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CAPTAIN SIM FORUM › Help Section |
User Help | Moderator Help | Global Moderator Help | Administrator Help |
Contents |
CAPTAIN SIM FORUM Help Center User Agreement Getting started User CP and Profile Posting Personal and Broadcast Messages YaBB Terminology |
CAPTAIN SIM FORUM Help Center |
Welcome to the YaBB Family |
YaBB is one of the world's leading providers of free, Perl-based message board systems for webmasters. Our innovative system allows people to get and stay connected in an easy to use, easy to understand format. Come see what hundreds of thousands of webmasters and millions of registered users already know!
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 Help page |
User Agreement |
CAPTAIN SIM FORUM User Agreement |
WELCOME TO THE CAPTAIN SIM COMMUNITY FORUM |
Getting started |
Register an Account |
Since this forum is powered by YaBB, registering an account is so simple; you'll be chatting in no time! Step 1: In the menu above, you will see items titled “Board Index”, “Help”, “Login”, “Register”, etc. Click on “Register”. Step 2: On this new page, you will see a form where you can choose your user ID and screen name, password (if the administrator allows), and enter your e-mail 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 according to the instructions on the screen. 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 with either your password or a link to verify your registration. Some administrators also choose to approve or disapprove all registrations. In that event, you will receive an email when your account is approved. 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! |
Log Into Your Account |
Now that you've registered an account, it's time to sign in. Step 1: In the menu above, you will see items titled “Board Index”, “Help”, “Login”, “Register”, etc. Click on “Login”. Step 2: On this new page (or in the form at the bottom of the page), you will see several options.
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. User Tip: If you are logging in on a publicly accessible computer do not check the “Keep Me Logged In” check box. |
Log Out of Your Account |
When you are done posting, it is a good idea to log out of your account so others using your computer will not have access to your information. To do this, find the menu item titled “Logout”. Once you click this button, YaBB will log you out of the forum. You must log in again if you wish to post or access member-only functions. |
Forgotten Password |
If you have forgotten your password, YaBB can allow you to reset it. Step 1 In the menu above, you will see items titled “Board Index”, “Login”, “Register”, etc. Click on “Login”. Step 2 On this new page, you will see a link titled “Forgot Password”. Click this link. Step 3 A new page will load with at least one box. In the box labeled “User ID or e-mail address” enter the user ID or the e-mail address you registered with. Other boxes (depending on which validation forms the Forum Administrator has chosen to activate) are to confirm that the form is not being used by a spambot or an automated system. Step 4 Click the button titled “Send”. Step 5 YaBB will send an e-mail to the registered e-mail address with a link to reset your password. Clicking on this link will take you to your Profile Page so you can reset your password. Note: you have ten minutes put in a new password after being taken to your Profile Page. |
User CP and Profile |
User CP |
YaBB's User CP (User Control Panel) is a combination of your user profile with Buddy List, Personal Messaging, Notifications, and Favorites.
When you enter the “User CP”, you have multiple choices of what to do:
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Profile Overview |
YaBB allows you to fill out a profile which tells people about you. You can have your name, age, instant messenger information, personal avatar (picture), and more!
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 and 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. |
Edit Profile |
The Edit Profile section gives you quick access to your basic profile settings for your account on this YaBB forum.
PasswordIf 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 PasswordTo 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. NameThis is your Displayed Name. This is your name that everyone will see throughout this YaBB forum. GenderIf you want others to know your gender, you may pick “Male” or “Female” from this drop-down box. BirthdayIf 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. You may also be able to hide your birth-year and age from Guests and other members. LocationOptional. This box is available for filling in information about where you live, where you're 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. In some cases the Admin may have chosen to make Gender and/or Birth-date mandatory and may limit how many times you may edit this information. |
Contact Information |
If you would like other members of this YaBB community to be able to contact you, this section will allow you to provide this information in your profile. 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 PublicCheck 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. ICQIf you have an ICQ account, you may enter your UIN here. AIMIf you have AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), you may enter your user name here. YIMIf you have Yahoo! Instant Messenger, you may enter your screen name here. Google TalkIf you have Google Talk, you may enter your address here. Skype or VoIPIf you have a Skype or VoIP address, you may enter it here. MySpaceIf you have a MySpace page, you may enter it here. Note that 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'. If you have a Twitter account, you may enter it here. Note that you only need to fill in the last part of the URL. For example, if your Twitter page is 'http://twitter.com/yourname', you only need to enter 'yourname'. YouTubeIf you have a YouTube account, you may enter it here. Note that you only need to fill in the last part of the URL. For example, if your YouTube page is 'http://www.youtube.com/yourname', you only need to enter 'yourname'. If you have a Facebook page, you may enter here. Note that 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 TitleIf you have a website, you can enter the title here. This will be the text the URL (below) will be attached to. Website URLHere you can enter the URL to your website. Note that this must be a full URL. (i.e. include http:// ) |
Options |
The Options section of your YaBB profile allows you to edit forum settings that relate to your account.
Personalized_PictureYaBB 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 Forum Administrator may also enable either or both of the following options:
Personal TextThis is a small line of text that will display below your avatar. SignatureYour signature is displayed at the bottom of every post you make and in your profile. Time FormatThis option allows you to change how the dates and time are presented to you throughout this YaBB community. Time ZoneIf the Administrator allows, you can choose your time zone by Country and City. This not only sets your personal time offset but allows YaBB to automatically adjust for Daylight Savings time for that Time Zone. TemplateIf the webmaster of this YaBB forum has more than one template available for use, you may choose one from this box. LanguageHere you can select your native language to view this community in if it is available. Hide Member Avatars in Threads?Checking this option will keep all member avatars from appearing when you are viewing a thread. Hide Member Text in Threads?Checking this option will keep all member user-text from appearing when you are viewing a thread. Hide Attached Images in Threads?Checking this option will keep all attached images appearing when you are viewing a thread. Hide Member Signatures in Threads?Checking this option will keep all member signatures from appearing when you are viewing a thread. Hide Smiley-row below the Post/Reply area?Checking this option will keep the smiley images from appearing when you are posting a new topic or replying to a thread. |
Buddy List |
The Buddy List section of the profile gives you the ability to add other members that you're 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.
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PM Preferences |
This section of your profile gives you the ability to customize how you view and receive Personal Messages from other community members.
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. Ignore ListThis function allows you to ignore other members by preventing you from viewing any personal messages they send. Additionally, you are given a check-box option to disable all PMs if you so choose. Notify Me of New PMs by e-mail:If you would like an e-mail when a member sends you a personal message, this option allows you to enable that feature. Enable Personal Message Pop-up?Checking this box will display a small pop-up 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 Pop-up shows PMs in new Window?If you have PM Pop-ups enabled, checking this box will open your PMs in a new window when you click on the link in the pop-up window, otherwise, it will load in the current one. 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. |
Posting | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Starting a Topic | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
After you have registered an account, you will have the ability to start new topics. To do so, navigate to a category you would like to begin a conversation in. Make sure that this is the correct category for the subject of your post. Once you're inside this category, search for a link or button titled “Start New Topic” and click it. The exact location of this button will vary depending on which template is being used, but it is often near the top of the list of topics.
This will present you with a new page where you can begin to type your post, or take you to a form at the bottom of the page. Below you will find a description of the items on this page. Preview:This gives you a view of what your message will look like once it's posted. 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 YaBBC Reference for a complete reference. Add Smilies: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:This button does exactly what you would expect. Press the “Post” button if you're ready for the community to view your message. |
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In addition to posting new topics, you can also reply to existing posts or topics quickly and easily. When you find a topic you would like to comment on, look for the button or link titled “Reply” or “Quote”. Using “Reply” will take you to a post page much like the one described above. Quote does exactly the same thing, however, it will add what another user has said to your post in a special box like you see below. Quote:This is a quote
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Posting a Poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
If you have a question you would like to ask this community, YaBB gives you the ability to create a poll along with your topic. This is a fantastic way to get a good idea of what this community feels about your question. To post a poll, find the button titled “Start New Poll” from the category view and click it. The exact location of this button will vary depending on which template is being used, but it is often near the top of the list of topics. On this special post page, type in your question and options in the respectively labeled box, then fill out your message as described above. |
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YaBBC Reference | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
For security reasons standard HTML code cannot be used in posts. Instead YaBB allows the use of YaBBC (YaBB Code) for formatting. YaBBC is similar to HTML, but safe and standardized for bulletin board use. To use, you can either click on the YaBBC button of your choice on all post pages or manually type them in. Below is a listing of each tag and its function. 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.
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Personal and Broadcast Messages |
Personal Messaging |
YaBB is about community and communication. And there are plenty of ways to communicate: Posting on the boards, Personal Messaging, e-mail, ICQ, AIM, YIM, SKYPE/VoIP, and Gtalk. Of course, all methods of communication are only available to registered members. An exception is when the Forum Staff decides to allow guests to post on one or more boards. If unregistered members (Guests) are allowed to post, they still cannot view the Member List nor send Personal Messages (See exception below). Personal MessagesWhile 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 has 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 screen 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. User Tip: Allowing Guests to post on your forum or send PMs poses risks, such as spam or worse being posted or sent in PMs. To reduce this risk, we highly recommend the Administrator use the option available in the Security Settings to require a Validation Code and/or a Validation Question for any Guest action (Post, PM, Alert). 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 (and they don't have PM notifications sent to them via e-mail), 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 |
YaBB allows Forum Staff the capability to communicate with each other through the use of Broadcast Messages. Broadcast Messaging is an optional feature for Administrators to enable if they choose. The Administrator can enable Broadcast Messaging for these groups:
Those allowed Broadcast Message permission can send BMs to the following recipients:
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. |
YaBB Terminology |
Glossary |
YaBB has many descriptive terms that refer to its component parts, different page views, and visible items. This section is provided as a glossary to help users learn the correct terminology for their forums.
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