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 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 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	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	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 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 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 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	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	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 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.

Top 10 Entries

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	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	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	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	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	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	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	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	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	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.

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