as a binary code where each digit represents a time period (like a day or week). A "1" indicates the event occurs, and a "0" means it doesn't. This lets you create complex schedules like "every weekday" (daily with pattern 1111100 if it starts on a Monday) or "every other Tuesday" (weekly on Tuesday with the pattern 10).
Question What do I do if a recurring event needs to be changed or skipped?
Answer Composr has a "fixing an event" feature to handle changes to recurring events. This is useful if an event needs to be cancelled or rescheduled. You edit the event as if it were a new, standalone event and choose the "Edit with fixing past recurrences" option. This separates the past occurrences from the modified event, ensuring future recurrences reflect the changes.
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.
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 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 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 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 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 What is the Composr Chat system?
Answer Composr Chat is a feature built into the Composr CMS that provides both chatrooms and instant messaging capabilities. It offers real-time, text-based communication for users on your website.
Question What is Chatcode and how can I use it?
Answer Chatcode is a system of simple commands that you can embed within your chat messages to perform advanced actions. These actions include sending private messages to specific users within a chatroom, interacting with automated bots, sending chatroom invitations, and even creating new chatrooms.
Question What is Commandr?
Answer Commandr is a command-line interface designed for experienced system administrators who prefer using a command line over a GUI. It supplements the Composr Admin Zone, allowing you to execute commands in the form of:
  • PHP code (prefix :)
  • SQL database queries (prefix @) (queries must be executed one at a time; semi-colon separation is not supported)
  • Shell commands (prefix #)
  • Commandr-code scripts (store in the Composr filesystem's bin directory, and just type the name of the script)
  • Commandr-code commands (no prefixes)

You can access Commandr via the Admin Zone > Tools > Commandr or using the Commandr button in the footer.
Question What is the Composr Repository?
Answer The Composr repository is a user-friendly representation of Composr's data, which is typically stored in a database and on the filesystem. It presents the data in an easily accessible format using the JSON standard and can be accessed as a folder on your computer via WebDAV.
Question What are the benefits of using the Composr Repository?
Answer The repository offers several benefits:
  • Opacity: Provides a clear view of Composr's content and resource data.
  • Tactility: Allows easy manipulation of data through drag-and-drop operations.
  • Data transfer: Simplifies transferring data between sites.
  • Desktop application integration: Enables using text editors and file-search tools for tasks like mass search and replace.
  • Configuration management: Tracks changes to options and facilitates transfer between sites.
  • Backups: Allows backing up portions of the repository.
  • Revision control: Supports built-in and advanced revision control.
  • Filesystem for Commandr: Acts as a file system for the Commandr command line.
  • Resource API: Offers an abstract resource API for programmers.
  • API for external apps: Provides an API for mobile apps and other external applications.
Question What are the limitations of the Composr Repository?
Answer While powerful, the repository has limitations:
  • Automatic syndication is not performed for content added via the repository.
  • Multi-language content translations are not retained.
  • Transferring complex data schemas between staging sites may have limitations.
  • Merging separate websites into one is not supported through the repository. You should use Composr's import tool instead.
Question What precautions should I take when using the Composr Repository?
Answer Exercise caution when working with the repository:
  • Avoid using it as the sole backup method; rely on regular database backups.
  • Work primarily under the "var" meta-filesystem and copy specific folders/files rather than the entire repository.
  • Do not use tools like "rsync" or Git on the whole repository without careful consideration.
Question What is the importance of color schemes in website design?
Answer Color schemes are crucial as they convey emotions and brand identity. Choosing colors that align with your website's purpose can evoke desired feelings in visitors. For example, a website selling chocolates might use shades of brown to subconsciously trigger associations with chocolate. However, an environmental website would be better suited using green, aligning with pre-existing perceptions of environmentalism.

It is also important to maintain consistency with your color scheme, limiting the number of colors used to avoid a conflicting and cluttered appearance.
Question What are some alternatives to Photoshop for web design?
Answer While Photoshop is a popular choice, there are other excellent options available, including:
  • GIMP/GIMPShop: These free, open-source image editors provide a robust set of features comparable to Photoshop.
  • Paint.NET: This free, Windows-only software offers a user-friendly interface and essential image editing tools.
  • Corel Paint Shop Pro: A more affordable alternative to Photoshop, Corel Paint Shop Pro delivers a good balance of features and ease of use.
Question What is Tempcode, and how is it used in website themeing?
Answer Tempcode is a templating language used within Composr. It offers a powerful way to control the output of dynamic content and design elements on a website. It works by using:
  • Parameters: Placeholders for content passed to the template from Composr / PHP.
  • Symbols: Global functions that perform operations, calculations, or retrieve information.
  • Directives: Instructions that control the flow or logic of content, such as conditional statements and loops.
  • Language strings: References to pre-defined text stored in language files for easy translation.
  • Escaping: Ensures the content generated is properly escaped according to its use case.

Tempcode empowers theme designers to create highly customizable and dynamic websites, allowing for logic, conditional rendering, and manipulation of various website elements.
Question What is responsive design, and why is it essential for mobile devices?
Answer Responsive design ensures a website adapts seamlessly to different screen sizes, providing an optimal viewing experience across devices, particularly mobile phones and tablets. It utilizes techniques like flexible grids, fluid images, and CSS media queries to adjust layout and content based on screen dimensions.

This is crucial because mobile device usage is significant, and a non-responsive site leads to a poor user experience on smaller screens, potentially driving visitors away.
Question What considerations are necessary when designing for different user levels on a website?
Answer User levels often necessitate different content or functionalities. For instance, administrators might need access to content creation tools, while regular visitors only view published content. Consider these factors during design:
  • Visibility: Some elements might need to be hidden or displayed based on user roles (e.g., admin-only links).
  • Permissions: Design elements and interactive features should reflect the permissions granted to different user levels.
  • Customization: Consider allowing users to customize their experience based on their preferences and roles.

Remember, a well-designed website should cater to all user levels while maintaining security and a cohesive experience.
Question Why are my emails being blocked by spam filters?
Answer Several factors can cause emails to be blocked:
  • Server issues: Your server might be on a spam blacklist, or there may be problems with your server's reverse DNS or HELO settings.
  • Content issues: Your email content might trigger spam filters due to factors like an unreasonable image-to-text ratio, broken reply-to addresses, or inconsistent text and HTML versions.
  • SPF records: Your "Website email address" might be hosted on a different server with an SPF record that doesn't authorize your web server to send emails from that address.
Question What are the different ways to target recipients for my newsletters?
Answer Composr offers several targeting options:
  • Subscriptions: Users can specifically subscribe to newsletters, separate from site membership.
  • Usergroups (Conversr only): You can send newsletters to members of specific usergroups, regardless of their newsletter subscriptions.
  • CSV imports/exports: You can import subscribers from a CSV file or export your subscriber list for custom targeting.
Question What are the benefits of featuring content on my Composr website?
Answer Featuring content provides several advantages:
  • Freshness and Activity: It gives your site a dynamic feel, showcasing updates and encouraging return visits.
  • Effortless Variety: Featuring content introduces diversity without extensive effort.
  • User Engagement: It draws users in and motivates them to check back for new featured items.
  • Prominent Placement: Featured content receives prime visibility, highlighting its importance or rewarding its creator.
Question What is the Composr Award system, and how do I use it?
Answer The Award system is a powerful tool for highlighting and promoting specific content. Here's how it works:
  • Award Types: Define awards associated with specific content types (e.g., "Download of the Week" for downloads).
  • Award Assignment: When editing content, designate it as the current holder of a relevant award.
  • Display: Use the main_awards block to showcase current award holders on your site.
  • Archive: Awarded content is automatically archived for easy access and historical reference.
  • Points: If you use points, recipients of awards can also receive points as a reward.
Question What is the difference between using the main_awards block and directly selecting content with the main_content block?
Answer Both blocks can feature content, but they offer different approaches:
  • main_awards: Provides a structured system for managing featured content through award assignment, archives, and optional point rewards. Requires active management to update award holders.
  • main_content: Offers direct control over specific content or allows random selection from chosen categories. May require manual updates or adjustments.
Question What other methods exist for featuring content in Composr?
Answer
  • Random Quotes: The quotes feature allows you to display a rotating selection of quotes on your site.
  • Community Billboard (Requires Addon): The Community Billboard addon provides a dedicated space for displaying important announcements or community messages.
Question What are blocks in Composr and how can I use them?
Answer Blocks are dynamic elements that can be inserted into Comcode pages to add interactive and data-bound functionality to your website. They are essentially reusable components that automatically generate content, such as recent forum posts or information about the logged-in user.

You can add blocks to your pages using the block construction assistant, which allows you to select from a list of available blocks, set their parameters, preview them, and generate the necessary Comcode.
Question What is the difference between Filtercode and Selectcode?
Answer Filtercode is used for querying content based on properties and values, while Selectcode is used for directly specifying a list of IDs or categories to include or exclude. Filtercode offers more complex filtering options, while Selectcode is more straightforward for simple selections.
Question Where can I use Filtercode and Selectcode in Composr?
Answer Filtercode is supported in various blocks, such as main_multi_content, main_gallery_embed, and main_cc_embed. It's also actively used in modules like catalogues, downloads, galleries, members, and news.

Selectcode is supported in blocks and Comcode tags that explicitly mention it, including the main_multi_content block and the if_in_group Comcode tag.
Question What is the difference between blocks and boxes in Composr?
Answer Boxes are visual elements that provide a container for content, while blocks are functional units that generate and display dynamic content. Although blocks often appear within boxes in the default templates, they are not inherently tied to any visual representation.
Question What are the main components of the Composr framework?
Answer Composr consists of:
  • Modules: PHP files that provide related screens, forming the building blocks of addons.
  • Comcode: Text files containing content written in a simplified markup language.
  • HTML: Files containing standard HTML for web pages.
  • Sources: PHP code files for the core API and functionality.
  • Hooks: PHP files enabling addons to interact and extend each other's functionality.
  • Blocks/Miniblocks: Reusable components for displaying dynamic content within pages.
  • Themes: Folders containing images, CSS, and templates to define the look and feel.
  • Language files: Files holding text strings for multilingual support.
Question What are the different ways to extend Composr functionality?
Answer You can extend Composr through:
  • File overrides: Replacing existing source files with modified versions in _custom directories.
  • New Modules/Mini-modules: Creating new modules for complex functionalities or mini-modules for simpler ones.
  • New Blocks/Miniblocks: Adding reusable content blocks.
  • New API code: Adding new PHP files to the sources_custom directory.
  • Hooks: Writing hooks to add features to specific areas of functionality.
Question What is the purpose of the Code Editor?
Answer The Code Editor is a web-based tool for editing Composr code files directly on the server. It requires password authentication and automatically manages overrides within _custom directories.

To access it, go to yourbaseurl/code_editor.php.
Question Where can I find resources for learning PHP programming?
Answer While Composr documentation doesn't cover basic PHP, resources like the official PHP documentation (

PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor

PHP is a popular general-purpose scripting language that powers everything from your blog to the most popular websites in the world.

View

), online tutorials, and the Composr API guide can help you learn.
Question What are some key coding standards in Composr?
Answer Composr emphasizes clean, well-structured code with a focus on readability and maintainability. Key standards include proper indentation, consistent use of comments, and clear function headers with type definitions. Remember: beautiful code leads to better functionality and collaboration!
Question What tools are available for debugging Composr code?
Answer Composr offers a code quality checker addon that helps identify various types of errors, including parser errors, run-time errors, and logical errors. This tool can significantly reduce debugging time and enhance code reliability. It is available through the testing_platform addon.
Question What are the prerequisites for installing Composr?
Answer Before installing Composr, ensure your web host meets the minimum requirements. Familiarize yourself with your web host's control panel (e.g., Plesk, cPanel), which you'll use to manage databases, subdomains, and other settings. Gather your SFTP/FTP credentials (hostname, username, password), usually emailed upon signup. Set up a MySQL database and note its details: hostname (often 'localhost'), username, password, and database name. Ensure the database user has full read/write/administer access to the database.
Question What are the recommended web hosting options for Composr?
Answer Choosing a web host is crucial. Avoid the cheapest options and look for hosts with recent positive reviews and minimal credible complaints. Ensure they meet Composr's requirements, including adequate disk space, no restrictive file size limits, and support for required PHP extensions.

Composr is compatible with various hosting control panels like Plesk and cPanel, and works on Windows, Linux, or Mac OS servers.
Question What are the web server requirements for running Composr?
Answer Composr is compatible with Apache and IIS servers.

For Apache:
  • Enable mod_rewrite for URL Schemes or URL Redirects.
  • Ensure AllowOverride All or at least AllowOverride Options FileInfo Limit is set in the server configuration.
  • Recommended modules for optimal performance include mod_headers, mod_setenvif, mod_env, mod_deflate, and mod_filter.

For IIS:
  • Don't disable default Feature Delegation for settings changed in the bundled web.config file.
  • Install the URL Rewrite module, essential for URL Schemes, URL Redirects, and basic security.
  • Configure IIS for additional mime-types if needed, as it doesn't serve unrecognized file types by default.
Question What are the PHP requirements for running Composr?
Answer Composr requires PHP 7.2 or higher, but versions not officially supported by PHP developers are discouraged. The maximum tested version is PHP 8.3.

Required PHP extensions:
  • GD2 (gd) with PNG and JPEG support
  • MySQL extension (mysqli or pdo_mysql)
  • XML extension (xml)
  • Multibyte String (mbstring)
  • cURL extension (curl)
  • JSON support (usually available by default)
  • Sodium (libsodium)
  • ZIP extension (zip) if ZIP file support is needed

Additional recommendations:
  • posix extension for permission checks
  • zlib extension for faster upgrades, compressed backups, and page compression
  • ctype extension for slightly faster performance
  • IMAP extension (imap) for managing newsletter bounces
  • OpenSSL extension (openssl) for encrypted CPFs, DKIM, and SSL certificate expiry checks
  • Pspell (pspell) or Enchant (enchant) extensions for spell checking

Ensure the following PHP settings are configured:
  • File upload size limit of at least 5MB (or higher as needed)
  • Maximum execution time of at least 30 seconds
  • Memory limit of at least 128MB
  • The installer will warn you if any critical functions have been disabled via disable_functions or other PHP modifications. Avoid web hosts that heavily restrict standard PHP functionality.
Question What forum drivers does Composr support?
Answer Composr supports several forum drivers, including Invision Board, phpBB, myBB, vBulletin, Burning Board, and Simple Machine Forum. If your forum is not listed, professional developers can add support. Composr also provides converters for migrating from these forums to its own forum system, Conversr.
Question What is Conversr and why is it recommended?
Answer Conversr is Composr's built-in forum system. It offers seamless integration, allowing you to use Comcode for forum posts, a unified Admin Zone, shared themes and templates, and innovative features like Private Topics and in-post whispers. Using a third-party forum can be clunky and may lead to maintenance headaches.
Question What are the implications of using the "none-forum" driver?
Answer Using the "none-forum" driver disables or limits many Composr features, including commenting, points, and user interactions. Consider using Conversr instead and restricting access to the forum zone, join module, and personal zone.
Question What are the limitations of using a third-party forum driver?
Answer Using a third-party forum driver can lead to limitations. Custom profile fields of type LONG_TEXT are limited to TEXT length, cookie integration is not officially supported and can be complex, and some forum drivers have specific quirks detailed in the nuances tutorial.
Question What data formats can Composr import?
Answer Composr primarily uses database connections for importing. However, it also supports neutral data formats like CSV spreadsheet files and importing downloads from a directory.
Question Where can I find the import functionality in Composr?
Answer Navigate to Admin Zone > Tools > Import.
Question What is a Composr import session?
Answer Import sessions track the progress and ID remapping for each import, allowing you to merge multiple sites or resume interrupted imports. This is particularly useful when merging multiple Composr sites into one.
Question Where can I get help with the import process?
Answer The Composr documentation provides extensive information. Additionally, you can seek assistance from experienced Composr developers, including the Composr team if your project allows for professional support.
Question What should I do after successfully importing data into Composr?
Answer After importing, if all files like avatars, photos, and attachments have been copied to Composr's directories, you can remove the imported product's directory. However, it's advisable to keep the directory, database, and import session for a few weeks in case any data was not correctly imported and needs further attention. Importing is a complex process, so keeping backups and sources for a while is a good practice.
Question What is Transifex, and how does it help with translation?
Answer Transifex is a collaborative online platform used by the Composr community for translation. Its benefits include:
  • Centralized translation efforts: Multiple translators can work on the same project.
  • Improved translation quality: The platform facilitates consistency and accuracy.
  • Simplified language pack creation: You can generate downloadable language pack addons directly from Transifex.
We encourage using Transifex for translation to foster collaboration and maintain high-quality translations.
Question What are language strings, and how are they used?
Answer Language strings are phrases or pieces of text used throughout Composr. They're identified by unique codenames, like WELCOME_MESSAGE. These strings are stored in .ini language files and used to display text in the user interface.

By translating language strings, you change the text displayed on your website without modifying the underlying code.
Question What are the advantages of using Composr's JavaScript libraries?
Answer Composr's JavaScript libraries like $cms, $util, and $dom offer several advantages:
  • Organization: They provide a structured way to access Composr-specific functionalities, avoiding global namespace pollution.
  • Abstraction: They encapsulate common tasks, simplifying DOM manipulation, form handling, and interaction with Composr's UI.
  • Consistency: They offer a consistent API across different parts of Composr.
Question What are the key legal considerations for running a website?
Answer Several legal aspects need careful attention when operating a website, especially for large or corporate sites. These include establishing clear rules and terms of service, adhering to privacy laws like GDPR and California's regulations, managing personal data responsibly, complying with email marketing regulations like CAN-SPAM, ensuring website accessibility, addressing eCommerce regulations, and understanding liability for content and user actions.
Question What are my responsibilities regarding user privacy?
Answer You must have a comprehensive privacy policy that details the personal data you collect, its usage, and if it's shared with third parties. Laws like GDPR have strict requirements, including logging data access, data purging, and security measures. California law mandates specific elements in your policy, like handling "Do Not Track" requests and a clear process for communicating changes.

Composr has an automatic Privacy Policy generator block to help you get started. This is used by default.
Question What steps should I take to make my website accessible?
Answer Website accessibility is essential for inclusivity and may be legally required under anti-discrimination laws. Composr is designed to meet high accessibility standards, but you need to maintain this when creating content or modifying templates. Following WCAG guidelines is crucial, and you can find more information in the accessibility tutorial.
Question What are my legal responsibilities regarding illegal content posted by users?
Answer While "safe harbor" laws offer some protection, you are still obligated to take down illegal content upon becoming aware of it. Implement measures like content checks, clear rules prohibiting illegal uploads, and liability disclaimers. The level of responsibility varies depending on the severity of the content, from copyright infringement to more serious criminal content.
Question What are some social considerations for running a website with community features?
Answer Managing a community involves addressing social issues like child protection, free speech, discrimination, and abuse. Establish clear policies on these matters, including content moderation guidelines and procedures for handling feedback. Consider the diverse personalities and potential vulnerabilities of your users.
Question What resources are available to help me navigate these legal and social challenges?
Answer Composr offers various resources, including tutorials on accessibility, staff management, and general website dos and don'ts. You can also consult external resources like the COPPA website and Wikipedia for more in-depth information on specific laws and regulations. Remember that seeking legal counsel may be necessary for complex situations.
Question What should I do about offensive or off-topic discussions?
Answer Decide on your moderation approach: balancing viewpoints, adhering to community standards, or focusing on topic relevance. Be prepared to face criticism regardless of your decisions. Establish clear rules and policies to guide user behavior.
Question What is metadata and why is it important for my website?
Answer Metadata is information about your web pages that isn't directly visible to visitors, but is used by search engines and social media platforms to understand and categorize your content.

Well-crafted metadata helps search engines properly index your site, making it more likely to appear in relevant search results. It also improves how your website appears when shared on social media, encouraging clicks and engagement.
Question What are the primary metadata elements I should focus on?
Answer While Composr provides extensive metadata options, the key elements to prioritize are:
  • Title: The title tag appears in browser tabs, search results, and when your page is shared. It should be concise, descriptive, and include relevant keywords.
  • Meta Description: This short summary entices users to click on your search result. It should be engaging, informative, and accurately reflect the page's content.
  • Open Graph data: These protocols control how your content appears when shared on social media and other websites. They utilize elements like title, description, and images to create visually appealing previews.
  • Favicon and Apple Web Clip image: These small icons represent your website in bookmarks, browser tabs, and on mobile home screens. They contribute to branding and visual recognition.
Question What is an XML Sitemap and why is it important?
Answer An XML Sitemap is a file that lists all the pages on your website, helping search engines understand your site's structure and content. Composr automatically generates a comprehensive sitemap, including forum topics if you are using Conversr.

Ensure your system scheduler is enabled for automatic sitemap submission to search engines. You can also manually generate and submit the sitemap if necessary.
Question What are URL Monikers and how do they benefit SEO?
Answer URL Monikers replace generic numerical IDs in your URLs with descriptive keywords derived from your content titles.

For example, instead of yoursite.com/page.php?id=123, you can have yoursite.com/about-us. This makes your URLs more user-friendly and helps search engines understand the topic of each page, improving your search ranking.

You can set monikers in the "Metadata" section when adding / editing content.
Question What is SEO and why is it important for my Composr website?
Answer SEO is the practice of optimizing your website to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). By improving your SEO, you increase the visibility of your website, driving more organic (non-paid) traffic to your content.
Question What is the role of robots.txt in SEO?
Answer The robots.txt file provides instructions to search engine crawlers about which parts of your website they should and should not access. You can customize the robots.txt file to prevent sensitive content from being indexed or to guide crawlers toward the most important areas of your site.
Question What are the general courtesy guidelines for interacting with the Composr community?
Answer
  • Understand that Composr is developed and maintained by volunteers who dedicate their time to the project.
  • Refrain from demanding free support or expecting developers to work on specific schedules.
  • Avoid placing undue pressure on volunteers or pushing them beyond their capacity.
  • Approach the community with respect and a collaborative spirit.
  • Remember that offering financial sponsorship for desired features can accelerate development.
Question What is the Composr maintenance policy?
Answer Composr follows a rolling release model. This means:
  • New major/minor versions are released as they are ready.
  • Patch releases, primarily containing bug fixes, are only released for the latest supported major/minor version branch.
Users are responsible for staying updated to the latest release or applying necessary hotfixes.

This policy allows developers to focus resources on the latest versions and encourages users to leverage the ongoing improvements. You can find the release status on the Composr maintenance status page.
Question What is Composr Mobile SDK?
Answer Composr Mobile SDK (CMS SDK) is a toolkit designed for experienced iOS and Android developers to build mobile apps that integrate with a Composr-powered website. It offers both Composr-specific integrations and a collection of standalone utilities for building apps, providing a common base between iOS and Android akin to the PHP and Composr APIs, enabling easier code porting while maintaining a native experience.
Question What is the purpose of the Composr Mobile SDK Toolkit?
Answer The Toolkit, part of the composr_mobile_sdk addon, aids in mirroring Composr website resources into a mobile app. It includes tools for generating iOS/Android string resources from language files and exporting theme images in a directory structure suitable for iOS/Android app image assets.
Question What are some of the default endpoints available in the server-side API?
Answer Default endpoints cover various functionalities, including:
  • Account: join, login, lost_password, setup_push_notifications
  • Misc: contact_us
  • Content: commandr_fs

Specific details on parameters and response data for each endpoint can be found in the documentation.
Question What other approaches exist for mobile integration with Composr?
Answer Other approaches, in various stages of development, include:
  • Tapatalk: A third-party forum app with an official Composr addon, offering a high-quality "out-of-the-box" Composr app experience.
  • Further Composr Mobile SDK development: Plans and issues relating to the SDK's evolution can be found on the Composr tracker, driven by commercial projects and feature sponsorship.
Question What are some key concepts related to mobile app development with Composr?
Answer Essential concepts include:
  • SDK (Software Development Kit): An API implementation, typically as a library.
  • API (Application Programming Interface): A set of rules for software interaction.
  • JSON (JavaScript Object Notation): A common language for structured data transfer over REST.
  • REST (Representational State Transfer): An architectural style for web services.
  • Push notification: A notification sent to a mobile device.
Question What are the key classes and utilities provided by Composr Mobile SDK?
Answer CMS SDK provides several classes with utility functions mirroring PHP and Composr APIs, including:
  • CMS_Arrays: Array operations (e.g., implode, explode, list_to_map).
  • CMS_Strings: String manipulation (e.g., strip_tags, html_entity_decode, strpos).
  • CMS_Langs: Localization functions (e.g., do_lang).
  • CMS_Preferences: User preference management.
  • CMS_Timestamps: Timestamp functions (e.g., get_timezoned_date_time, time).
  • CMS_HTTP: Web service interactions (e.g., rawurlencode, json_decode, http_get_contents).
  • CMS_Users: User data and permission checks (e.g., has_page_access, is_staff).
  • CMS_Flow: App flow control (e.g., access_denied, attach_message).
  • CMS_Forms: Form building and management.
  • CMS_Database: SQLite database access and manipulation.
  • CMS_Notification: Push notification handling.
  • CMSNetworkManager: Network request execution and response handling.
Question What is a multi-site network (M.S.N.) in Composr?
Answer An M.S.N. allows you to run multiple Composr websites (installations) that share a common forum and member database. It's ideal for website networks with shared communities but segmented content, staff, or branding. In essence, members who join one site automatically have accounts on all sites within the network.
Question What are the advantages and disadvantages of using an M.S.N.?
Answer Advantages:
  • Full control: You have complete control over each site's settings and content.
  • Administrative separation: Managing staff and content for each site is more organized.
  • Special M.S.N. features: Composr provides specific features like the 'netlink' system for easy navigation between network sites.

Disadvantages:
  • Configuration and maintenance: Setting up and maintaining multiple sites can be more complex.
Question What is the difference between a central site and a satellite site in an M.S.N.?
Answer The central site hosts the shared forum, member database, and netlink system. It is the core of your M.S.N.

Satellite sites are the additional websites within your network. They connect to the central site for member information and forum access.
Question What are virtual roots and how do I use them?
Answer Virtual roots let you make a sub-category within a Composr module (e.g., downloads) appear as the top-level category. This is useful for creating separate "databases" of content for different subcommunities.

To create a virtual root:
  • Enable "Virtual root links" in the Admin Zone > Setup > Configuration > Feature options > Advanced.
  • Navigate to the desired category while logged in as staff.
  • Click the rightmost link in the breadcrumbs (it will be an anchor for virtual root creation).
  • Use the resulting URL in your menus to link to the "virtualized" category.
Question What are redirects and how can I use them for subsites?
Answer Redirects let you create custom URL paths that point to different zones and pages within your site.

Examples:
  • Sharing modules across zones: Create a redirect to make a module in one zone appear in another.
  • Creating shortcuts: Use a redirect to point a short URL to a longer, more complex URL.
  • Moving pages: Use a redirect to ensure old links still work after moving a page to a new location.

Go to Admin Zone > Structure > Redirects.
Question What are Composr Clubs and how are they useful for subcommunities?
Answer Clubs are special usergroups in Conversr (Composr's forum system) designed for creating subcommunities. They come with their own dedicated forums and are managed by members, taking pressure off site staff.

Key features:
  • No special permissions by default, simplifying permission management.
  • Members can join and leave like regular usergroups.
  • Provide a dedicated forum for the club.
Question What should I consider when managing usergroups for subcommunities?
Answer
  • Rank ladders: Use the default rank ladder for main site ranks and secondary usergroups for subcommunity memberships.
  • New member status: Set default usergroups for new members to grant them initial access while allowing removal if necessary.
  • Leadership: Assign leaders to usergroups to allow members to manage subcommunities.
  • Clubs: Consider using Clubs for member-driven subcommunities with their own forums.
Question What notification options are available to members?
Answer Members can choose from a wide range of notifications, including:
  • Content Updates: Notifications for new or updated content, such as news articles, forum posts, and gallery images.
  • Private Messages: Alerts for new private messages received.
  • Friend Requests: Notifications for new friend requests.
  • Administrative Actions: Alerts for actions taken by site administrators, such as account approvals or content moderation decisions.

Members can choose to receive notifications via:
  • Email: Notifications sent directly to their email address.
  • Digest Email: Combined summaries of activity sent in batched emails. This requires the system scheduler and the digest e-mails configuration option to be enabled.
  • Private Topics: Notifications delivered as private forum topics.
  • SMS: Notifications sent as text messages (requires configuration and incurs costs).
  • Web Notifications: Real-time alerts displayed within the Composr interface.
Question What are Composr caches and how do they improve website performance?
Answer Composr utilizes various types of caches to enhance performance by storing pre-calculated results and reducing repetitive tasks. These caches include:
  • Language cache: Eliminates the need to parse language files on each page load.
  • Template cache: Avoids reparsing template files repeatedly.
  • Comcode page cache & Comcode cache: Reduces the need to parse Comcode pages and general Comcode usage.
  • Block cache: Caches blocks based on their parameters, minimizing execution.
  • Theme image cache: Prevents redundant searches for theme images.
  • Values caches: Stores calculated values like member post counts.
  • Persistent cache: Keeps frequently used data in memory for faster access.
  • Advanced admin cache: Allows admins to view cached pages while the server generates updates.
  • Static cache: Serves static pages to bots and guests, bypassing much of the framework.
  • Self learning cache: Optimizes resource loading by learning which resources each page requires.
Question What is static caching and how do I enable it?
Answer Static caching drastically improves performance by serving pre-generated pages to bots and guests. This works because these users typically don't require dynamic content. To enable it:
  • Go to the Installation Options editor (yourbaseurl/config_editor.php). You will need your maintenance password.
  • Activate the static cache option.

Composr intelligently determines what to cache, and you can further control this via options within the Installation Options. Be aware that enabling static caching may disable eCommerce features for guests unless specifically configured.
Question What is rate limiting and how can I enable it in Composr?
Answer Rate limiting prevents server overload by restricting the number of requests allowed from a single IP address within a specific timeframe. To enable Composr's built-in rate limiting, add the following to your _config.php file:

Code (PHP)

$SITE_INFO['rate_limiting'] = '1';
$SITE_INFO['rate_limit_time_window'] = '10';
$SITE_INFO['rate_limit_hits_per_window'] = '5';
 

This configuration limits each IP to 5 requests every 10 seconds. This feature generates soft errors early in the process before Composr fully loads.
Question What is the purpose of the Health Check feature in Composr?
Answer The Health Check feature in Composr proactively identifies potential issues that may affect your website's performance, security, and overall health. It performs various checks and alerts you to problems like:
  • Broken links and forms
  • Security vulnerabilities
  • Outdated software versions
  • Server performance issues
  • Email configuration problems

The Health Check can be run manually or scheduled to run automatically and send e-mail notifications of results.
Question What are cleanup tools in Composr and how do I use them?
Answer Cleanup tools assist with website maintenance by deleting unnecessary data and optimizing database tables. They are divided into "De-cachers" and "Optimizers". You can access them through:

Admin Zone > Tools > Cleanup tools.
Question What's the difference between points balance and rank points?
Answer Points balance refers to the number of points a member currently has available to spend. This is the 'liquid' currency they can use for various actions.

Rank points represent the total points a member has accumulated throughout their time on the website. These points determine the member's rank, which can grant access to additional privileges and act as a status symbol.
Question What are gift points, and how do they work?
Answer Gift points are a separate points balance that can only be sent to other members as gifts. They cannot be spent directly or used in escrow transactions.

Gift points are earned daily based on usergroup membership and replenish independently of the regular points balance. When a member sends gift points, they become regular points for the recipient.
Question What is the purpose of the points ledger?
Answer The ledger provides a transparent and immutable record of every point transaction on the website. It ensures accountability and allows members to track their point activity. Members can view their own ledger, and with the appropriate privilege, they can also see the ledgers of others.
Question What is points escrow and when would I use it?
Answer Points escrow is a system that holds points securely during transactions involving a written agreement, often for a product or service. This ensures trust and provides a resolution mechanism in case of disputes.
  • Creating an Escrow: You initiate an escrow on the member's profile points tab, specifying the amount, reason, and any agreement details.
  • Points Held: The points are deducted from your balance and held by the system.
  • Agreement Fulfillment: Both parties must mark the escrow as satisfied upon fulfilling the agreement.
  • Points Release: Once both parties are satisfied, the recipient receives the points.
  • Disputes: If either party has a dispute, they can dispute the escrow, which then locks it down and notifies a staff member to review and take a resolution action.
Question What types of quizzes can I create in Composr?
Answer Composr supports three main types of quizzes:
  • Surveys: These quizzes gather information from participants without right or wrong answers, making them ideal for collecting opinions and feedback.
  • Tests: Tests assess knowledge with right and wrong answers and provide immediate feedback to participants, including pass/fail results. They're suitable for evaluating understanding of a topic.
  • Competitions: These quizzes rank participants based on their scores, allowing you to select winners. Competitions are great for engaging users and promoting specific content or events.
Question What are Quiz Sets and how can I use them?
Answer Quiz Sets are a helpful organizational feature in Composr. By prefixing quiz names with "Example: ", you can group related quizzes together. This allows for combined scoring and percentage calculations, particularly beneficial for multi-part questionnaires or tests.
Question What is the input syntax for quiz questions?
Answer Quiz questions are inputted in blocks, separated by blank lines. The first line is the question, followed by potential answers on subsequent lines. Different question types are indicated by tags after the question, such as [MULTIPLECHOICE], [MULTIMULTIPLE], [LONG], [SHORT], and [SHORT_STRICT].
Question What is the difference between natural and boolean searching?
Answer Natural search is a more relaxed approach where you type in your search terms and Composr tries to find the most relevant results, even if they don't contain all the words. It's like a Google search.

Boolean search requires more precision and uses operators like "+", "-", and quotation marks to define exactly what you're looking for. For example, searching for "+car -maintenance" will only return results that contain the word "car" but not "maintenance".
Question What is the fast custom index and why should I use it?
Answer The fast custom index is Composr's own search engine, designed to be faster and more efficient than MySQL full-text search, especially for large websites and filtered searches.

Benefits of the fast custom index:
  • Faster filtered searches: Significantly improves search speed when you add filters like category or author.
  • Configurable stop words: Control which common words are ignored during search.
  • Better stemming: More accurately recognizes variations of words (e.g., "like" and "liking").
  • Multilingual support: Indexes content based on different language translations.

Downsides of the fast custom index:
  • Slight lag in indexing new content: New content takes a short time to be indexed.
  • Less accurate ranking: Ranking is based on the most obscure keyword, not a blend of all keywords.
  • Cannot perform blank searches: You must enter at least one keyword.
Question What are quoted phrases and how do they work?
Answer Quoted phrases allow you to search for an exact sequence of words. For example, searching for "red apple" will only return results containing that exact phrase. Keep in mind that enabling quoted phrases can increase disk space usage.
Question Why are my searches slow, and how can I improve search speed?
Answer Slow searches can occur when dealing with large amounts of content. Here are some workarounds and solutions:
  • MySQL timeout setting: For MySQL 5.7+, set a query timeout to prevent searches from locking up your database. Composr automatically sets this, but you can configure it manually if needed.
  • Use InnoDB tables: Switching to InnoDB tables in MySQL can prevent slow queries from affecting other users on your website. Note that InnoDB is not officially supported by Composr yet.
  • Enable the fast custom index: As mentioned earlier, the fast custom index is optimized for handling large datasets and filtered searches, potentially leading to significant speed improvements.
Question What are the main security features of Composr?
Answer Composr has a robust set of security features to protect your website, including:

Passwords:
  • Visual representation of password quality and enforcement of complexity rules.
  • Password expiry and prevention of re-use.
  • Secure password hashing, even if the database is compromised.
  • Temporary passwords for staff setup.

Login Restrictions:
  • Two-factor authentication via IP address approval.
  • IP address banning, including wildcard banning.
  • Session locking to IP addresses.
  • Configurable session expiry times.
  • Ability to prevent privileged actions from auto-logged in sessions.
  • Optional member approval process.

Auditing Systems:
  • Comprehensive audit logging of administrative actions.
  • Logging of user actions and IP address history.
  • Tools to analyze audit logs.
  • Failed login logging.
  • Hack attack detection, logging, and banning.
  • Email notifications for changes to user credentials.

Framework Security:
  • Protection against CSRF attacks.
  • Click-jacking prevention via CSP implementation.
  • Secure coding standards and scanning techniques.
  • Configurable HTML filtering to prevent XSS attacks.
  • Secure code modularization standards.

Other features:
  • Granular privileges and access permissions.
  • Content submission validation process.
  • Rootkit detection system.
  • Spam prevention systems.
  • Web application firewall rules.
  • Moderation systems.
Question What are some tips for secure website maintenance?
Answer
  • Avoid FTP: Use secure alternatives like SFTP or SSH for file transfer.
  • Secure Email: Enable SSL for IMAP and POP3 email protocols.
  • Strong Passwords: Use unique and complex passwords for different services.
  • Secure Computers: Keep your own devices patched and secure.
  • Maintenance Password: Remove the maintenance password from _config.php when not in use.
Question What are the different types of security alerts in Composr?
Answer Composr has a variety of hack-attack codenames that trigger security alerts and logging. Some common examples include:
  • DODGY_GET_HACK: Suspicious URLs with potentially harmful characters.
  • EVIL_POSTED_FORM_HACK: Possible CSRF attempts via malicious form submissions.
  • SCRIPT_UPLOAD_HACK: Attempts to upload PHP scripts, potentially malicious.
  • DOWNLOAD_PRIVATE_URL_HACK/TRY_TO_DOWNLOAD_SCRIPT: Attempts to download sensitive files.
  • BRUTEFORCE_LOGIN_HACK: Repeated failed login attempts.
  • SQL_INJECTION_HACK: Attempts to exploit SQL queries for data extraction.

You can customize alert handling for each type in data_custom/xml_config/advanced_banning.xml (Admin Zone > Security > Configure advanced banning).
Question What is the purpose of "confirmed" and "non-confirmed" sessions?
Answer Composr distinguishes between confirmed and non-confirmed sessions for added security:
  • Confirmed: When you actively log in with your credentials.
  • Non-confirmed: When you return to the site and are automatically logged in via cookies.

You can configure zones to require confirmed sessions, preventing access from cookie-based logins alone. The Admin Zone uses this by default.
Question What additional security measures can I implement for my Composr website?
Answer
  • SSL: Enable HTTPS for encrypted communication and improved user trust.
  • Secure Zones: Configure sensitive zones to require confirmed sessions.
  • Restrict Logins: Enforce IP address confirmation for enhanced account security.
  • Maintenance Scripts: Restrict access to maintenance scripts like upgrader.php via IP restrictions.
  • Server Hardening: Disable unnecessary services, change default ports, enable automatic updates, and more.
  • Robots.txt: Use the robots.txt file to prevent search engine indexing of sensitive areas.
Question What steps should I take if my website has been hacked?
Answer If you suspect a security breach, take immediate action:
  • Identify the Cause: Analyze access logs for suspicious activity and pinpoint the vulnerability.
  • Clean and Restore: Restore your website from a clean backup and thoroughly remove any malicious code.
  • Address Vulnerabilities: Patch security holes, update software, and strengthen security configurations.
  • Seek Expert Help: If needed, consult security professionals for assistance with cleanup and prevention.
Question What defines a staff member in Composr?
Answer There are two ways to define "staff" in Composr:
  • System-defined staff: This includes administrators and super moderators who have specific privileges within the forum/member system (Conversr).
  • Privilege-based staff: Anyone granted the necessary permissions for a particular situation is considered staff for that context.

Composr prioritizes flexibility by utilizing privileges over fixed roles, allowing for customized staff responsibilities. However, certain features like "staff reply" in tickets inherently rely on a pre-existing understanding of "staff."
Question What should be considered when assigning roles and responsibilities to staff?
Answer When assigning roles, it's recommended to start new staff with limited responsibilities and gradually increase their authority based on performance and dedication. This fosters a sense of progression and prevents discouragement among existing staff.

Always consider the individual's skills and interests when assigning tasks. For example, someone with strong writing skills might be well-suited for managing content creation, while a technically-minded person could excel at site maintenance.
Question What tools and strategies can be used for staff training and development?
Answer While Composr itself doesn't provide built-in training features, several approaches can be used for staff development:
  • Documentation & Tutorials: Utilize the extensive Composr documentation and tutorials available online to familiarize staff with the platform's functionalities.
  • Mentorship: Pair experienced staff with newcomers to provide guidance and support during the initial learning phase.
  • Private Forums & Chat: Create dedicated communication channels where staff can exchange knowledge, ask questions, and share best practices.
  • Regular Meetings: Conduct regular staff meetings to discuss updates, share information, and address any arising challenges.
  • External Resources: Leverage external resources like online courses or workshops focused on relevant skills, such as content management or community moderation.

By investing in ongoing staff training and development, communities can ensure their teams possess the necessary knowledge and skills to perform their roles effectively and contribute to the platform's overall success.
Question What are the key differences between Google Analytics and Composr statistics?
Answer While there is some overlap, Composr statistics and Google Analytics are complementary tools.

Google Analytics Pros:
  • Offers sophisticated functionality for professional marketers.
  • Integrates with other Google products like AdSense and Search Console.
  • Provides insights based on Google's marketing data, such as visitor demographics.

Google Analytics Cons:
  • Limited to web visit data unless custom programming or complex configuration is implemented.
  • Relies on JavaScript for tracking, which can be blocked by users.
  • Uses tracking cookies, raising privacy concerns and potential GDPR compliance issues.
  • Data is potentially sold to third-party data brokers or used for targeted advertising by Google.
  • Closed-source platform.

Composr Statistics Pros:
  • Server-side tracking, independent of JavaScript and browser configurations.
  • Contextual information and graphs for data beyond web visits (e.g., sales).
  • Enhanced privacy as it only uses IP addresses, session IDs, and member IDs.
  • Complete data control as it is hosted on your website.
  • Open-source addon, fully customizable.

Basic users may find Composr statistics sufficient, while expert marketers might prefer the power of Google Analytics.
Question What are the different ways to track events in Composr?
Answer Composr offers various methods for tracking events:
  • Inbuilt events: Automatically recorded for actions like form submissions, purchases, newsletter signups, etc.
  • Tempcode symbol: Use the {$LOG_STATS_EVENT,event} symbol within your templates to track events when the template is displayed.
  • JavaScript function: Employ the $cms.statsEventTrack JavaScript function to track events from within your JavaScript code.
  • HTML data attribute: Add data-click-stats-event-track="{ category: 'some event', nativeTracking: true }" to HTML elements. This method acts as a wrapper for the JavaScript function.
  • URL wrapping: Wrap URLs in links using the {$STATS_TRACK_URL,URL,event} symbol. This approach records events via a redirection script and doesn't rely on JavaScript.

The JavaScript and HTML data attribute methods can also be integrated with Google Analytics events.
Question What is the purpose of tracking codes in Composr?
Answer Tracking codes help you identify the sources driving user sessions to your website or associate specific split testing variations with users. Composr offers integrated referral tracking through various means:
  • URL parameter: The _t URL parameter can contain any custom tracking code, automatically registered by the stats addon.
  • Recommend addon: This addon automatically includes tracking codes for the referral source, referring member, and the referred page.
  • Member joining: When a referred member joins, the referring member receives points and a friend request.
  • Referrals addon: Allows manual tracking code input upon joining and facilitates a referrer reward system.
  • Stats addon: Generates graphs of tracking codes, including conversion rate measurements.
  • User lookup tool: Allows checking if a user accessed the site via a tracking code.
  • Tempcode integration: Inject tracking codes into Tempcode using symbols like {$SET_TRACKING_CODE,some code} or {$SPLIT_TEST,some code,some other code}.
Question What are KPIs and how are they used in Composr?
Answer KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) are specific measurements selected for marketing analysis. In Composr, time-series graphs can be added as KPIs. They offer several benefits:
  • Quick reference: Available on the Admin Zone dashboard staff checklist.
  • Target setting: Allows setting targets against KPIs, visualized on graphs and in overview summaries.
  • Notifications: Staff members receive regular notifications regarding target achievement status.
Question Why does Composr use pre-computed statistics?
Answer Composr generates statistics from pre-computed data for several reasons:
  • GDPR compliance: Prevents indefinite storage of raw (potentially personal) data while preserving historical statistics.
  • Computational efficiency: Avoids real-time execution of complex calculations, ensuring optimal performance.
  • Scalability: Handles vast amounts of data without performance degradation.
  • Responsiveness: Enables quick and seamless statistics browsing and filtering.
  • Data accessibility: Makes generated data readily available for other Composr components.
Question What are the limitations of pre-computed statistics in Composr?
Answer Pre-computed statistics introduce certain limitations:
  • Filtering constraints: Limits filtering options to those incorporated in the data structure.
  • Historical data limitation: To maintain site stability, statistics older than 31 days aren't pre-processed. This may lead to data gaps if the system scheduler malfunctions or statistical data is manually deleted.
Question What are the advantages of using the Support Ticket system over the Discussion Forums?
Answer While both systems can be used for support, the Support Ticket system provides advantages like:
  • Separating replies into individual tickets.
  • Ticket assignment to specific staff members.
  • Tracking who has read a ticket.
  • Private replies between staff members.
  • Filtering tickets by type.
  • Automatic ticket creation, unlike manually creating forum topics.
  • Conflict detection when multiple staff are working on the same ticket.
  • Real-time alerts and display updates upon ticket replies.
Question What are Post Templates and how are they beneficial for support?
Answer Post Templates are predefined text blocks that can be used as templates for new forum posts. They are particularly useful in support scenarios by:
  • Providing quick responses to common questions.
  • Ensuring consistency in staff responses.
  • Saving time and effort for staff.

Post Templates can be configured to be the default post in specific forums or restricted to certain user groups.

Go to Admin Zone > Structure > Forums > Post Templates.
Question What is Wiki+?
Answer Wiki+ is a feature in Composr that allows you to create a collaborative, tree-structured database of information. It functions similarly to a traditional wiki but offers enhanced features such as post contributions, a hierarchical structure, and moderation capabilities.
Question What are orphaned pages and how should I handle them?
Answer Orphaned pages are pages that exist within the Wiki+ database but are not linked to the main tree structure. These pages are not accessible through the tree navigation but can still be reached through direct links or cross-linking.

Orphaned pages are not necessarily problematic. They can be intentional if you prefer to link pages using the wiki-style syntax instead of a rigid tree hierarchy. You have the flexibility to choose the linking method that best suits your content organization.
Question What moderation tools are available in Wiki+?
Answer Wiki+ offers several features to help you moderate user contributions and maintain the quality of information:
  • Email Notifications: When a new post is submitted, an email notification is sent to the designated staff address, alerting you to new contributions.
  • Permissions Control: You can configure permissions to determine whether regular users can create new pages or only contribute through posts.
  • Page History: The revision history feature allows you to track edits made to pages and revert to previous versions if necessary.
  • Composr Moderation Tools: Wiki+ integrates with Composr's site-wide moderation features, providing additional tools for monitoring and managing user contributions.

Newest 10 Entries

Question Can I upgrade a previous version 11 release to a newer one using the upgrader?
Answer

Yes (probably). Always remember especially during alpha and beta phases that things can break. Please make backups first. And let us know on the issue tracker if an issue occurs.
 

Note: You cannot upgrade from 11 alpha to 11 beta without first upgrading to 11.alpha4 (if you are not already on 11.alpha4).

Question What are the current release plans for version 11?
Answer

As of July 22, 2024, we entered beta status where our focus is now smashing bugs and stabilising the software. All planned features have been implemented for 11.0 (and most others deferred to 11.1 or later), though we may still merge in a few minor features or tweaks. The upgrader has been tested on a typical non-custom v10 site.

We will be releasing several beta versions in the beta phase.

We do not know when we will be able to release the first Release Candidate or stable versions at this time.

These plans are all subject to change without notice.

Question Why is there a separate website for version 11?
Answer That is explained in detail in this news article on compo.sr including the migration plans and implications.

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.