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01-18-2008, 11:19 PM
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A "How-To" Guide To The Forum (Text Version) (Please Read Before Posting Here!)
Current Version: 1.5.5
Read the image based guide here. This thread was created with the intent to answer many basic questions about forum usage that may not be so easy to understand for first time users. While some of this information can be applied to various other bulletin board software, some of this information is exclusive to this forum. Before posting a thread in this forum, take the time to read this guide and all of its contents to make sure that your question hasn't been answered. If you still can't figure it out, then send me a PM. Also, if you ever see this thread title in bold when you search for new posts, it means that an adequate amount of information has been added, removed, or edited. You should check out what changes have been made by viewing the log at the end of this guide. SEARCHING THIS THREAD: Below, you will see the title of various articles covered in this guide. To quickly find the article you want to read, press Ctrl and F on your keyboard, and search for the number on the title (i.e. [0001]) NOTICES REGARDING GUIDE UPDATES: - Effective Version 1.5.2 of this guide, there will no longer be an expanded version and a condensed version provided with each article. Instead, one version will be posted containing key facts as well as enough detail to understand the content. - Effective Version 1.5.4 of this guide, relevant links will be added to sections that detail further information that isn't practical enough to fit in this guide. All you have to do to view the links is copy and paste them into your browser's address bar. Index of what will be covered in chronological order:
Article One - How to Insert a Signature [0001] (Related Articles: Image Hosting , How to Use the User CP and Explanations of Various Buttons) Expanded Version- This is an issue that pops up on the forum a lot. Some people may or may not know exactly how to insert a signature. Well, for one thing, a signature can be placed simple by going into the User CP, located on the top of every page, and clicking edit signature. Some of you also may want to know how to edit a signature, and I will tell you. First off, you want to find the Universal Resource Locater (URL, for short) of the image. You can find this by finding the image you would like in your signature, and right clicking on the image. From there, you want to hover all the way down until you find a tab called "Properties". Then, you will see a box that contains a bunch of info. What you are looking for is one that says Address (URL): and then you will see an address like this: http://forum.cheatmasters.com/images/smilies/wow.gif. Copy the URL by left clicking and highlighting all of the URL and right clicking and pressing copy. Then, go to the edit signature tab and paste the URL into the field. IMPORTANT: You also need to add tags around the URL, so it looks like this [img]http://forum.cheatmasters.com/images/smilies/wow.gif[/img]. After that, you will then need to save your signature, and there you go. Condensed Version- - Find the image that you want. - Right click on it, scroll down to "Properties" - Copy the URL by highlighting the URL and right clicking and click copy - Go into the "Edit Signature" tab under the User CP and then paste the URL into the field - Add tags around the URL like so [img]http://forum.cheatmasters.com/images/smilies/wow.gif[/img] - Click "Save Signature" Article Two - Setting an Avatar [0002] (Related Articles: How to use the User CP and Explanations of Various Buttons , Image Hosting) Expanded Version- So many of you may not know how to set an avatar and signature, or just don't know the terminology. First off, an avatar is a small image (80 x 80) that is displayed next to your name. An avatar can be almost anything you want, as long as it abides by forum rules. To set an avatar, you first need an image (presuming you don't want to use one from the avatar gallery in the forum). Places to find images is one of the "Image Hosting" links that I posted in an earlier article. Anyway, you will need to right click on an image and click the button called properties. Then, you should find the Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (URL), and copy it. Then just go into the User CP and copy the URL into the appropriate section, then click "Save Avatar". If you did it right, you should then see the image. Condensed Version- - Find the image you want to use. - Right click ==> Properties - Copy the URL - Go to the User CP - Click the tab called "Edit Avatar" - Paste the avatar URL in the correct field. - Click "Save Avatar" Article Three - An Explanation of BB Code and How to Use it [0003] (Related Articles: None) Relevant Links- List of vB Code, BB Code Expanded Version- BB Code can also be called vB code, but BB Code is more formal seeing as it can be used on most "Bulletin Board" software, hence the name. BB Code is loosely based of HTML, so if you have some experience in that, then BB Code should not be that hard to learn. Most of the code that you may need to know is probably formatting code, but there are several others out there as well. Anyway, BB Code is pretty easy to learn, and you should be able to get the basics down in just a few minutes. So anyways, you can use BB code in a lot of ways. You can use code buttons, that automatically insert the tags, which is available in WYSIWYG editor interfaces, which is available in the User CP under "Edit Options". To use it, simply click one of the Code buttons like this one:  and type in your text. When you are done, click the button again to stop typing using that code. If you are more experienced, then you can insert the code yourself like this [b]Cheat Masters ROCKS!!![/b], and that will turn into Cheat Masters ROCKS!!! when you submit your reply.Condensed Version- - To use BB Code, click one of the code buttons, like this one: , and start typing. When you are done, click the button again to stop typing in that code.- If you are more experienced with BB Code, you can type the code in manually, like this [b]Cheat Masters ROCKS!!![/b], and it will yield Cheat Masters ROCKS!!! when you submit your reply. Article Four - Image Hosting [0004] (Related Articles: None) Relevant Links- photobucket.com imageshack.us tinypic.com Expanded Version- Image hosting is helpful in a lot of ways. It can help you to upload and share pictures on the internet, it is helpful for signatures for forums and many other things. There are several tools now that come available with image hosting that can help you get things done. The links above are all popular image hosting sites, and they are all free to use. So if you need to host an image from your computer on the internet for others to see, you can't beat image hosting. Condensed Version- None
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01-18-2008, 11:39 PM
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[Continued]
Article Five - How to Make a Thread, Post [0005] (Related Articles: Explanation of Various Pages in the Forum) Expanded Version- For some people that are new to forum communities, you may not exactly know everything about it. Everyone was a newbie at sometime, and everyone had to learn how. Making a thread is no exception either. The new thread button is sort of hidden as well, so you may not be able to find it as easily as other things. But don't fear, because I am here to help. Making a thread has a lot of advantages, because it can spark a lot of conversations. They can be informational, like this thread, they can be discussions or other things as well. No matter which way you look at it threads make a forum prosper. To make a thread, simply click on the name of a forum [i.e. Forum Games], and you will then see a list of threads in that forum and possibly sub-forums as well. Anyway, on this page you will see a button called new thread on the right side of the page. Click it and there you go, you will be taken to a new page where you may start a thread. Posts are just as important as threads. They are good for feedback, but they also keep a conversation moving. To make a post, simply go into a thread and at the bottom you will see a button that says "Post Reply". Press that and you will then be taken to a page where you can post your reply. Condensed Version- - Click on the name of a forum [i.e. Forum Games] - You will then see a button called "New Thread" - Click that button, and then you will be on your way to making a new thread -To make a post, simply view a thread and at the bottom you will see a button called "Post Reply" click it, and you will then be taken to the page where you may then type your message. Article Six - Explanation of Various Pages in the Forum [0006] (Related Articles: How to Insert a Signature , An Explanation of BB Code and how to Use it , How to Make a Thread, Post , How to Use the User CP and Explanations of Various Buttons , Glossary of Terms) Expanded Version- Well I'm not going to explain every single page on this site, more so a general view and explanation of inline pages. All of these definitions can be found in the article entitled "Glossary of Terms" User CP - A very important and powerful tool that helps to make your profile look unique. There are several different buttons that will enhance both your profile and your forum browsing experience. I will explain more in depth about this tool in another article. FAQ - The least looked at page in a forum. It contains helpful sections that can clear a lot of questions that you may have about many things. Forum Rules - The rules of the site. Every member should be aware of the forum rules and use them as a reference whenever they are in doubt about something. Member's List - This will list the users on the forum, minus the banned ones, and will also help you browse for members on a lot of different levels, like Username, Posts, etc... Calendar - A general calendar that contains member's birthdays as well as cultural events that may be taking place. Arcade - A privilege to a forum that may contain a lot of games for member's enjoyment. The arcade also has the ability to hold tournaments, record individual scores, and so on. New Posts - Pretty self-explanatory, but the "New Posts" button alerts you to new posts that have been made in the forum since you were last online. Search - A tool that seems to not get used anymore. This will help you look for keywords in thread titles and posts and can help you when looking to create a thread, or make a post. Quick Links - Basically, this button has some of the more popular functions rolled up into one, easy-to-access menu. Log Out - Basically Logs you out of the forum, silly. Condensed Version- None Article Seven - How to Use the User CP and Explanations of Various Buttons [0007] (Related Articles: None) Extended Version- The User CP is something that you will need to associate yourself with at least one time when you are on the forum. It is a tool that can greatly assist you in making your profile look unique. You can add an avatar, signature, but is also does things like changing your preferences to make your forum browsing experience more enjoyable. You can access the user CP here. You may want to familiarize yourself with the User CP before you go around the forum, because it can help you greatly. I will explain what each tab in the User CP does. Edit Signature - Use this button to insert your signature. Edit Email and Password - You may need to do this every so often to keep your account secure, or to update your mailing address in case you get a notification from the forum. Edit Profile - This button helps you edit things that users will be able to see when they view your profile. Some things like your birthday can be edited to not be displayed, this button generally deals with information that other users may be able to see. Edit Options - This is used to make your forum browsing experience better. There are several options here that you should pay attention to, like thread display modes, Email notifications, and so on. Edit Avatar - This button will help you get an avatar, a small image that is displayed next to your name. An avatar can be uploaded from your computer or from another web site. Edit Profile Picture - This button will edit your profile picture. This is similar to an avatar but it is displayed in your profile when people view it. List Messages - This lists all of the messages that you currently have stored in both your Private Message inbox and outbox. Send New Message - This will show up as a form where you may send a private message to someone. Track Messages - This function goes in conjunction with read receipts. Whenever you ask for a read receipt in a Personal Message, you can view these receipts in this menu. Edit Folders - This is useful if you want to separate your inbox into different categories. List Subscriptions - This lists all of the current threads you are subscribed to. Event Reminders - This is sort of like subscriptions, but for calendar events. Pretty useful if you want to remember someone's birthday on the forum. Group Memberships - This shows what user groups you are currently part of. If you are in the "Registered Members" user group, then you probably won't see this tab. Buddy/Ignore Lists - This tab is for managing who is on your buddy list or ignore list. Condensed Version- None [Continued on Next Post]
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05-23-2008, 01:01 AM
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[Continued]
Article Eight - Glossary of Terms [0008] (Related Articles: None) Extended Version- HTML - Stands for Hypertext Markup Language. A complex coding language that is the basis for all coders. All people interested in programming should know HTML back and forth. vB Code, BB Code - A simplified version of HTML that is used in forums mainly for formatting. It is useful to know once you become a more seasoned forum user. User CP - A very important and powerful tool that helps to make your profile look unique. There are several different buttons that will enhance both your profile and your forum browsing experience. I will explain more in depth about this tool in another article. FAQ - The least looked at page in a forum. It contains helpful sections that can clear a lot of questions that you may have about many things. Forum Rules - The rules of the site. Every member should be aware of the forum rules and use them as a reference whenever they are in doubt about something. Member's List - This will list the users on the forum, minus the banned ones, and will also help you browse for members on a lot of different levels, like Username, Posts, etc... Calendar - A general calendar that contains member's birthdays as well as cultural events that may be taking place. Arcade - A privilege to a forum that may contain a lot of games for member's enjoyment. The arcade also has the ability to hold tournaments, record individual scores, and so on. New Posts - Pretty self-explanatory, but the "New Posts" button alerts you to new posts that have been made in the forum since you were last online. Search - A tool that seems to not get used anymore. This will help you look for keywords in thread titles and posts and can help you when looking to create a thread, or make a post. Quick Links - Basically, this button has some of the more popular functions rolled up into one, easy-to-access menu. Log Out - Basically Logs you out of the forum, silly. Condensed Version- None Article Nine - vBulletin 3.8 Extras [0009] (Related Articles: None) This version features changes to the layout of Social Groups, Private Messaging, and Albums. New additions are Profile Privacy, which lets you choose who can see what on your profile. Overall, a lot has changed in this version of vBulletin. To see a full list of what has been changed, you can read the blog by vBulletin developer Darren by viewing vbulletin.com/forum/blog.php?b=2334. Article Ten - vBulletin 4: What's to Come [0010] (Related Articles: None) Relevant Links - vbulletin.com/forum/entry.php?2379-Our-Vision-for-vBulletin More information will be added once this version of the software nears gold status. At this point, this much is evident:
[CONTINUED ON NEXT POST]
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08-12-2009, 12:03 AM
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[CONTINUED]
Article Eleven - The Arcade [0011] (Related Articles: None) Expanded Version- The arcade is a very powerful tool that can add a lot of fun to the site, but it also increases the appeal to the site. You can find a complete FAQ of hot to use the arcade in this section, so enjoy. - How to play a game, how to search for a game. To play a game, all you really need to do is locate the name of the game you want to play, and click on the name. It really is that simple. If you do not wish to look for the game, or can't seem to find it, you may want to search for it. Under the high score champions, you will see an index listing all the letters of the alphabet. If you know the name of the game, you can click the letter of the first letter of the name of the game, and you will be taken to a list containing all games starting with that letter. For example, if I was looking for Helicopter, I would browse "H" and then look in that list for Helicopter, and click on the name to play it. - Creating a tournament. In the arcade main page, should scroll down and you will see a box that says "Information about Tournaments in the Arcade". In there, you will see a link that says create a new tournament on the right side of that box. Click that link and you will be taken to a page where you can select the game you want to play and the number of players you want to participate in the tournament. - Joining a tournament. To join a tournament, simply go to the tournament you want to participate in (located on the link "Tournaments waiting for players -> Register") and join it. Check often to make sure the tournament has started, or you could find yourself being disqualified for not participating. Condensed Version- None Article Twelve - Adding Images to a Post [0012] (Related Articles: Image Hosting) Expanded Version- Adding images to your post is relatively easy. Before you add your image to your post, you need to have done one of two things:
For scenario one, you need to right click on the image, and find a tab called "properties". Click this, and then you'll see a URL where the image is located. Highlight the URL of the image, and then press Ctrl+C on your keyboard, or right click and press "copy". This will make sure the entire URL is copied. Then, go to where you want to insert the image, and press Ctrl+V, which will paste it, or similarly, right click and press "paste". You then need to go to the beginning of the URL, and add [img] to the front, and then go to the end of the URL and add [/img], and when you are all done, it will look like this [img]URL[/img]. For the second scenario, you need to go to a URL of an image hosting site or a place where you can host the image on-line. Upload the image, and then you might see various codes. Choose the one for forums and bulletin boards, and then copy and paste it into where you want the image to appear. And then you're all done. This also works in PMs. If you want to add a certain alignment to an image, so that it wraps around text and doesn't break it into separate lines, use the image codes and to make the image either appear to the left of the text or the right, respectively. Condensed Version- - Find the scource of the image you want to post, and right click > Properties. - Copy and paste the URL into the place where you want the image to appear. - Add [img] tags to the front and back of the URL, so it looks like this: [img]URL[/img] - Save and you're done. OR - Upload the image to an image hosting service. - Copy and paste the forum code into where you want the image to appear. - Save and you're done. Article Thirteen - Miscellaneous [0013] (Related Articles: None) Version History: Series 1.0 Version 1.0.0 as of January 18, 2008 (Completed Guide) Series 1.1 Version 1.1.0 as of February 27, 2008 (Added Article: Setting an Avatar) Version 1.1.1 as of February 27, 2008 (Reorganized Guide) Version 1.1.1 as of April 10, 2008 (Minor Touch-ups, Nothing Noteworthy) Version 1.1.1 as of April 16, 2008 (Minor Touch-ups, Nothing Noteworthy) Series 1.2 Version 1.2.0 as of May 22, 2008 (Added Article: vBulletin 3.7 Extras) Version 1.2.1 as of May 23, 2008 (Added Section: Tags (Under vBulletin 3.7 Extras) Version1.2.1 as of May 27, 2008 (Minor Touch-ups, Nothing Noteworthy) Version 1.2.1 as of June 4, 2008 (Minor Touch-ups, Nothing Noteworthy) Series 1.3 Version 1.3.0 as of June 11, 2008 (Added Article: The Arcade) Version 1.3.1 as of June 11, 2008 (Major Spelling and Grammar Touch-ups) Version 1.3.2 as of August 10, 2008 (Added information on Tracking Messages) Series 1.4 Version 1.4.0 as of October 23, 2008 (Added Article: vBulletin 3.8 Extras / Order Rearranged) Series 1.5 Version 1.5.0 as of January 7, 2009 Added Article: (Adding Images to a Post) Version 1.5.1 as of January 7, 2009 (Revisions Made to Introduction and Minor Formatting Changes) Version 1.5.2 as of January 18, 2009 (Edited Article: vBulletin 3.8 Extras / Thread Optimized For Quick Search) Version 1.5.3 as of August 11, 2009 (Edited Article: Adding Images to a Post) Version 1.5.4 as of November 9, 2009 (Deleted Section: vBulletin 3.7 Extras, Added Section vBulletin 4: What's to Come, Re-ordered Guide, Minor Formatting Changes) Version 1.5.4 as of November 17, 2009 (Minor Touch-ups, Nothing Noteworthy) Version 1.5.5 as of November 17, 2009 (Reformatted Revision History) Thanks, Lukario
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