Individual Forum page

Forum settings

Click on the [Edit settings] button. The following settings are available:

Description
Provide a brief introduction that will be placed on top of the Forum page. You can use formatting options and insert links, pictures and documents.

Permissions

You can control what different groups of users can do - Public visitors and per each Member level:

• No access - selected level will not be able to access the forum.
• Read - allow only to read the forum messages
• Read, Comment - allow to read and comment on any of the existing forum messages.
• Read, Comment, Create - allows to read, comment and also to create new forum topics (message threads).

Member picture

Select if you want to show member pictures in this forum, and which of the picture fields in your database is to be used. For example you might have a photo field, an avatar and a logo. Here you can select which of the fields to use.

Category

Every forum page can be assigned to one category - an existing or a new one. Categories are used to group forums on Forum summary page

Forum topics and replies

• Click on the [Create Topic] button.
• Enter the Subject (Topic) of the new forum post. This topic will be listed on the main forum page.
• Enter the body of the message and click on [Create] button.

• You can reply to the forum post in two ways:
  • You can post a new reply by clicking on the [Reply] button. Enter the comment and click on the [Post] button.
  • Or you reply to a particular comment. Click on Quote (top-right corner) in any posted comment and it will "quote" the original comment in your post. It is helpful when the thread of comments gets long.

Users may also Edit / Delete their own comments. Administrator can edit/delete any message or comment.
User may also hide their Picture and name.
Note that if you see no picture and <Name is hidden> this means that the user has opted out to show this informationю See: Privacy options for your members in Member directory

• Authorized members can use rich text formatting tools when adding topics and replies. (For security reasons their formatting tools are less extensive compared to the tools available to administrators):
  

Creating Forum Stickies

Forum topics are listed in order from the last active topic to the oldest. If you have an important topic that you need everyone to see, you can make it a Sticky. Stickies are forum topics grouped together at the top of the list of topics on a forum page, no matter when the last comment in that topic was made. Only administrators can make a topic Sticky or unstick it.

Making a topic Sticky can be done either when creating a topic or when editing the first post in a topic by checking the "Make Sticky" checkbox below the body of the forum.

You are also given the option to set a date that you want the topic to be automatically unstuck on, this date must be in the future. If no date is set, it the topic will remain sticky until it is unstuck by an administrator. To unstick a topic, simply uncheck the "Make Sticky" checkbox by editing the first post in the topic. Topics that are Sticky are shown with a pushpin icon next to it in the topics list.

Forum subscriptions

• You can subscribe to any forum or any specific forum topic. See: Forum subscriptions by email