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 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	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	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 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	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	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	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	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	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 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.

Top 10 Entries

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	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 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	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	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	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 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 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	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 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.

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