A member's profile includes many key details about the member and can help them manage their own personal forum preferences. A member may also have the option to write their own signature, upload an avatar, and enter personal contact information. Usually, other members of the forum will be able to view your profile unless the admin disallows this permission.

A member viewing their own profile will find a lot of differences when comparing their profile to that of other members, unless they are an admin or have been granted the required permissions.

An administrator will see members' profiles in the same way as the member would see their own profile, with even more settings than those which the member would see themselves. This allows the admin to control all of the settings of any member.

The profile is broken down into three categories of settings and options which are described below.

Profile Information

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he Summary screen (in the section Profile Info) displays basic forum information about a member, as well as any additional information that they may wish to share. An SMF forum may be customized extensively by its administrator(s), so the information displayed may vary greatly between forums.

A member may view their own profile summary at any time simply by selecting Profile from the main menu. A member may view another member's profile summary by selecting the member's name wherever it is displayed on the forum. The following is commonly displayed.

• Display Name - A member may choose a display name that is different to their username. The Display Name appears next to a member's posts in the forum, so it is the name that is visible to the public. After registering at a forum, the display name is usually set to be the same as the username, but you can change this in the section Profile > Account Settings. Change the text in the field Name and then click on Change profile at the bottom of the page in order to save.
• Membergroup - If a member has been assigned a primary membergroup, it is displayed. Otherwise, their post-based membergroup is displayed.
• Communication Icons - If a member provides information for various communication methods such as email, web site, ICQ, or AIM, it will be displayed in the form of icons.
• Online Status - If a member has not chosen to hide their online status, it is displayed.
• Add To Buddy List - If the forum administrator(s) have enabled buddy lists, members may add each other as buddies.
• Send PM - A member may send a private message to another member.
• Show Posts - All of the posts of a particular member.
• Show Stats - A member may view various stats related to another member.
• Username - A member uses their username to login. This entry is listed only when members are viewing their own profile.
• Posts - The forum keeps track of the number of each member's post, as well as an average per day.
• Email - A member may choose to hide their email, in which case it is not displayed.
• Custom Title - If a member has been given a custom title, it is displayed.
• Karma - If Karma has been enabled by the forum administrator it is displayed.
• Personal Text - If a member has chosen to enter personal text, it is displayed.
• Gender - A member may choose not to disclose their gender, in which case it is not displayed.
• Age - If a member has filled in their birth date, their age is displayed.
• Location - If a member has chosen to disclose their location, it is displayed.
• Warning Level - If a member has been warned it is displayed to administrators, and also to moderators who have been assigned the necessary permissions.
• Date Registered - The forum remembers when each member first registered.
• IP and Hostname - This is displayed to administrators, and also to moderators who have been assigned the necessary permissions.
• Local Time - Since a member may be from any part of the world, their local time is displayed.
• Language - This is displayed if it has been enabled by a forum administrator.
• Last Active - The forum keeps track of when a member was last active.
• Signature - If a member has created a signature, then it is displayed here.
• Advanced profile fields - If this core feature has been enabled by the administrator additional custom fields may appear on the profile summary.

Note that when using the side menu certain items such as Show Stats and Show Posts will appear in this side menu rather than in the profile summary.

Show Posts

All of the posts of a particular member, excluding those that have been removed, may be viewed by selecting Show Posts from the member's profile info summary. There are three formats that can be used:

• Messages - A list of all the member's individual posts is displayed.
• Topics - A list of the first posts from each of the topics that the member started is displayed.
• Attachments - A list of all the attachments the member has uploaded is displayed.

Show Stats

The profile stats screen may be viewed by selecting Show Stats from a member's profile info summary. Some interesting information may be found here:

• Total Time Spent Online - The forum keeps an approximation of the total amount of time each member has spent browsing the forum.
• Total Posts - Excluding removed posts, the forum calculates the total number of posts made by each member.
• Total Topics Started - Excluding removed topics, the forum calculates the total number of topics started by each member.
• Number of Polls Created - Excluding removed polls, the forum calculates the total number of polls created by each member.
• Number of Votes Cast - Excluding removed votes, the total number of votes cast by each member.
• Posting Activity By Time - The forum calculates the percentage of posts made by a member in each hour of the day.
• Most Popular Boards By Posts - The forum generates a ranking of the boards most posted in by the member, relative to the member's total post count.
• Most Popular Boards By Activity - The forum generates a ranking of the boards most posted in by the member, relative to the board's total post count.

Show Permissions

This page is shown only to members who are in membergroups that are allowed to manage permissions. The page shows all of the permissions the member has, along with the boards that the member cannot see. By means of the drop-down list, it is possible to see which permissions a member has for a specific board.

Track User

These pages are only available to those in membergroups granted the permission to Moderate forum members.

• Activity - Here, you can view the Most recent IP address used by the member, along with the IPs used in messages, IPs used in error messages, and members possibly in the same range. Below that are any error messages caused by that member.
• IP Address - Here, you can track the member's current IP address (or type in a different one) and do things such as view Whois records and view other members from the same IP/range. Also you can view messages posted at the IP/range entered and view errors caused by members from that IP/range as well.
• Profile Edits - This section provides a list of certain actions undertaken on a user's profile, along with the date and the author of the change. To be able to see this information the Moderation, Administration and User Logs option must be activated in the Core Features section.

You must login after registration and after being logged out of a previous visit. You have the choice of the normal login screen, and the quick login options.

The Login Screen

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This is the screen you see when you use the "Login" option of the main menu. It is also the first thing you will see in any 'members only' forum.

• Username - The member's username.
• Password - The member's password.
• OpenID - The member's OpenID. This is only displayed if it has been enabled by the forum administrator.
• Minutes to stay logged in - The number of minutes the browser cookie will last before expiring.
• Always stay logged in - Prevents the browser cookie from expiring.

When using a shared computer, a member probably should not stay logged in for a long time or check the "Always stay logged in" option, unless they remember to log out when finished. Leaving an account logged in on a shared computer makes it vulnerable to use by someone other than the member.

The Quick Login

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An SMF forum may be configured to allow login from any page. This is called Quick Login. In the default theme it is located in the top, left corner of each page. Other themes may place it in different locations. If Quick Login is disabled or cannot be seen, the login screen can still be accessed from the main menu.

The session length drop-down menu corresponds to the "Minutes to stay logged in" option from the main login screen. Similarly, selecting "Forever" in this drop-down menu is the same as checking the "Always stay logged in option" on the main login screen.

Password Reminder

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If a password is forgotten or lost, it can be reset by selecting the Forgot your password? option from the login screen. The username or email address for the account is requested to begin the password reset process.

If a member has not set a secret question, an email containing a password reset link is automatically sent to the member's email address. Clicking on the link allows the member to choose a new password. If a secret question has been set, they will be given the option of receiving the email or answering their question. Members may create or change their secret question in Profile > Modify Account > Account Settings

After answering the secret question correctly, a member may choose a new password. The password takes effect and can be used to login immediately.

Logging out

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When you have finished browsing the forum, you may decide to logout by selecting the Logout option from the Main Menu.

When a user sets up an SMF forum, or wishes to join another SMF forum, they should register an account. This will enable them to maintain a consistent identity while posting and keep track of what they have read, no matter where they are working from or what computer they are using. They will be able to fill out a personal Profile and use the built-in Personal Message system. They will also be able to subscribe to e-mail notifications, monitor their forum activity and more.

When and How to Register

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Certain forums may choose to restrict access to the full forum or selected areas, allowing only registered members to view the content. A guest should register when they wish to participate in forum discussions, visit a forum frequently, and access members-only areas and benefits.

A guest is any person or web spider that is not logged into the forum. Once a person registers they become a member, although they will still show up as a guest until they log in.

Members may have access to profile and notification options that are unavailable to guests, although these options may vary, depending on the permissions which have been set by the forum administrator. Members can also be placed in membergroups, made moderators or administrators, given special permissions and access to members-only areas. Being able to send personal messages, receive forum emails, and post new polls and topics are some additional benefits that may be available to members of the forum.

A guest may register at any time by simply selecting the register option from the main menu.

Most forums require a guest to accept a registration agreement before the registration process can begin. By checking the option I Agree, a guest consents to comply with the agreement throughout the duration of their membership. Some forums may also incorporate a minimum age into the agreement process.

Upon arrival at the registration screen, a guest is requested to enter a username and a valid email address. Failure to use a valid email address may hinder registration, depending on how a forum is configured.

The option to choose an authentication method is only shown if OpenID is allowed by the administrator as a registration option. If OpenID is not allowed, then a password must be entered.

A form of visual verification may be present in order to confirm that a guest is actually a person and not a bot. This verification may be requested in two ways - CAPTCHA and custom questions. The CAPTCHA method displays an image containing a random collection of letters, which a guest must enter into a text field. The custom questions method displays one or more relatively simple questions, which a guest must answer correctly. A forum may be configured to use both methods at the same time.

Once a guest completes the registration form, there are three possibilities for what is displayed next based on how the forum is configured.

• Login - If registration is immediate, the new member will be automatically logged in after completing the registration form.
• Activation - If a message about email activation is displayed, the new account must first be activated before login. An email with instructions how to proceed is sent to the new member's email address.
• Approval - If a message about member approval is displayed, the new account must first be approved by an administrator before login. An email acknowledging the new member is sent to their email address. Another email may be sent later to inform them whether or not their application has been approved.

Activating a New Account

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If a forum is configured to require email activation before login, an email will be sent to the email address provided at registration. The username and activation link are displayed in this e-mail. Selecting the activation link activates the member's account and prompts them to login. If a problem occurs with the activation link, the email also provides an activation code that can be used to complete the process. Note that a link to reset the password may be included in this e-mail, depending on the activation method enabled on the forum.

If a member attempts to login before completing the activation process, an error will be displayed noting that their email address must be validated. A Need another activation email? link is also displayed in case the email has somehow been lost.

Welcome to Shades Web Designs & Custom Logos, powered by Simple Machines® Forum (SMF) software!

SMF® is the elegant, effective, powerful and free forum software solution that this site is running. It allows users to communicate in discussion topics on a given subject in a clever and organized manner. Furthermore, it has a number of powerful features which end users can take advantage of. Help for many of SMF's features can be found by either clicking the question mark icon next to the relevant section or by selecting one of the links on this page. These links will take you to our centrally-located documentation on this site.

• Registering - Many forums require users to register to gain full access.
• Logging In - Once registered, users must login to access their account.
• Profile - Each member has their own personal profile.
• Search - Searching is an extremely helpful tool for finding information in posts and topics.
• Posting - The whole point of a forum, posting allows users to express themselves.
• Bulletin Board Code (BBC) - Posts can be spiced up with a little BBC.
• Personal Messages - Users can send personal messages to each other.
• Memberlist - The memberlist shows all the members of a forum.
• Calendar - Users can keep track of events, holidays, and birthdays with the calendar.
• Features - Here is a list of the most popular features in SMF.

For more information about how to use SMF, please see the Simple Machines Documentation Wiki and check out the credits to find out who has made SMF what it is today.

Hey folks! I just added 20 more new logos to the store making a total of around 400 to choose from and they're still only $10.

With this great deal you get:

Your choice of one logo from the store customized with your company name or name of your choosing. Your $10 purchase will get you the following...

• 1x.gif
• 1x.jpg
• 1x.png
• 1x background color of choice
• 1x transparent .jpg or .png

Click here and select your logo today for only $10!

Thanks for letting me design your logos! I do custom logo and banner designs as well so just get in touch with me and let me know what you need!

Thanks,
Shades

Quote from: tapwag on November 27, 2022, 12:24:30 PMWe had a small private roleplaying convention today and I invited the community to sign this thank you thread at:

https://forum.greifenklaue.de/index.php?topic=12830.msg179986#new

I also made a small private donation to your PayPal account.

Thank you very much, it is very appreciated and I'm glad you like it!

Thanks,
Shades

We had a small private roleplaying convention today and I invited the community to sign this thank you thread at:

https://forum.greifenklaue.de/index.php?topic=12830.msg179986#new

I also made a small private donation to your PayPal account.

Theme Updated

1. Version 2.1.3 : 11/27/2022
Updated Theme for SMF 2.1.3

Theme Updated

1. Version 2.1.3 : 11/27/2022
Updated Theme for SMF 2.1.3

Theme Updated

1. Version 2.1.3 : 11/27/2022
Updated Theme for SMF 2.1.3