ProBoards Version 5 introduces a whole host of new features for your forum. As beta testers you have a lot of information to take in. We thought it would be nice to go over a few of our new features that you're sure to enjoy:
Live SearchThere is a new search box in the top right corner in many sections of the forum: When viewing a board, viewing a thread, in your Personal Messages. You can type any search term into this box and results will instantly appear on your screen.
How can we make this feature even better? We offer a new Live Search Filters system. Filters allow you to narrow down your results even further by various criteria.
Here's some examples of searches you could do:
Inside of a thread you could search for all posts containing the word "forums," posted by Patrick Clinger, created after June 20th but before June 22nd -- and your results will come up instantly.
When viewing a board you could search for all threads created by Ricky Zyvoloski that have more than 10 replies and were created before January 2010.
These are just a couple examples --
Member Search BoxDon't know a member's username? No problem! We're introducing our new Member Search Box (1). This feature allows you to type in either a persons username or their display name to find them. For example, if you wanted to send me a PM, you can type "Patrick Clinger" to find me. Results popup live on your screen (2).
Exact username matches will show up at the top of the results. So if you type "admin" my name will always be at the top, if you type "ryan" you will find Ryan Roos at the top, etc.
Then you can easily add the member to your search filters, conversations and more (3).
Like!Did you really like something that was posted, but don't feel it deserves a reply with "Me too!"? Our new Like button (1) is the way to go. Each post tracks how many likes have been made (2) and who liked what (3).
NotificationsNotifications give you quick access to important information about your account.
Do you wish you knew every time someone quoted you in a thread? How about when a new member joined your forum? Or someone mentions you in a post? We have all of these and much more!
Visual EditorDo you wish you knew what your post would look like without having to hit that Preview button? Our new Visual Editor allows you to see exactly what your post will look like while you create it!
Our editor comes with all the regular options that you are used to and even some new ones. Check it out!
Updated Attachments SystemWe've made many improvements to our attachments system:
You can now attach multiple files to a single post.
Instead of listing the attachments at the end of a post, you can insert the attachments anywhere you want.
You can opt to display or not display the thumbnail of images that are uploaded.
Avatar Maker!We have a super fancy new avatar maker. One problem people have when joining a new forum is that they don't have an avatar. We want to make creating an avatar a fun and easy process. Our avatar maker allows you to mix and match hundreds of options to create truly unique avatars. Give it a try by clicking Profile -> Edit Profile -> Avatar
Navigation TreeWe have a new navigation tree for v5. Instead of just the basic "Forum :: Board :: Thread :: Post" we now have a much more functional navigation tree. You can quickly jump to any board on the forum by clicking on the arrow next to the name of the forum. It will also show you which boards are new and which are not -- making it even easier to keep tabs on various boards in your forum.
Recent ThreadsWhen you are logged in to v5 you will notice a new link on the right side: Recent Threads. Clicking on this will bring up a small window showing all topics that you have recently participated in. The "Recent Threads" link will even display a new icon if any of your topics have been recently updated!
ShoutboxAll forums now come with an integrated shoutbox (disabled by default). This shoutbox is fully integrated with the forum. It optionally supports guest posting, allows you to edit and delete shouts, and will even live-update for 5 minutes using AJAX if you post a shout to it.
ConversationsNo longer are you limited to having only two people involved in a Personal Message. Our new Conversations system allows you to send a message to multiple users at the same time, allowing them all to participate in the same conversation. Also, we have added a new Forward Conversation option, allowing you to send a copy of a conversation to a different member.
Following and FriendsYou can now "Follow" other members on a forum. There are a few benefits you get by following a member:
If two members follow each other they automatically are labeled as "Friends" on the forum
There is a new tab in your profile called Following where you can see the activity of all the members you are following (such as topics they have participated in).
When you follow another member they will automatically show up higher in the Member Search Box than members you are not following (excluding exact username matches).
@usernameEver wanted to mention someone in a post and link to their profile? Now it's easy! We have a new @username feature to accomplish this. All you need to do is type @ followed by their username in your post. This will automatically link to this member's profile and will tag them in the post, notifying them if they have notifications turned on.
Don't know a member's username? No problem! Just hover you mouse over their display name to find out. If you're creating a new post click on the member icon to popup our Member Search Box and you can do a quick search for them as well.
This is not a complete list of new features. There are many, many new features in v5. If you haven't already, read the FAQ or go ahead and access v5!
