developing a FAQ with specific information about the forum (NEED YOUR HELP)

[bigpup]

The FAQ (at top of main forum page) for the forum is a generic FAQ for phpBB built forums.

A lot of the info does not give specific details on how the Puppy Forum works.

We are trying to make a FAQ with specific info about the Puppy Forum.

The FAQ we now have (link at top of main forum page) is a good guide to what questions need to be asked and answered.

So lets get started.

If you have ideas or info on what needs to be in each main topic.
Add a post giving the information .
I will edit the info into the correct sub post of this topic.

Note:
This is a working topic to get everything needed for the forum specific FAQ.
When it is all completed.
Will post a cleaned up specific FAQ.

[bigpup]

Login and Registration Issues

Why do I need to register?
Give you access to additional features not available to guest users
You need to register in order to post messages
Definable avatar images
Private messaging
Emailing of fellow users
Usergroup subscription

Why can’t I register?
A board administrator could have banned your IP address
disallowed the username you are attempting to register
Contact a board administrator for assistance. (Use Contact us at bottom of forum main page)

I registered but cannot login!
First, check your username and password.
If they are correct, then one of two things may have happened.
If COPPA support is enabled and you specified being under 13 years old during registration, you will have to follow the instructions you received.
this information was present during registration. If you were sent an email, follow the instructions.
If you did not receive an email, you may have provided an incorrect email address or the email may have been picked up by a spam filer.
If you are sure the email address you provided is correct, try contacting an administrator.

Why can’t I login?
There are several reasons why this could occur.
First, ensure your username and password are correct.
If they are, contact a board administrator to make sure you haven’t been banned.
It is also possible the website owner has a configuration error on their end, and they would need to fix it.

I registered in the past but cannot login any more?!
It is possible an administrator has deactivated or deleted your account for some reason. (could have been done as a mistake)
If this has happened, try registering again.

I’ve lost my password!
Don’t panic! While your password cannot be retrieved, it can easily be reset.
Visit the login page and click I forgot my password.
Follow the instructions and you should be able to log in again shortly.
However, if you are not able to reset your password, contact a board administrator.

Why do I get logged off automatically?
The board will only keep you logged in for a set time of no activity.
This prevents misuse of your account by anyone else.
To stay logged in, do something in the forum.
Access topics, access sections, make posts, etc.....
To stay logged in, check the Remember me box during login.

What does the “Delete cookies” do?
“Delete cookies” deletes the cookies created by phpBB which keep you authenticated and logged into the board.
Cookies also provide functions such as read tracking if they have been enabled by a board administrator.
If you are having login or logout problems, deleting board cookies may help.

[bigpup]

User Preferences and settings

How do I change my settings?
If you are a registered user, all your settings are stored in the board database.
To alter them, visit your User Control Panel; a link can usually be found by clicking on your username at the top of board pages.
This system will allow you to change all your settings and preferences.

How do I prevent my username appearing in the online user listings?
Within your User Control Panel, under “Board preferences”, you will find the option Hide your online status.
Enable this option and you will only appear to the administrators, moderators and yourself.
You will be counted as a hidden user.

The times are not correct!
It is possible the time displayed is from a timezone different from the one you are in.
If this is the case, visit your User Control Panel and change your timezone to match your particular area, e.g. London, Paris, New York, Sydney, etc.
Please note that changing the timezone, like most settings, can only be done by registered users.
If you are not registered, this is a good time to do so.

I changed the timezone and the time is still wrong!
If you are sure you have set the timezone correctly and the time is still incorrect, then the time stored on the server clock is incorrect.
Please notify an administrator to correct the problem.

What are the images next to my username?
There are two images which may appear along with a username when viewing posts.
One of them may be an image associated with your rank, generally in the form of stars, blocks or dots, indicating how many posts you have made or your status on the board.
Another, usually larger, image is known as an avatar and is generally unique or personal to each user.
This avatar you set in your personal settings.

How do I display an avatar?
Within your User Control Panel, under “Profile” you can add an avatar by using one of the four following methods: Gravatar, Gallery, Remote or Upload.
If you are unable to use avatars, contact a board administrator.

What is my rank and how do I change it?
Ranks, which appear below your username, indicate the number of posts you have made or identify certain users, e.g. moderators and administrators.
In general, you cannot directly change the wording of any board ranks as they are set by the board administrator.
Please do not abuse the board by posting unnecessarily just to increase your rank.

When I click the email link for a user it asks me to login?
Only registered users can send email to other users via the built-in email form.
This is to prevent malicious use of the email system by anonymous users.

[bigpup]

Posting Issues

How do I create a new topic or post a reply?
To post a new topic in a forum, click "New Topic".
To post a reply to a topic, click "Post Reply".
You need to register before you can post a message.
A list of your permissions is available at the bottom of the forum and topic screens.
Example: You can post new topics, You can post attachments, etc.

How do I edit or delete a post?
Unless you are a board administrator or moderator, you can only edit or delete your own posts.

How do I edit a post?
You can edit a post by clicking the edit button for the relevant post; right top of post display.
when you click on edit icon.
The post will appear in the post composition form.
Make any edits you want to do.
Click on submit to make this now the post displayed in the forum.

When you return to the topic. You will find a small piece of text output below the post which lists the number of times you edited it along with the date and time.
This will only appear if someone has made a reply; it will not appear if a moderator or administrator edited the post, but they may leave a note as to why they’ve edited the post.

When you start a topic.
You have edit control of the first post.
If you need to make changes to the topic.
Make them in the first post.
The subject of the first post is also the title of the topic.
You can edit it to better state the subject of the topic.

How do I delete a post?
This is limited for normal forum members.
You will only be able to delete your own posts; only for a short time.
If someone has already replied to the post. You will no longer be able to delete it.

On the right top of the post display is the delete icon.
After selecting the Delete post icon a confirmation dialog appears with a checkbox Delete permanently. This checkbox is unchecked by default.
You should select delete permanently.
If delete permanently is not selected.
it is removed from the general forum view - can't be seen by anyone - but it's still in the database.
It CAN be re-instated if necessary; you would just need to contact any one of the forum moderators and ask for it to be re-instated,

How do I add a signature to my post?
To add a signature to a post you must first create one via your User Control Panel.
Once created, you can check the Attach a signature box on the posting form to add your signature.
You can also add a signature by default to all your posts by checking the appropriate radio button in the User Control Panel.
If you do so, you can still prevent a signature being added to individual posts by un-checking the add signature box within the posting form.

How do I create a poll?
When posting a new topic or editing the first post of a topic, click the “Poll creation” tab below the main posting form;
if you cannot see this, you do not have appropriate permissions to create polls.
Enter a title and at least two options in the appropriate fields, making sure each option is on a separate line in the textarea.
You can also set the number of options users may select during voting under “Options per user”,
a time limit in days for the poll (0 for infinite duration) and lastly the option to allow users to amend their votes.

Why can’t I add more poll options?
The limit for poll options is set by the board administrator.
If you feel you need to add more options to your poll than the allowed amount, contact the board administrator.

How do I edit or delete a poll?
As with posts, polls can only be edited by the original poster, a moderator or an administrator.
To edit a poll, click to edit the first post in the topic;
this always has the poll associated with it.
If no one has cast a vote, users can delete the poll or edit any poll option.
However, if members have already placed votes, only moderators or administrators can edit or delete it.
This prevents the poll’s options from being changed mid-way through a poll.

Why can’t I add attachments?
If you are a registered user and logged on correctly.
You should be able to.
Contact the board administrator if you are unsure about why you are unable to add attachments.

Why did I receive a warning?
If you have broken a rule in the forums terms (link at bottom of main page), you may be issued a warning.
Please note that this is the board administrator’s decision.
Contact the board administrator if you are unsure about why you were issued a warning.

How can I report posts to a moderator?
Click on button for reporting posts next to the post you wish to report.
Clicking this will walk you through the steps necessary to report the post.

What is the “Save” button for in topic posting?
This allows you to save drafts to be completed and submitted at a later date. To reload a saved draft, visit the User Control Panel.

How do I bump my topic?
By clicking the “Bump topic” link when you are viewing it, you can “bump” the topic to the top of the forum on the first page.
However, if you do not see this, then you do not have this ability.
It is also possible to bump the topic simply by replying to it.

[bigpup]

Formatting and Topic Types

Can I use HTML?
No. It is not possible to post HTML on this board and have it rendered as HTML.

What are Smilies?
Smilies, or Emoticons, are small images which can be used to express a feeling using a short code, e.g. denotes happy, while denotes sad.
The full list of emoticons can be seen in the posting form.
Try not to overuse smilies, however, as they can quickly render a post unreadable.

Can I post images?
Yes, images can be shown in your posts.

They can be attached to a post as a image file.

As a link to an image stored on a publicly accessible web server.
To display the image use the BBCode [img] tag.
You cannot link to pictures stored on your own PC (unless it is a publicly accessible server) nor images stored behind authentication mechanisms, e.g. hotmail or yahoo mailboxes, password protected sites, etc.

What are announcements?
Announcements often contain important information or general info about the forum.
Found in the forum section House Training -> Announcements.

What are sticky topics?
Sticky topics within the forum are topics that have been set to stick where they are located.
They will not move from that location.
Administrator or moderators can only make a topic sticky.

What are locked topics?
Locked topics are topics where users can no longer reply and any poll it contained was automatically ended.
Topics may be locked for many reasons and were set this way by either the forum moderator or board administrator.

[bigpup]

User Levels and Groups

What are Forum groups?
By default you will be placed in a specific group, this is your default group.
This group defines how you may appear to other users, for example your username coloration, avatar, rank, etc.

What is Registered users group?
This is the group you are in when you become a registered user.

What is Global moderators group?
Members who are also forum moderators.

What is Board Administrator?
Board Administrator is assigned with the highest level of control over the entire board.

Rockedge is the Board Administrator.

There are several other members who are also administrators.
These members can control all facets of board operation, including setting permissions, banning users, creating user-groups or moderators, etc.,
They also have full Global Moderator capabilities.

Administrators are identified by their names being colored red.

What are Moderators?
Moderators are individuals (or groups of individuals) who look after the forum from day to day.
Generally, moderators are present to prevent users from going off-topic or posting abusive or offensive material.

What are Global Moderators?
They have the authority to edit or delete posts and lock, unlock, move, delete and split topics in the forum.
They have authority to ban and un-ban users.
Their authority is in all sections of the forum.

Global Moderators are identified by their names colored orange.

What is a moderator?
There are several sections of the forum, that are for operating systems (OS) that are not true Puppy Linux OS, but are Puppy like and or use some Puppy Linux components.
These sections have moderators, that can only moderate those specific sections.
they do NOT have global powers, like the people who's names are in orange or red.
There names remain a green color.
Who they are is identified, when you look at the main page for that specific section of the forum.

What is “The team” link?
This page provides you with a list of board staff, including board administrators and moderators and other details such as the forums they moderate.

[bigpup]

Private Messaging (PM)

I cannot send private messages!
you are not registered and/or not logged on.
Something in the private message is not allowed or done wrong.
If still having issues. Contact the board administrator, by using the contact us link, bottom of forum main page.

I keep getting unwanted private messages!
First send that person a private message telling them to stop sending you private messages.
If still a issue or you are receiving abusive private messages from a particular user.
Report the messages to the moderators.
Send a PM to one of them, giving details about who and what they are doing.
Moderators have the power to prevent a user from sending private messages.
(moderators are listed in the team link, bottom of forum main page)

I have received a spamming or abusive email from someone on this board!
We are sorry to hear that. The email form feature of this board includes safeguards to try and track users who send such posts.
Email the board administrator with a full copy of the email you received.
It is very important that this includes the headers that contain the details of the user that sent the email.
The board administrator can then take action.
(Rockedge is the board administrator)

[bigpup]

Friends and Foes

What are my Friends and Foes lists?
You can use these lists to organize other members of the board.
Your User Control Panel -> Friends & Foes

Friends
Members added to your friends list will be listed within your User Control Panel -> private messages.
When making a new private message. A friends list will show, giving you quick access to select and address the private message to them.

Foes
If you add a user to your foes list, any posts they make will be hidden by default.

How can I add / remove users to my Friends or Foes list?
You can add users to your list in two ways.
Within each user’s profile, there is a link to add them to either your Friend or Foe list.
Alternatively, from your User Control Panel, you can directly add users by entering their member name. You may also remove users from your list using the same page.

[bigpup]

Searching the Forum

How can I search?
Enter a search term in the search box located top right of forum pages.
Advanced search can be accessed by clicking the “Advance Search icon” link which is right side of search box.
This gives many more options for the search process.

Why does my search return no results?
Your search was probably too vague and included many common terms, which are not indexed by the forum.
Be more specific and use the options available within Advanced search.

Why does my search return a blank page!?
Your search returned too many results for the web-server to handle.
Use “Advanced search” and be more specific in the terms used and forum sections that are to be searched.

How do I search for members?
Visit the “Members” page by clicking the "Members link" bottom of forum page.

How can I find my own posts and topics?
Your own posts can be retrieved by:
Clicking the “Show your posts” link within the User Control Panel
Clicking the “Search user’s posts” link via your own profile page
Clicking the “Quick links” menu at the top of the board

To search for your topics, use the forum search, Advanced search page, and fill in the various options appropriately.

[bigpup]

NOTICE:
This post is being worked on and info may not be correct at this time.

Subscriptions and Bookmarks

What is the difference between bookmarking and subscribing?
Bookmarking is making a quick access list of topics you want to access all the time.
The list is accessed by your user control panel manage bookmarks.

Subscribing will notify you when there is an update to a topic on the board.

Notification options for bookmarks and subscriptions can be configured in the User Control Panel, under “Board preferences”.

How do I bookmark or subscribe to specific topics?
You can bookmark or subscribe to a specific topic by clicking the appropriate link in the “Topic tools” menu, conveniently located near the top and bottom of a topic discussion.
Replying to a topic with the “Notify me when a reply is posted” option checked will also subscribe you to the topic.

How do I remove my subscriptions or bookmarks?
Go to your User Control Panel -> Overview and use manage bookmarks and manage subscriptions.

[bigpup]

Attachments

What attachments are allowed on this board?

Files of these types can be attached:

Code: Select all

gif 	
jpeg 	
jpg 	
png 	
svg 	
tga 	
tif 	
tiff 	
xpm 	
 
7z 	
ace 	
bz2 	
gtar 	
gz 	
rar 	
tar 	
tgz 	
torrent 	
xz 	
zip 	
 
c 	
cpp 	
csv 	
diz 	
h 	
hpp 	
ini 	
js 	
log 	
txt 	
xml 	
 
ai 	
doc 	
docm 	
docx 	
dot 	
dotm 	
dotx 	
odg 	
odp 	
ods 	
odt 	
pdf 	
ppt 	
pptm 	
pptx 	
ps 	
rtf 	
xls 	
xlsb 	
xlsm 	
xlsx 	
 
mp3 	
mpeg 	
mpg 	
ogg 	
ogm 	
pet 	
sfs 	
swf 	
xbps

Is there a size limit for an attachment?
Maximum file size per attachment limit: 512KiB

Is there a limit on number of attachments?
Maximum of 3 per post.

How do I find all my attachments?
To find your list of attachments that you have uploaded, go to your User Control Panel and follow the links to the attachments section.

[bigpup]

Puppy Forum issues

Who do I contact about abusive and/or legal matters related to this board?
Each post has a clickable report this post.
Click on report this post and it will show up for the administrators and moderators to look at.
They know what to look for in a post that is not allowed on this forum.
You have the option to send a private message about the post to an administrator or moderator.
Any of the administrators or moderators, listed on the “The team” page, should be an appropriate point of contact for your complaints.

How do I contact the forum board administrator?
All users of the board can use the “Contact us” form, found at bottom of main forum page.
This form goes directly to the Board Administrator.
Members of the board can also use the “The team” link.

[rockedge]

What are BBCodes and examples

What is BBCode?
BBCode is a special implementation of HTML.
BBCode itself is similar in style to HTML, tags are enclosed in square brackets [ and ] rather than < and > and it offers greater control over what and how something is displayed.
Adding BBCode to your posts is made much easier through clickable icons interface above the message area on the posting form.
The icon depicts what clicking on it does.
Hovering the mouse pointer over an icon will show example of how it is used.

How to use BBcode?
Have some type of text entered in the posting form.
To give it a BBcode.
Highlight the text or a line of text.
Click on one of the BBcode icons and that highlighted text will now have the selected BBcode.

More specific information is provided in this BBcode guide:
help/bbcode

Note:
The Puppy forum does not require the use of [url] BBcode for entered internet location address.
The forum will automatically see a internet address as a clickable link.
Example: https://forum.puppylinux.com/

[williwaw]

would it be helpful to list the permitted filetypes for attachments?

[rockedge]

I'm making the list. Right now I'm trying to sort out a small issue with KLV. I'll post the list in little while. It's big and there is some way of seeing it but I forgot how right now

[bigpup]

Rockedge,

you can edit the post on attachments when you get the info.
viewtopic.php?p=52489#p52489

[rockedge]

@bigpup here's the list in a raw form:

Code: Select all

gif 	
jpeg 	
jpg 	
png 	
svg 	
tga 	
tif 	
tiff 	
xpm 	
 
7z 	
ace 	
bz2 	
gtar 	
gz 	
rar 	
tar 	
tgz 	
torrent 	
xz 	
zip 	
 
c 	
cpp 	
csv 	
diz 	
h 	
hpp 	
ini 	
js 	
log 	
txt 	
xml 	
 
ai 	
doc 	
docm 	
docx 	
dot 	
dotm 	
dotx 	
odg 	
odp 	
ods 	
odt 	
pdf 	
ppt 	
pptm 	
pptx 	
ps 	
rtf 	
xls 	
xlsb 	
xlsm 	
xlsx 	
 
mp3 	
mpeg 	
mpg 	
ogg 	
ogm 	
pet 	
sfs 	
swf 	
xbps

[bigpup]

So, basically you can attache any type file
Well, maybe not every possible one.

Thanks!

I updated the info to the attachments post.

[bigpup]

Rockedge,

Is there a limit on number of attachments to a post?
Seems 3 pops into my head.
Or is it when they all add together to be more than 512KiB?

[rockedge]

@bigpup Not sure yet about the 3 image limit. I think the 512 KB limit is per image. So it might be possible to use 4 or 5 small ones. We'll need to to a test!

[bigpup]

Rockedge,

Test attachment limit

I got to 10 and stopped.
I did not seem to reach a max number limit.
They are all individually less than 512KiB in size.

Up to you.
But maybe you need to set a limit

[wizard]

My experience with attachments:

Images = limit 3, 512k per image
Some .png files that are less than 512k will not upload. My solution has been to convert to .jpg

Do you want to mention that file types not in the list can still be attached if you append an allowed extension type?
Example: myscript.sh = not allowed, myscript.sh.gz (fake .gz) = allowed.

This is a good project to help new (and old) forum users, thanks Big

wizard

[amethyst]

Example: myscript.sh = not allowed, myscript.sh.gz (fake .gz) = allowed

Which makes it pointless why some file extensions are not allowed. Besides, one can geniunely zip any file anyway.

[williwaw]

testing

Example: myscript.sh = not allowed, myscript.sh.gz (fake .gz) = allowed

Which makes it pointless why some file extensions are not allowed. Besides, one can geniunely zip any file anyway.

It would be nice to include .html as an attachment. It could then be opened in the browser without renaming or compression

[rockedge]

It would be nice to include .html as an attachment.

security problems with code injection

I have the limit set to 3

I do not know why it is being over ridden. I reset the number to 3. Otherwise I will investigate why it isn't working.

[bigpup]

Can someone that is not the administrator or a moderator please test how many attachments they can have.

As a moderator I have been able to do things general forum member can not do.

[pcplague]

Ok, let's test.
brown dog draw.png 5 KB
puppy BW.png 12 KB
PIII M (SSE) palemoon .jpg 217 KB
BBC_CBSN_TV_Panel_Any_Pup_using_mpv-2020MK5.pet 247 KB
Discord_Puppy_Icons.tar.gz 269 KB

It accepted the last 3 and put a yellow warning triangle in the first 2.
So the total of the 3 accepted was 733 Kb.
So just accepts 3 but the size limit might be for individual file.

[bigpup]

Thanks for testing!

Yes, attachment max size limit applies to each individual attachment.

[rockedge]

Three images should be the maximum per post and the size limit for each individual image can be up to 512 KiB.

[Flash]

@bigpup , in this post you say to "Contact a board administrator for assistance." Have we provided an easily recognized way for someone who isn't already a member of the forum to do that?