Frequently asked questions

Login and registration problems

Why do I need to register at all?
Perhaps you don't have to. It is up to the site administrator whether registration is required to write messages. However, registration allows access to additional features not available to guests, such as your own avatar, sending private messages and emails to other users, the ability to be assigned to user groups, etc. Registration only takes a moment, so it is recommended to complete it.
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What is COPPA?
COPPA is an abbreviation for the Child Online Privacy and Protection Act - a law in force since 1998 in the USA, imposing on owners of websites that may potentially collect information from minors - under the age of 13 - the obligation to have the written consent of parents or legal guardians for collecting private information from persons under the age of 13. If you are unsure whether this applies to you as someone trying to register on a particular website - contact an attorney for clarification. phpBB Limited and the owners of this site do not provide legal assistance, except as provided in the question "Whom should I contact regarding abuse or legal issues related to this site?", and are not a point of contact for legal advice of any kind.
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Why can not I register?
The site owner may have turned off the registration feature to prevent new people from signing up. The site owner may also have blocked your IP address or disallowed the username you are trying to register. For assistance, please contact the site administrator.
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Registration was successful, but I can't log in!
First, check your username and password. If they are correct, then one of two reasons has occurred. The first one may be that COPPA is turned on and you were informed during registration that you are under 13 years old. Then follow the instructions sent to your e-mail address. If that wasn't the cause, your registration may not have been activated. Some sites require the registrant or administrator to activate the registration before logging in for the first time. This information was displayed during registration. If an email has been sent to you, follow the instructions in the email. If you did not receive such an e-mail, you may have entered an incorrect e-mail address or the e-mail may have been blocked by a spam filter. If you are sure the e-mail address you provided is correct, try contacting the administrator.
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Why can not I log in?
There may be several reasons. First, check that your username and password are correct. If they are correct, contact the website owner and ask if you have been blocked. There's also a chance that the problem is caused by a misconfiguration of the site hosting the forum. Please contact the site owner and let them know about the issue. He has to fix it.
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I registered a while ago, but now I can't log in?!
It is possible that for some reason the administrator has deactivated or deleted your account. Many sites, in order to reduce the size of the database, periodically delete users who have not written anything for a long time. If this happened, try to register again and be a more active and engaged user.
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I forgot my password!
Keep Calm! Although your password cannot be recovered, it can easily be reset. Go to the login page and click the link I forgot my password. Follow the instructions and you'll probably be able to log in again soon.
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Why am I being automatically logged out?
If you do not select the function during login Remember me, the website will keep information that your stay on this website will last only for the time specified by the administrator. This prevents someone else from misusing your account. To stay logged in, select the function when logging in Log me in automatically. This is not recommended if you access the site from a public computer such as a library, internet cafe, computer room at school or college, etc. If you don't see this feature, your administrator has turned it off.
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How the feature works Delete website cookies?
Function Delete website cookies deletes all cookies created by phpBB that allow the user to be authorized and logged into the site. They also provide a feature - if enabled by the site administrator - to track read and unread posts by the user. If you are having trouble logging in/out, deleting cookies may help.
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User preferences and settings

How do I change my settings?
If you are a registered user, all your settings are saved in the site's database. To change them, go to your account management panel. Here you can make changes to your settings and preferences. Link to the panel named My account it is usually located at the top of the website pages.
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How can I prevent my username from appearing in the forum browsing list?
In the account management panel, in Site settings there is a function Do not show online status. Enable this feature by ticking Roof. The username will only be displayed to administrators, moderators and you. Your presence on the site will be shown in the number of hidden users.
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Wrong time is displayed!
It is possible that the time is displayed in a different time zone than the one you are in. If this is the case, go to your account management panel and change the time zone to match your location. For example Central Europe, Africa or New Zealand. Changing the time zone, as well as most settings, can only be done by registered users. If you are not a registered user - now is a good time to register.
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A time zone change has been made and the time is still incorrect!
If you are sure that the time zone has been set correctly and the time is still displayed incorrectly, it means that the time on the server is set incorrectly. Please inform the administrator so that he can fix the problem.
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My language is not listed!
Perhaps the administrator has not installed the package containing your language version, or no one has yet translated phpBB3 into your language. Ask the site administrator if he can install the language pack you need. If a package for your language doesn't exist, you might try to create one. More information can be found on the phpBB Limited website. There is a link to phpBB Limited at the bottom of every page on this website.
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What are the pictures displayed next to the username?
On the post viewing page, two images may be displayed where user information is displayed. The first picture is associated with the user's rank. Depending on the style used, it is in the form of stars, squares or dots showing how many posts have been made by the user or what is their status on this site. It is displayed below the username. The second, usually larger image above the username is known as the avatar and is unique or personal to each user.
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How to view an avatar?
You can add an avatar in your account management panel under the "Profile" tab in the "Avatar" section using one of four methods: Gravatar, Avatar Gallery, Remote Avatar or Upload Avatar. The display of avatars and how they are displayed depends on the site administrator. If you are unable to use avatars on a particular site, contact the site administrator.
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What is a rank and how can I change it?
Ranks displayed under usernames indicate how many posts a given user has made or what status he has on the forum, e.g. moderator or administrator. Users cannot directly change the style of ranks because they are set by the site administrator. Don't post just to increase your post count and therefore your rank. Most sites do not tolerate such actions and a moderator or administrator will lower the post count of such a user.
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When trying to send an email to a user, the website asks me to log in. Why?
Only registered users can send e-mails to other users via the built-in e-mail sending form and only if the administrator has enabled this feature. This is to prevent misuse of the site's e-mail system by anonymous users.
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Writing problems

How do I create a new forum topic or post a reply to a topic?
To create a new topic in the forum, you need to press the "New topic" button, to reply to the topic, press the "Reply" button. You may need to register before posting messages. At the bottom of the forum page or topic page, a list of user permissions for each forum is displayed. For example: You can create new topics, You can add attachments, etc.
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How can I change or delete a post?
If you are not an admin or moderator, you can only edit or delete your own posts. You can change the post by pressing the button Change located on the post. Sometimes it can only be done for a certain amount of time after it has been written. If someone replied to this post, information will appear below your post how many times and when the post was last changed. This information will only be displayed if someone has posted another post under this post. If a post has been changed by a moderator or administrator, this information will not be displayed. Admins and moderators can leave a note saying why they edited this post. Regular users can't delete posts when someone has posted a new post under their post.
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How can I add a signature to my post?
To add a signature to a post, you must first create it in the user panel. To attach your signature to the message, select the function Include a signature in the message composing form. You can also add a signature to all your posts by default by selecting the appropriate function in the user panel. After activating this feature, each time you write a post, you can decide not to add a signature to it by unchecking the box in the compose form Include a signature.
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How can I create a poll?
Creating surveys is easy. When you create a new topic or change the first post in a thread, you'll see a label at the bottom of the topic creation form Create a poll. Click it and in the form that opens, enter the title of the survey and at least two options. Each option must be entered on a new line of the visible text box. You can specify the number of options that the user can choose, set the duration of the poll (0 - no time limit), and also allow users to change their previously cast vote. If you don't see the label, you probably don't have permission to create polls.
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Why can't I add more poll options?
The limit of options in the survey is set by the site administrator. If you think you need to insert more options than the allowed limit, please contact the site administrator.
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How to change or delete a survey?
Like posts, polls can only be changed by their authors, moderators or administrators. To change a poll, you need to change the first post in a thread that always has a poll associated with it. If no one has voted in a poll yet, the poll author can delete the poll or change its options. However, if votes have already been cast in a poll, only moderators or administrators can change or delete it. This prevents the survey from being modified while it is running.
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Why can not I access a forum?
Some forums may only be available to certain groups or users. To view, read, write to them, or perform other operations, you must have the appropriate permissions. Contact a moderator or site administrator to assign them to you.
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Why can't I add attachments?
Attachment permissions are granted per forum, per group, and per user. The site administrator may not have allowed attachments to be posted in the forum you are posting in, or may have granted permission to only certain groups. If you're still unsure why you can't post attachments, contact the site administrator.
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Why did I receive a warning?
Each site administrator has their own rules and regulations applicable to a given site. They are published and the administrator recommends reading them. If someone has not followed them, they may receive a warning. The administrator of the site decides whether to issue a warning. phpBB Limited has nothing to do with the warnings provided on this site and assumes no responsibility in connection therewith. If you're still not clear why you've received a warning, please contact the site administrator.
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How can I report posts to a moderator?
If your administrator has allowed it, you should see a button in the upper right corner of the content of the post you want to report. Pressing this button will take you to the form which, after filling it out, will allow you to submit your application.
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What is the button for Save in the theme creation window?
This feature allows you to save a draft and finish typing and send later. A saved draft can be loaded from the user panel.
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Why does my post need to be accepted?
The site administrator may have decided that posts in a particular forum require review before publishing. It's also possible that an administrator has placed you in a group that has posting restrictions that need to be approved by moderators before being posted on the forum. Please contact the site administrator for more information.
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How can I move my topic to the top of the topics page?
By clicking on the link Move topic up, which is usually at the bottom of the page in the topic view, you can move it to the top of the forum's first page. If you don't see a link like this, either the feature is disabled or the required amount of time has not yet passed before the feature can be used. Another easy way to move a topic to the top is to write a post in it. Please remember to follow the website's rules.
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Formatting and topic types

What is BBCode?
BBCode is a special implementation of HTML that gives you better control over the formatting of individual elements in your posts. The use of BBCode in the forum depends on the settings set by the administrator. You can disable BBCode on individual posts by checking the appropriate function in the post creation form. BBCode itself is similar in syntax to HTML, but the tags are enclosed in square brackets [example] instead of the angle brackets used in HTML . For more information on BBCode, please refer to the guide available from the post creation page by clicking on the link BBCode.
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Can HTML be used?
NO. You may not use and process HTML tags on this site. Most of the formatting that HTML provides can be achieved using BBCode.
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What are emoticons?
Emoticons, also known as smileys, are small pictures that can be used to express emotions. Short codes can also be used to express emotions, e.g. :) means joy, while :( sad. The full list of emoticons is available from the compose form. However, do not use emoticons excessively, as they can make the post unreadable and the moderator can decide to remove them or delete the entire post.The site administrator can specify the allowed limit of emojis in a post.
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Can I put pictures in a post?
Yes, pictures can be placed in posts. If your administrator has enabled attachments, you can upload an image directly to your website. If this function does not work, in order for the image to be displayed on the forum, you must provide a link to the image hosted on a publicly available server, e.g. http://www.jakas_strona.com/moj_obrazek.gif. You may not link to images stored on a private computer unless it is a publicly accessible server, or to images hosted on sites that require authorization, such as mailboxes on Gmail or Yahoo! and password protected pages. To embed an image in a post, use the BBCode tag [Img].
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What are global classifieds?
Global Announcements contain important information and should always be read. They are displayed at the top of each forum and in the user's account management panel. Global Ads permissions are granted by the site administrator.
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What are classifieds?
Announcements often contain important information about the forum you are viewing and should be read whenever possible. Announcements are displayed at the top of every forum page where they are posted. Permissions to post ads are granted by the site administrator.
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What are sticky topics?
Sticky topics are displayed below the announcements on the first page of the topic overview. They are often quite important, so be sure to read them whenever possible. Similar to posting permissions and global announcements, sticky topic permissions are granted by the site administrator.
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What are closed topics?
Closed topics are topics where users cannot post replies, and all polls within them have been automatically terminated when the topic is closed. Topics can be closed for many reasons and this is done by forum moderators or site administrators. Depending on the permissions granted by the site administrator, you may be able to close your own topics.
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What are theme icons?
Topic icons are images chosen by the author of the topic associated with posts - they suggest their content. The ability to use theme icons depends on the permissions granted by the site administrator.
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User and group ranks

Who are the administrators?
Administrators are the users or groups of users with the highest level of control over the entire site. They can control all issues related to the functioning of the site, including granting permissions, blocking users, creating user groups or moderators, etc. The scope of their powers depends on the site's founder and other administrators who have the right to nominate new administrators. Admins can have full moderator privileges on all forums created on the site. The scope of moderation rights depends on the rights granted by the site's founder.
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Who are the moderators?
Moderators are users or groups of users whose job it is to browse the forums on a daily basis. They have the ability to change the content or delete posts, as well as lock, unlock, move, delete and split topics in the forum they moderate. As a rule, moderators ensure that users write about the topic and do not post inappropriate or offensive material.
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What are user groups?
User groups are groups into which administrators divide the entire site community to make them easier to manage. Each user can belong to multiple groups, and each group can have its own permissions. Thanks to this, administrators can easily change the permissions of many users at once, grant moderator permissions or give users access to a private forum.
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Where is the list of user groups and how can I join a group?
You can see the list of user groups by opening the tab Grupa located in the account management panel, which opens after clicking the link My account. Not all groups are available to everyone. Some may require new member approval, some may be closed, and others may have hidden members. The user can request admission to a given group by pressing the appropriate button. A group request that requires new member approval must be approved by the group leader. They may ask you to explain why you want to join this group. If you receive a negative decision, please do not pester the group leader with questions - apparently he had his reasons.
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How can you become a group leader?
The group leader is usually appointed by the site administrator when the group is created. If you want to create a user group, contact the administrator by sending him a private message.
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Why are some usernames displayed in different colors?
The site administrator may have assigned a color to group members to help identify members of that group.
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What is this Default user group?
If a user is a member of several groups, their default group is used to determine what color and rank will be displayed for them by default. The site administrator can give the user permission to change the default group. Then you can do it from the account management panel.
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What is a reference Administration team?
This link takes you to the forum list page, which lists the administrators and moderators and other data such as the forums they moderated.
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Private messages

I can not send private messages!
There may be three reasons for this situation. First - you are not a registered user or you are not logged in. Second, the site administrator has disabled private messaging for the entire site. Third - the site administrator has prevented you from sending private messages. Please contact the site administrator for more information.
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I'm getting unsolicited private messages!
In the user panel, you can set the automatic deletion of messages from a given sender by specifying appropriate rules. If you receive offensive private messages from someone, please inform the site's moderators, who will be able to prohibit the user from sending any private messages.
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I have received spam or abusive email from someone on this site!
We are sorry about that. The site's e-mailing system includes safeguards to track users who send e-mails. Send the site administrator a full copy of the email you receive - it's important that the headers are included as they contain information about the sender. The administrator will then be able to take appropriate action.
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Friends and enemies

What is the friend and foe list?
This is a list that you can use to organize different site visitors. Users added to the friends list will be displayed on the tab Friends located in the account management panel. From this level, you can quickly check their status and send a private message. Depending on the site style you use, these users' posts may be highlighted. If a user is added to the enemy list, all posts written by him will not be displayed by default.
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How can I add/remove users from my friend or foe list?
You can add users in two ways. First, by clicking the link in the selected user's profile Add to friends or Add to enemies. Secondly, go to your account management panel and there on the tab Friends and enemies enter the relevant user data. You can also remove users from the lists on the same tab.
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Searching the forums

How can I search the forums?
Enter your search term into the search box on the forums list page as well as the forums and topic pages. For advanced search features, click the link Advanced search available on all pages of the site. The placement of the search engine controls may depend on the style you are using.
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Why isn't my search returning results?
Probably the query was not clearly defined and contained many similar phrases not indexed by phpBB. Accurately specify your query - use the functions available in the advanced search.
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Why does my search return a blank page?!
Your search returned too many results. Use the advanced search and try to be more specific about the passage you are looking for and the forums to be searched.
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How can I search for users?
Go to the site Users and click the link Find a user.
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How can I find my posts and topics?
You can find your posts by clicking on the link View my posts located in the account management panel or link User posts on your profile page or by selecting "Your Posts" from the "More..." menu located in the upper left corner of the website. If you want to search for your topics, use the advanced search page and use the appropriate features.
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Follow topics and bookmark

What is the difference between bookmarking and following?
Bookmarking in phpBB 3.0 works similarly to bookmarking in a browser. The user does not get a notification when there is new content in the topic. In phpBB 3.1, bookmarking is like watching a topic. You can be notified when a bookmarked topic is updated. The following feature notifies you - in a way you choose - when there is new content in the topic or forum you are following. Notification methods for bookmarks and watched items can be configured in the user panel under the "Site Settings" tab.
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How can I bookmark or follow selected topics?
To bookmark or follow a selected topic, click the appropriate link in the menu Theme tools located at the top and bottom of the thread.
Reply to the topic when the feature is active Notify when replies are posted will enable you to follow the topic.
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How to observe a selected forum?
To follow a specific forum, click "Follow Forum" at the bottom of the page.
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How do I unfollow a forum, topic?
To disable the function of following the forum, topic, go to the account management panel and then to the tab Watchers. You can disable following forums and topics here.
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Attachments

What types of attachments are allowed on this site?
Each site administrator can allow or disallow certain types of attachments. If you're not sure what types of attachments are prohibited, check with the site's administrator.
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How can I find all my attachments?
To view the list of attachments you have posted, go to your account management panel and click the link Attachments.
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phpBB related issues

Who is the author of this software?
The copyright for this software in its unmodified form, has phpBB Limited. It is published under the GNU General Public License version 2 (GPL-2.0), which in practice means that it can be freely distributed. Find out more on this page About phpBB.
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Why is feature X not available?
This software was created and licensed by phpBB Limited. If you think it's missing a feature, go to the page phpBB Ideas Centerwhere you can vote on existing suggestions or suggest new features.
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Who do I contact about abuse or legal issues related to this site?
In these matters, please contact one of the administrators whose details are displayed in the list of the administration team. However, if you do not receive a response, you should contact the domain owner - perform a check who's that or, if the site is hosted on one of the free services such as Yahoo!, free.fr, f2s.com, etc., the management or abuse department of that site. Absolutely you shouldn't within the purview of phpBB Limited and cannot in any way be held responsible for how, where or by whom this site is used. Please do not contact phpBB Limited regarding legal issues (holds and omissions, liability, defamatory comments, etc.) not directly related with phpBB.com or the phpBB software itself. If a message is sent to phpBB Limited regarding other entities using this software, no response should be expected or a laconic response will be given.
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How do I contact the site administrator2?
All users of the site can use - if this feature is enabled by the site administrator - the "Contact Us" form.
Site members may also use the "Admin Team" link.
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