SMF2.1:Warnings

Work in progress, expect frequent changes.

The Warnings System is an optional feature which forum administrators can use to penalize users who have not followed the forum's rules. There are 2 different pages of options which control this system. First, Members menu > Warnings allows administrators to enable this system, and set the values which control the features. Both admins and moderators can issue warnings on Member Profile page > Actions menu > Issue a Warning. If the warning system is not enabled, there will be no such page to issue a warning in member profiles.

Warning System Settings

This allows administrators and moderators to issue warnings to users, and can automatically remove user rights as their warning level increases. These penalties are accomplished by enabling these features, according to the values set for the options, as described below: Watch a member, Moderate all of a member's posts, and Mute a member.**

To enable the Warnings System, admins must check the box Enable user warning system on the page, Members menu > Warnings, and then click the Save button. To take full advantage of this system, check the box Members menu > Permissions > Post moderation > Enable Post Moderation, then click Save Changes button. If you do not enable post moderation, then the penalty, Moderate all of a member's posts, will not be available.

After enabling the warning system, 7 more options will appear below:

• Warning level for user watch - This is the warning percentage which triggers a user Watch to be put in place. Set on 0 to disable this option.
• Warning level for post moderation - This is the warning percentage which causes all of a member's post to be moderated. Set on 0 to disable this option. This will override other board moderation permissions which may exist.
• Warning level for user muting - If a member acquires this warning level, they will not be able to post any messages. Set on 0 to disable.
• Maximum user warning points per day - This level is the highest percentage which a moderator can add or remove to/from a member in a 24-hour period. Set to 0 to disable this option.
• Warning points that are decreased every 24 hours - This is the warning level by which a member's warning level is decreased every 24 hours.
• Users who can see any warning status - Click on "Select permissions for each group" to choose which groups will be allowed to see anyone who has been given a warning.
• Users who can see their own warning status - Click on "Select permissions for each group" to choose which groups will be allowed to see their own warning status.

**Reminder to either explalin these 3 features, or link to a page where they are described.

Issue a Warning

If administrators have enabled this feature, then moderators or admins can issue warnings by clicking on a member's name, to open their profile. On their profile page, click Issue a Warning in the Actions menu. Here you will find the following options:

• Warning Level - Use the slidebar to set how strong you want the warning to be. As you slide it, you will see something like "Result: 25% (User will be added to moderator watch list.)" just below the slidebar. This is a calculation according to the settings which the admin chose on the Members > Warnings page.
• Reason for Warning - This is a required field. Explain the reason for the warning.
• Send a Notification - Check this box if you want to send a PM to notify the member of their warning.
• Notification Subject - You can keep the suggested title "You have received a warning" or type your own title for the message.
• Notification Message - From the dropdown menu, you can choose from three pre-composed message templates: Spamming, Posting Offensive Material, and Insulting Users/Staff. Or if you click New Template, you can create a custom template of your own. Or you can just type a unique message in the field below the menu.

You can use the Preview button to preview your message. When you have all the options filled in, click the Issue Warning button.

At the bottom of this page is a table titled Previous Warnings. It shows who issued each prior warning, when it was issued, the reason for the warning, and the warning level.