User Help Moderator Help Global Moderator Help Administrator Help
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Moderator Help Center Topic Functions Post Functions Forum Moderator and Banning Functions
Moderator Help Center
Your Moderator Status

Congratulations on your promotion to Board Moderator or Forum Moderator status. You are now able to directly help this YaBB forum by managing one or more boards and the posts inside of them. While most of the new functions available to you will be familiar, there are a few new ones that will be covered in this help section.

For more information, please visit The YaBB Codex.
For support and troubleshooting, please visit YaBB's Support Community

Please refer to the Glossary section in User Help if you need clarification on the different page views described in the sections below.

The following images of the Moderator Menu are provided for reference.

Remove Move, Split & Splice Lock/Unlock Hide Sticky Remove Selected

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

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

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Topic Functions
Deleting an entire Topic

If you feel a topic is inappropriate, in violation of the member agreement of this forum, causing a problem, or is simply out of place, you have ability to remove the entire topic.

Removing a Topic

When viewing the Post View

  • Scroll down to the bottom of the topic and locate your “Moderator Menu” below the page number.
  • Do not check any check boxes to the right of any posts.
  • Click on the Moderator Menu button titled “Delete”.
  • A small popup will then ask you to confirm that you wish to remove this entire topic. Click “OK” to remove or “Cancel” to keep it.

When viewing the Message Index

  • If “Single-Checkbox” enabled in Forum Settings/Staff
    • At the end of the row for each post, you will have a small checkbox. Check it by clicking on it. Repeat for each topic you wish to remove.
    • Once all the topics you want to remove are checked, locate a set of radio buttons titled “Lock/Unlock”, “Sticky”, “Hide”, “Remove”, and “Move To:”. Click on the radio for “Remove”.
    • Click the button titled “Go”, next to the move drop-down box.
  • If “Multi-Checkbox” enabled in Forum Settings/Staff
    • At the end of the row for each post, you will have 5 small checkboxes with icons above each one symbolizing “Lock/Unlock”, “Sticky”, “Hide”, “Move”, and “Remove”. Check the box below the “Remove” icon for each topic you wish to remove.
    • If removing all topics, check the “Check All” box below all topics.
    • Click the button titled “Go”, next to the move drop-down box.
  • If “Icon View” enabled in Forum Settings/Staff
    • At the end of the row for each post, you will have 5 small icons symbolizing “Lock/Unlock”, “Sticky”, “Hide”, “Move”, and “Remove”.
    • Click the icon on the far right that symbolizes “Remove”.
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Locking or Unlocking a Topic
When you feel a topic can no longer serve a good purpose or you would like to prevent others from adding new posts, the lock/unlock function will provide you with this ability. Clicking once locks the Topic, clicking the button again unlocks the Topic

Locking/Unlocking a Topic

When viewing the Post View

  • Scroll down to the bottom of the topic and locate your “Moderator Menu” below the page number.
  • Do not check any check boxes to the right of any posts.
  • Click on the Moderator Menu button titled “Lock/Unlock”.

When viewing the Message Index

  • If “Single-Checkbox” enabled in Forum Settings/Staff
    • At the end of the row for each post, you will have a small check box. Check it by clicking on it. Repeat for each thread you wish to lock or unlock.
    • Locate a set of radio buttons titled “Lock/Unlock”, “Sticky”, “Hide”, “Remove”, and “Move To:” at the bottom of the message list. Click on the radio for “Lock/Unlock”.
    • Click the button titled “Go”, next to the move drop-down box.
  • If “Multi-Checkbox” enabled in Forum Settings/Staff
    • At the end of the row for each post, you will have 5 small checkboxes with icons above each one symbolizing “Lock/Unlock”, “Sticky”, “Hide”, “Move”, and “Remove”. Check the box below the “Remove” icon for each topic you wish to remove.
    • If removing all topics, check the “Check All” box below all topics.
    • Click the button titled “Go”, next to the move drop-down box.
  • If “Icon View” enabled in Forum Settings/Staff
    • At the end of the row for each post, you will have 5 small icons symbolizing “Lock/Unlock”, “Sticky”, “Hide”, “Move”, and “Remove”.
    • Click the icon on the far left that symbolizes “Lock/Unlock”.

When Posting

  • When posting, there is a selection area above the post window that says “Lock/Unlock”, “Sticky”, and “Hide”. Select or unselect “Lock/Unlock”. (Hold the control or apple key while clicking with your mouse to select more than one choice or to de-select.)
  • Post a message like normal. You may want to explain why the topic was locked.

Bypassing Locked Topics

  • Administrators, Global Moderators, Forum Moderators, and Moderators may be granted permission to bypass the locking feature of a post, allowing them the ability to post in a thread that remains locked to all other users.
  • This permission is enabled by selecting the appropriate groups in the “Staff” tab found in the Admin Center/Forum Configuration/Forum Settings.
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Sticky Topics
If you feel a topic is very important for everyone who visits the board you moderate, you may turn it into a “Sticky” topic. These topics will then be displayed on top of all other topics. A useful example would be for forum rules.

How to Stick a Topic

When viewing the Topic

  • Scroll down to the bottom of the topic and locate your “Moderator Menu”.
  • Click on the button titled “Sticky”

When viewing the Message Index

  • If “Single-Checkbox” enabled in Forum Settings/Staff
    • At the end of the row for each topic, you will have a small check box. Check it by clicking on it. Repeat for each topic you wish to sticky.
    • Locate a set of radio buttons titled “Lock/Unlock”, “Sticky”, “Hide”, “Remove”, and “Move To:” at the bottom of the message list. Click on the radio for “Sticky”.
    • Click the button titled “Go”, next to the move drop-down box.
  • If “Multi-Checkbox” enabled in Forum Settings/Staff
    • At the end of the row for each post, you will have 5 small checkboxes with icons above each one symbolizing “Lock/Unlock”, “Sticky”, “Hide”, “Move”, and “Remove”. Check the box below the “Sticky” icon for each topic you wish to sticky.
    • If stickying all topics, check the “Check All” box below all topics.
    • Click the button titled “Go”, next to the move drop-down box.
  • If “Icon View” enabled in Forum Settings/Staff
    • At the end of the row for each post, you will have 5 small icons symbolizing “Lock/Unlock”, “Sticky”, “Hide”, “Move”, and “Remove”.
    • Click the second icon from the left that symbolizes “Sticky”.

When Posting

  • When posting, there is a selection area above the post window that says “Lock/Unlock”, “Sticky”, and “Hide”. Select or unselect “Sticky”. (Hold the control or apple key while clicking with your mouse to select more than one choice or to de-select.)
  • Post a message like normal. You may want to explain why the topic was made sticky.

How to Un-Stick a Topic

To Un-Stick your topic, follow the same procedure you used to Stick it. Clicking on the Sticky button for a Topic that is already a Sticky Topic will Un-Stick it.

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Hide a Topic
If you don't want to delete a topic but want to keep it invisible to normal users, you can hide it. Hidden topics can only be viewed by Administrators, Global Moderators, Forum Moderators, and the Moderators of that board.

How to Hide a Topic

When viewing the Topic

  • Scroll down to the bottom of the topic and locate your “Moderator Menu”.
  • Click on the button titled “Hide”

When viewing the Message Index

  • If “Single-Checkbox” enabled in Forum Settings/Staff
    • At the end of the row for each topic, you will have a small check box. Check it by clicking on it. Repeat for each topic you wish to hide.
    • Locate a set of radio buttons titled “Lock/Unlock”, “Sticky”, “Hide” “Remove”, and “Move To:” at the bottom of the message list. Click on the radio for “Hide”.
    • Click the button titled “Go”, next to the move drop-down box.
  • If “Multi-Checkbox” enabled in Forum Settings/Staff
    • At the end of the row for each post, you will have 5 small checkboxes with icons above each one symbolizing “Lock/Unlock”, “Sticky”, “Hide”, “Move”, and “Remove”. Check the box below the “Hide” icon for each topic you wish to hide.
    • If hiding all topics, check the “Check All” box below all topics.
    • Click the button titled “Go”, next to the move drop-down box.
  • If “Icon View” enabled in Forum Settings/Staff
    • At the end of the row for each post, you will have 5 small icons symbolizing “Lock/Unlock”, “Sticky”, “Hide”, “Move”, and “Remove”.
    • Click the center icon that symbolizes “Hide”.

When Posting

  • When posting, there is a selection area above the post window that says “Lock/Unlock”, “Sticky”, and “Hide”. Select or unselect “Hide”. (Hold the control or apple key while clicking with your mouse to select more than one choice or to de-select.)
  • Post a message like normal. You may want to explain why you hid the Topic.

How to Un-Hide a Topic

To Un-Hide your topic, follow the same procedure you used to hide it. Clicking on the Hide button for a Topic that is already hidden will Un-Hide it.

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Move a Topic
If you don't want to delete a Topic but you think it would fit better in another Board, you can use this option to move the Topic. This option will leave a message with a link in the listing of topics for the original Board that says “This topic has been moved to (link to new board name) by (person who moved it)”. This lets users who have posted in the Topic know immediately where to find it, and gives them a quick way to navigate there.

How to Move a Topic

When viewing the Topic

  • Scroll down to the bottom of the topic and locate your “Moderator Menu”.
  • Click on the button titled “Move”

When viewing the Message Index

  • If “Single-Checkbox” enabled in Forum Settings/Staff
    • At the end of the row for each topic, you will have a small check box. Check it by clicking on it. Repeat for each topic you wish to move.
    • Locate a set of radio buttons titled “Lock/Unlock”, “Sticky”, “Hide” “Remove”, and “Move To:” at the bottom of the message list. Click on the radio for “Move to”.
    • In the drop-down selection box to the right of the radio buttons, select the destination board you want to send this topic to.
    • Click the button titled “Go”, next to the move drop-down selection box.
  • If “Multi-Checkbox” enabled in Forum Settings/Staff
    • At the end of the row for each post, you will have 5 small checkboxes with icons above each one symbolizing “Lock/Unlock”, “Sticky”, “Hide”, “Move”, and “Remove”. Check the box below the “Move” icon for each topic you wish to Move.
    • If moving all topics, check the “Check All” box below all topics.
    • In the drop-down selection box to the right of the radio buttons, select the destination board you want to send this topic to.
    • Click the button titled “Go”, next to the move drop-down box.
  • If “Icon View” enabled in Forum Settings/Staff
    • At the end of the row for each post, you will have 5 small icons symbolizing “Lock/Unlock”, “Sticky”, “Hide”, “Move”, and “Remove”.
    • Click the second icon from the right that symbolizes “Move”.
    • Another screen will appear where you select the board you want to send your topic(s) to. Make your selection and click on the “Move” button.
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Splitting a Topic
Since Splitting a Topic is done in the Post View, the explanation of this function is provided in Post Functions. Back to top 

Post Functions
Modifying a Post
You now have the ability to edit, modify, or delete any post on the Board(s) you moderate. This function will help you fight spam, remove unwanted language or content, censor users, add additions and much more. The directions below provide some specific steps on how to perform these functions:

Modifying a Post

  • Identify the post you wish to edit.
  • In that post, you will see a small menu with “Quote”, “Modify” and “Delete”. Click on the one titled “Modify”.
  • You will then be given access to the edit page where you may make your changes. When you're done, press the button titled “Save”.

    Moderator Tip: It's useful to be able to identify any text changed or added by a Moderator when modifying a post. A good way to do this is to use a different color text for the Moderator's text. To do this, use your mouse to highlight your text then click on a color button, or click on the color palette and select a text color.

Please note that a small line of text will show on the post stating that you have made an edit. As such, it is advised you also attach a reason to why you made the edit. This lets the Forum staff, the poster, and the rest of the community know there was an issue. You can use the Edit button above the Post Window or the [edit][/edit] YaBBC tags to add a message about your edit.

This will enclose your text in a box so it appears similar to the following example:

Edited:
I modified this post and this is why!
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Deleting a Post
If you believe a Post is inappropriate, a violation of the User Agreement or does not belong, you have the option of removing it from the Topic, without deleting the entire Topic.

Deleting a Single Post

  • Identify the Post you wish to delete.
  • In that Post, you will see a small menu with “Quote”, “Modify” and “Delete”. Click on the one titled “Delete”.
  • This will instantly remove the offending Post.

Deleting Multiple Posts

  • If there are multiple Posts to be removed inside of a single Topic, repeat the above steps for each Post that needs to be removed.
  • If the Administrator has enabled Multi-Delete in the Admin Center/Forum Settings/, follow these directions to remove all the Posts that need removing at once:
    • Identify the posts you wish to delete.
    • In each post, next to the “Delete” button, click on the small check box.
    • Near the bottom of the page, past all the posts in that topic, you will find your Moderator Menu. Find and click the button titled “Delete Selected”.
    • This will also instantly remove all posts that you have checked.
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Splitting a Topic

In the event that a conversation begins to drift away from the subject, you may wish to split the Topic into two separate Topics by using the “Split” function. This enables you to move a Post and all the Posts under it into a brand new Topic where the different conversation can continue without distracting from the original.

Splitting a Topic

  • Identify the Post where the Topic split will occur. This will be the first Post of the new Topic that will be created.
  • In that post, you will see a small menu with “Quote”, “Modify”, “Split” and “Delete”. Click on the one titled “Split”. Note, obviously, this option will not show on the first post of a topic.
  • This function will instantly move the post and all the posts under it to a brand new topic. The subject of the post you split is the new topic's subject.

    Moderator Tip: Since the subject of a Topic that has been split will normally be “re:(original subject of Topic)”, you may wish to modify the first Post in the new Topic created by the split. You can edit the Subject line of that Post, changing it to something more appropriate for the new subject of conversation.

Splitting a Topic using Advanced Split/Splice:

Click on the Split/Splice button in the Moderator Menu below the last post displayed. Select from the following options:

  • Which posts you want to move
  • Whether to leave the original posts, a "Moved or Spliced to" message, or nothing
  • Category where the Split post(s) will be placed.
  • Board where the Split post(s) will be placed.
  • Topic where the Split post(s) will be placed.
  • Subject of the Topic where the Split post(s) will be placed.
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Forum Moderator and Banning Functions
Forum Moderator

The Forum Moderator position is new to YaBB 2.6.0. As Forum Moderator, you have all the abilities of a Moderator extending over nearly any post on the Forum outside of the sections reserved for Admins.

The Forum Moderator has an additional ability as well: You can ban users who break Forum rules, are disruptive or are spamming the Forum.

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Banning Members

To begin banning a Member, access the Member's Profile. This page will give you three methods for banning a Member:

  1. by IP address
  2. by E-mail address
  3. by User ID

Banning a Member

  • IP Address
    • The Member's last 3 IP addresses are listed on their Profile page. You have the option clicking on one of the IP addresses listed to bring up a page where you can choose which IP look-up service to use to determine where in the world the chosen IP is. This can be helpful in determining if the Member is actually a spammer or simply disruptive. You also have the option of banning that IP address for a day, a week, a month or permanently.
  • E-mail Address
    • This second method allows you to prevent anyone using that specific e-mail address (example: bad@user.com) from registering or logging in. As with IP banning, you have the option of banning that address for a day, a week, a month or permanently.
  • User ID
    • Finally, the simplest way to ban a user is by their User ID. Note that this is not their Screen Name. Again, you have the choice of making the ban for a day, a week, a month or permanent.
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Un-Banning

Circumstances sometimes warrant un-banning Members who have been banned. To un-ban a Member, access the Member's Profile. Beneath whichever method was used to ban the member, you will see an “Unban” link. Clicking this removes that Member's information from the banned list.

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