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SMF User Help: Introduction


So you've arrived at this Simple Machines Forum (SMF)! Perhaps you've been looking at the board index or a screen telling you that you need to register before you can read it and you're wondering what to do next?

Well, some forums permit guests to read and post, some permit guests to read only and some are restricted to registered members. We'd recommend registering at any forum that you see yourself using regularly because many of the most useful features will only become available to you when you do so. Since SMF is such a flexible system that few forums are likely to share identical feature lists, however, we will start by describing four key areas that we'd normally expect to be there for you:

  1. The Main Menu
  2. The Board Index
  3. The Message Index
  4. The Topic

The Main Menu

Supposing you're arrived here as a guest (or have registered but are currently logged out), the main menu (which appears on every page) should normally comprise five or six buttons or text links:

Once you've registered and logged in, however, the main menu should look a little different:

Forum administrators should also note the presence of an additional Admin button.

The Board Index

While the board index (forum home page) is packed with all kinds of information and links, the core of the interface (at least in the SMF default theme) normally looks something like this:

+  Forum Name
-  Category Name
New Posts Board Name
Board Description
Number of topics and posts in this board Date, time, subject and author of last post

  New Posts  No New Posts Mark ALL messages as read


The Message Index

Like the board index, the message index interface is quite straightforward when reduced to its essential components:

+  Forum Name
|-+  Category Name
| |-+  Board Name
Pages: [1] Mark Topics as Read for this BoardNotify of RepliesStart new topicPost New Poll
Subject Started by Replies Views Last post  
Topic SubjectNew Topic Starter 0 0 Date, time and author of last post
Pages: [1] Mark Topics as Read for this BoardNotify of RepliesStart new topicPost New Poll
  Topic you have posted in
  Normal Topic
  Hot Topic (More than 15 Replies)
  Very Hot Topic (More than 25 Replies)
  Locked Topic
  Sticky Topic
  Poll
:  


The Topic

Sometimes referred to as threads, topics are where you find the actual messages:

+  Forum Name
|-+  Category Name
| |-+  Board Name
| | |-+  Topic Subject
Pages: [1] ReplyNotify of RepliesSend this topicPrint
 Author Topic: Topic Subject  (Read x times)
Author
Member Group
Post Rank Group
*
Post Count



View ProfileEmailPersonal Message (Offline)
Topic Subject
« Date and Time of Post »
Reply with quote

Here is the text of the message, which is ultimately what we're all here for! Smiley
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