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.
How do I ... / What is ... ? (FAQ with required usage privilege in parentheses)2. Using WebThread (required auth) 2.1 Create a new user login (add a new username) (adduser) 2.2 Modify your user information (user) 2.3 Read a thread (read) 2.4 "Index only", "messages only", or "index and messages" (read) 2.5 Thread info (read) * 2.6 Post a message (post) 2.7 Post to a new thread (new) 2.8 Post as html instead of plain text (post) * 2.9 Main screen, logout, new login and help buttons (read) 2.10 Unpost a message (unpost) 2.11 Links to move within a thread: first new in index, first new message, first message, last message, switch threads; and no unread messages (read) 3. New users (required auth) 3.1 Auth definitions 3.2 Set the default auths for new users (superuser) 3.3 Add a new user to the user database (adduser) 3.4 Require guests to add themselves to the user database before reading or posting (adduser) 4. Information and Auths of Existing Users -- requires superuser auth 4.1 Modify information of a user: username,password,auths,name,email 4.2 Delete users from the user database 4.3 View and modify the auths of multiple users * 4.4 Give or deny auths to all users regardless of their individual settings (masking) * 5. Manage threads -- requires admin auth 5.1 Create new threads 5.2 Designate threads as active or inactive 5.3 Delete threads 5.4 Delete posts 5.5 Ticket registry (superusers also have access to this function)
* This feature is not available in the freeware version of WebThread.
Read a Thread (link to bottom, select a thread to read)2.1 -- 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.
Top of FAQ Read a Thread2.2 -- 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.
Top of FAQ Read a Thread2.3 -- 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.
Top of FAQ Read a Thread2.4 -- "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.
Top of FAQ Read a Thread2.5 -- 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.
Top of FAQ Read a Thread2.6 -- 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.
Top of FAQ Read a Thread2.7 -- 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.
Top of FAQ Read a Thread2.8 -- 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.
Top of FAQ Read a Thread2.9 -- 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.
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.
Help: The 'help' button works differently, depending on whether you have admin and/or superuser authorization or not. If you are a normal user, the 'help' button jumps to a page which contains all of the information you need to know for using WebThread. For those users with admin and/or superuser auths, the 'help' buttons links to a page which contains the instructions on how to use every feature available within WebThread.
Top of FAQ Read a Thread2.10 -- 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.
Top of FAQ Read a Thread2.11 -- 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.
Top of FAQ Read a Thread3.2 -- Set the default auths for new users (superuser): From the main screen, click on the 'Modify global (conference-wide) authorizations' button. You will see a table with the various auths in the top row, 3 masking rows with a radio button in each square, and a 'new user default' row at the bottom with a check box in each square. The default auth settings are the usage permissions new users are given when added to the user database. Changing the default settings does not change the auths of users already in the user database.
To grant all new users an auth, just click on the 'default' box in that column so that there is a check in the box. After determining the default auths, click on the 'change' button at the bottom of the table. Be sure that 'access' is checked, otherwise the user will not be able to access the system. Typical default auths include: access, read, post, new, unpost, and user.
Top of FAQ Read a Thread3.3 -- Add a new user to the user database (adduser): From the main screen, click on the 'Add a new user' button. Fill out the necessary information on the form: username, password, re-enter password to verify, real name, and email address. Please note that each user must have a unique username, but more than one user can have the same password, name and email address. Then click on the 'add' button at the bottom. A new user is created with the default settings for auths.
If you are a superuser, you can edit the auths before clicking on the 'add' button, or immediately afterwards by clicking on the 'Edit this user's entry' button from the confirmation page. You can choose to add another user from the confirmation page as well.
Top of FAQ Read a Thread3.4 -- Require new users to add themselves to the user database before reading or posting (adduser, superuser): Create a user with username 'guest,' 'newuser,' or some other generic name, and a simple password (probably the same as the username). Grant this user the following auths only: access and adduser. This will allow the user only to login and add a new user.
Be sure to put a note asking the new user to click on the 'Add a new user' button after logging in, and then on the 'new login' button at the bottom right after adding herself to the user database so that she can log in as herself. And do not forget to put the username and password on the login screen so they know what they are.
Please note that if you use the 'masking' option to give all users a certain auth regardless of their individual settings, it will not be possible to create such a user which has only access and adduser authorization.
Top of FAQ Read a Thread4.1 -- Modify information of a user (username, password, auths, name, email): From the main screen, click on the 'Modify other users' information' button. At the bottom of the page is a list of all users in 3 list boxes: username, name, and email. They are each in alphabetical order, so the first name is not necessarily associated with the first username. There is also a text field for uid at the top left, next to the username list.
Choose the user you want by highlighting her information in any of the lists. Choose the user whose information you want to edit by either typing their uid in the uid field (if you know it) or highlighting the user's username, real name, or email address. If you chose the wrong user accidently, or chose more than one user in any of the categories, just click on the 'reset' button below to clear all of the highlights. After highlighting the user, click on the 'edit' button.
Username: To change the username, just click on the username box and enter the new username. Be sure that the username is unique (i.e., it is not being used by another user). If you try to choose a new username which is already being used, you will get an error. If this happens, hit the 'Back' button on your browser to go back to the form, and try a different username. Note that only a superuser can change a username -- not even that user has permission to do so when given the 'user' auth.
Password: It is not possible to look up a users' password because they are encypted. However, you can simply change the password to something new. Just enter the new password and re-enter it to verify that you entered it correctly. Oh, and don't forget to let the user know what the new password is.
Auths: To change the auths, just click on the various auths you want that user to have -- a check in the box indicates that the user has that auth. To revoke an auth, click on the box and the check will disappear.
Name or email: To change the name or email address, just click on the appropriate box and enter the new information.
When finished editing that user's information, enter your password (as a superuser) and click on the 'update' button. The page will be reloaded with the updated information. You can then click on the 'superuser' button to return to the 'Modify other users' information' screen, or one of the buttons at the bottom. If you do not want to change any information, simply do not click on 'update.'
Top of FAQ Read a Thread4.2 -- Delete users from the user database: You cannot actually delete a user from the user database, however you can simply deny them access to the system. To do this, first follow the directions in faq 4.1 (or 4.3) to choose the user(s), then click on the check box for the 'access' auth and the check will disappear. Technically, you do not have to revoke the other auths, such as post, unpost, new or user, but we recommend that you do anyway. Then just enter your password (as a superuser) and click on the 'update' button.
Please note that if you are using the masking feature and have checked the 'access' auth, it will not be possible to deny access to a user. We therefore recommend that you do not "give" the access auth when using masking. Rather, set the 'access' auth to "user," meaning that the user has access to the system only if their individual auth setting allows it.
Top of FAQ Read a Thread4.3 -- View and modify the auths of multiple users: Highlight the users whose auths you want to view or change. You can click on the user's information in any of the 3 lists, and clicking on the information of the same user in more than one list is not a problem. If you accidently highlist a user, just click on the 'clear' button to deselect everything across all 3 lists.
After highlighting the information of each user whose auths you want to view or edit, click on the 'change' button. You will get a table of all users you chose by username, with all auths. Just click on and off the auths for each user as you prefer. After you have made all necessary changes, click on the 'update' button and the page will be reloaded with the proper changes. You can then click on the 'superuser' button to return to the 'Modify other users' information' screen, or one of the buttons at the bottom. If you do not want to change any information, simply do not click on 'update.'
Top of FAQ Read a Thread4.4 -- Give or deny auths to all users regardless of their individual settings (masking): The masking feature allows you to temporarily override the authorization settings of users by either universally giving or denying access to a particular auth, regardless of whether the individual would typically have that authorization. The masking setting can vary independently for each of the auths. There are 3 masking settings:
give -- grant this auth to all usersFrom the main screen, click on the 'Modify global (conference-wide) authorizations' button. You will see a table with the various authorizations in the top row, 3 masking rows with a radio button in each square, and a 'new user default' row at the bottom with a check box in each square. To universally "give" or "deny" a certain authorization to all users, just click on the radio button in the appropriate column for that particular authorization. Then click on the 'change' button and the page will be reloaded with the new settings.
Note that this will not affect the default authorization settings for new users, although they too will be given or denied access as well. This is because using the masking feature does not actually change an individual's authorization setting -- it just temporarily overrides it until you change it back to "user."
Just be careful not to deny 'access' universally, otherwise even you will not be able to log in except using the 'master' username and password. (This is why you need to remember the password for master since master is always given all auths to all conferences.) On that note, you also should not "give" the 'access' auth either or you will not be able to deny access to a user who no longer should have access to that conference.
Top of FAQ Read a Thread5.1 -- Create new threads: The only way to create a new thread is to post to it. You cannot simply create a blank thread, so just use the first post to explain the purpose of that particular thread. To create a new thread, it is best to do so from the main screen. Otherwise, the thread will have a "continued from" message at the top with a button link to the original thread, and a "continued to" message on the original thread with a button link to the new thread.
Top of FAQ Read a Thread5.2 -- Designate threads as active or inactive: From the main screen, click on the 'Manage threads' button. At the top of the page are two list boxes, one labeled 'currently active' and the other labeled 'currently inactive.' Active means that users can read and post to that thread; inactive means that they cannot.
It is likely that the inactive column will not be there at first. This is because the column does not appear if there are no inactive threads. Once a thread is made inactive, the column will magically appear.
To make an active thread inactive, simply highlight the thread by clicking on it, then click on the 'do it' button below the two list boxes in the middle of the page. WebThread will reload the page and you will notice that the thread is now in the inactive list box. To make an inactive thread active, highlight the thread, and then click on the same 'do it' button. The thread will then appear in the active list box rather than inactive.
The system will let you highlight more than one thread in both the active and inactive boxes at the same time. When you click on the 'do it' button, all highlighted threads in the active box become inactive, and all highlighted threads in the inactive box become active.
Top of FAQ Read a Thread5.3 -- Delete threads: To delete a thread, it must first be made inactive. Inactive threads are also listed in the 'delete threads' list box, which is at the center of the page directly below the active and inactive columns. (Just as with the inactive column, the delete threads column does not appear unless there are any inactive threads.)
To delete a thread, highlight the thread and the click on the 'delete' button below the delete column. There is no need to actually delete the thread unless you are running out of space on your webserver unless of course you really, really want to. Note that there is no undelete feature though.
Top of FAQ Read a Thread5.4 -- Delete posts: Individual posts are deleted directly from the thread. So just go to a particular thread, find the post you want to delete, and click on the 'unpost' button which is at the top-middle of each post. Be sure to click on the appropriate 'unpost' button, or you may accidentally delete the wrong post. After deleting the post, a message will appear stating that the particular message has been unposted, who unposted it, and at what time. Note that their is no re-post button.
Top of FAQ Read a Thread5.5 -- Ticket registry: The ticket registry shows a list of all tickets that have not expired. For security purposes, a user is given a ticket for each page rather than for the entire session. The ticket expires after the user either logs out or moves on to another page (at which time they get another ticket).
A ticket will not be properly deleted if the user does not log out for some reason, or if they get an error message which requires them to log back in. When this happens, you must manually delete that ticket. While this is not a major security issue and having non-expired tickets does not affect WebThread's performance, it isn't exactly good either. So we recommend that every once in a while, be it once a day or once a week, depending on how many users you have, just go into the ticket registry and delete the old tickets.
To do this, click on the 'View the ticket registry' button on the main screen. You will see a table with the following information: uid, ticket id, age of ticket, and status of ticket. The age and status of the ticket are what is important. A ticket's age is the time since the user did something. So if the user logs in and leave herself on the main screen for two hours, the ticket will be two hours old. However, if she logged in 2 hours ago, but has spent that time reading and posting messages, the ticket will only be a few minutes old.
There are 4 status options: this, deleted, invalid, and NONE:this | your own ticket for this page; tells you it is not one you left sitting around |
invalid | ticket with a non-existent uid; should never appear since it indicates a pretty complex hacking attempt (but one that won't succeed) or a programming bug |
deleted | tickets deleted after clicking on 'Update registry list' button, formerly NONE |
NONE | nothing in status box; ticket is either being used by a user at that time, or was not properly deleted because user did not log out; can typically tell by age of ticket |
'Destroy tickets older than _ hours' -- Fill in the blank with a number (e.g., 2) and click on the button. This will delete all tickets more than 2 hours old. Two hours is a pretty reasonable age for a ticket to be deleted since it is not likely that someone is still using the system. While one hour is typically safe as well, you might logout a user who just has not bothered to log out yet.
After you have deleted old tickets, just click on one of the buttons at the bottom to return to the main screen or logout. Please note that a superuser can also access this function.
Top of FAQ Read a Thread