Quick Start Guide Ramui Forum Script

Ramui forum script is a very simple PHP forum script both for the administrator and for the users. This article will guide the forum administrator that how to install and manage Ramui forum script.

Installation

Like all other Ramui software Ramui forum script also includes an auto installer script which allows webmasters automatically install this script on the web server. Here is the step by step guide that how you install this script on your web server.

Open the index page on your browser window to start installation. An installation form will appear asking your database information and your login information. You shall use this login information to login your admin control panel. Carefully fill that form and submit it. After successful installation you will be prompted to save a copy of data you provide in the installation form. Please save it at your local computer and keep a hardcopy. Also a copy of your login information will be send to the email address you provide. So do not use any fake email address.

Script Settings

Ramui Forum Script Settings

After successful installation the most important matter of Ramui forum script is the script settings. The entire behavior of the forum is actually depends on the parameters set by the administrator at the settings page. So after logging-in into the script control panel open the settings page. Please be careful in selecting data in this page. Here is a small introduction of each field in the settings page.

  1. Title: It is the default title of your website.
  2. Description: Default Meta description of website.
  3. Keywords: Default Meta Keywords of website.
  4. Max. Post Size: It is the max. Character count limit for every user post and comments.
  5. Comment per Page: It is the Max. Number of comments appears on single page, i.e. if a post has 10 replies and Comment per Page is set to 6 then the first page will contain only 6 replies along with the post and remaining 4 replies will go to the next page.
  6. List per Page: It is the max. Number of post title listed per page when a user is browsing a forum. The most recent post will come at the top of the list.
  7. Allow users to edit their post and comments: Uncheck this option if you do not want to allow users to modify their submissions latter. But users have opportunity to resubmit their post messages within 15 minutes of submissions.
  8. Automatically approve user post and comments: If this option is checked then user submitted messages will be published immediately after the submission. Otherwise administrator has to approve manually every message posted from the script control panel. Auto approvals actually encourage users but also encourage the spammers to post spam messages.
  9. Allow user to email from this board: If checked registered users can't contact other users via email from your website. Please uncheck this option if your hosting provider disable PHP mail function.
  10. Allow user to use signature: A signature in message forum is actually one or few lines of text or linked text. Many forum scripts also allow putting images as signature. Linked signature is actually a very popular method to build backlinks among the webmasters. Ramui Forum Script only allows using 3 lines of text or linked text. It also sets an optional threshold level before appearing signature. If checked then user-signature will appear at the end of every message posted by the users.
  11. Allow user to attach files: Allow or disallow users to add file(s) as attachment with their messages.
  12. Attachment Details: Attachment Details define the limiting values of user attachments. Apart from these limiting values there are few factory setting limiting values. They are,
    1. The max. File size which can be uploaded is 1000kb.
    2. The max. Number of files that can be attached with a message is 6.
    3. Only gif, jpg, jpeg, bmp files will be treated as image files and displayed over browser windows. All other file types, even zipped file itself will appear as zipped attachment.
    4. It is strongly recommended that do not to allow script files, e.g. php, js, etc. to upload as attachment.
  13. User access attachments: This option defines how the attachments appear to the unregistered users (commonly known as Guest). Recommended value is "Guest can view message but can't download other files".
  14. Link Detail: Link Detail defines,
    1. Max. Number of links allowed in a message;
    2. Max. Number of links in signature; and
    3. No. of user post before signature appear: This is the threshold value before appearing signature below the user messages. After publishing that many numbers of messages (post or comment) signature will be published.
  15. Link Relation: Link Relation defines the relation property (nofollow or dofollow) of the links in user messages and signature below it. Dofollow links encourages the users in regular posting messages because they improves search engine ranking of the linked sites. But at the same time it also encourages the spammers to post spam messages. In my opinion choose the option "Add nofollow attribute to the links within body text" only.
  16. Select template: Select your template of choice from all available templates of your script. Detail of template handling is given here.
  17. User registration: User registration defines two key terms about new user registration.
    1. Verify user email address: If you select this option every time whenever user input a new email address a verification email will be sent to confirm that email address.
    2. Disable new user registration: If you select this option users already registered with this board can login but new users can't register themselves to your board.
    3. Block spam registration: If you select this option then a user can%u2019t re-register him with different user name within 48 hours of registration.
  18. Blocking website: A very useful feature of Ramui forum script is the ability of blocking the entire website from the setting page of script control panel. The forum will be still fully accessible to the administrator as long he / she has logged in as administrator. This feature is really useful when administrator editing script template or doing experiments with the board.

Forum posting

Ramui forum script allows only the registered users to post a new message. So the script administrator must create one or more user account to submit few messages on the empty forum.

Email settings and auto responder

Ramui forum script includes an auto responder script. Whenever viewer sends a message auto responder quickly responses to that message by sending a reply email. Script administrator can set the body of the reply email. Here is a quick reference about Email settings and auto responder.

Quick reference: email form
SubjectWrite the subject of your message in one line.
FromWrite the sender email from where the the message is being delevered. This email address may or may not be a real email address. Common example of such email address are noreply@your-domain, support@your-domain, etc.
Reply toWrite the sender email address where receiver may reply. It must be your real email address.
MessageWrite your message body here. The character limit of message is determined by the max. message size under email settings.
 Sometimes you may require to keep a copy of the message for future reference. There is a option to send a message copy to your email address. Receiver could not be aware that whether you keep a copy or not.
Quick reference: email settings
Max. message sizeUse numeric value between 100 to 2000 which will be used to limit email body for entire scope of this script.
Default fromSame as From field. Autoresponder will use this email address as sender email address.
Default reply toThis email address has not much significant, only appear on your email form as default value.
Autoresponder messageWrite few lines of text to be sent as immediate response to the message sent by your viewers; Use variables
%%SENDER%% = Sender name;
%%EMAIL%% = Sender email;
%%MESSAGE%% = Message sent by user;
 As an administrator or webmaster you have an option to turn off autoresponder from delevering message. Please check the option if you require so.