Smf - Asta Style! - Forum systems are go!

So your not too happy with your current Bulletin Board System or are just wanting one, well this guide has insructions on setting up SMF in a very astahost way.

First you need to actually find and learn about SMF, you can see there forum at http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php youll see its working blindingly fast. It can handle a lot more and that has be proven, for instance a Liverpool FC fan club, look at the stats at the bottom next what about a brimmingly full forum http://www.40konline.com/community/index.php again look at the stats.

Themes? (SMF has its own Theme Engine)
http://www.simplemachines.org/community/in...p?topic=15620.0
Also a link worth checking: http://smf.oldiesmann.us it has all 83! Themes for looking at!

Smileys?
http://www.penthesilea.ch/yabb-smiley-sets/

Integration?
http://www.simplemachines.org/community/ssi_examples.php <- For your own site
Mambo Integration Available
MKportal Integration Available
Coppermine Gallery

Mods? (Heres the most popular)
Global Forum Annoucement - http://mods.simplemachines.org/index.php?mod=78
Download Center - http://mods.simplemachines.org/index.php?mod=72
Shop Mod - http://mods.simplemachines.org/index.php?mod=65
Banner Manager - http://mods.simplemachines.org/index.php?mod=61
Custom BBcode - http://mods.simplemachines.org/index.php?mod=48
ARCADE - http://mods.simplemachines.org/index.php?mod=36
Experience bar - http://mods.simplemachines.org/index.php?mod=34

Price:
FREE!
Well considering the lead developer said he would leave if they dared to charge for it

Anyway lets install

Get the package from http://www.simplemachines.org/download.php get the bz2

Now go into cPanel, open the file manager option then click the folder icon next to public_html then click the button that says "Create new folder" at the top and then name it whatever you wish, then click the folder icon next to it.

You should be in a new screen, click the upload files text, then click the browse button and select your SMF download (The Bz2) or other compressions if you chose any other. Then click upload (It will take about a minute) and it will upload your file in a compressed archive rather than extracted which is making upload faster and upload all at once, doesnt need to be FTP which upload 1 file at a time.

You will see that it has uploaded the file, now click on the files name, a side menu will load and at this menu click the "Extract file contents" option and it will pop open another window that lists the extracted files. Now click delete file on the archive and then click the trash can.

Now close the file manager window, and click on mysql option and scroll to "Create MySQL database" in the box type in a new database name. and then close that window too.

Now goto your forums address, http://you.astahost.com/SMF and you will see the SMF installer, because we didnt FTP some of the chmod settings are wrong so SMf will fix them for us.
PROCEED!

Change the RED with your info

Server: localhost Port:21
Username: yourastacpanelusername
Password: yourastacpanelpassword
Install Path: should be right: /public_html/smfdirectory

Forum Name: My Community
Forum URL: http://www.you.astahost.com/smfdirectory
And then tick the two boxes below, it would be stupid not to!


MySQL Server Name: localhost
Username: cpanelusername
Password: cPanelpassword
Database name: (The database we created remember?) you_dbname
Prefix: smf
PROCEED!

Your Username: YourAdminName
Password: Makeapassword
Password: enetersameasabove
Email Address: you@gmail.com
MySQL Password: cPanelpassword

PROCEED!

Then click "Click here to see your new forum" and its there, now to get rid of that horriblered box, log into FTP and delete the file in the SMF directory "install.php"

And now you have a forum

Part 1: Installing
Part 2: Managing boards
Part 3: Some settings that are best
Part 4: Themes, Smileys, and mods
Part 4: Memebers, Member Ranks/Groups/Permissions

Any questions? Please ask
Support for SMF: www.simplemachines.org

 

 

 

Comment/Reply (w/o sign-up)

Good tutorial. I think I'll try smf on my site with your instructions.

I don't know if you got your extra hosting credits or not. All I did was approve your tutorial. NilsC or OpaQue, can you give him the hosting credits?

Comment/Reply (w/o sign-up)

You did

Comment/Reply (w/o sign-up)

OK. I installed the forum on my site, and it looks SOOO much better than phpbb and invision. I'm gonna go configure it some more now.

Comment/Reply (w/o sign-up)

Managing Boards - Part 2

So you've got your forum set up but thats not enough, you need to make the boards to talk in, you need to split up the conversations and get everything organised so now what you do is open your forum using your URL.

Log In -> Click "Admin", enter your forum usernames password to get into the admin panel.

Whoa, thats a lot to take in at first, no dont scrap it, I assure you its one of the easiest to use for anything.

On the side there is a menu that says "Forum Controls" look inside that box for "Manage Boards" and click it.

First lets kill the stuff thats already there, click on "Modify" which is next to General Category and in the page it loads, click "Delete Category" and on the next page, click confirm.

Now your back at the Manage Boards screen, click new category, in the full name box, call it whatever you want, and if you want users to be able to hide that category tick the box. Once it returns you back, click new category again, where it says Order, select where you want the second category "In First" or "After X" and then again click "Create Category". Repeat as many times as you want, but remember we've still to add boards to this forum.

In your first category click Add Board, you can change its category when creating it if you feel its neccessary, name the board and then give it a description. In allowed groups, tick who you want to be able to see it. In moderators if you have more members put in someones name and then they can, edit/modify/delete posts in that board. Dont put yourself as a moderator as admins can do this anyway. The count posts box can be ticked or unticked and if you want this board to have its own theme, select one. Finnaly click "Add Board"

Now a child board, as you are in the mange boards option, click add board again, this time where it says order, select "child of" and then select which board will be the parent, flll in the rest as above and then click add board.

Now if you click home you will see a forum that has a category, a board and in the description it says child boards and lists them, click on the parent board and inside the child boards are listed at the top. Click home again now theres an arrow at the side of the category name click it. Then click the arrow next to the home button and then it minimises the clutter on your screen and makes it easier to use, click the arrows again to undo.

That is basically the process of adding boards. Private boards arent created by boards but rather by membergroup, more on that soon.

Part 2

 

 

 

Comment/Reply (w/o sign-up)

Very good Tutorial.

Thank you for adding it to the collective knowledge here at astahost.


-William

Comment/Reply (w/o sign-up)

Im planing on dealing with some of the smaller features next, like news and such and howto do some really cool/funny things with them.

Comment/Reply (w/o sign-up)

Yay, I have created my foum with my own skin! Thanks, Trekkie! The forum looks Incredible!

Comment/Reply (w/o sign-up)

Looks cool, imagine getting a link one day and by the end of the day having made your own theme for the system. Well done, also have a look in index.template.php

Youll find its just HTML with VERY DIRT simple php, infact you dont need to know the php just C&P it.

Comment/Reply (w/o sign-up)

Heh... I've made themes for Invision Boards before, so I've had the experience. And your tutorial led me to other tutorials that taught me how to theme it. I'm gonna make a really small link to my forum here.

Comment/Reply (w/o sign-up)