| Manuals and FAQ files |
phpBB manual
phpBB documentation
This is the default user manual for the phpBB forum.
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General forum FAQ
General forum FAQ
The faq with general questions about the forum, profiles, posting etcetera.
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BBCode FAQ
BBCode
The FAQ about the use of BBCode in posts, code that allows you to format text, insert pictures etcetera.
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| Login and Registration Issues |
Registration agreement terms
While the administrators and moderators of this forum will attempt to remove or edit any generally objectionable material as quickly as possible, it is impossible to review every message. Therefore you acknowledge that all posts made to these forums express the views and opinions of the author and not the administrators, moderators or webmaster (except for posts by these people) and hence will not be held liable.
You agree not to post any abusive, obscene, vulgar, slanderous, hateful, threatening, sexually-oriented or any other material that may violate any applicable laws. Doing so may lead to you being immediately and permanently banned (and your service provider being informed). The IP address of all posts is recorded to aid in enforcing these conditions. You agree that the webmaster, administrator and moderators of this forum have the right to remove, edit, move or close any topic at any time should they see fit. As a user you agree to any information you have entered above being stored in a database. While this information will not be disclosed to any third party without your consent the webmaster, administrator and moderators cannot be held responsible for any hacking attempt that may lead to the data being compromised.
This forum system uses cookies to store information on your local computer. These cookies do not contain any of the information you have entered above; they serve only to improve your viewing pleasure. The e-mail address is used only for confirming your registration details and password (and for sending new passwords should you forget your current one).
By clicking Register below you agree to be bound by these conditions.
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| Login and Registration |
Why do I need to register at all?
You may not have to -- it is up to the administrator of the board as to whether you need to register in order to post messages. However, registration will give you access to additional features not available to guest users such as definable avatar images, private messaging, emailing to fellow users, usergroup subscription, etc. It only takes a few minutes to register so it is recommended you do so.
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Why can't I log in?
Have you registered? Seriously, you must register in order to log in. Have you been banned from the board? (A message will be displayed if you have.) If so, you should contact the webmaster or board administrator to find out why. If you have registered and are not banned and you still cannot log in then check and double-check your username and password. Usually this is the problem; if not, contact the board administrator -- they may have incorrect configuration settings for the board.
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I registered but cannot log in!
First check that you are entering the correct username and password. If they are okay then one of two things may have happened: if COPPA support is enabled and you clicked the I am under 13 years old link while registering then you will have to follow the instructions you received. If this is not the case then maybe your account need activating. Some boards will require all new registrations be activated, either by yourself or by the administrator before you can log on. When you registered it would have told you whether activation was required. If you were sent an email then follow the instructions; if you did not receive the email then check that your email address is valid. One reason activation is used is to reduce the possibility of rogue users abusing the board anonymously. If you are sure the email address you used is valid then try contacting the board administrator.
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I registered in the past but cannot log in anymore!
The most likely reasons for this are: you entered an incorrect username or password (check the email you were sent when you first registered) or the administrator has deleted your account for some reason. If it is the latter case then perhaps you did not post anything? It is usual for boards to periodically remove users who have not posted anything so as to reduce the size of the database. Try registering again and get involved in discussions.
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I've lost my password!
Don't panic! While your password cannot be retrieved it can be reset. To do this go to the login page and click I've forgotten my password. Follow the instructions and you should be back online in no time.
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Why do I get logged off automatically?
If you do not check the Log me in automatically box when you log in, the board will only keep you logged in for a preset time. This prevents misuse of your account by anyone else. To stay logged in, check the box during login. This is not recommended if you access the board from a shared computer, e.g. library, internet cafe, university cluster, etc.
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| User Preferences and settings |
How do I change my settings?
All your settings (if you are registered) are stored in the database. To alter them click the Profile link (generally shown at the top of pages but this may not be the case). This will allow you to change all your settings.
You can click on the main title, or on any subtitle, in order to show or hide various sections.
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The times are not correct!
The times are almost certainly correct; however, what you may be seeing are times displayed in a timezone different from the one you are in. If this is the case, you should change your profile setting for the timezone to match your particular area, e.g. London, Paris, New York, Sydney, etc. Please note that changing the timezone, like most settings, can only be done by registered users. So if you are not registered, this is a good time to do so, if you pardon the pun!
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I changed the timezone and the time is still wrong!
If you are sure you have set the timezone correctly and the time is still different, the most likely answer is daylight savings time (or summer time as it is known in the UK and other places). The board is not designed to handle the changeovers between standard and daylight time so during summer months the time may be an hour different from the real local time.
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My language is not in the list!
The most likely reasons for this are either the administrator did not install your language or someone has not translated this board into your language. Try asking the board administrator if they can install the language pack you need or if it does not exist, please feel free to create a new translation. More information can be found at the phpBB Group website (see link at bottom of pages)
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How do I show an image below my username?
There may be two images below a username when viewing posts. The first is an image associated with your rank; generally these take the form of stars or blocks indicating how many posts you have made or your status on the forums. Below this may be a larger image known as an avatar; this is generally unique or personal to each user. It is up to the board administrator to enable avatars and they have a choice over the way in which avatars can be made available. If you are unable to use avatars then this is the decision of the board admin and you should ask them their reasons (we're sure they'll be good!)
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How do I change my rank?
In general you cannot directly change the wording of any rank (ranks appear below your username in topics and on your profile depending on the style used). Most boards use ranks to indicate the number of posts you have made and to identify certain users. For example, moderators and administrators may have a special rank. Please do not abuse the board by posting unnecessarily just to increase your rank -- you will probably find the moderator or administrator will simply lower your post count.
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When I click the email link for a user it asks me to log in.
Sorry, but only registered users can send email to people via the built-in email form (if the admin has enabled this feature). This is to prevent malicious use of the email system by anonymous users.
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How do I prevent my username from appearing in the online user listings?
In your profile you will find an option Hide your online status; if you switch this on you'll only appear to board administrators or to yourself. You will be counted as a hidden user.
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| User Levels and Groups |
What are administrators?
Administrators are people assigned the highest level of control over the entire board. These people can control all facets of board operation which include setting permissions, banning users, creating usergroups or moderators, etc. They also have full moderator capabilities in all the forums.
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What are moderators?
Moderators are individuals (or groups of individuals) whose job it is to look after the running of the forums from day to day. They have the power to edit or delete posts and lock, unlock, move, delete and split topics in the forum they moderate.
Generally moderators are there to guide the discussions, to prevent people going off-topic and to maintain the forum rules. Discussions about moderator decisions can be done privately. Please remember that they too are people who spend a lot of time trying to create a good quality forum.
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What are usergroups?
Usergroups are groups of users with certain access rights to certain sections of the forum. Each user group has a user group moderator who takes care of his members, and can add and delete members to his group.
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How do I join a usergroup?
To join a usergroup click the usergroup link on the page header. You can now view all usergroups. Not all groups are open -- some are closed and some may even have hidden memberships. If the board is open then you can request to join it by clicking the appropriate button. The user group moderator will need to approve your request.
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How can I create a usergroup?
If you are interested in creating a usergroup then your first point of contact should be the administrator, send them a private message.
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| Memberlist |
Memberlist general
The memberlist has options to sort and select members.
Because of privacy not all details are shown in this list. Also, guests can not see the memberlist at all.
If the current page number would be invalid when a new selection is made, the last page is shown.
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Quick selection by alphabet
At the top of the memberlist is a row of letters. By clicking on a letter you select within the current field (or in the Name field if the current field is not a text field) the records that start with that letter.
The option Others selects records that do not start with a letter.
The option All shows all records.
The text fields at the bottom of the screen are updated to reflect the choice.
Example: if the selection field is set to "Location" and you click on the "R", all records with a location starting with an R, are shown. This is the same as entering R* in the text search field.
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Select with wildcards
In the text field you can enter the text to search for. This can be part of a name or city or a web site, but also an age, sign of the zodiac, gender and so forth.
You can use wildcards, characters with a special meaning:
* or %: Find 0 or more characters
? or _: Find exactly one character
In order to find all web sites with "www" in the address, you would use
*www*
To find all words or 4 letters starting with M and ending with T, you would use
M??T
This would find mist and must but not mat.
Finding a backslash \ only works if you make it into 4 backslashes.
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Selecting with operations
You can search more precisely by using an "operation":
= Equal
!= Not equal
<> Not equal
> >= Larger than, or larger than / equal to (does not work with wildcards)
< <= Smaller than, or smaller than / equal to (does not work with wildcards)
If you select on location
!= Amsterdam
you will find all members who do not live in Amsterdam.
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Selecting on special fields
Some fields have a specific content.
Selecting on sign of the zodiac (numeric field)
This is possible by entering a number between 1 and 12, 1=Aries, 2=Taurus and so on, or by entering the name of the sign in your own language.
If you use
<=2
or you use
<=Taurus
you will find all records with Aries or Taurus or nothing (no birthday specified).
The program completes your profile's zodiac setting. You can also do that manually, which is handy if you are born at the edge of two signs and the program calculates your sign wrongly.
Select on gender(numeric field)
Here you can enter 0 (unknown), 1 (male) or 2 (female), or use N, M or F, or the first letters or full word for Male and Female in your own language.
Select on age (numeric field)
Please note that some people have not filled in an age at all, others have opted for the year 1900 to suppress their age but allow birthday greetings. Both will result in a blank field, equivalent to "0 years old". Please note that a user's age is calculated using the board timezone.
Select on dates
Dates must be given in Engels and/or in European notation. Using the name of the month prevents confusion. 28 dec 2007 works, 28/12/2007 too, but 12/28/2007 (American notation) doesn't.
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| Categories, sections and topics |
Categories, sections and topics overview
A forum consists of various categories that are grouped on the Index-page.
Each category contains a number of sections, like "Introductions".
Each section contains a number of topics.
And each topic contains a number of posts or messages.
As a user you can create new topics within the given sections, and you can write new messages in a given topic. You can search and select messages and topics in various ways.
If you think that a new section or even a new category are needed, please contact the forum adminstrator.
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Recent posts
Recent posts will give you an overview of the topics that contained new messages in the last 12 hours, whether you have read them or not, plus all your (possibly even older) unread messages. This is a handy feature to keep track of what is happening on the forum, and to still see recent topics even when you have read them.
If you need to find messages in this way that are older than 12 hours, use the search function. Fill in a single * in the author field, select 24 hours or even more in the time field, use any other options you like, and click on the Search button. If you have even older unread messsages, they will not be shown using this search approach.
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New posts
This option will give you a list of all topics that contain new posts that you have not yet read. The list of new posts will be kept in the database for you, so if you log on the next time, your unread posts are still marked as before.
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24 hour digest
The 24 hour digest will give you an overview of all the messages of the past 24 hours. They are sorted by subject, and then by time, so you can read them chronologically. Links with each message allow quick access to the section, the topic or the individual post.
Messages that you have viewed before are marked differently (next to "posted") from those you have not seen before.
If you want another digest you can make one using the search function. Enter * in the author field, select the wanted categories or sections, a time limit and so on, and press Search.
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Recent unanswered
These are topics from the past month that have not had a single answer. Sometimes this is not needed, like for announcements, sometimes it is a question or topic that has been "snowed under" and you may still want to say something on it.
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Recently participated
These are topics of the past month where you have participated. Handy to check if you are forgetting something important.
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Hide forums
This feature allows you to follow just a subsection of the complete forum and ignore or even hide forums you are not interested in.
Use the Hide forums link or button on the index page to show the various options with each forum (if present - not all forums will support all options). Use the same button to restore the index page to normal again and hide the hidden forums.
New messages in hidden or ignored forums will not be marked. Hidden forums and topics are hidden on the index page, and on new and recent message lists. Normal searches will search and show hidden and ignored forum topics and messages.
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| Subscriptions |
Subscriptions overview
You can subscribe to (or watch) an individual topic, or a complete section or subforum. You will receive a single email when a new message has been posted. Via a link in the message you can visit the topic.
You will receive a single email per subscription. Once you visit the forum and read the topic, you will receive a new email if a new message is posted.
A link to subscribe or unsubscribe can be found at the bottom of the page. Other links will lead you to your subscriptions page where you can stop multiple subscriptions.
A subscription to a section applies to all new topics, plus all topics that you have not subscribed to individually. If you subscribe to a section, you can delete all individual subscriptions to topics within that section.
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Subscriptions and holidays
If you go on holiday, you can leave your subscriptions running.
You will only receive a single email per subscription. So if you have 10 subscriptions, you will at most get 10 emails, until you log in again.
If you don't want to receive any email at all, you can block your email address in your profile.
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Mandatory subscriptions
Mandatory subscriptions are forum subscriptions to special interest forums. Some special interest forums may come with mandatory subscriptions, for example if you are part of an editorial team, you simply need to be informed of new messages in that editorial forum.
If you are added to a user group, and that group has access to a forum with mandatory subscriptions, you will be automatically given a forum watch subscription for that forum.
You can unsubscribe yourself of course - use the normal "stop watching this forum" button the forum index page.
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| Favourites |
Favourites overview
You can add a topic to your list of favourites by using the link at the bottom of the page. Elsewhere on screen you will find a link to open your list of favourites
If you have little time, you can quickly scan your list of favourites for new messages. Marking a topic as favourite is handy too if you want to re-read the topic later at your leasure - you will easily find it again in your list of favourites.
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Favourites list
On screen you will find a link to your favourites list. Topics with new messages are marked here as well. You can easily remove topics from your list. The topic will stay in the database of course, you are just removing the link to the topic from your favourites list.
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| Posting Issues |
How do I post a topic in a forum?
Easy -- click the relevant button on either the forum or topic screens. You may need to register before you can post a message. The facilities available to you are listed at the bottom of the forum and topic screens (the You can post new topics, You can vote in polls, etc. list)
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How do I edit or delete a post?
Unless you are the board admin or forum moderator you can only edit or delete your own posts. You can edit a post (sometimes for only a limited time after it was made) by clicking the edit button for the relevant post. If someone has already replied to the post, you will find a small piece of text output below the post when you return to the topic that lists the number of times you edited it. This will only appear if no one has replied; it also will not appear if moderators or administrators edit the post (they should leave a message saying what they altered and why). Please note that normal users cannot delete a post once someone has replied.
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How do I add a signature to my post?
To add a signature to a post you must first create one; this is done via your profile. Once created you can check the Add Signature box on the posting form to add your signature. You can also add a signature by default to all your posts by checking the appropriate radio box in your profile. You can still prevent a signature being added to individual posts by un-checking the add signature box on the posting form.
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How do I create a poll?
Creating a poll is easy -- when you post a new topic (or edit the first post of a topic, if you have permission) you should see a Add Poll form below the main posting box. If you cannot see this then you probably do not have rights to create polls. You should enter a title for the poll and then at least two options -- to set an option type in the poll question and click the Add option button. You can also set a time limit for the poll, 0 being an infinite amount. There will be a limit to the number of options you can list, which is set by the board administrator
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How do I edit or delete a poll?
As with posts, polls can only be edited by the original poster, a moderator, or board administrator. To edit a poll, click the first post in the topic, which always has the poll associated with it. If no one has cast a vote then users can delete the poll or edit any poll option. However, if people have already placed votes only moderators or administrators can edit or delete it; this is to prevent people rigging polls by changing options mid-way through a poll
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Why can't I access a forum?
Some forums may be limited to certain users or groups. To view, read, post, etc. you may need special authorization which only the forum moderator and board administrator can grant, so you should contact them.
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Why can't I vote in polls?
Only registered users can vote in polls so as to prevent spoofing of results. If you have registered and still cannot vote then you probably do not have appropriate access rights.
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| Formatting and Topic Types |
What is BBCode?
BBCode is a special implementation of HTML. Whether you can use BBCode is determined by the administrator. You can also disable it on a per post basis from the posting form. BBCode itself is similar in style to HTML: tags are enclosed in square braces [ and ] rather than < and > and it offers greater control over what and how something is displayed. For more information on BBCode see the guide which can be accessed from the posting page.
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Can I use HTML?
That depends on whether the administrator allows you to; they have complete control over it. If you are allowed to use it, you will probably find only certain tags work. This is a safety feature to prevent people from abusing the board by using tags which may destroy the layout or cause other problems. If HTML is enabled you can disable it on a per post basis from the posting form.
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What are Smileys?
Smileys, or Emoticons, are small graphical images which can be used to express some feeling using a short code, e.g. :) means happy, :( means sad. The full list of emoticons can be seen via the posting form. Try not to overuse smileys, though, as they can quickly render a post unreadable and a moderator may decide to edit them out or remove the post altogether.
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Can I post Images?
Images can indeed be shown in your posts. However, there is no facility at present for uploading images directly to this board. Therefore you must link to an image stored on a publicly accessible web server, e.g. http://www.some-unknown-place.net/my-picture.gif. You cannot link to pictures stored on your own PC (unless it is a publicly accessible server) nor to images stored behind authentication mechanisms such as Hotmail or Yahoo mailboxes, password-protected sites, etc. To display the image use either the BBCode [img] tag or appropriate HTML (if allowed).
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What are announcements?
Announcements appear at the top of every page in the section where they were made. They contain important information such as section rules.
Whether or not you can post an announcement depends on the permissions that are set by the administrator.
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What are sticky topics?
Sticky topics appear below any announcements in the forum and only on the first page. They are often quite important so you should read them where possible. As with announcements, the board administrator determines what permissions are required to post sticky topics in each forum.
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What are locked topics?
Topics may be locked for many reasons by the moderators. You cannot reply to locked topics and any polls contained inside are automatically ended. Topics may be locked to prevent replies being given, or to end an inflammatory discussion etc.
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| Quoting |
What is a quote?
A quote is a small piece of text from a previous message, to which you want to respond. A quote is marked in a special way.
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How do I quote?
Below each message there is a Quote button. With this button the complete message is quoted into the new message you write.
You can also create quotes by hand using the toolbar button, or by typing in BBCode codes by hand.
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When do I quote?
Quoting is only necessary if you want to respond to a specific sentence from a previous message. If you respond to the complete messge, you may assume that the reader can see the message above yours in the topic. If the message is one or more pages back, you can quote important sections or link back to the message itself.
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| Private Messaging |
Private messages overview
Private messages can be used to contact other forum members privately. Please remember that the administrator can retrieve private messages for inspection if abuse has been reported.
If your mailbox is full, you can not read new messages or make new messages until you have deleted some old mail. Old messages will not be deleted automatically.
You can forward messages to your own email address. The email will get the date and title of the message. After that you can delete these messages to make room for more.
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I cannot send private messages
You may need to log on or register. Or the administrator has disabled private messages for the whole board, or for you as an individual. Or your mailbox is full. In most cases you will get a helpful message explaining the problem. If not, please contact the administrator.
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Unwanted private messages and spam
Please email the board administrator with a full copy of the email or private message you received. In the case of email, please include all the headers. Action can now be taken.
Please note that private messages can and will be inspected in order to investigate reports of abuse.
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| Calendar |
Calendar
The calendar contains birthdays and events.
It has various options to control the calendar view. You can show or hide birthdays. You can select months with buttons at the bottom, or with option fields.
Click on any day to create a new event for that day.
Click on any birthday to lead you to the user's profile.
Click on any event to open that topic.
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Events
Events
Events are created by adding event details to a topic (a topic's first post).
Short title
The short title is shown in the calendar itself. The tooltip or link title will show the full topic title.
Start and end date
For events of limited duration the start and end date may be entered in the format dd-mm-yyyy.
If you omit the year, the current year will be inserted.
For one-day events the end date does not need to be specified.
For repetitive events neither start not end date need to be given, but if given, the event won't repeat outside that time frame of course.
Start and end time
The time is not necessary but if given should be in the format hh:mm. Please note that times run from 00:00 to 23:59 only. The start and end time will also be used for repetitive events too.
Date list
You can provide a list of dates, separated by comma's. Enter dates as dd-mm-yyyy.
If you omit the year, the current year will be inserted.
Use this field for events with multiple dates but without a regular repeating pattern.
Repeating events
There are some selection boxes that allow you to create repetition formula's, for example 'every last sunday of the month'. Leave these blank if the event does not repeat on a regular basis.
For irregularly repeating events, you can edit the event details to set it up for the next event.
Reminders
People can subscribe to events so they will receive an email X days before the event starts or repeats. The default reminder time is 3 days before the event starts.
For large events you can edit the reminder time periodically, to send new reminders again, i.e. send a reminder 60 days before, 30 days before, 15 days before the event. People's subscription to event reminders is cancelled when the event starts so they will get all these reminders.
Reminders are sent out first thing in the morning.
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Reminders
Events are basically topics, with added event data. At the bottom of the topic page you will find the event details listed.
You can subscribe and unsubscribe to email event reminders by pressing the button or link that is present at the bottom of the topic.
The link title or tooltip will inform you how many days in advance the reminder will be sent.
If the event author adjusts the reminder time later, for example it is changed from 30 to 15 days, you will get the next reminder as well.
Event reminder subscriptions are automatically cancelled if the event end date has passed.
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| Technical questions about the phpBB forum |
Tips and questions about the forum
If you have tips of questions or suggestions for new features, please check first if there is a separate section for this. If not, contact the administration. They will know who is responsible for the code of this particular forum and can pass on your feature request.
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The phpBB Group
This software (in its unmodified form) is produced, released and copyrighted by the phpBB Group. It is made available under the GNU General Public License and may be freely distributed; see link for more details.
For requests and ideas for new features you can contact the administrators of this forum.
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Whom do I contact about abuse?
You should contact the administrator or moderators of this board, via the Admin button on screen. If you get no answer you can contact the owner of the domain (do a whois lookup) or the hosting provider of the forum.
Please note that phpBB Group has absolutely no control and cannot in any way be held liable over how, where or by whom this board is used. It is absolutely pointless contacting the phpBB Group about these matters.
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