The following will serve as temporary documentation for the features which have been added to net.Thread since the last revision of the documentation. Message Sort Direction ---------------------- As of version 1.0b, the administrator can now specify the direction that threads are sorted in -- least recent to most recent or vice versa. This option is controlled through the '$sortDirection' flag in the configuration file. Strict HTML Checking -------------------- Version 1.0b of net.Thread added the ability to explicitly restrict which HTML tags users can use when posting messages to net.Thread. If this option is turned on, net.Thread scans all incoming messages and automatically strips them of any prohibited HTML tags. This option is turned on and off via the '$strictHTML' option in the configuration file. It is possible to specify which HTML elements are allowed via the '@strictHTMLElements' option in the configuration file. Moderation ---------- Version 1.0b of net.Thread added full moderation abilities to net.Thread. If you turn on moderation, then all messages that are posted will be "queued" for approval from the webmaster. When the webmaster logs into net.Thread, they will be able to see all of the messages which are awaiting approval and can approve or reject each of them. Moderation is turned on or off via the $moderation flag in the configuration file. Undelete -------- Version 1.0b of net.Thread added the ability to undelete messages which were previously deleted (but not purged). When the webmaster logs into net.Thread, they will be able to see all of the messages which have been deleted but purged and can undelete any of those messages. Up Button -- ------ As of net.Thread 1.0, an 'up' button will appear that will allow users to go to the most immediate parent group of the current message. In addition, it will take you to the next highest group when you are at the top of one group. Button Bar Location ------ --- -------- net.Thread 1.0 allows you to place the button bar at the top or bottom of the screen. The location of the button bar is configured through the $button_bar_at_top and $button_bar_at_bottom variables in the configuration file. Administrative Email Notification -------------- ----- ------------ net.Thread pre1.0h adds functionality such that the administrator of net.Thread can automatically recieve e-mail each time a new message is posted. This is intended to make it easier to administer the threads. Administrative email notification is turned on and off by the $admin_notification variable in the configuration file. The list of users who should recieve the notifications is determined by the $admin_notification_recipient variable. The subject line of the notification is determined by the $admin_notification_subject variable. The sender of the notification is determined by the $admin_notification_sender variable. The body of the notification is determined by the $admin_notification_body variable. Any of these variables can contain one or more special strings which will be replaced with information specific to the last posting. The following table lists the complete set of special strings that can be used and each of their meanings. String Meaning {PostAuthor} This is replaced with the string that the user provided as their name {PostTime} This is replaced with the time that the user posted the message {PostDate} This is replaced with the date that the user posted the message on {PostSubject} This is replaced with the subject line provided by the user {PostResponse} This is replaced with the subject line of the parent message of the message {PostGroup} This is replaced with the group heading for the group the message was posted to {PostBody} This is replaced with the text of the message that was posted. Configurable Button Suppression: ------------ ------ ------------ In order to simplify net.Thread's appearance, we have provided a mechanism to suppress many of the non-essential buttons within net.Thread. These include the detail buttons ('depth+' and 'depth-'), the 'next' and 'previous' buttons, and the 'settings' button. This options are available in the configuration file generated by net.Thread pre1.0g and later. Each button or button set has a configuration variable which takes on a value of 1 or 0. A value of 1 indicates that the buttons should NOT be suppressed and should appear normally. A value of 0 forces that button to be supressed. The default value is that each button will appear normally. Configurable User Log-in: ------------ ---- ------- Based on user feedback, we have provided a configuration option specifying that users do not have to log into net.Thread at any point. If this option is used, the standard user login screen will not be displayed at any point -- users will be able to directly access the discussion forums without logging in. This does not in any way affect the behavior of password protected groups. NOTE: Since it is now possible to turn off the initial login screen as well as the detail buttons and the setting button, it is possible to create a situation in which: o Users cannot easily change thier level of detail o There is no straightforward way to log in as webmaster If you find yourself in this situation, don't despair. It is still possible to access the login screen in order to change either of these settings. You can do this by appending the string "?user=webmaster" to the URL for your version of net.Thread. For example, in order to explicitly log into the version of net.Thread running at http://www.netgen.com/cgi-bin/net.Thread.pl, you could access it at http://www.netgen.com/cgi-bin/net.Thread.pl?user=webmaster NOTE: Previous versions of the addendum incorrectly instructed the user to append the string "/login" instead of the string "/usernameform". Configurable List Element ------------ ---- ------- In order to alter the look of net.Thread, it is not possible to specify whether net.Thread should present the threads using numbered lists or bulletted lists. The particular display type used is set by the 'list_element' field in the configuration file. Password Protected Groups: -------------------------- net.Thread pre1.0b introduces password protected groups. This is ideal for internal threads or discussion forums that you want to have limited access. Any time a user tries to access a password protected field, they are prompted for the group password and are not allowed to access the group's threads without entering the correct password. Once they enter the password, they will not have to re-enter the password until they enter another password protected group. Note: When logged in as webmaster, you will not have to enter the password for password protected groups. You can add password protection to an existing group by selecting the 'Edit' button when you are at the group level and logged in as webmaster. At the bottom of this page, you should see two fields for the new password. If you enter the new password in both these fields and submit the form, the group will become password protected. In addition, you can add password protection to a group when you first create it by filling out the same fields and submitting the form. You can change the group password by choosing the 'Edit' button when you are at the group level and are logged in as webmaster. If the group is already password protected, a third field will be added to the form. Enter the old password into this field and enter the new password in the two other fields. New Formatting: --------------- The following forms were reformatted to increase the usability of the system: o Add/Edit Group o Post/Edit Message In addition, the formatting for individual messages was improved. New Configuration Options: -------------------------- The following options are now recognized within the configuration file: o $password_timeout The value of this variable specifies the length of time (in seconds) that the temporary administrative password is valid. After this duration, the password expires and the user must re-authenticate with the system. If no value is specified, the value defaults to 15 minutes. Note: It is highly encouraged that you do not use a value significantly higher than 20 minutes. While it may be a hassle to have to log in every time the temporary password expires, it is lowers the possibility of someone else using the temporary password without your knowing. o $expletive_check The value of this variable determines whether expletive checking is turned on or not. If the value is non-zero, expletive checking is turned on. If the value is zero, expletive checking is turned off. The default value is off.