• Welcome to the YaBB Family

• User Agreement

• Register an Account
• Log Into Your Account
• Log Out of Your Account
• Forgotten Password

• User CP
• Profile Overview
• Edit Profile
• Contact Information
• Options
• Buddy List
• PM Preferences

• Starting a Topic
• Replying to a Post
• Posting a Poll
• YaBBC Reference

• Personal Messaging
• Broadcast Messaging

• Glossary

For additional help, please visit The YaBB Codex.
For 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 Moderator Help page

Since it appears that NO ONE reads or is able to read this registration letter, you will hear this now and then later down after reading this..... You will not have access to the FORUM without giving your FIRST and LAST NAME, as well as your CITY and STATE. This is an absolute requirement and if you don't want to.. then don't register. The site is run and paid for by WAGSs. The name requirement is ABSOLUTE, as it gives access to the FORUM. It is VERY simple, if you don't follow these rules, your registration is deleted and then you must register again. Do it a second time and you are banned from the FORUM forever. Further, the forum has been under attack by spammers since December 2009. You must now give your City and State during registration. We check your recorded IP address and name against the City and State and if it does not match, your profile will be deleted and the IP addressed blocked. Law enforcement is also watching the site because of threats made against the FORUM. Now, it will help if you read the rest of this!!

You agree, through your use of this forum, 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 Greg Stahl or WAGS. 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. I 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 name and password. We advise that you keep the name appropriate. With this user account you are about to register, you agree to never give your password to another member, non-member or visitor, 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 your post becomes the property of the FORUM and 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.

You MUST give a real FIRST and LAST name and your location by CITY and STATE during the registration process or after you have registered. Put your real FIRST AND LAST NAME in the section called "Choose a Display Name". Failure to provide this information (i.e., FIRST and LAST NAME plus CITY and STATE) will not allow you to register and will result in your PROFILE being deleted. If your PROFILE is deleted, you will need to register again. All Global Moderators and Administrators have the ability to delete your PROFILE for failure to provide the required information. After you register, an email will be sent to the email address you have provided within 2-3 minutes. You must click on the link present in the email in order to activate your account within 48 hours. (NOTE:Some email programs are 'splitting' the activation link, so you may need to copy the ENTIRE link to your Browser address window, so that you can activate your account.) The link is time sensitive and if you are delayed in activating your account, your account is automatically deleted and you will need to register again. Once you register, an Administrator or Global Moderator will "set" your PROFILE, so that you can then post to the new Boards that will have access too. This delay allows us to verify that you are a 'real person' and not a spammer/hacker, so this takes time and your patience is needed, as we do not 'live on the site/forum', it is all volunteer work. Until your PROFILE has been set you will not be able to post and this process can take minutes, to hours to a few days, so your patience is needed for this FREE service. Some Boards are only available to WAGS members and are marked as such. WAGS members also fill out a membership application and pay dues. If you do not pay dues you are not a MEMBER, you are a VISITOR.

Be sure to read the Forum guidelines on the NEWS Board. All guests, visitors and members are held by the guidelines.

If you have any questions, please contact an Administrator, Global Moderator or me, the webmaster (webmaster.com)

Remember the requirements of forum access is first and last name, as well as City and State. Put your FIRST and LAST name in the section marked "Choose a Display Name". These are checked against your IP address and anything we consider spam or spamming in nature will be deleted and your IP address blocked. This new requirement is the result of the FORUM being attacked by spammers. I apologize for the inconvenience, but we have many volunteers that have been swamped with the bogus spammers.

Happy Hunting,
Greg

Aluminum

Step 1: In the menu above, you will see items titled "Home", "Help", "Login", "Register", etc. Click on "Register".

Step 2: On this new page, you will see a form where you can choose your username and displayed name, password (if the administrator allows), and enter you email 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.

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 containing your password.

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.

Now you"re ready to log in and post!

Step 1: In the menu above, you will see items titled "Home, "Help", "Login", "Register", etc. Click on "Login".

Step 2: On this new page, you will see several options.

• Username or email address - Enter in the userID or the E-mail address you registered with.
• Password - Type in your password.
• Logged in For - Choose how long you would like to stay logged in for.
• Forgot Password - If you can't remember your password, click this button to have it resent. (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.

Step 1 In the menu above, you will see items titled "Home", "Login", "Register", etc. Click on "Login".

Step 2 On this new page, you will see a button titled "Forgot Password". Click this button.

Step 3 A new page will load with a single box. Enter your username or the E-mail address you registered with.

Step 4 Click the button titled "Send".

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 are controlling 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, 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
Optional. Optional. If you want others to know your gender, you may pick "Male" or "Female" from this drop-down box.

Birthday
Optional. 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.

Location
Optional. This box is available for filling in information about where you live, where your 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.

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.

MSN
If you have an MSN Messenger address, you may enter it 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, 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'.

Facebook
If you have a Facebook page, you may enter here. Note, 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, 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 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.

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

Custom Time Format
You may also create a custom time format using the special codes here.

Time Offset
Since your time may be different from the server, you can enter your correct time zone to adjust it accordingly.

Enable Automatic Daylight Savings Time Change
Checking this option will add or subtract an hour from your time zone as appropriate. NOTE: Times for starting and stopping DST varies around the world, and a server located in one geographic area may not display DST corrections correctly for a user in a different geographic 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.

• 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.

Ignorelist
This function allows you to ignore other members by preventing you from viewing any personal messages they send. Additionally, you are given a checkbox option to disable all PMs if you wish.

Notify Me of New PMs by e-mail:
If you would like an e-mail when a members sends you a personal message, this options allows you to enable that feature.

Enable Personal Message Popup?
Checking this box will display a small popup 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 Popup shows PMs in new Window?
If you have PM Popups enabled, checking this box will open your PMs in a new window when you click on the link in the popup window, otherwise, it will load in the current one.

Enable the "Preview" Button for the PM Posting Page:
Checking this box adds a button below the PM screen that allows you to preview your PMs just as you can with posts.

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.

Enable the "Active" Preview Option on the PM Posting Page:
Checking this box adds a button at the top of the PM screen that allows a live preview of your PM as you type it.

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

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 below for a complete reference.

Add Smileys: 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/Preview/Reset: These three buttons do exactly what you would expect. Press the "Post" button if you're ready for the community to view your message, press "Preview" if you would like to see what your post will look like first or press "Reset" to clear all of the boxes and start again.

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]http://www.griswoldandwagner.com/yabbfiles/Templates/Forum/default/on.gif[/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 mail-addr. 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 loves YaBB 2
Insert Marquee
Syntax: Result:	[move]text example[/move] text example
Insert Timestamp
Syntax: Result:	[timestamp=1121602762] Jul 17th, 2005 at 1:19pm
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

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 have 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 username and 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.

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, 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.

Broadcast Messaging is a 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, and Moderators

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

• Administrators
• Global Moderators
• 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. These PMs are actually transmitted to the Administrator as a Broadcast Message, so it requires both the PM to Admin option AND Broadcast Messaging allowed for Administrators in order to work.

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 either 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 Permissions

These are options available for each individual Board that let's 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 your 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

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 Display Name in their Profile.

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, and 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. It gives the Administrator an idea of 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 sortable by Display 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

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

Moderator Group

This is one or more member groups that are assigned in the Edit Boards screen to be Moderators in one or more Boards. Instead of promoting a single user and having to add them as a 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 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 choosable 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 display 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 Display 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 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 between

Reserved Names

These are names that the Administrator has chosen not to allow for use in the registration process and in editing the Display Name in the user's Profile.

S

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.

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

Sticky Topic

A Topic that is placed by a Moderator or an Admin 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 a file in the Variables folder (Template.cfg).

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.