YaBB is one of the world's leading providers of free, Perl-based message board systems for webmasters. Our innovative system allows people to get and stay connected in an easy to use, easy to understand format. Come see what hundreds of thousands of webmasters and millions of registered users already know!

For software support and troubleshooting, please visit YaBB's Support Community.

This help section will get you up to speed on the functions of this YaBB forum. Inside, you will learn how to register an account, login, edit your profile, post a message, and much more. If you would like to skip ahead to a section, please use the menu to the left.

Since the last release of YaBB, many new features have been introduced, so take your time reading through these Help files.

You may use the menu on the left to quickly jump to any topic below.

You may use this button at the bottom right of each Help section to return to the top of the Help page

 

You agree, through your use of these forums, that you will not post any material which is false, defamatory, inaccurate, abusive, vulgar, hateful, harassing, obscene, profane, sexually-oriented, threatening, invasive of a person's privacy, or otherwise in violation of any law. You also agree not to post any copyrighted material unless the copyright is owned by you or you have consent from the owner of the copyrighted material. Spam, flooding, advertisements, chain letters, pyramid schemes, and solicitations are also inappropriate to this forum.

Note that it is impossible for us to confirm the validity of posts on this forum. Please remember that we do not actively monitor the posted messages and are not responsible for their content. We do not warrant the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information presented. The messages express the views of the author, not necessarily the views of this forum. Anyone who feels that a posted message is objectionable is encouraged to notify an administrator of this forum immediately. We have the right to remove objectionable content, within a reasonable time frame, if we determine that removal is necessary. This is a manual process, however, so please realize that we may not be able to remove or edit particular messages immediately. This policy applies to member profile information as well.

You remain solely responsible for the content of your messages, and you agree to indemnify and hold harmless this forum, and any related websites to this forum. We at this forum also reserve the right to reveal your identity (or any information we have about you) in the event of a complaint or legal action arising from any information posted by you. You have the ability, as you register, to choose your user ID and a Screen Name, the latter will be displayed on all messages, posts and replies you author. We advise that you keep the name appropriate. With the user account you are about to register, you agree to never give your password to another member, for your protection and for validity reasons. You also agree to never use another member's account to post messages or browse this forum. After you register and log into this forum, you can fill out a detailed profile. It is your responsibility to present clean and accurate information. Any information we deem inaccurate or vulgar will be removed.

Please note that with each post, your IP address is recorded in the event that you need to be banned from this forum or your ISP contacted. This will only happen in the event of a major violation of this agreement.

Privacy: In order to function, this forum uses cookies stored on your computer. By registering you are also giving explicit permission for those cookies to be placed on your computer.

Thank you for joining and helping us build a successful online community.

 

Since this forum is powered by YaBB, registering an account is so simple; you'll be chatting in no time!

Step 1: In the menu above, you will see items titled “Board Index”, “Help”, “Login”, “Register”, etc. Click on “Register”.

Step 2: On this new page, you will see a form where you can choose your user ID and screen name, password (if the administrator allows), and enter your e-mail address. Fill in the boxes with your information.

Step 3: If enabled by the Administrator, you may need to fill in the characters presented in the Verification Code (CAPTCHA) box according to the instructions on the screen.

Step 4: Check the box to agree to the User Agreement if the Administrator has enabled one.

Step 5: Click on the “Register” button at the bottom of the page.

That's it! The administrator may require you to validate your account before you can post. If this is the case, an e-mail will be sent to you with either your password or a link to verify your registration. Some administrators also choose to approve or disapprove all registrations. In that event, you will receive an e-mail when your account is approved.

Now you're ready to log in and post!

User Tip: Some ISPs and e-mail handlers treat the link sent to you in such a way that it will not work if you click on it. If that happens, try copying and pasting the link from the e-mail into your browser's URL window and reaching the forum that way. Also, some e-mail clients treat e-mails from forums as spam. If you do not receive your password or link e-mail in a timely manner, check your spam folder.

User Tip: Occasionally an administrator will not allow registrations from the registration form. If you are not a member and the “Register” button is not visible, the forum administrator is not permitting new registrations. Also, occasionally, technical difficulties arise and registration fails. In that event, try to contact the forum's administrator. Some administrators have the “Send message to Admin(s)” option available for you to use, so look for that in this forum's menu if it's there.

 

Now that you've registered an account, it's time to sign in.

Step 1: In the menu above, you will see items titled “Board Index”, “Help”, “Login”, “Register”, etc. Click on “Login”.

Step 2: On this new page (or in the form at the bottom of the page), you will see several options.

• User ID or e-mail address - Enter the user ID or the e-mail address you registered with.
• Password - Type in your password.
• Keep Me Logged In - Choose whether or not you remain logged in on the computer you are logging in from.
• Forgot Password - If you can't remember your password, click this link to have it reset. (Full directions below.)

Step 3 Once you have everything filled out; click the button in the form titled “Login”.

Congratulations! You are now ready to participate in this community!

User Tip: If you do not see the “Login” button in the menu, you may already be logged in. This can happen on some boards set up for instant registration.

User Tip: If you are logging in on a publicly accessible computer do not check the “Keep Me Logged In” check box.

 

When you are done posting, it is a good idea to log out of your account so others using your computer will not have access to your information. To do this, find the menu item titled “Logout”. Once you click this button, YaBB will log you out of the forum. You must log in again if you wish to post or access member-only functions.

 

If you have forgotten your password, YaBB can allow you to reset it.

Step 1 In the menu above, you will see items titled “Board Index”, “Login”, “Register”, etc. Click on “Login”.

Step 2 On this new page, you will see a link titled “Forgot Password”. Click this link.

Step 3 A new page will load with at least one box. In the box labeled “User ID or e-mail address” enter the user ID or the e-mail address you registered with. Other boxes (depending on which validation forms the Forum Administrator has chosen to activate) are to confirm that the form is not being used by a spambot or an automated system.

Step 4 Click the button titled “Send”.

Step 5 YaBB will send an e-mail to the registered e-mail address with a link to reset your password. Clicking on this link will take you to your Profile Page so you can reset your password. Note: you have ten minutes put in a new password after being taken to your Profile Page.

 

When you enter the “User CP”, you have multiple choices of what to do:

• Above the left side pane, you see a tabbed menu containing “Messages”, “Profile” and “Posts”.
• In Messages, you control all of your personal messages: you can sort them in your folders (if enabled) or send new messages as well as search for a particular message.
• In Profile, you can view your Profile's appearance and edit its contents. With the 'Buddy List' you can quickly check your friends' online status, send messages to them, and check their details.
• In Posts, you can check & update your Notifications and Favorites as well as consult your own latest posts.
• On the right hand pane you'll see part of your Profile as it appears in the Display Posts page, your Buddy List, information regarding your online/offline appearance, and your Board and Topic Notifications.

 

Step 1: To change your Profile, click the “User CP” option in the forum menu above. Then click “Profile” in the small tabbed menu below the main tabbed menu. This will bring you to the View Profile page.

Step 2: On your View Profile page, you will see several links that allow you access to each part of your user Profile, which is divided into five sections: Edit Profile, Contact Information, Options, Buddy List, and PM Preferences. Click the appropriate link to access that part of your profile.

Step 3: For security reasons, you will then be asked to enter your password. Do so and then click “Confirm Password”.

You now have access to all of your account settings and options for this YaBB forum. Details on each of these settings are described below.

 

Password

If you wish to change your password, you may do so by filling in this box. It is highly recommended that your password be at least 6 characters and use a combination of letters and numbers.

Verify Password

To help prevent you from inadvertently being locked out of the forum, YaBB checks to be sure you've spelled the new password correctly by having you enter your new password again in this box.

Name

This is your Displayed Name. This is your name that everyone will see throughout this YaBB forum.

Gender

If you want others to know your gender, you may pick “Male” or “Female” from this drop-down box. Some forums put limits on how many times you can edit this information.

Birthday

If you would like others to see how old you are and have a special icon in your profile on your birthday, please enter it in DD (day), MM (month), YYYY (year) format. You may also be able to hide your birth-year and age from Guests and other members. Some forums put limits on how many times you can edit this information.

Location

Optional. This box is available for filling in information about where you live, where you're from, or anything else you choose to have displayed in your Profile.

User Tip: Keep in mind that some Boards may contain an age or gender restriction for access. For example, if you don't enter an age in your profile, there will be no way to know if you should be allowed access to a Board that sets an age limit of over 21. Likewise with gender, if a Board is set up to allow Females only, you won't be allowed access if you don't enter Female as your gender in the Profile. In some cases the Admin may have chosen to make Gender and/or Birth-date mandatory and may limit how many times you may edit this information.

 

If you would like other members of this YaBB community to be able to contact you, this section will allow you to provide this information in your profile.

E-mail

This must be a valid e-mail address. It is used for system notifications such as a forgotten password, topic notifications, and forum e-mails.

Hide e-mail from Public

Check this box if you do not want other YaBB community members to view your e-mail address. Note: this does not hide it from Admins.

ICQ

If you have an ICQ account, you may enter your UIN here.

AIM

If you have AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), you may enter your user name here.

YIM

If you have Yahoo! Instant Messenger, you may enter your screen name here.

Google Talk

If you have Google Talk, you may enter your address here.

Skype or VoIP

If you have a Skype or VoIP address, you may enter it here.

MySpace

If you have a MySpace page, you may enter it here. Note that you only need to fill in the last part of the URL. For example, if your MySpace page is 'http://myspace.com/yourname', you only need to enter 'yourname'.

Twitter

If you have a Twitter account, you may enter it here. Note that you only need to fill in the last part of the URL. For example, if your Twitter page is 'http://twitter.com/yourname', you only need to enter 'yourname'.

YouTube

If you have a YouTube account, you may enter it here. Note that you only need to fill in the last part of the URL. For example, if your YouTube page is 'http://www.youtube.com/yourname', you only need to enter 'yourname'.

Facebook

If you have a Facebook page, you may enter here. Note that you can either use your profile ID number or your username. For example, to use your profile ID number, if your Facebook URL is 'http://facebook.com/profile.php?id=123456', you only need to enter '123456', and to use your username, if your Facebook URL is 'http://facebook.com/yourname', you only need to enter 'yourname'.

Website Title

If you have a website, you can enter the title here. This will be the text the URL (below) will be attached to.

Website URL

Here you can enter the URL to your website. Note that this must be a full URL. (i.e. include http:// )

 

Personalized_Picture

YaBB allows you to define a small picture (called an avatar) that will display under your name to the left side your posts. This forum has a number of avatars already installed, and you may pick one from the list. If you wish to use your own image as an avatar, please see the options below.

The Forum Administrator may also enable either or both of the following options:

• Linking to your own avatar image
  If you have your own image and would like to use it on this YaBB as an avatar, you may enter the URL here.
• Uploading your own avatar image
  If you would like to upload your own image and would like to use it on this YaBB as an avatar, click on the Browse button and select a file on your computer to upload.

Personal Text

This is a small line of text that will display below your avatar.

Signature

Your signature is displayed at the bottom of every post you make and in your profile.

Time Format

This option allows you to change how the dates and time are presented to you throughout this YaBB community.

Time Zone

If the Administrator allows, you can choose your time zone by Country and City. This not only sets your personal time offset but allows YaBB to automatically adjust for Daylight Savings time for that Time Zone.

Template

If the webmaster of this YaBB forum has more than one template available for use, you may choose one from this box.

Language

Here you can select your native language to view this community in if it is available. Note: Posted messages are not automatically translated into your chosen language.

Hide Member Avatars in Threads?

Checking this option will keep all member avatars from appearing when you are viewing a thread.

Hide Member Text in Threads?

Checking this option will keep all member user-text from appearing when you are viewing a thread.

Hide Attached Images in Threads?

Checking this option will keep all attached images appearing when you are viewing a thread.

Hide Member Signatures in Threads?

Checking this option will keep all member signatures from appearing when you are viewing a thread.

Hide Smiley-row below the Post/Reply area?

Checking this option will keep the smiley images from appearing when you are posting a new topic or replying to a thread.

 

• Add users to your Buddy List by clicking on the link below the Buddy List display box.
• Delete users from your Buddy List by double-clicking on their user name inside the Buddy List display box.

 

User Tip: Keep in mind that Personal Messaging is an optional feature and will only be available if the Administrator chooses to enable it. Likewise, some of the options listed below that are underlined may not be seen in your PM Preferences list because they are also optional at the Administrator's discretion and may be disabled.

Ignore List

This function allows you to ignore other members by preventing you from viewing any personal messages they send. Additionally, you are given a check-box option to disable all PMs if you so choose.

Notify Me of New PMs by e-mail:

If you would like an e-mail when a member sends you a personal message, this option allows you to enable that feature.

Enable Personal Message Pop-up?

Checking this box will display a small pop-up window to notify you of any new Personal Messages. If not checked, you will see new messages in the “greeting” at the top of the forum in this format: You have X message(s), and Y new message(s).

PM Pop-up shows PMs in new Window?

If you have PM Pop-ups enabled, checking this box will open your PMs in a new window when you click on the link in the pop-up window, otherwise, it will load in the current one.

View Message Text in List View of Personal Messages?

Checking the box enables viewing the first line of message text in list views. To view only the sender/recipient and date etc., leave this box unchecked.

 

This will present you with a new page where you can begin to type your post, or take you to a form at the bottom of the page. Below you will find a description of the items on this page.

Preview:

This gives you a view of what your message will look like once it's posted.

Subject:

This is the title of your topic and is what will be shown on the category page.

Message Icon:

If you would like to add a special icon to your post, you may choose one from this list.

Add YaBBC tags:

YaBBC tags give you the ability to format the text in your post. To add, simply click on the button of your choice. See YaBBC Reference for a complete reference.

Add Smilies:

Personalize your post by adding an emoticon, or smiley. Just click on the one you want and YaBB will automatically put it in your post.

Attach:

If the Administrator allows, you may be able to add a file to your post by clicking on the “Browse” button to find the file on your hard drive to upload. Pay attention to the allowed file types and maximum file size.

Post:

This button does exactly what you would expect. Press the “Post” button if you're ready for the community to view your message.

 

In addition to posting new topics, you can also reply to existing posts or topics quickly and easily. When you find a topic you would like to comment on, look for the button or link titled “Reply” or “Quote”. Using “Reply” will take you to a post page much like the one described above. Quote does exactly the same thing, however, it will add what another user has said to your post in a special box like you see below.

 

If you have a question you would like to ask this community, YaBB gives you the ability to create a poll along with your topic. This is a fantastic way to get a good idea of what this community feels about your question. To post a poll, find the button titled “Start New Poll” from the category view and click it. The exact location of this button will vary depending on which template is being used, but it is often near the top of the list of topics. On this special post page, type in your question and options in the respectively labeled box, then fill out your message as described above.

 

If the Event Calendar has been activated and the Admin allows it, members and even guests can add notices for special events, holidays, meetings, and reminders to the Event Calendar. The Event Calendar Event posting section has many of the same features found in Posting to a Topic. You can add smilies and use YaBBC to format your Event post. Then you can preview it to see what it will look like once it's posted.

 

For security reasons standard HTML code cannot be used in posts. Instead YaBB allows the use of YaBBC (YaBB Code) for formatting. YaBBC is similar to HTML, but safe and standardized for bulletin board use. To use, you can either click on the YaBBC button of your choice on all post pages or manually type them in. Below is a listing of each tag and its function.

What is YaBBC?

YaBBC is a set of tags based on the HTML language. It allow you to add formatting to your messages in the same way as HTML does, but have a simpler syntax and will never break the layout of the pages you are viewing. Most YaBBC tags can be wrapped around text, by first highlighting the text, and then clicking on the YaBBC button with the desired formatting.

Insert URL, Link
Syntax: Result: Syntax: Result:	[url]http://www.yabbforum.com[/url] http://www.yabbforum.com [url=http://www.yabbforum.com]YaBB Forum[/url] YaBB Forum
Type URL and text: www.yabbforum.com YaBB Forum Highlight all of it: www.yabbforum.com YaBB Forum Click the button: YaBB Forum The [link] YaBBC tags work in the same manner as the [url] tags, with the exception that the [link] tag (there is no insertion button for this tag) will open the clicked link in the present window, whereas the [url] tag opens the clicked link in a new window.
Insert FTP
Syntax: Result:	[ftp]ftp://ftpdom[/ftp] ftp://ftpdom
Insert Image
Syntax: Result:	[img]https://yabbforumsoftware.com/yabbfiles/Templates/Forum/default/on.png[/img]
Insert Email
Syntax: Result: Syntax: Result:	[email]myname@domain.com[/email] myname@domain.com [email=myname@domain.com]Click to email me[/email] Click to email me
Type e-mail address and text: myname@domain.com Click to email me Highlight all of it: myname@domain.com Click to email me Click the button: Click to email me
Insert multi media files
Syntax: Example: Result:	[media]url to flash file[/media] [media]http://www.your-domain.com/yabbchelp.swf[/media]
Insert Table - Column - Row
Syntax:	[table][tr][td]text example[/td][/tr][/table]
Insert Horizontal Rule
Syntax: Result:	[hr]
Insert Teletype
Syntax: Result:	[tt]text example[/tt] text example
Insert Code
Syntax: Result:	[code]<script language="javascript"> alert("Hello YaBB 2!"); </script> [/code] Code <script language="javascript"> alert("Hello YaBB 2!"); </script>
Insert Quote
Syntax: Result:	[quote]Hello YaBB 2[/quote] Quote: Hello YaBB 2
Insert Edit
Syntax: Result:	[edit]This was edited in YaBB 2[/edit] Edited: This was edited in YaBB 2
Insert Superscript
Syntax: Result:	text [sup]example[/sup] text example
Insert Subscript
Syntax: Result:	text [sub]example[/sub] text example
Insert List - List Item
Syntax: Result:	[list][*]item 1 [*]item 2 [*]item 3[/list] item 1 item 2 item 3
You can create ordered lists by including the letter "o" at the beginning of the list tag.
Syntax: Result:	[olist][*]item 1 [*]item 2 [*]item 3[/olist] item 1 item 2 item 3
You can create 2 or 3 level lists by including a list inside another list.
Example: Result:	[list][*]item 1 [*]item 2 [list][*]subitem 1 [*]subitem 2[/list] [*]item 3[/list] item 1 item 2 subitem 1 subitem 2 item 3
/me
Syntax: Result:	/me loves YaBB 2 * The author loves YaBB 2
Insert Marquee
Syntax: Result:	[move]text example[/move] text example
Insert Timestamp
Syntax: Result:	[timestamp=1121602762] Jul 17th, 2005 at 12:19pm
No Parse
Syntax: Result:	[noparse][table][tr][td]This table will not be parsed[/td][/tr][/table][/noparse] [table][tr][td]This table will not be parsed[/td][/tr][/table]
Insert Bold Text
Syntax: Result:	[b]text example[/b] text example
Insert Italic Text
Syntax: Result:	[i]text example[/i] text example
Insert Underline Text
Syntax: Result:	[u]text example[/u] text example
Insert Strikethrough Text
Syntax: Result:	[s]text example[/s] text example
Insert Highlighted Text
Syntax: Result:	[highlight]text example[/highlight] text example
Change Font Face
Syntax: Result:	[font=Courier New]Courier New font[/font] Courier New font
Change Font Size
Syntax: Result:	[size=14]14 point font[/size] 14 point font
Choose a text color
You can either use the quick color picker to choose a text color from the palette containing 12 ready made color tags or open the palette to create a custom color tag.
Syntax: Result:	[color=#ff0000]red colored text[/color] red colored text
Insert Preformatted Text
Syntax: Result:	[pre] this is preformatted text [/pre] this is preformatted text
Insert Left Aligned Text
Syntax: Result:	[left]text example[/left] text example
Insert Center Aligned Text
Syntax: Result:	[center]text example[/center] text example
Insert Right Aligned Text
Syntax: Result:	[right]text example[/right] text example

 

YaBB is about community and communication. And there are plenty of ways to communicate: Posting on the boards, Personal Messaging, e-mail, ICQ, AIM, YIM, SKYPE/VoIP, and Gtalk. Of course, these methods of communication are only available to registered members. An exception is when the Forum Staff decides to allow guests to post on one or more boards. If unregistered members (Guests) are allowed to post, they still cannot view the Member List nor send Personal Messages (See exception below).

Personal Messages

While e-mail is a good way to correspond privately with members, it has several drawbacks: You must open your e-mail application to write and send the message; the recipient must open his/her e-mail application; check his/her mail and your message will mixed in with all the other mail and it can take sometimes several minutes to an hour for mail to reach the recipient.

As an alternative to e-mail, YaBB offers a faster, more private method. Personal Messaging on the forum provides instantaneous delivery to the recipient's private mailbox. The PM is sent and received entirely through YaBB, so neither you nor the recipient has to open another program or leave YaBB. Personal Messaging also gives both the sender and recipient greater privacy: no one's real e-mail address is involved or revealed. Personal Messages show only the screen name of both parties.

YaBB offers an option for Administrators to allow Guests to send an Alert to the Moderator of a Board if there is a problem. If this is enabled, the Moderators of the Board will receive a PM but will not be able to reply except by sending an e-mail to the Guest.

User Tip: Allowing Guests to post on your forum or send PMs poses risks, such as spam or worse being posted or sent in PMs. To reduce this risk, we highly recommend the Administrator use the option available in the Security Settings to require a Validation Code and/or a Validation Question for any Guest action (Post, PM, Alert).

Another option the Administrator can enable is allowing Personal Messages to be sent as copies similar to e-mails. If enabled, you can send carbon copies (cc) and blind carbon copies (bcc) and the recipients may also respond directly to other original recipients.

The Administrator may also enable the option for members to create additional storage folders for their PMs, and if the number of messages is large, you can find individual messages by using the PM Search feature.

If a recipient isn't online, Personal Messages wait in the member's PM box until the next time he/she logs in and manually reads and/or deletes them. Should you for some reason need to call back the message before the other party reads it (and they don't have PM notifications sent to them via e-mail), you can recall it by going to your PM Outbox and clicking the Recall link under the message.

YaBB Personal Messages center is basically a self-contained, highly private e-mail system.

 

YaBB allows Forum Staff the capability to communicate with each other through the use of Broadcast Messages.

Broadcast Messaging is an optional feature for Administrators to enable if they choose. The Administrator can enable Broadcast Messaging for these groups:

• Administrators
• Administrators and Global Moderators
• Administrators, Global Moderators, Forum Moderators, and Board Moderators

Those allowed Broadcast Message permission can send BMs to the following recipients:

• Administrators
• Global Moderators
• Forum Moderators
• Board Moderators and all members of member groups assigned as Moderators
• All forum members
• Any combination of the above

The Administrator may also enable the option for Guests to send a PM to the Administrator.

 

A

Administrator

A user with complete control over all functions of the forum

Admin Center

The forum control panel that allows Administrators the ability to make system adjustments and choose what options will be set for the forum.

Admin Edits Screen

This is a screen in the user's Profile available only to Administrators and, if allowed, Global Moderators. This screen is where the user's post count and member group selections are made.

Alert Moderator

A type of Personal Message that can be enabled in Boards for Guests, Members, or both. Using this Alert sends a PM to the Board's Moderator(s) where the sender can describe the problem they are encountering.

Avatar

Avatars are images that appear under the user's name to the left of each post, and also appear in the user's Profile. Avatars can be selected by the user from a group of available avatar images. The Administrator may also enable users to link to an image on the web, or to upload their own avatar image.

Attachment

These are files a user may upload in connection with a Post. The Administrator may choose how many files may be attached to posts, maximum file size, and allowable file types.

B

Ban or Banning

This is banishing a user from the entire forum. YaBB gives several choices of how to do this in the Admin Center.

Board

The second major subject grouping in your forum, a division of Categories. Boards are where a collection of Topics where users discuss specific subjects.

Board Index

This is the .template file that displays the listing of Categories and Boards on the forum's main or home page.

Board Moderator

This is a member who is given power to regulate posts one or more Boards. Board Moderators are assigned by editing each Board and assigning a member or group as that Board's Moderator.

Board Permissions

These are options available for each individual Board that lets the Administrator choose which users will be allowed access to the board itself or to functions in the board. An example would be a Board that set up so a member user can view it but not post in it.

Broadcast Message

A type of message that can be enabled for use by forum staff members.

Buddy List

This is a section of the user's Profile that gives you the ability to add other members that you're frequently contact to a list that will show in your User CP view. Your Buddy List will display each name, their Online/Offline status, and link options to send the user a PM, an e-Mail, or visit the link to their website.

C

Categories

The first major subject grouping in your forum. Categories are a collection of Boards that represents a grouping of similar ideas or subjects.

CAPTCHA Image

See Validation Image.

Click Log

See Forum Log.

D

Display Name

See 'Screen Name'.

Download Counter

This is a feature associated with files attached to Posts, and is displayed to the right of the file name. This tells how many times the attached file has been downloaded. NOTE: In the case of image files, a user may click on the file name and see the image displayed in their browser. This counts as a download, even though the user has not truly downloaded the file to their PC.

E

Error Log

This is a log available to the Administrator that records all forum errors and information about when they occurred and who encountered them.

F

Forum

This is your entire installation of YaBB.

Forum Log

This is a log available to the Administrator that records information about each “click” made in your forum. This gives the Administrator information on what browser types and versions are being used, users versus guests, referring pages, and more.

Forum logo

This is the image that displays on the top of your forum's pages. The standard logo that comes with the forum software has the YaBB logo with a version number. You can change the forum's logo with any image you choose (see Admin Help - Help Topic Index - How Do I... for instructions).

Forum News

These are lines of text the Administrator may choose to display in the top section of the forum. They can be configured to change only with screen refreshes or can be made to cycle or fade within a selectable period.

G

Gender Image

These are small icon graphics of a male or female symbol that appear if the user specifies a gender in their Profile and the Administrator has enabled the images to display. If enabled, they will appear below the user's Avatar picture to the left of their posts, and also in the user's Profile.

Global Announcement

An important subject Post entered in a special Global Announcements Board, which will copy the Post automatically to the TOP of every Board, in the Important Topics section.

Global Moderator

This is member who has Moderator privileges in the whole forum and may - depending on how the Administrator chooses settings - have many of the powers of an Administrator, including access to selected Admin Center functions.

I

Ignore List

A function that allows you to ignore other members and prevents you from viewing any Personal Messages they send.

M

Mark and Quote

This is a feature that lets you highlight a portion of a previous post and when the Mark and Quote button is pressed, it inserts the highlighted text into your reply within a quote box. You can add one or more of these to your reply, even from different previous posts.

Member

This is a user of your forum that has registered.

Member Group

These are groups that you can use to assign member to in order to establish different permission levels for users. There are two types of member groups:

• Post Dependent Member Groups
• Post Independent Member Groups

Member List

This is a listing of all of your registered users that is sort-able by Screen Name, Position, Number of Posts, or Date Registered.

Message Index

This is the view where you see all the Topics in one Board listed. It is also the name of the .template file that provides this view.

MOD or Modification

A feature that is not included in the Basic YaBB Forum software installation. Modifications can include everything from a simple change in the program code up to a packaged MOD, which adds or changes features or the behavior of your forum. Modification can be done manually using a text editor or by using the BoardMOD program, which installs the changes within YaBB script files automatically for you. Please visit the BoardMOD homepage and FAQ for more details.

Please ask all support questions regarding MODs or the BoardMOD program on the BoardMOD Forum.

Moderator

See 'Board Moderator'.

Moderator Group

This is one or more member groups that are assigned in the Edit Boards screen to be Board Moderators in one or more Boards. Instead of promoting a single user and having to add them as a Board Moderator in many different Boards, you can create a member group and assign that group to be the Board's Moderators. Then, should you need to add a new Board Moderator, all you have to do is add them to the member group chosen to moderate instead of editing multiple Boards.

P

Personal Message Pop-Up

A user-selectable option that opens a small pop-up window telling you that you have received a new PM and an option link to view your new message now.

Poll

A type of survey that can be used in the forum, consisting of a question, list of selectable answers, and graphic display of the results.

Post

A singular message from one user that contains the actual text or content. A Post can be a New Topic post, or a Reply to an existing post.

Post Dependent Member Group

A member group where users can automatically advance up a hierarchy of member groups based only on the number of Posts they have made.

Post Independent Member Group

A member group where users must be placed or promoted manually by an Administrator or Global Moderator. These groups are used primarily for controlling access to specific Categories or Boards.

Post Window

This is the window used to make a Post. It has formatting buttons above it, and some of the commonly used Smilies below it.

Post View

This is the view you see when you are reading the posts in a Topic. This view uses the Display.template file to display the list of posts.

(PM) Personal Message or Private Message

An inner-forum communication similar to an email that is seen only by the sender and the recipient. PMs can be accessed in the User Control Panel.

Profile

This consists of the user's Profile Page and Profile Settings. It is sometimes used synonymously with Profile Page, as in "I see in your Profile (page) you have 1200 posts."

Profile Page

This is a page where a user's information is displayed, such as Screen Name, number of posts, date registered, link to their website, last posts made by user, etc. You can access a user's profile page by clicking on their Screen Name.

Profile Settings

These are all settings that are personal to the individual user. Examples are time zone, choice of template, avatar image, etc. These can be changed by the individual user or by Administrators and, if allowed, by Global Moderators.

Q

Quote

This is a feature that allows a user replying to a post to quote the entire contents of the post directly below the Quote button you click on. This saves having to retype it in the reply. You can also manually highlight and copy text in one post, then paste it into your reply and with the text highlighted, press the Insert Quote button above the post window to place it in a Quote Box (See also Mark and Quote).

Quote Box

This is a box placed around quoted text that sets the quoted text apart from the words of your reply post. You can enclose text in a Quote Box by highlighting the text with your mouse and clicking on the Insert Quote button above the Post Window.

R

Registration

The process where a user becomes a member of your forum. There are four different modes of registration that the Administrator may choose from.

Reserved Names

These are names that the Administrator has chosen not to allow for use in User IDs or Screen Names.

S

Screen Name

This is the user's “public” name, the name that displays above their avatar picture to the left of the Post Window and in the Member List. A user may change this name by editing the Screen Name in their Profile.

Search

This feature allows a user to search through the forum for information in posts or posts by users. Several options are listed on the Search page.

User Tip: For general searches, use the option "Any Poster" in the selection box at the bottom of the "By User" sections.

Signature

This is a section that shows up at the bottom of each user's post. A signature can contain an image, text, or a combination of both. Signatures can be created by each user in their Profile - Options page.

Smilies

Everyone knows what a Smiley is. $imagesdir/wink.gif

Just click on the smiley to add it to your post.

Staff

A member of the Forum's administrative staff: Forum Administrator, Global Moderator, Forum Moderator, Board Moderator, or member of a Moderator Group. Staff privileges are set by the Forum Administrator.

Sticky Topic

A Topic that is placed by a Staff member above the normal list of Topics in a Board. Sticky Topics will remain above all other Topics in the list to give increased importance to a given subject.

Style Sheet

This is the .css file that controls the style elements for your forum. Template colors, text size and color, backgrounds, and some graphics all come from the style sheet.

T

Template

This most commonly refers to the default.html file that forms the "look" of your forum. This file contains the forum logo, menu tabs, copyright, and all the items that will appear on each page of your forum.

This can also refer to the collection of .template files, .html file, .css file, and graphics that give your forum its appearance. This is not one actual file, but is data that is stored in the 'templateset' variable in the Settings.pm file in the Variables folder.

Template Configuration Screen

This is a section within the Admin Center that lets the Administrator configure a particular template to use a specific Style Sheet, .template files, or folder containing graphic images.

Topic

This contains all the posts in a particular topic of discussion. The subject of the topic is determined by the subject chosen in the first post in a topic. The collection of first post and all replies to it are sometimes called a "Thread."

Topic List

A list showing all the Topics in a Board on one or more pages, with Global Announcements and Sticky Topics at the top of the list.

U

User

This is a normally a member of your forum. Guests may be considered a user if guests are allowed to view items or perform actions on your forum, though they will have no Profile and cannot be placed into any member group.

User Control Panel (CP)

This is a control panel for users to read their PMs and set their individual preferences for items such as time display, template choice, avatar picture, etc. It includes the user's PM section, user's Profile section, and user's Notifications section.

User Name

This is a member's non-visible name, and is the name that is used to track the user's posts and other statistics such as what posts have been viewed. This name cannot be changed without losing all the information associated with the previous user name. All previous posts will still show up with the old user name, which will then show as "Ex-Member".

V

Validation Image

This is a randomly generated series of letters and numbers used for Registration and certain instances where Guests are allowed access to some forum functions (posting, voting in Polls, etc.).

Y

YaBB Backup

This is a feature that lets the Administrator create a backup of all or parts of their forum.

YaBBC

This is similar to Bulletin Board Code (BBC) but is adapted specifically for use with YaBB forums. YaBBC codes are placed as tags within square brackets in posts. See User Help - Posting - YaBBC Reference for examples.