Practical Caravan Forum Features Guide

[SHaines]

Hey all,

Thanks for being part of the Practical Caravan & Practical Motorhome communities! With our upgrade to Xenforo forums there are new tools available for the community so please check out the links below to learn more.

If you're having trouble understanding a feature, but don't find a guide posted below, please post a request for one as a new thread here.

Changing the appearance of the forums

Changing the time zone setup for your forum account

Adding/changing your forum avatar

Adding a profile banner image

Direct messages with other forum users

Click here for the Practical Motorhome section of the forums

Using Spoilers & Inline Spoilers

 

[SHaines]

Each user can change the time zone for their own account.

1. Click your username in the upper-right of the forums
2. Select the option Account details
3. When you're on your account page, select Preferences on the left side of the screen
4. Select your time zone from the drop-down menu
5. Click the Save button at the bottom of the page

 

[SHaines]

Here are the steps for changing your forum avatar picture.

1. Click your username at the top-right of the forums
2. Hover over your current avatar
3. Click Edit
4. Select Browse and find the file you want to use on your PC.
5. If you don't have the image handy, try finding it via Google, if it's an image from online. If it's a personal image, you will need to track it down to upload it again.

 

[SHaines]

Looking to send a message directly to another forum user?

1. Click the envelope icon in the upper-right corner of the forums to access Conversations
2. This will list any previous direct messages you've received and give you the option to Start a new conversation
3. When starting a new conversation, type the forum username of the person you want to reach in the Recipient field
4. Enter a Title (exactly like using email)
5. Type the content of your message in the big text field below the title
6. Click the Start Conversation button at the bottom of the page to send your message

Want to block a user from contacting you directly?

1. Click the envelope icon in the upper-right corner of the forums to access Conversations
2. Select the conversation from the user you want to block
3. Click the Leave button that appears at the top of the conversation
4. The default option here is to allow the user to start a new conversation, if they'd like, but select the radio button next to Ignore future messages to prevent future contact

 

[SHaines]

Understanding Spoiler & Inline Spoiler formatting.

For many, the "spoiler" text option is something not nearly enough people use online. This is a great way for folks who have seen a movie on opening night, or who got to watch a football match live to talk about what they saw, without ruining the experience for those who may not want to know yet.

Using the Spoiler option:

1. Type the text you want, just as with any other post
2. Using your mouse, highlight the text you want to hide behind a spoiler tag
3. Click the downward facing arrow next to the Emoji icon in the toolbar above your text
4. Spoiler: Step 4

   Select the Spoiler option from the menu to hide your selected text

Creating an Inline Spoiler:

1. Type the text you want, just as with any other post
2. Using your mouse, highlight just a few words in the middle of a sentence
3. Click the downward facing arrow next to the Emoji icon in the toolbar above your text
4. Select the Inline Spoiler option from the menu to hide just a few words in the middle of a sentence

The difference is fairly minimal. The Spoiler option is good for paragraphs that go into detail about a specific thing, but Inline Spoilers are good for just hiding a specific bit of content in the middle of a single sentence.

You'll note in the Spoiler option that the 4th step is separated from the rest of the list. This is because the full spoiler text is formatted to stand alone and does not work well in the middle of formatted text, while the Inline Spoiler blends in seamlessly.

 

[SHaines]

Xenforo forums come with some very helpful features, but one stands out to me for being painless but incredibly powerful: changing themes. You can swap the theme with nothing more than your mouse, so it couldn't be easier.

1. Login to the forums and scroll down to the bottom of the page
2. In the lower-right corner of the forums you'll see a box with the forum name in it: Practical Caravan
3. Click the forum name to open the Style Chooser
4. Pick the style you want to use
   1. This style is visible only to you
   2. Practical Caravan - Dark is my personal favorite
   3. You can change this as often as you'd like

 

[SHaines]

Adding a Profile Banner Image​

Some folks may want to add some customization to their forum profiles, which is easy to do using Profile Banners.

1. When logged into the forums, double-click you profile image to go to your profile page​
2. Click the Edit profile banner button​
3. A pop up window appears where you can Browse your computer for a saved image to use​
4. Once you've selected a profile banner, click the Okay button on the preview to save the image​
5. This image will appear for any users who visit your profile page​

See an example of a profile banner here.