SMF enables you to have separate permissions for each board, so that different membergroups can do different things on different boards. For example, this can be useful if you want users to be allowed to reply to posts, but not to create new topics in a certain board.

First you need to enable local permissions, by going to Admin > Permissions > Settings and selecting Enable advanced by-board permissions.

You can set the board to use local permissions under the Permissions by board tab. Click on the board name to add or change the permissions for each group. These permissions will only apply to this one particular board. For each board that requires custom permissions, you need to set them manually and apply them to each board.

There are some predefined profiles available, which you can see when you click on Local, which allows you to edit the permissions of the boards in the drop down "Apply Pre-Defined Permission Profile".

SMF 2.0 uses a system of permission profiles which can be created and edited at Admin > Permissions > Edit Profiles. You can then assign a permission profile to a board when you edit the board. You can use a permission profile on multiple boards.

There are some pre-defined profiles available on this page: No Polls, Reply Only, and Read Only. These cannot be modified.

One permission profile which administrators often like to create is one which limits which boards new members can post in until they have made their first post. The following steps give an example of how to create such a permission profile:

• A board needs to be created or an existing one can be used.

• Remove all posting and reply permissions from the "Regular members" group.

• Enable permissions for post count based groups (Admin > Members > Permissions > Settings > Enable permissions for post count based groups).

• Set up at least two post-count based groups, one for members with zero posts and another for members with one or more posts.

• In the post count based group for members with one or more posts, assign permissions to this group to allow posting and replies. In the zero post count group, do not allow posting and replies.

• Create a permission profile for the board on which you want to restrict the the actions of members. In this profile be sure to allow the zero post count group to be able to post and/or reply. If using SMF v2.*, remember to assign the profile to the proper board by editing the board.

After you have completed these steps, you will have set things up so that those in a post count based group with one or more posts can create new topics and reply to topics in all boards, but those that do not have that number of posts will not be able to post in any board other than the one with the profile assigned to it. It will be necessary to give posting permissions to the other post count based groups if more than two groups exist.