ForumSpark Support

It has been a really long time I have visited a different country. I would certainly like to visit a different country. I know that many people like to visit various countries every year. So, how often do you travel to different countries?

Someone was able to make a banner/header for my forum. I went to ACP = Themes = Edit Images and then I added the banner/header under "board logo". However, nothing shows up on my forum.

Hi thanks your forum is very nice simple for everyone with no skills. Can you add options when i create new forum page and put on forum menu "guest" can not see this. Must register. Menu items members and staff and forum - guest cant see. Can you add this for new item pages? Thanks

Preview

The first category is shown by default, and you can tab through the other categories with the buttons above the category.

Admin CP → Themes → Board Templates → Below the board

<script>
if (document.querySelector('div.forumlist')) {
    document.querySelector('div.forumlist').insertAdjacentHTML('beforebegin', `<div id="cat-tabs" style="margin: 1.5rem 0"></div>`);
}

const category = document.querySelectorAll('div[id^="fourm-"]');
const catTitle = document.querySelectorAll('div.category h2 a');

for (let i = 1; i < category.length; i++) {
    category[i].style.display = 'none';
}

for (const i of catTitle) {
    const tabButton = document.createElement('button');
    tabButton.type = 'button';
    tabButton.id = 'tab-' + i.parentNode.parentNode.parentNode.id.split('fourm-')[1];
    tabButton.className = 'btn btn-secondary btn-sm';
    tabButton.style.marginRight = '5px';
    tabButton.innerText = i.innerText;

if (document.querySelector('#cat-tabs')) {
    document.querySelector('#cat-tabs').appendChild(tabButton);
}
}

const tabButtons = document.querySelectorAll('#cat-tabs button');

for (const element of tabButtons) {
    element.onclick = function() {
        const forumID = 'fourm-' + this.id.split('tab-')[1];

    for (const x of category) {
        x.style.display = 'none';
    }

    document.querySelector('#' + forumID).style.display = 'block';
};
}
</script>

Just curious - does anyone here have a job on the go? If so, where do you work, and what do you do? 9-to-5, freelancing, or juggling multiple gigs, it’d be cool to hear about what you’re up to?

Looking forward to learning more about what everyone does outside of ForumSpark!

If you had the chance to visit the moon would you?

When I was working on things a year ago I started to think about theming which is one of the things I really enjoyed about forums in the past. I came across this design in my Figma account and kind of like it, perhaps one that could be finished / developed when I get around to it! :D

Spamming is one of the biggest problem most forum owners have to deal with all the time. If they are not battling bot spamming, it's going to human spamming.

How much spamming are you getting in your forum daily? How many of them are human spams?

I have been running forums for almost 9 years. Based on my personal experience, the hardest part of running a forum is getting regular posters. If you do promotion, you can easily get users but it is really difficult to get them to post regularly on your forum. It is also very difficult to get quality posters.
What is the hardest part of running a forum for you?

We’ve all made a few missteps - I know I have! Bad modifications, rushed launches, awkward rebrands, or even full-on resets. Looking back, is there anything you would’ve done differently?

Can you recall the very first forum you ever joined? Is that forum still online or is it offline? The first forum I ever joined was Glitch City Labs, a forum/website that was dedicated to documenting the various glitches in the Generation 1 Pokemon games but eventually grew to include glitches in other generations. Sadly the forum shut down in 2020, and all the conversations moved to a Discord server...

Preview

When the "Copy Code" link is clicked, it will copy all code in between the code BBCode tags.

Admin CP → Themes → Board Templates → Below the board

<script>
const code = document.querySelectorAll('code');

if (code) {
    code.forEach(element => {
        element.parentElement.insertAdjacentHTML('beforebegin', '<a href="javascript: void(0)" class="copy-code" style="float: right">Copy Code</a><br>');
    });

const copyCode = document.querySelectorAll('a.copy-code');

copyCode.forEach(element => {
    element.addEventListener('click', function() {
        element.insertAdjacentHTML('beforeend', '<div id="code-copied" class="panel" style="position: absolute; border-width: 1px; border-radius: 5px; padding: 3px; color: initial">Code Copied</div>');
        const text = element.nextElementSibling.nextElementSibling.querySelector('code').innerText;
        navigator.clipboard.writeText(text);

        setTimeout(function() {
            document.querySelector('#code-copied').remove();
        }, 1000);
    });
});
}
</script>

AForum is trying to be the home of link advertising. Anything is welcome from: forums, blogs, websites, and any other platforms. The advertising is limitless.

Link: https://aforum.forumspark.net

Hi all,

First of all, apologies for the ~ 25 minutes downtime. I ran into an issue with the PWA. Took me a bit to figure it out.

So far it's been a joy working on ForumSpark since I took over the reins from Jamie. In March we've seen over 50 new boards being created already! I still have a ton of ideas I want to bring to the platform, and I'm excited to release ForumSpark 1.3.5, which is safe to say is a pretty substantial update.

I take this work very seriously, and I'm proud to help take ForumSpark into its next chapter. Slowly but surely, we're becoming the growth and monetization infrastructure for independent communities - and this is only the beginning.

Version 1.3.5 introduces several exciting and much-needed improvements.

Discoverability (SEO Enhancements)

Running a successful community requires strong SEO behind the scenes. While ForumSpark already had a solid foundation, there were still important pieces missing. This update adds:

Sitemaps
Meta descriptions
Open Graph tags (links shared on Discord, Twitter, Facebook, etc. now show rich previews)
Structured data (helping Google understand forum content and display rich search results)
RSS feeds for forums and topics
Canonical URLs to prevent duplicate content issues
Improved Twitter card support
With these improvements, our SEO score has increased from 83 to 92!

There is still room for improvement, but I'm committed to near the 100 soon. ;) There will soon be more settings to control for you as the community admin.

Username Improvements

Usernames have received a major overhaul. The biggest change: underscores are no longer required, making usernames cleaner and easier to read. Spaces and more natural display names are now supported, which is something many of you have asked for.

Mention Improvements

Because of the username changes, mentions have been rebuilt as well. When typing @, you can now simply start entering a username and a dropdown will appear with matching members, making mentions much faster and easier.

Usergroup Banners

A bit of a traditional forum-thing. Usergroup banners are now back. Admins can assign banners to usergroups, which display under member names in posts and profiles - a nice visual touch for staff, VIPs, or any group you want to highlight.

Native Dark Mode

The entire ForumSpark platform now includes native dark mode, including the default theme. It's been carefully designed to feel like a proper dark experience rather than a quick CSS invert - every panel, every button, every element has been styled individually. This works with custom themes too.

Progressive Web Apps (PWA)

This was a highly requested feature. Every ForumSpark community now comes with a built-in Progressive Web App, allowing members to install the community directly on their device for a more app-like experience.

On Android, members will see a clean install banner at the bottom of the screen. On iOS, we show a helpful prompt with instructions to tap the Share icon and then "Add to Home Screen" - since Apple handles things a bit differently (of course).

The PWA also comes with offline support, so if a member loses connection briefly, they'll see a friendly offline page rather than a browser error.

Admins can toggle the install prompt on or off from their board settings. There is still some fine-tuning to do here. If you see something off, please report.

Push Notifications

Alongside the PWA, ForumSpark now supports real push notifications. When enabled by the board admin, members will see a gentle opt-in prompt asking if they'd like to receive notifications. Once enabled, they'll get push notifications for:

New replies to topics they're watching
Mentions
Private messages
Reactions on their posts
Achievements unlocked
Members can manage their push notification preferences from their notification settings at any time. This works on both desktop and mobile browsers.

Again, here applies the same, there is still some fine-tuning to do. If you see something off, please report.

ForumSpark Hub Updates

The ForumSpark Hub has also received a major refresh. It's now easier to explore communities, join discussions, and discover new forums. The feed is more polished, new community pages are better organized, and the overall experience is smoother across the board. You can react, reply, post topics directly to your favorite forum from the hub. And set your community's page in the Directory Listing ACP page.

The Hub also gets its own PWA support, so you can install ForumSpark Hub to your home screen as well.

Everything is better organized, fully synced, and designed with simplicity in mind. There's honestly too much to list - the best way to see the changes is to jump in and explore the Hub for yourself.

Multi-Account Enhancements

Thanks to some great feedback from the RPG scene, I've made some significant changes to the multi-account system. Members can now create and switch between aliases directly from their account. Each alias has its own profile, post history, and identity - perfect for roleplay communities, fiction boards, or any community where members want to maintain separate personas.

Admins have full control over how many aliases are allowed, and can see the link between accounts when needed for moderation purposes.

Achievements

The achievements system is now more flexible. Admins can change the thresholds and criteria types on achievements - Post Count, Topic Count, Reaction Score, Membership Years, and more. This means you can tailor achievements to better match your community's culture and activity patterns.

Search Improvements

Search is now smarter about matching content. The search engine does a better job of matching against post content rather than just titles. Still more to do here, but it's a noticeable step forward.

Smaller Fixes

• Birthday display fix
• Directory listing screenshot fix
• Various custom theme compatibility improvements

That's it for now. As always, I'm happy to hear your feedback and next improvements! ^_^

Hi everyone!

Just wanted to show off a short video showcasing the Theme Editor. It's about 95% finished and should be released in 1.3.6, though it will likely remain in beta for a few months.

The goal is to make it quick and easy to customize your forum without needing any technical knowledge.

I'll share a much deeper explanation of how the system works once it’s released.

Currently, I have two forums on Xenforo, I bought the license from another forum owners. I bought from another user because I wanted to save money. When you start a forum, do you buy license from another person (used license) to save money or do you buy from the official site?

Currently, I don't own any forum on open source platforms but in the past I have used multiple platforms including SMF, phpBB, and MyBB. I never used any premium themes and addons on my forums on open source platforms. I used free themes and addons. Have you ever used premium themes and add ons with your open source platforms? Did you like them?

Is there a way to set up a domain and use it as primary and whenever someone goes to the original subdomain that it forces the new domain name?

Frankly speaking, I have never used any free hosted forums as an owner, however, I have tried a few free hosted forums as a user. I have used Proboard, Jcink, and this one Forum Spark. I did not like Jcink, Proboard is ok and Forum Spark seems nice. If you have tried multiple free hosted forums, what is your favorite free forum hosting platform?

Preview: https://prnt.sc/7eND-kR2pgmd

Overview:
This code creates an "Information Box" component for your forum, which can be used to display key sections like links, important announcements, and affiliate information in a structured, visually separated layout.

Links Section: Displays a list of links (e.g., forum-related pages or external links).
Important Text Section: A central area where you can put announcements, rules, or any other important messages for users.
Affiliates Section: Lists affiliate partners or other external entities you want to highlight.

Customization:

• The layout is responsive and adjusts the sections’ widths. The links and affiliates sections each take up 20% of the width, while the important text section takes up 60%, ensuring the message is the focal point. But you can change this to 33% each.
• Each section has its own heading and list of items (links or affiliates) that can be easily updated.

Usage:
Where to place: The code should be placed in the theme layout between the <!-- TOPMENU --> and <!-- NAV --> comments, ensuring it displays above the main navigation but below the top menu.
Why use it: This component is ideal for displaying important information to users in a clean and organized manner, such as news, rules, or affiliate partnerships.
It’s flexible enough to be adapted or expanded based on what content you need to display to your forum members.

<br><br>
<div class="panel" style="width: 67%; margin: 0 auto; text-align: center;">
    <div class="panel__title" style="margin-top: 2px; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.75rem; font-weight: 600; text-shadow: 0 1px 0 rgba(0, 0, 0, .4);"><b>Information Box</b></div>
    <div x-show="! collapsed" class="panel__content panel__content--flush">
        <div class="forum__description" style="display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; justify-content: space-between; box-sizing: border-box;">
            <!-- Links Section -->
            <div style="flex: 1 1 20%; padding-right: 1.5rem; border-right: 1px solid #ddd; box-sizing: border-box;">
                <h3 style="text-align: center; font-size: 1.2rem; font-weight: bold; margin-top: 2px; margin-bottom: 1rem; border-bottom: 1px solid #ddd; padding-bottom: 0.5rem;">Links</h3>
                <ul style="list-style: none; padding-left: 0.5rem; margin: 0;">
                    <li><a href="#link1">Link 1</a></li>
                    <li><a href="#link2">Link 2</a></li>
                    <li><a href="#link3">Link 3</a></li>
                </ul>
            </div>

        <!-- Text Section -->
        <div style="flex: 1 1 60%; padding-right: 1.5rem; border-right: 1px solid #ddd; box-sizing: border-box;">
            <h3 style="text-align: center; font-size: 1.2rem; font-weight: bold; margin-top: 2px; margin-bottom: 1rem; border-bottom: 1px solid #ddd; padding-bottom: 0.5rem;">Important Text</h3>
            <p style="margin: 1rem; padding-left: 0.5rem;">This section contains important information for users, such as announcements, rules, or updates.</p>
        </div>

        <!-- Affiliates Section -->
        <div style="flex: 1 1 20%; padding-right: 1.5rem; box-sizing: border-box;">
            <h3 style="text-align: center; font-size: 1.2rem; font-weight: bold; margin-top: 2px; margin-bottom: 1rem; border-bottom: 1px solid #ddd; padding-bottom: 0.5rem;">Affiliates</h3>
            <ul style="list-style: none; padding-left: 0.5rem; margin: 0;">
                <li><a href="#affiliate1">Affiliate 1</a></li>
                <li><a href="#affiliate2">Affiliate 2</a></li>
                <li><a href="#affiliate3">Affiliate 3</a></li>
            </ul>
        </div>
    </div>
</div>
<div x-show="! collapsed" class="panel__footer"></div>
</div>

<style>
    /* Ensure that the sections wrap and adjust width on smaller screens */
    @media (max-width: 768px) {
        .forum__description {
            display: block;
        }
        .forum__description > div {
            max-width: 100%;
            flex: 1 1 100%;
            margin-bottom: 1rem;
        }
    }
</style>

Hi,
I was wondering how I can delete my forum, I see an option to delete my account, but I'm not sure if that's the same as deleting the forum itself. Hope someone can clarify. Thank you.

Preview #1 - Preview #2

Admin CP → Custom Content → Pages → Create page

Title: Post Bookmarks
SEO URL: post-bookmarks
Content Format: HTML
Content: <ul id="post-bookmarks"></ul>
Published: Enabled
Show in menu: Your Choice

Admin CP → Themes → Board Templates → Below the board

<script>
const bookmarkIMG = 'https://files.jcink.net/uploads/cory//stargold.png';
const replyLink = document.querySelectorAll('div.reply-link');
const postBookmarks = document.querySelector('#post-bookmarks');
let replyID = [];

for (let i = 0; i < localStorage.length; i++) {
    const key = localStorage.key(i);
    const value = localStorage.getItem(key);

if (key.includes('bookmark-reply')) {
    const href = value.split('~')[0].split('#')[0] + key.split('bookmark-reply')[1];
    const username = value.split('~')[1];
    const username2 = value.split('~')[2].split('~')[0];
    const date = value.split('~')[3];
    replyID.push(key.split('bookmark-reply')[1]);

    if (postBookmarks) {
        const li = document.createElement('li');
        li.innerHTML = `From: <a href="${href}">${username}</a> - By ${username2} at ${date}<br>`;
        postBookmarks.appendChild(li);
    }
}
}

if (replyLink) {
    replyLink.forEach(element => {
        const bMark = document.createElement('img');
        bMark.src = bookmarkIMG;
        bMark.alt = 'Bookmark This Post';
        bMark.title = 'Bookmark This Post';
        bMark.className = 'bookmark-post';
        bMark.style.opacity = '0.5';
        bMark.style.padding = '0 5px';
        bMark.style.cursor = 'pointer';
        element.appendChild(bMark);
    });

const bookmarkThisPost = document.querySelectorAll('img.bookmark-post');

bookmarkThisPost.forEach(element => {
    element.addEventListener('click', function() {
        const reply = element.previousElementSibling.getAttribute('href');
        const date = element.parentElement.previousElementSibling.querySelector('span[x-show="showRelative"]').innerText;
        const username = element.parentElement.parentElement.previousElementSibling.querySelector('a').innerHTML;

        if (localStorage.getItem('bookmark-reply' + reply)) {
            localStorage.removeItem('bookmark-reply' + reply);
            alert('Post Bookmark Removed');
            element.title = 'Bookmark This Post';
            element.style.opacity = '0.5';
        } else {
            localStorage.setItem('bookmark-reply' + reply, location.href + '~' + document.title.split(' - ')[0] + '~' + username + '~' + date);
            alert('Post Bookmark Saved');
            element.title = 'Remove This Bookmark';
            element.style.opacity = '1';
        }
    });
});

bookmarkThisPost.forEach(element => {
    const isBookmarked = element.previousElementSibling.getAttribute('href');

    if (replyID.includes(isBookmarked)) {
        element.style.opacity = '1';
        element.title = 'Remove This Bookmark';
    }
});
}
</script>

hey @Cedric can u please help me with knowing how to categories and categories?

Hi, I'm from Florida and I have been building films for a little bit, but this software is new to me by excited. It usually doesn't take me that long to learn things.

What about bringing in group icons or even user title pips/badges?

I noticed neither exist in this current build of ForumSpark? ZetaBoards used to allow for both......