Forum FAQ

This area is updated by the moderators only and is to inform all forum users about the rules, guidelines, and to answer some frequently asked questions.
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rdearman
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Forum FAQ

Postby rdearman » Wed Dec 30, 2015 3:59 pm

  1. Why can't I send a private message?
  2. Why can't I update my profile?
  3. I had trouble answering the silly questions for joining the forum, why are they so strange?
  4. I notice some people have their progress bars attached to their messages. How is this done?
  5. I lost my post because of automatic log-out, what can I do?
  6. How can I see a continuous version of a thread? Or print a thread for later reading?
  7. The system says my profile image is too big, what is the size limit?
  8. I want to create a poll to go along with my topic, how do I do that?
  9. Sometimes I get an error: SQL Error: Too many connections [1040] what does this mean?
  10. How can I get the forum as a RSS newsfeed?
  11. Can I promote my book/software or other language related material?
  12. Where can I get more information about using the forum software?
  13. Why are my posts moderated?



Why can't I send a private message or update my profile?
This is an anti-spam setting configured on the forum. Because spammers have historically posted links into profiles, or send spam via the private message system these functions have been restricted to members who've posted to the forum a number of times. This is currently set to 3 posts, but could change depending on the level of spam removed by moderators and administrators of the forum. While this restriction isn't ideal, it does keep a lot of "drive-by" spammers out of the system.

Why can't I update my profile?
Same reason as above, it is an anti-spam setting on the forum, and you'll be allowed after a few posts in good standing.

I had trouble answering the silly questions for joining the forum, why are they so strange?
The questions asked when you join the forum are specifically designed to be answered by a human and difficult for a computer to answer. This is another anti-spam procedure and at least ensures all our spammers are humans.

I notice some people have their progress bars attached to their messages. How is this done?
You can put progress bars in your signature by going to User Control Panel -> Profile -> Edit Signature. At this point you can enter something like to following BBCode. The second and third example work better for aligning several progress bars.

Code: Select all

[progress=Default Progress Bar]9/14[/progress]
[progress= ]2/5[/progress] Progress Bar Two:
[progress= ]8/163[/progress] Progress Bar Three:

Default progress bar: 9 / 14
: 2 / 5 Progress Bar Two:
: 8 / 163 Progress Bar Three:
Remember that you'll need to have permission to edit your profile, see question 2 if can't edit your profile.

I lost my post because of automatic log-out, what can I do?
We have tried to make the forum as user friendly as possible but still there are some issues which can't be overcome, mostly due to inherent flaws in the nature of the Internet and the forum software. The forum software has a timeout on the time to submit a form which is 7200 seconds, or 2 hours. So if it takes you longer than two hours to write it, you might lose it. If you are writing something which is going to take you a long time, we recommend you write it locally on your machine in a text editor and then copy and paste it.

Or try using the Save Draft button (or the Preview button) below each editing window periodically when working on a longer post. Finally there is some software which works with your browser to save your posts called Lazarus, Lazarus is great and can save your drafts from destruction. It's available at least for Chrome and Mozilla/Firefox. Users of other browsers may want to check your extension site.

How can I see a continuous version of a thread? Or print a thread for later reading?
You can view a thread continuiously and print it by using the "Print view" in the "Topic tools" drop-down menu (just look for the little arrow next to the spanner icon).
Image
There is an outstanding bug with this forum software which only allows you to see a limited amount of the thread. This means for very long topics you'll not be able to view all the pages.

The system says my profile image is too big, what is the size limit?
Avatar images are set to a limit of 400x600. Currently the forum software will not "auto-scale" your image, so you'll have to do it manuallly. There are websites which will do this for free. One such site is: http://www.picresize.com/.

I want to create a poll to go along with my topic, how do I do that?
When you create a new topic you have the option to create a poll. Below the submit buttons you should have tabs for options/attachments and polls if it is the first post in a new topic. Before you submit your topic, simply fill out the poll information in the tabs. Note that you won't be able to change the poll after at least one vote has been given.

Sometimes I get an error: SQL Error: Too many connections [1040] what does this mean?
Because the forum is currently hosted on a shared hosting platform we occasionally have problems with the number of connections to the shared database. The hosting company has upped the number of allowed connections and this error is much more rare than before, but may still arise on occasion. We are investigating different hosting options, but for the moment this is the most cost effective hosting we have.

How can I get the forum as a RSS newsfeed?
You can subscribe to feeds from this site by going to:
http://how-to-learn-any-language.org/feed.php
However your rss subscription software will need to support authentication because you'll have to use your username and password to get the feed delivered to you.

Can I promote my book/software or other language related material?
Yes you can do some self-promotion to our members, but spam and other questionable promotions can and will be deleted at the moderator’s discretion. To avoid having your promotion deleted by a moderator, you should read our promotion guidelines here: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=1592

Where can I get more information about using the forum software?
The things covered in this FAQ are specific to Language-Learners.org, but if you have a question about the software itself, changing passwords, booksmarks, formatting, your profile, etc. then you can find all that information in the phpBB faq which is on a little button at the top of the page, or you can click the link here: http://forum.language-learners.org/faq.php

Why are my posts moderated?
If you are a new user, we've recently implemented a system where all new user posts are approved by the moderators. This is because of a large number of spam messages. Although it is painful for you, and extra work for the moderation team, we feel it is necessary to keep our forum spam free. Don’t worry, legitimate messages will always get through, once you’ve moved from new user to registered member your posts will be published without interference.
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