Message Board

Example: /playground/msgboard

The Message Board placeholder allows for threaded conversations. This placeholder can be put on multiple webpages in the CMS, but can only be published on one URL in the optional RSS feed. Security for who can do what, look and feel, and how many hits per page can all be configured. The premise that a webuser must be AT LEAST logged in in order to post is enforced; and we do not support public posts.

You must be at least an editor and security manager of at least one web service in order to create messageboards and set their properties.

Warning: Potential for abuse exists in the form of an XSS attack in uncleaned posts.

1. visit /msgboard and create a new messageboard if you do not have one.
2. Add or Edit a page in the CMS.
3. Insert the Message Board placeholder.

These styles are taken MBX style in the css file.

IF icons for the MB need to be changed, review the /files/home/sitegraphics/mb*.png files.

To create a messageboard, visit /msgboard and click 'Add Msgboard'.

Messageboard NAME can include _ but not spaces. _ characters will be rendered as spaces when the name of the messageboard prints.

You may create infinite message boards. Once you choose a name, it cannot be changed.

To setup and secure the messageboard, choose your messageboard from the list at /msgboard.

security: Who can add, edit, delete, move and is entered as (service role ID), [webuser] or [webuserid], {system role id} - and can be comma separated, and include description outside the {}[]() marks, therefore Alodia[387],SuperUser(42),securitymanagers{2} can all be on the same line.
Visit /roles?action=builder if you want to create specifics.

If a webuser is not allowed in a role for the messageboard, the icon representing that role will be omitted when the messageboard is presented to them.

uploading of graphics or files can be enabled or disabled

a user may be able to edit ONLY their post and not others

if RSS Publish Path is blank, then RSS is not published.

topics and comments are paged, and you can specify how many you want on each page.

MessageBoard Logic:

By default, the Forums List is presented when messageboard placeholder is rendered.

You must edit a forum, topic or comment in order to delete it. Therefore, if a person is to be allowed to delete something, they must ALSO be allowed to edit it.

Search is available from the Forums List, Topics List, or Comments List.

an RSS page representing RSS feeds is available from each list, and the more specific the list, the more options are presented. Therefore Comments List RSS icon has more options then Forums List RSS icon.

Forum list:

Forums are ordered by Forum group name, and then by Forum name.

Topics and replies are counted each time the Forum List is presented.

msgboard Name and msgboard description are set in the /msgboard properties page.

If webuser is an administrator of the department, the configure msgboard icon will be presented.

If the webuser is allowed to Add Forums, the Add Forum and Add Forum to this group icons will be presented.

If the webuser is allowed to Edit the Forum, the Edit Forum icon will be presented.

The Server timestamp is configured in /files/home/configuration/engine_configuration.asp with the uMessageBoardTimeZone variable.

add forum:

If group is omitted, group defaults to 'Forum'

Each Forum must be uniquely named in the messageboard.

The description is optional.

Add Forum to this group icon is the same as Add Forum, it just prepopulates the group name.

edit forum:

You can move forums to other Forum Groups by editing the the Group to be the same.

Forum name is required and must be unique.

Description is optional.

Delete Forum icon is presented if webuser has rights to delete forums.

Timestamp and Editing UserID on edit are stored in addition to when the Forum was added by who.

delete forum:

If you cancel and keep the forum, no action is performed.

If you Delete Forever, the forum, it's topics, hit counts, and their comments are REMOVED Permanently and each person's profile posts count will reflect the posts remaining the in messageboard.

topic list:

Marked (Pinned) topics are always listed first and are odered by marked graphic name. Topics List is then ordered by when topics were added, newest first.

Add Topic icon will be presented if webuser has rights to add topics.

Edit Topic icon will be presented if webuser has rights to edit topic.

Topics can be marked (pinned) with an graphic.
Topics have a Name and optional Description.

Views (hits) are calculated if someone enters a topic for the first time in a session, the number is then incremented by 1, all other visits do not increment the count.

View counts count ANYONE entering a topic, even administrators, or people that cannot post on the messageboard.

Pages of Topics are presented based on the Page variable in the MessageBoard settings.

timestamps are 'pretty' throughout, and will include day of week if within the last week.

Add topic:

Unique Topic Name for this Forum is required.

Description and first comment are optional.

edit topic:

Unique Topic Name for this Forum is required.

Description is optional.

Mark to top (pinned) graphic is optional. All marked topics show at the top BEFORE other topics, even if they have older dates they were added.

Move Topic and Delete Topic icons are presented if webuser has the security rights.

Timestamp and Editing UserID on edit are stored in addition to when the Topic was added by who.

delete topic:

If you cancel and keep the topic, no action is performed.

If you Delete Forever, the topic, hit counts, and comments are REMOVED Permanently and each person's profile posts count will reflect the posts remaining the in messageboard.

move topic:

choose another forum to move the topic to.

Comments list:

Comments are listed by when they were added, OLDEST first.

comments show user profile, first name, location (city,state), and post count

Add Comment, Quote Comment, and Edit Comment icons are presented if webuser has the security rights.

how many comments are each Pages of Comments is control in /msgboard settings.n

comments can be directly accessed directly if you click on the comment number (perma-link)

when viewing comments you can jump to the top or bottom of page with the arrows

timestamps are 'pretty' throughout, and will include day of week if within the last week.

add comment:

Comments are entered with the tinyfck editor obtained from http://p4a.crealabsfoundation.org/tinyfck

comments can be quoted, unquoted, bold, italicized, underline, strikethrough, subscript, superscript, bullet or numbered list, include links, emoticons, graphics, and HTML can be cleaned or directly edited

Depending on the Comment File upload Security setting on /msgboard, users can upload files and images to the server. If the webuser is not allowed to, the icon will still be presented, and onclick it'll just say it's not configured.

quote comment:

name and timestamp of What was quoted is auto inserted as it may change in the future if that comment is edited or they change their name.

Edit Comment:

Timestamp and Editing UserID on edit are stored in addition to when the Comment was added by who.

Delete Comment:

If you cancel and keep the topic, no action is performed.

If you Delete Forever, the topic, hit counts, and comments are REMOVED Permanently and each person's profile posts count will reflect the posts remaining the in messageboard.

Search Messageboard:

At the bottom of the forums list, topics list, and comments is an option to search.

The search returns Forums, Topics, and Comments that have those search terms in them.

RSS:

IF /msgboard setting RSS Publish Path is not blank, it should point to the primary page in the CMS where the MessageBoard is at - and RSS will be active and the RSS Icon will be presented in the Forum list, Topic list, and Comment list.

Depending if you click on the RSS icon when in forums list, topics list, or comments you'll progressively more options. If it is so desired, you can override the RSS URL to show ALL messageboards and or order results by edit date instead of date entered.

like: http://www.uccsda.org/rss/mb/all/edited/25 where 25 is how many hits you want.
or http://www.uccsda.org/rss/mb/1/edited/25 if you wanted to limit it to a specific messageboard.