Troubleshooting Composer: General system settings and diagnostics

Misty Flowers

August 14, 2017 14:55

If your page isn't displaying correctly, there may be something you can do before submitting a request to support. Most issues in Composer can be traced back to a handful of settings or a "sync" delay.

💡Quick answers

Is the Finalsite logo in the bottom right green? If it's yellow or blue, your changes aren't live.
Is a button greyed out or a settings gear unclickable? You likely don't have the required permission level for that specific page or module.
Did you edit a Banner? You must publish the Banner first, and then occasionally publish the Page it sits on to get them in sync. Also in modules, sometimes when a thing is unpublished, it won't appear in Composer.
Have you tried viewing the page in a private/incognito window? If it looks fine there, it's just your browser cache.
Is "Hide from navigation" accidentally checked? Go to Page settings > General to check the visibility toggle.
Is the module element empty? Check the source (Posts, Calendars, Athletics) — is the content actually published in the module?

Step 1: The 60-second browser check

Sometimes the issue isn't in Composer! It's happening right inside your own computer. Before you spend 20 minutes digging through settings, try these three things:

Go incognito: Open an Incognito (Chrome) or Private (Firefox/Safari) window and log in. This strips away saved cookies and disables most extensions.
- If the problem disappears: You need to clear your browser cache or find a conflicting extension.
- If the problem persists: You've successfully ruled out your computer—be sure to tell Support you've already tried this!
Identify "silent disruptors" (Extensions): Certain tools are notorious for breaking CMS interfaces. Check for:
- AdBlockers: These can hide legitimate elements that contain words like "Promotion" or "Banner."
- Grammarly or Language tools: These often interfere with the text editor, causing the cursor to "jump" or lose formatting.
- Dark Mode toggles: These can invert your site's actual colors for you only, making the styling appear broken when it isn't.
Try a different browser: If the site works in Firefox but not Chrome, you know the issue is a specific browser setting.
The "v=1" bypass: If you've published changes but don't see them, add ?v=1 to the end of your URL (e.g., yourschool.org/home?v=1). This bypasses the server's "memory" (CDN cache) and forces it to fetch the freshest version of the page.

Step 2: Check the page settings

A lot of issues have their root in the page's underlying configuration. Open the Page Settings (gear icon on the page tree) and check three tabs:

General Tab: Ensure "Hide from navigation" is unchecked if the page is missing from menus.
SEO Tab: Confirm the page isn't "Hidden from search" if it won't appear in site results.
Access Control vs. Permissions: * If a visitor can't see the page, check Access Control to see if their constituent group is permitted.
- If a site admin can't see the "Compose" button, check Permissions to see if their admin group has been granted rights.

Step 3: Check the element settings

When a problem is limited to one block of content, the solution is usually in the Element Settings (the gear icon that appears when you hover over an element).

Filter criteria: Are the right calendars, categories, or teams selected?
Date ranges: Confirm that the display dates haven't expired.
Custom classes: Expand the Design section. If the Custom Class field has any text in it and the element looks broken, you likely have custom styling. Submit a Design ticket to Support rather than trying to fix the code yourself.

Step 4: Check the module source

Composer is often just a "window" into your modules. If the data inside an element is wrong, check the module itself:

Athletics: Are team events occurring in the current or upcoming season?
Calendars: Are the specific events you want to display marked as Published?
Posts: Is the post expired, or was it marked "Featured" when the element is only looking for standard posts?

Step 5: Isolate the theme

Your site's Theme houses the CSS and Javascript code. If the layout is completely broken, find out if the code is to blame:

Go to Page Layout and Appearance. Change the theme in the dropdown to None.
- The Test: If the problem goes away, the trouble is with the site theme code.
- If the problem persists, the issue is within the Composer settings. Tell Finalsite Support you performed this test when you submit your ticket!
Resource: Applying themes in Composer.

Step 6: Test safely with clones and orphans

If you are worried about "breaking" a live page while troubleshooting, use these safety nets:

Clone the page: Make a copy of the page to play with. You can even publish the clone to test it live—just make sure to hide it from navigation and search so users don't find it.
Orphan shared elements: If you are editing a Shared Element, your changes will affect every page where that element appears. To prevent this, click the Shared icon and select Orphan and Edit. This makes the element unique to your current page.