All you need to know about using the Forum Module
Important: The Discussion Forum module is now a legacy module that is no longer under active development. The module is offered "as is". It has been superseded by the Chatroom module. More details on the Chatroom module here: Chatroom module.
WHAT DOES THE DISCUSSION FORUM MODULE DO?
The Discussion Forum Module is a place for your audience to interact with each other, and with Administration/Moderators.
This Module allows you to create Categories, and have Subjects under these Categories to organise the forums.
You can select if you would like to have the forum Moderated, assign a Role to make it accessible to specific Users, and add Guest Contributors.
SETTING UP THE DISCUSSION FORUM MODULE
- To set up the Discussion Forum, you need to select Modules from the top tab menu, and click on Discussion Forum from the drop down list.
- You will first need to add a category and a subject.
ADDING A CATEGORY
- Select Categories from the left hand menu.
- Complete the fields in "Add a Category" section.
- Click Add Category?
- You will see a list of all the Discussion Forum Categories. Your new Category will need to be activated by clicking the red toggle switch next to the relevant Category. It will turn green, indicating that it is now active.
EDITING A CATEGORY
- To edit a Category, click the Edit icon
next to the relevant Category. - When you have completed your Edit. Click Update Category to save your changes.
ADDING ROLES TO A CATEGORY
- To assign a Role/Tags to a Category, click the Roles icon
next to the relevant Category. - To make the Category accessible to a select audience, you will need to delete the Role "Public" by clicking on the rubbish bin icon
. - Select Roles or Tags you wish to access the Category from the drop-down list
- The Roles or Tags for the Category will be listed. No other users other than those listed will be able to access the Category.
- To add or change Users, see Creating Roles and Permissions for users.
DELETING A CATEGORY
- You can only delete a Category that does not have Sub Categories (Subjects) or Forums under it.
- To Delete a Category, select the Delete icon next to the relevant Category and click OK to confirm.
ADDING A SUBJECT
- Select Subjects from the left hand menu.
- Complete the fields in "Add a subject".
- Select the Parent Category from the drop down menu.
- Select your preferences in the check boxes.
- Click Add Subject.
- You will see the subjects listed. You will need to activate your new subject by clicking the red toggle switch next to the relevant subject. It will turn green to indicate it is active.
EDITING A SUBJECT
- To edit a Subject, click the Edit icon next to the relevant Subject.
- Once you have completed your changes, click Update Subject.
ADDING ROLES TO A SUBJECT
- To assign a Role/Tags to a Subject, click the Roles icon next to the relevant Subject.
- To make the Subject accessible to a select audience, you will need to delete the Role "Public" by clicking on the rubbish bin icon .
- Select roles or tags you wish to access the Subject from the drop-down list
- The roles or tags for the Subject will be listed. No other users other than those listed will be able to access the Subject.
- To add or change Users, see Creating Roles and Permissions for users.
ADDING A MODERATOR TO A SUBJECT
- A Moderator can be added to a Subject who can oversee the activity, and can remove or reject posts.
- To add a Moderator to a subject, click the Moderator icon
next to the relevant subject. - Insert the Moderators User Id into the field and click Add Moderator. (For a list of User ID's, click the link under the field).
- Click Add Moderator.
ADD A GUEST CONTRIBUTOR TO A SUBJECT
- A Guest may be added to a Subject. Their posts will be highlighted so that they are easy to see. A Guest might be someone with some expertise on a particular subject.
- To add a Guest to a Subject, click the Guest icon
next to the relevant Subject. - Add the User Id for the Guest Contributor, and click Add Guest.
DELETING A SUBJECT
- You can only delete a Subject that does not have Sub Categories or Forums under it.
- To Delete a Subject, select the Delete icon next to the relevant Subject and click OK to confirm.
VIEWING AND USING THE DISCUSSION FORUM
- Once your Discussion Forum is set up and activated, it will automatically make a Module page called Discussion Forums. This will be visable in the Page Management Area, and will appear as a page with a Module icon as shown
. - You will need to activate the page, by clicking the red toggle switch next to the page name. When it turns green, it is indicative that the page is now active, and available to be seen on your Website.
- Below is what a Discussion Forum page may look like on your Website. Colours and style will vary depending on your Website styling. It shows the Categories.
- When clicked on, the Categories will open the Subjects page, for that Category.
- When clicked on, the Subject will open to the Threads page of the Forum, where Users can add and reply and contribute to the discussion.
CREATING A USER ID
- A User Id is automatically created when the User signs up to the page.
- The User will need to be logged in with their username and password to be able to contribute to the Discussion Forum.