Getting started

So, you have arrived at a forum powered by SMF! Perhaps you've been looking at the Board Index or a screen telling you that you need to register before you can access the forum.

Some forums permit guests to read posts or even post their own messages, while other forums only allow registered members to see the posts. At some forums, many of the most useful features will only become available to you when you become a registered member. Because SMF is such a flexible system, permissions will vary considerably between forums. Here are four key areas that are normally available for you.

User Box

Just below the forum banners, logos, and titles, is a user box which contains information about you, links to unread messages, and a quick search box. The user box can generally be collapsed (hidden) or expanded (shown) using the Upshrink icon

Main Menu

Please refer to the Main menu wiki page.

Board Index

Please see Board index for further information. When the SMF default theme is used, the board index normally looks something like this:

For information on how to read threads and posts in board index, please see How to view unread posts and replies.

Message Index

Please see Message index and How to navigate the message index for further information.

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As a regular user

• Getting Started
• Registering
• Posting
• Searching
• Notifications

• Profile
• Logging in
• Personal Messages
• Help

• Bulletin Board Code (BBC)
• Calendar
• Memberlist
• How to view unread posts and replies