As you are well aware, YaBB is a fantastic community platform. Easily installed; easily managed. It's the perfect solution for growing and maintaining a solid, proactive relationship with your user base. This Help section will help you understand some of the many new and powerful features you now have at your fingertips.
This YaBB version comes equiped with many powerful tools to manage and control the conversational flow of your community, the cornerstone of which is the ability to group Boards into an unlimited* number of Categories. In order to access these functions, you must, of course, be logged in as an Administrator (or Global Moderator with proper access rights). Once you are, look at the Main tabbed menu at the top of your forum under the logo. You will notice a link titled "Admin Center". Clicking this will bring you to a large control panel. On the left hand menu, search for the section titled "Forum Controls" and click on the first link titled "Categories".
* YaBB is only limited by the space allocated to you on your web hosting server.
YaBB allows you to add many new Categories all at once or one at a time. To do this, access the forum's Category management functions as shown above. Once there, scroll to the bottom of the list and find the function titled "Add Categories:". Enter the number of new Categories you wish to create in the box and press the button titled "Add".
On this new page, you will be given a set of options for each of the new categories you want to create:
ID
Every Category/'s ID must be unique. This is for internal use only. It lets YaBB keep track of things, and it will be used in the URL to view the Category. Entry must be alphanumeric (No symbols and No spaces). All Category IDs are stored in lower case type, so capital letters do not matter.
Name
This is the title of your Category. It's the name your users will see. You may edit this however you wish.
Category Picture
If you wish to use an image for your Category, type the complete URL to the image in this box using the standard format: http:www.domain.com/folder/imagename.jpg
ADMINISTRATOR TIP: File types allowed for Category pictures are .bmp, .gif, .jpg, and .png. Category Pictures will need to be about 25px in height to keep the same height aspects of Categories without pictures.
Allowed to View/See Category
If you wish to make this entire Category private, you may choose which Member Groups will be allowed to see this Category. Leave this blank to allow everyone (including guests) to view this Category, OR if you are going to put any board in this Category you want guests to be able to view.
Allow Collapse
Check this box to allow your users to expand and collapse this Category on the Main Index page.
ADMINISTRATOR TIP: Your new Category will not be visible on the Board Index (main) page of the forum until it has at least one board in it.
Editing a Category with YaBB is fast and easy thanks to the hard work our fantastic team of developers. While inside of the Categories function of your Admin Center (see Accessing the Category Functions above for details), you will see a list of existing Categories, each with a corresponding check box. Clicking on a check box will flag that Category for editing.
Once you have checked all the Categories you wish to edit, scroll to the bottom of the list and look for the set of radio buttons titled "With selected:". Click on the radio button for "Edit", then press the button to the right titled "Go". Inside you will find the following items for each Category:
ID
This is for internal use only and is not editable. It lets YaBB keep track of things, and it will be used in the URL to view that Category.
Name
This is the title of your Category. It's the name your users will see. You may edit this however you wish.
Allowed to View/See Category
If you wish to make this entire Category private, you may choose which Member Groups will be allowed to view this Category. Leave this blank to allow everyone (including Guests) to view it, OR if you will have any boards in this Category you want all (including Guests) to be able to view.
Allow Collapse
Check this box to allow your users to expand and collapse this Category on the Main Index page.
When you've finished making your edits, search for and click the button titled "Save" at the bottom of the list of categories.
If you would like to remove a Category, follow the directions (see Accessing the Category Functions above for details) to access your Category management page.
WARNING: DELETING A CATEGORY WILL ALSO DELETE ANY BOARDS YOU HAVE IN THAT CATEGORY. Move them to another Category first if you want to save them.
In the list of Categories, you will notice a check box that corresponds to each title. Check this box for each and every Category you wish to remove. Once selected, scroll to the bottom of the Category listings and locate the set of radio buttons titled "With Selected:". Click on the radio labeled "Remove" then press the button to the right titled "Go".
A small popup will ask you to confirm that you want to remove these categories. Click "OK" to remove them or "Cancel" to keep them.
Now that you have created your Categories, you can use YaBB's amazing Board-creation utilities to manage the postable sections of your community. YaBB allows you to create an unlimited* number of boards in every category. In order to access these functions, you must be logged in as an Administrator or Global Moderator with proper access rights. Once you are, look at the main menu. You will notice a link titled "Admin Center". Clicking this will bring you to a large control panel. On the left hand menu, search for the section titled "Forum Controls" and click on the second link titled "Boards".
* YaBB is only limited by the space allocated to you on your web hosting server.
YaBB gives admins the ability to add multiple Boards from a single screen. To do this, access the forum's Board Management functions as explained above. Once there, scroll to the bottom of the list of existing boards (if any) and find the function titled "Add Boards". Enter the number of new Boards you would like to create in the text box then press the button titled "Add".
On this Edit Boards page, you will be given a large set of options for each of the new Boards you are trying to add:
Board ID
This is only used for internal YaBB functions, and it is used in the URL used to view a board. You may enter any alphanumeric name you wish with no spaces.
Name
This is what your users will see as the name of the Board. You may enter anything you wish here.
Description
Describe this board so your users will know what the subject/topic will be.
Moderators
Click on the link under the word "Moderators" to add the members you wish to give Moderator access for this board.
Membergroup Moderators
If you choose to have all the members of one or more particular Member Groups act as Moderators for this board, select the Member Group(s) here.
ADMINISTRATOR TIP: If you set up a particular Member Group and assign it as the Membergroup Moderator group in a Board, it is easy to add a new Moderator to that Board - just add them to that Member Group.
Category
Choose which Category you would like this board to be a part of.
Board Picture
Here you can assign a small image to represent this board. Type the complete URL to the image in this box using the standard format: http:www.domain.com/folder/imagename.jpg. Allowed image formats are .gif, .jpg, .png, and .bmp.
Zero Post Count Board?
Check this box if you would like to prevent any Posts made in this Board from increasing users' Post Counts.
Show to All?
Checking this option will ensure the Board Name and Board description are shown to all who are able to view the Category this Board is in, even if they are not allowed access to view the contents of the Board itself.
ADMINISTRATOR TIP: This is a good way to show your Guests that there is more content available to them if they register and become Members.
Allow Attachments
Checking this option will enable users to attach files to their posts in this board provided the "Allow File Attaching in Posts?" option is checked in the Admin Center/Forum Configuration/Advanced Settings under the "File Attachments" tab.
Global Announcements
Checking this option will ensure the messages in this board are shown as important on top of every board. No matter how the Board permissions are set, only Administrators and Global Moderators can start new topics or reply. Note: YaBB only allows a single board to have this label.
Recycle Bin
Checking this option make this board a recycle bin for messages deleted by moderators. It can also be used as a recycle bin for Administrators by unchecking the box found in the Admin Center/Configuration/Forum Settings under the "Staff" tab. Note: YaBB only allows a single board to have this label.
Mininum Age to Access
Restrict access by mininum age.
Maxium Age to Access
Restrict access by maximum age.
Gender Allowed Access
Restrict access by gender.
ADMINISTRATOR TIP: The Age/Gender restrictions are based on the information users enter in their Profile for birthday and gender selection. If a user does not enter an age or select a gender, YaBB has no way to know their age or gender, thus they will not be allowed access to any board that uses these restrictions.
Allowed to Start Topics
Limit which Member Groups can start a new topic.
Allowed to Reply to Topics
Limit which Member Groups are allowed to reply to topics.
Allowed to View Topics
Limit which Member Groups are allowed to view topics.
Allowed to Create Polls
Limit which Member Groups are allowed to create polls.
ADMINISTRATOR TIP: To allow Guests to do any of the above four functions, do not select any member groups in that option box.
Once you have filled out all the information for your new Boards, scroll down to the bottom of the list and click on the button titled "Save". Your new Boards will be created and opened for posting!
If you need to make changes to any of the boards you have created, simply follow the directions above to access your board management section. In the list of boards, you will notice a check box that corresponds to each title. Check this box for each and every board you wish to edit. Once selected, scroll to the bottom of the board listings and locate the set of radio buttons titled "With Selected:". Click on the radio labeled "Edit" then press the button to the right titled "Go".
On this Edit Boards page, you will be given a large set of options for each of the new Boards you are trying to edit:
Board ID
This is only used for internal YaBB functions, and it is used in the URL used to view a board. This Board ID is not editable and is displayed for information only.
Name
This is what your users will see as the name of the Board. You may enter anything you wish here.
Description
Describe this board so your users will know what the subject/topic will be.
Moderators
Click on the link under the word "Moderators" to add the members you wish to give Moderator access for this board.
Membergroup Moderators
If you choose to have all the members of one or more particular Member Groups act as Moderators for this board, select the Member Group(s) here.
ADMINISTRATOR TIP: If you set up a particular Member Group and assign it as the Membergroup Moderator group in a Board, it is easy to add a new Moderator to that Board - just add them to that Member Group.
Category
Choose which Category you would like this board to be a part of.
Board Picture
Here you can assign a small image to represent this board. Type the complete URL to the image in this box using the standard format: http:www.domain.com/folder/imagename.jpg. Allowed image formats are .gif, .jpg, .png, and .bmp.
Zero Post Count Board?
Check this box if you would like to prevent any Posts made in this Board from increasing users' Post Counts.
Show to All?
Checking this option will ensure the Board Name and Board description are shown to all who are able to view the Category this Board is in, even if they are not allowed access to view the contents of the Board itself.
ADMINISTRATOR TIP: This is a good way to show your Guests that there is more content available to them if they register and become Members.
Allow Attachments
Checking this option will enable users to attach files to their posts in this board provided the "Allow File Attaching in Posts?" option is checked in the Admin Center/Forum Configuration/Advanced Settings under the "File Attachments" tab.
Global Announcements
Checking this option will ensure the messages in this board are shown as important on top of every board. No matter how the Board permissions are set, only Administrators and Global Moderators can start new topics or reply. Note: YaBB only allows a single board to have this label.
Recycle Bin
Checking this option make this board a recycle bin for messages deleted by moderators. It can also be used as a recycle bin for Administrators by unchecking the box found in the Admin Center/Configuration/Forum Settings under the "Staff" tab. Note: YaBB only allows a single board to have this label.
Mininum Age to Access
Restrict access by mininum age.
Maxium Age to Access
Restrict access by maximum age.
Gender Allowed Access
Restrict access by gender.
ADMINISTRATOR TIP: The Age/Gender restrictions are based on the information users enter in their Profile for birthday and gender selection. If a user does not enter an age or select a gender, YaBB has no way to know their age or gender, thus they will not be allowed access to any board that uses these restrictions.
Allowed to Start Topics
Limit which Member Groups can start a new topic.
Allowed to Reply to Topics
Limit which Member Groups are allowed to reply to topics.
Allowed to View Topics
Limit which Member Groups are allowed to view topics.
Allowed to Create Polls
Limit which Member Groups are allowed to create polls.
ADMINISTRATOR TIP: To allow Guests to do any of the above four functions, do not select any member groups in that option box.
Once you have edited all the information for your Boards, scroll down to the bottom of the list and click on the button titled "Save". Your changes to the Boards will be seen immediately.
Since YaBB is built to encourage and facilitate an active community of users, it comes with several tools to assist Administrators in the management of Members. To access these controls, ensure you are logged in as an Administrator and enter your "Admin Center". Once inside, look for the section in the sidebar menu titled "Member Controls".
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Manually Add Member
It may become necessary from time to time for an Administrator to manually create a new member account. For example, this can often be useful to help those with a disability become a Member.
From your Member Controls section on the Admin Center sidebar, click on the link titled "Add Member". This new page will give you a simple registration form that will allow you to add a Member without having to logout. Simply fill out this form with the new Member's User Name, Password and e-Mail.
Unfortunately, users are not always filled with the great sense of community that YaBB provides. These users can become rude, break rules, harass other members, or even spam your forum. This is why YaBB gives you the ability to block these troublemakers from disturbing your forum. To begin banning a Member, access your Admin Center and find "Member Controls" as described above. Find the link titled "Ban Members" and click on it. This new page will give you three methods for banning a Member:
by IP address
by e-Mail address
by User Name
Banning a Member
IP Address
Banning by IP address will prevent anyone from accessing your board if their IP address is listed here. While effective, this could prevent a legitimate user from logging on, such as two people sharing the same ISP connection. It may also fail if the user is behind a proxy or has a dynamic IP. To enter a specific IP address, enter all four octets of the users IP address (example: 192.168.255.8).
ADMINISTRATOR TIP: You may also block a range of IP addresses by only entering in the first few octets of the address. For example, entering the IP as: 192.168. would block every IP address from 192.168.0.0 through 192.168.255.255. Enter only 1 IP address per line.
Email Address
This second method allows you to prevent anyone using a specific e-Mail address (example: bad@user.com) from registering or logging in. Enter only 1 e-Mail address per line.
Username
Finally, the simplest way to ban a user is by their User Name. Note that this is not their Displayed Name. Enter only 1 User Name per line.
Member Groups give you the ability to assign a group or classification to a Member. These groups can then be used to grant special privileges and/or access to your forum or simply be used for the fun of it. If you would like to create a Member Group, enter your Admin Center and find the section titled "Member Controls" as described above then click on the link "Member Groups".
This new page will then show you the three Member Group types.
The first are System/Static Groups. These can be renamed by clicking on the "Edit" button for each entry, however, because of their importance, they cannot be removed.
The second are "Post Independent Member Groups" and are assigned to a Member manually by an Administrator or Global Moderator as they are not tied to a User's Post Count.
The third group, however, is based on how many Posts a Member has made. YaBB will automatically assign these when a Member reaches the listed minimum number of Posts.
Creating a New Member Group
To create a new Member Group, click on the link titled "Add Group" next to either "Post Independent" or "Post Dependent" Member Groups. This will bring up a new page with a form to add new groups.
Name:
This is the Member Group name that will be shown to everyone.
# of Stars:
How many stars should this Group have?
Star Type:
Choose a default star type from the drop down box, or enter the URL to a different image.
Color:
This gives the Group a special color treatment. Leave blank for no color, or choose a color by color name, by hex value (valid range is 000000 (6 zeros) to FFFFFF), or by using the Palette tool to choose a custom color.
Post Independent Group:
Check if you want this to be a Group not assigned based on Post Count.
Public?
Check this box if you want this Group's name to be displayed to all Members and to show a Group color bar in the User's Online section of the Board Index.
Post Dependent Group
Check if you want this group to be automatically assigned based on Post Count, and enter the minimum number of Posts required to become a Member of this Group.
ADMINISTRATOR TIP: YaBB comes with a Post-Dependent Member Group called "YaBB Newbies" that has a mimimum Post Count of -1. This is in place to automatically assign new registering Members to a group. A new Member starts with a Post Count of -1, so if you delete this Group or change the minimum Post Count, your new Members will not be able to post or use PMs until you manually put them in a Group. You may edit the name of the Group, stars, or colors with no effects on new Members.
YaBB gives you the ability to select what administrative functions you wish to entrust to your Global Moderators. You may choose these access permission in the Admin Center under General Controls in the Global Moderator Access section. Moving your mouse over each action option gives you a brief description of what each option allows. Your Global Moderators should have a clear understanding of what levels of access you are giving them, and nothing can communicate that better than you, the Administrator, discussing it with them.
The most important options are listed as three selections at the top of the page. Note that access to the Admin Center does NOT necessarily mean your Global Moderators can control all the items you can see in the Admin Center. If you allow this access, you can customize the Global Moderator permissions in the list of actions below.
Choosing Editing the Profile (but not the Admin Edits) will allow the Global Moderator to change passwords, e-Mail addresses, and all other options in the User's Profile (except Admin Edits). Note: Global Moderators cannot edit or modify any Administrator Profile.
Choosing the Admin Edits option will allow Global Moderators to change a user's Post Count, Position, and Member Group(s). Note: Global Moderators cannot edit or modify Administrator Admin Edits, nor can they "promote" other users to Global Moderators or Administrators.
ADMINISTRATOR TIP: In most cases, actions you do NOT select for the Global Moderator will not even be visible to them in the Admin Center, however this is not always the case. For example, if you allow Global Moderators to VIEW members but not DELETE members, the screen they view members on also shows checkboxes and a button to delete members, but they will not work for them. If the Global Moderator attempts to delete members without permission, it will result in an error message. A Global Moderator may think that something isn't working right, that this is an error or bug, but it is not. The program is following the level of permissions you granted them.
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