Contributors: A-Z Index

A

Name	Photograph	Title / Role	Contributions / Notes
Allen Ellis		Founder	Original designer for ocPortal Also conceived and coded the Theme Wizard and Point Store Son of one of the early inventors of Internet protocols (Usenet, aka Internet newsgroups) Token non-brit	View

C

Name	Photograph	Title / Role	Contributions / Notes
Chris Graham		Founder	Original developer of ocPortal, former lead developer of Composr CMS Masters degree in Computer Science from The University Of Sheffield Undertaken work for over 15 FTSE-100 companies, as well as many small and mid-sized organisations. Includes a number of banks and major brands.	View
Chris Warburton		developer for ocProducts	Made some key contributions to ocPortal	View

H

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

J

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

P

Name	Photograph	Title / Role	Contributions / Notes
Patrick Schmalstig		Lead Developer	Joined Chris Graham behind the scenes in the development of Composr CMS in 2016. Took on the lead developer role in 2023 when Chris Graham stepped back to attend to his new lifestyle changes. Spearheaded the development of Composr CMS v11 and the new website, Composr.app. Formed the company PDStig, LLC to take on professional support and development for Composr CMS users especially after the discontinuation of ocProducts, Ltd.	View
Philip Withnall		Early Developer	Coded the chatroom, blogging support, the analytics system, and OcCLE (now Commandr) Masters Degree in Computer Science degree from The University Of Cambridge Other work has included helping out with Firefox, and ongoing work on GNOME	View

R

Name	Photograph	Title / Role	Contributions / Notes
Robert Goacher		Founder	Ran some of the early websites where ocPortal came from Technically the original developer of ocPortal, in that he wrote the first few lines of code Heavily involved in the feature design process Hosted some of our early meet-ups	View

S

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

Newest 10 Entries

Question	What 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	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	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	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	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	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	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	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	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	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.

Top 10 Entries

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 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	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	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	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	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 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	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 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	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.

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