common problem

Login and registration issues

Why do I need to register?
You may not need to register, which depends on whether the forum administrator needs you to register before posting. But registration will give you more permission to use additional forum functions, such as customized avatar, in station SMS, sending email to friends and joining user groups, etc. It only takes a little time to complete the registration, so it is recommended that you register an account.
Top
What is COPPA?
COPPA， It is the abbreviation of the Children's Online Privacy and Protection Regulations, which came into force in 1998 in the United States. This law requires that any website that may collect information about minors under the age of 13 must hold the consent form of their guardians or other forms of legal basis to collect their identity information. If you are not sure whether this law is binding on your behavior, please contact the nearest lawyer for help. Please note that phpBB Limited will not provide any legal advice, nor provide opinions and help for various legal events, except for the following situations: "Who should I contact for defamation, swearing and other legal matters on the forum?"
Top
Why can't I register?
This may be because the website administrator blocked your IP address or the user name you tried to register. It may also be that the website administrator has prohibited new users from registering. For more information, please contact the forum administrator.
Top
I registered but could not log in!
First, make sure you have entered the correct user name and password. If both are correct, there may be two reasons. If the forum supports COPPA and you are less than 13 years old at the time of registration, you must first complete the specified steps according to the prompts you receive. If not, is it because your account has not been activated? Some forums require new users to be activated by themselves or by administrators before logging in. When you register, the forum will tell you whether you need to activate. If you receive an email, follow the steps to complete activation. If you do not receive an email, you need to check whether your email address is correct or check your spam. If you are sure that the email address is correct, please contact the forum administrator.
Top
Why can't I log in?
There are several reasons for this. First, make sure your user name and password are correct. If yes, please contact the administrator of the forum to confirm whether your account is disabled. It is also possible that the administrator of the website has made wrong settings in the background. Please contact them to correct the error.
Top
I have registered an account, but now I can't log in?!
The administrator may have frozen or deleted your account for some reason. It may also be to reduce the size of the database. Many forums will regularly delete some users who have not posted for a long time. If so, please re register and participate more in the discussion.
Top
I forgot my password!
Don't be nervous! Although your password cannot be retrieved, it can be reset. Go to the login page and click I forgot my password , you can retrieve your account quickly by following the steps prompted.
Top
Why do I log out automatically after I log in?
If you do not tick automatic logon Option. You can only remain logged in for a certain period of time after logging in to the forum. This can prevent your account from being used by others to some extent. If you need to remain logged in, please check the box when logging in automatic logon Box. This is not recommended when you visit the forum on a public computer, such as in a library, Internet cafe, university computer laboratory, etc. If you do not see the automatic login box, the administrator may have disabled this function.
Top
What does "Clear forum cookies" mean?
"Clear forum cookies" deletes the cookies created by the phpBB forum program. These cookies contain your authentication information on the forum and your activity records on the forum. If the forum administrator enables reading record, it will also be recorded in the cookie. If you have problems logging in, deleting forum cookies may help you.
Top

User parameters and settings

How do I change settings?
All your settings (if you are a registered user) are stored in the database. To modify them, click the "User Control Panel" link (except for this, it is usually displayed at the top of each page). You can change your various preferences in the user control panel.
Top
How can I prevent my user name from appearing in the online user list?
You can find the options in the "Forum Parameters" of the user control panel Hide your online status If you select this option, only the administrator, moderator and you can see your online status. You will be shown as a hidden user.
Top
The displayed time is incorrect!
Generally, it is rare for the server time to be inaccurate. The inaccurate time you see may be because the forum and you are in different time zones. For this reason, you can change the time zone in your profile, such as London, Paris, New York, Sydney, etc. Please note that only registered users can change the time zone. If you haven't registered yet, please register as soon as possible.
Top
I changed the time zone but the time is still displayed incorrectly!
If you confirm that you have set the correct time zone but the time is still wrong, it is possible that the server time is set incorrectly. Please contact the administrator to correct it. If the time display differs by one hour, it may be because of daylight saving time. In summer months, the time may differ by one hour from local time.
Top
My language is not in the list!
The administrator may not have installed your language, or no one has translated this forum into your language yet. Please ask the forum administrator whether you can install your language for you. If a translation for this language does not exist, you can try to create a translation for this language. For more information, please visit phpBB ® Website.
Top
What is the picture next to my user name?
When browsing posts, there may be two icons under the user name. The first is a picture related to your level, which generally shows your title in this forum in the form of stars or squares. The second one is a larger picture, which is the user's avatar. It usually varies from person to person.
Top
How do I display a avatar?
In your control panel, under "Profile", you can add a avatar using one of four methods: Gravatar, album, remote or upload. The forum administrator decides to enable the avatar and select the method of making the avatar. If you can't use the avatar, contact the forum administrator.
Top
What is rank? How can I change my level?
Generally, you cannot change your rating directly (the rating is generally displayed below your user name on the reading topic page). Most forums use grades to distinguish the number of posts or some special identity of users. For example, moderators and administrators are special grades. Please do not abuse the posting function of the forum to make meaningless posts. In this case, the moderator and administrator will delete a large number of your posts and lower your level.
Top
Why do I log in when I click the user's email link?
Sorry, only registered users can send email to other users through the forum (if the administrator has enabled the email function). This is mainly to prevent anonymous users from sending spam using the email system.
Top

Posting question

How can I post a topic or reply on the forum?
To post a new topic on the forum, click the corresponding button. To reply to a topic, click the Reply button. You may need to register before you can publish an article. The list of permissions you have is displayed at the bottom of the forum and the article page (for example, you can publish new topics, you can participate in voting, etc.).
Top
How can I edit or delete a post?
Unless you are an administrator or moderator, you can only edit or delete your own posts. You can click the "Edit" button to edit a post (sometimes within a period of time after posting). If someone has replied to this post, your modification will leave a trace of modification at the bottom of the post, which will list the number and time of your modification. It will not be displayed when there is no reply, and it may not be displayed when the administrator and moderator modify it, unless they decide to leave a record to explain why they edit the post. Please note that the posts posted by ordinary users cannot be deleted by the sender if there is already a reply.
Top
How can I add a signature after my post?
You must create a signature file before you can add it to a post. You can create a signature file in the user control panel. After you create the signature file, please check on the page of posting Add signature file To add a signature. You can also select the option of adding signature files by default in your profile, so that the corresponding option will be automatically checked each time you post.
Top
How do I create a poll?
You can easily create a vote. When you publish or modify an article, if you have the appropriate permissions, you can see a "Add Vote" form at the bottom of the page. You need to enter a title and at least two options for the vote (fill in the question in the question box and click the "Add Option" button. In the text box, each option has a separate line. You can set the time limit for voting, calculated by days. If it is 0, it means there is no time limit for voting. You can limit the number of choices allowed by each user, and you can also set whether users are allowed to modify their votes later.
Top
Why can't I add more voting options?
The forum administrator specifies the number of voting options. If you feel you need more options, please contact the forum administrator.
Top
How do I edit or delete a vote?
Voting can only be modified by the creator, moderator and administrator. To edit a poll, click the first post of the edit topic. If no one has participated in the voting, the user can delete the voting or edit the voting option. But once someone has participated in the voting, only the moderator and administrator have permission to edit or delete it. This prevents some users from distorting their democratic will through later modification options.
Top
Why can't I access this forum?
Some layouts are restricted access. You need certain permissions to view, read, publish, and so on. Only the moderator and forum administrator can grant these permissions. If you have any questions in this regard, please contact them.
Top
Why can't I add an attachment?
The function of publishing attachments can be set through the layout/user/user group. The forum administrator may not allow you to paste attachments in some sections, or only allow forum administrators to publish attachments in sections. Please contact the forum administrator. If you don't know why they don't have permission to publish attachments.
Top
Why did I receive a warning?
Each forum administrator has a set of rules for his own forum. If they think you have violated the rules in the forum, they may issue a warning to you. Please note that this is the decision of the forum administrator. The phpBB developer has nothing to do with these warnings.
Top
How can I report a post to the moderator?
If the forum administrator allows you to report, please click the report button on the post you want to report, and then follow the steps prompted to complete the report.
Top
What is the purpose of the "Save" button displayed when publishing a topic?
This allows you to save an unfinished post for later posting. Please find the function of reloading posts in the user control panel.
Top
Why does my post need to be approved before it can be published?
The forum administrator may set that the forum posts must be approved before they can be published. This may also be because you are placed in the member list that needs to approve articles by the administrator. Please contact the forum administrator for more information.
Top
How can I hold up my own theme?
Click the "Jacking up theme" link. You can "jack up" the topic to make it the first article in the layout. But if you can't see this, it means that this function has been disabled or the jacking time is too short. You can also simply support it by replying to the topic. But please observe the regulations of the forum you visit.
Top

Format and Topic Type

What is BBCode?
BBCode is a special HTML implementation method. Whether BBCode can be used or not is up to the administrator (you can also disable it in the process of posting). BBCode itself is similar to HTML style, each tag uses square brackets [and] instead of<and>, and this way provides more display control. For more information, please see BBCode Help on the posting page.
Top
Can I use HTML?
may not. HTML is not allowed to post on this forum. Most of the format effects generated using HTML can be realized through BBCode.
Top
What are emoticons?
An emoticon or smiley face icon is a small picture used to express an expression. It uses a small piece of code, such as:) to express happiness, and: (to express unhappiness. The complete list of expressions can be seen in the interface of posting a post. Please do not abuse the emoticon icon in a post, which will make the post unreadable. The moderator or administrator may modify or delete your post because of this. Forum administrators may also set a limit on the number of emoticons in posts.
Top
Can I post pictures?
Yes, pictures can be displayed in posts. If the administrator allows you to use attachments, you can upload pictures to the forum. Otherwise, you must store your pictures on the online public access server, e.g http://www.example.com/my-picture.gif 。 You can't directly link pictures to your local computer (unless your computer is a server accessible to the public), nor can you link pictures to addresses that need access rights, such as your hotmail or Yahoo mailbox. To display linked pictures, use the BBCode [img] tag.
Top
What is the whole station announcement?
The announcements of the whole site contain important information, and you should read them in time. The whole site announcement is displayed at the top of each page and your user control panel. The authority to publish the whole station announcement is decided by the administrator.
Top
What is an announcement?
Announcements generally contain important information of the current page, which should be read in time by users browsing the page. Announcements are displayed at the top of each page of the layout. As with the whole site announcement, whether you can make an announcement depends on whether the administrator gives you sufficient permissions.
Top
What is the top theme?
Topped topics are displayed at the top of the first page of each page, next only to announcements. These topics are generally important, so you should read these posts as soon as possible. As with announcements, whether you can publish top topics depends on whether you have sufficient permissions granted by the administrator.
Top
What is a locked theme?
Locked topics will not be replied, and any voting will be ended. There may be many reasons for topic locking. If you are not clear about the reason for locking, please ask the forum moderator or administrator. If you have permission, you can also lock your own theme.
Top
What is a theme icon?
The theme icon is a small picture related to the theme content selected by the author. The availability of theme icons depends on the administrator's settings.
Top

User level and user group

What is an administrator?
The administrator is the user with the highest authority in the whole forum. Administrator users can control the forum from various aspects, including setting permissions, blocking users, creating user groups or moderators, and so on. Depending on the permissions granted by the forum creator, they can also have the moderator permissions of all the forums.
Top
What is a moderator?
The moderator is an independent user or user group whose job is to maintain the daily operation of each page. They have the right to edit/delete/lock/unlock/move/split topics and vote within their own forum. Generally, the moderator will prevent users from publishing off topic articles or junk articles.
Top
What are user groups?
User groups are a way for forums to manage users. Each user can belong to multiple user groups (which is different from other forum software), and each user group can set independent access rights. This makes it convenient for administrators to manage multiple users at the same time, such as the permissions of moderators, so that they can access private pages, and so on.
Top
Where is the group and how should I join a user group?
To join a user group, click the user group link in the user control panel, so that you can see all user groups. Not all user groups are open. Some need to apply, some are closed, and others are even hidden. If it is an open user group, you can directly click Join. If it is a user group that needs to apply, you need to apply to join first, and then wait for the approval of the user group leader before becoming a member of the user group. During this process, they may ask why you joined. If the application is not approved, please do not pester the user group leader, who will tell you the reason for not approving.
Top
How can I become the leader of a user group?
When the user group is created and initialized by the forum administrator, a user group leader will be set at the same time. If you are interested in creating a new user group, please contact the forum administrator by SMS first.
Top
Why can some user groups display different colors?
Forum administrators can set different colors for members of different user groups. This makes it easy to distinguish the user groups of users on the layout.
Top
What is the Default User Group?
If you belong to multiple user groups, you can set a default group to display your own user group colors and user group levels. The forum administrator can give you permission to change the default user group in the user control panel.
Top
What is a "forum team" link?
This page displays the list of management team members of the forum, including the forum administrator, moderator and the information of the forum.
Top

Private Message

I can't send personal messages!
Three possible reasons: You have not registered or logged in yet, the forum administrator has prohibited SMS messages on the site, or the forum administrator has cancelled your SMS permission on the site. If this is the last case, please contact the administrator to ask why.
Top
How come I always receive harassing messages!
You can refuse SMS messages from a user by setting SMS receiving rules in the user control panel. If you receive similar messages, please complain to the administrator, who has the right to prohibit these users from sending in station messages.
Top
I received spam emails or offending emails sent to me by members of this forum!
We are very sorry for this situation. The email system of this forum has a user sending tracking system. You should send an email to the forum administrator, and attach the complete email you have received to explain the situation you have encountered. A complete email is very important because it contains the email header information (details of the user who sent the email). They will be punished accordingly.
Top

Friends and bad friends list

What is my friends list and bad friends list?
You can use these lists to organize other users in the forum. Your friends will be listed in your user control panel, so that you can quickly check your online status and send SMS messages in the station. In addition, with the support of the template, the articles published by your friends will also be highlighted. If you add a user to the list of bad friends, his post will be automatically hidden from you.
Top
How can I add/delete users from the friends or bad friends list?
You can add users to your list in two ways. By browsing the user profile, there are links you can click to add. In addition, in your user control panel, you can directly enter the user name to add. You can also delete user entries in the list through the same page.
Top

Search Layout

How do I search for a layout?
You can search by entering keywords in the search column of the homepage or article list and article browsing. Click the "Advanced Search" link at the top of each page to enter the advanced search.
Top
Why did my search fail?
Your search criteria may be too vague, including many commonly used words that are not indexed by phpBB. You can enter more precise keywords and more restrictions to search through advanced search.
Top
Why did my search return blank!?
Your search returned too many results to be processed by the server. Please use Advanced Search to specify more criteria and keywords to search again.
Top
How can I find a member user?
Go to the "Users" page and click "Find a User". In the open page, enter the clues you need to find.
Top
How can I find my posts and topics?
Your own posts can be obtained by clicking the user control panel or browsing the "Find User's Posts" link in your profile. To find your own topic, use advanced search, and fill in your user name and other appropriate conditions to find.
Top

Topic subscription and collection

What's the difference between a collection and a subscription?
In phpBB 3.0, favorite topics are similar to bookmarks in the browser. When there is an update, you will not be prompted. In phpBB 3.1, collections are more like subscribing to a topic. When your favorite topic is updated, you will receive a notification. Subscribe. You will be notified when the topic or layout is updated. The notification options of favorites and subscriptions can be found in the user control panel.
Top
How can I collect or subscribe to topics?
To subscribe to or favorite a specific topic, you can click the "Topic Tools" bar at the top or bottom of the topic.
When replying, you can also subscribe to topics by checking the subscription option.
Top
How can I subscribe to specific sections?
To subscribe to a specific section, click the "Subscription section" link at the bottom of the page.
Top
How can I unsubscribe?
To unsubscribe, you just need to open the user management panel and click the subscription link to unsubscribe.
Top

enclosure

What attachments are allowed in this forum?
Administrators of each forum can allow or prohibit certain attachment types. If you are not sure which can be uploaded, please contact the forum administrator for help.
Top
How can I find all my published attachments?
If you want to view the list of your uploaded attachments, open the user control panel and click the attachment page link to see it.
Top

phpBB Issues

Who wrote this forum program?
This software (officially released version) is provided by phpBB Limited Make, publish and hold copyright. Follow the GNU General Public License, version 2 (GPL-2.0) open source agreement, which can be released freely. Check the link About phpBB For more information.
Top
Why is there no such and such function?
This software is written and authorized by phpBB Limited. If you think a function needs to be added, please visit phpBB Ideas Centre , where you can vote or suggest new features.
Top
Who should I contact for libel, slander and other legal matters on the forum?
You should contact the administrator of this forum. If you don't know who to contact, you should first contact the forum moderator to ask for the list of contacts you need. If there is still no reply, you should contact the owner of this domain name (use whois lookup ）Or, if the forum runs on a free server (such as Yahoo, free.fr，f2s.com， Etc.), Contact the management or service provider's violation management department. Please note that phpBB Limited never controls and in any case has no relevant responsibilities and obligations to manage the user behavior using this forum. It is meaningless to issue any legal statement (service interruption, joint liability, defamation, etc.) to the phpBB development team that is not directly related to the phpbb.com website. If you send any letter to the phpBB development team about the use of this software by a third party, you may get a brief statement or no reply.
Top
How can I contact the forum administrator?
All forum users can use the "Contact Us" form if this option is enabled by the forum administrator.
Forum members can also use the "Team" link.
Top