HELP: Using WebThread (user)

Please note that you should not use the 'Back', 'Forward', or 'Reload' buttons on your browser when using WebThread. This will cause an error if you try to click on a button on any but the current page, and you will then have to login again. Rather, use the buttons WebThread provides for navigating.

Please note that you may not have authorization for all of the features listed below.

How do I ... / What is ... ? (FAQ with required usage privilege in parentheses)
  1. Create a new user login (add a new username) (adduser)
  2. Modify your user information (user)
  3. Read a thread (read)
  4. "Index only", "messages only", or "index and messages" (read)
  5. Thread info (read)
  6. Post a message (post)
  7. Post to a new thread (new)
  8. Post as html instead of plain text (post)
  9. Main screen, logout, new login and help buttons (read)
  10. Unpost a message (unpost)
  11. Links to move within a thread: first new in index, first new message, first message, last message, switch threads; and no unread messages (read)
Read a Thread (link to bottom, select a thread to read)


1. Create a new user login (add a new username) (adduser): Log in using the given name and password. At the bottom of the main screen (the first page you see) under the heading 'Other functions', click on the 'Add a new user' button. There are 5 forms on this page: username, password, re-enter password to verify, real name, and email address.

You can choose your username and password. While you can change your password later, you cannot change your username, so be sure to choose something you will remember. Usernames and passwords can be anything, including numbers, except the following characters (: ; > < & "). Both are case-sensitive, meaning that if you use capital letters, they are different from lower-case letters, so you must remember this when logging in. Please note that each user must have a unique username, but more than one user can have the same password, name and email address.

Choose your username and password, then re-enter your password to verify that you entered it correctly. Below the username and password fields, you will also see a list of auths, which are usage privileges. Here are auths you might be granted and what each allows you to do:

   access   login
   read     read threads
   post     post a message to an existing thread
   new      begin a new thread (i.e., post message to new thread)
   unpost   unpost your own messages
   user     modify your own user information: name, email, password

Below the auths are the real name and email fields on the form. Enter your name and full email address. The system assumes your name is entered in 'first last' order. Again, please do not use any colons. After completing the form, click on the 'add' button at the bottom. A new user is created with the default settings for auths and you are sent to a confirmation page which tells you whether your entry has been accepted. If you get an error message, the message will tell you what is wrong.

There are a few reasons you might get an error, such as the username is already being used or your password and re-entered password were not the same. If you get an error, just click on the 'Back' button on your browser to back up to the form, and fix the incorrect field. If the username is already being used, just choose a new one. If your password and re-entered password were not the same, just re-enter both of them. Then click on the 'add' button again.

If your entry was accepted, the message will say that a new user with your username has been added to the user database with the default authorization settings. Now just click on the 'new login' button at the bottom-middle of the page to login as your newly-added self. This will send you back to the login screen to enter your username and password.

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2. Modify your user information (user): From the main screen, click on the 'Modify your user information' button. You will see a screen similar to the screen you initially used to sign up for your own username. Then change the information you want, including password, name and email address. Please note that if you change your password, you must re-enter it to verify that you have entered it correctly. Also, you cannot change your username (although a superuser can).

When you are done updating the information, just enter your password at the bottom and click on the 'update' button. If you changed your password, you must still enter your old password at the bottom. The screen will reload with the updated information, and you can then click on the 'main screen' or 'logout' buttons.

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3. Read a thread (read): After logging in, the first option will be 'Read a thread.' Choose the thread you want to read, whether you want to view index and/or messages, and then click on the 'read' button. The threads are listed in order of creation, with the newest threads at the top. Please note that messages are listed in order from oldest to newest, putting the newest messages at the bottom of the thread.

To switch to a different thread while reading an existing thread, simply scroll to the bottom of the thread and choose the thread you want to read. At the top of each thread, there is also a link, 'Switch threads,' which links to the bottom of the thread where you can choose to read another thread, or even reload that thread.

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4. "Index only", "messages only", or "index and messages" (read): The index is a table with information about each post in that thread. It contains the user's real name, the summary, and the date of the post. To the left of each entry in the index is a number which links to that particular message below in the thread.

index only only the index of that thread and not the actual messages
messages only only the messages and not the index
index and messages both, with number of each index entry linking to actual message below

Please note that it is not possible to add the messages to the page if it has already been created with 'index only.' Likewise, you cannot simply add the index if 'messages only' was chosen. You must re-load the thread by going to the bottom of the thread, choosing to read that particular thread again, choosing 'index and messages,' and then clicking on the 'read' button.

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5. Thread info (read): Thread info is a separate page with a table of all threads in that conference, the date of the first and last posts in each thread, and the total number of posts in each thread. It is useful as a quick way to see if any new messages have been posted to any threads since your last login, or if any new threads were created.

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6. Post a message (post): To post a message to the thread you are reading, simply click on the 'summary' field to enter the summary of your message, then click on the large text area below to type your message. Click on the 'post' button below the text area to submit your message. The page will then be reloaded with your new post.

There may also be an option to post to a new thread, but do not choose this option unless you wish to create a new thread. To post to that particular thread, be sure that the radio button next to 'Continue in the current thread' is selected. And it is not possible to post a message to an existing thread unless you are reading it. Also, when you are at the main screen and therefore not reading a thread, you will only be able to post a message to a new thread.

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7. Post to a new thread (new): From the main screen or from an existing thread, at the Post form, click on the radio button next to 'Begin a new thread named.' (When reading a thread, it will be below 'Continue in the current thread.') Enter the name of the thread you want to create in the field to the right. Then just enter your summary and message, and click on the 'post' button as you normally would.

Please note that clicking in the box to type the new thread name does not automatically switch the radio button. You must switch the button manually, otherwise your message will be posted to the thread you are reading rather than to the new one you wanted to create.

If you create a new thread from an existing thread, the new thread will contain a note that it was "continued from" another thread as well as a button to jump back to that thread. And your post on the original thread will contain a note saying it was continued to a new thread, with a button link to the new thread. So if you want to create a new thread without having the 'continued from ... ' message, simply create the new thread from the main screen. At the main screen, you are not reading a thread, so the new thread is not continued from an older one.

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8. Post as html instead of plain text (post): It is possible to post your message in html format. This allows you to include a hypertext link or picture, or simply spruce up your message with bold, larger fonts, or other editing. To do this, click on the list box which says 'text' at the right of the summary line (above the message box) and choose 'html.' While the system will ensure that all tags are closed, only users who are familiar with html should choose this option.

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9. Main screen, logout, new login and help buttons: At the top and bottom of each thread, and the bottom of all other screens, there are 4 buttons: main screen, logout, new login, and help (in that order).

Main screen: The main screen is the first page users see after logging into the system. For users, it allows you to read an existing thread, view the summary of all threads (thread info), begin a new thread, and edit your own user information. You need to return to the main screen for two reasons: 1) to edit your own information; and 2) to create a new thread which is not "continued from" an existing thread. For users with admin or superuser authorization, the main screen also contains additional buttons necessary to maintain the system.

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Logout: To log out, click on the 'logout' button. Logging out is important to ensure that another user (or hacker) cannot pretend to be you if you are not the only person who uses your computer. If you are unable to log out because your computer crashed, you were disconnected, or you just plain forgot, simply log back in real quick and then log out again.

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New login: The 'new login' button automatically logs you out and returns you to the login screen. It is useful if you just added yourself to the user database and want to login as your newly-added self or your computer is used by multiple users

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Help: The 'help' button brings you to this screen. (Of course, you probably figured that out already.) The 'help' page contains all of the information you need to know for using WebThread. Please note that you may not be authorized to use some of the features listed in this help screen.

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10. Unpost a message (unpost): To unpost one of your own messages, simply click on the 'unpost' button which is at the top-middle of all of your messages. When your message is unposted, your summary and message will be replaced with the following: 'message unposted by user at' some date and time.

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11. Links to move within a thread (read): At the top of each thread are up to 5 links:

first new in index link to index entry of first message posted to that thread since you last read it
first new message link to first message posted to that thread since you last read it
first message link to first message of thread
last message link to last message of thread
switch threads link to 'read a thread' option at bottom of thread

If there are no new messages, the 'first new in index' and 'first new message' links will be replaced with 'no unread messages.' When viewing index only, there will be no 'first new message', 'first message,' or 'last message' links. When viewing messages only, there will be no 'first new in index' or 'first message' links.

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