Forums

The Forum from the Learner's Perspective

Forum - Introduction

Forums are used for communication. In forums, you can discuss and exchange information with other users.

In a forum, the discussion is organized into different topics to which posts are made. It is not necessary that all participants are present in the forum at the same time. ILIAS displays posts in chronological order: Topics with new posts always appear at the top of the topic list. This ensures that contributions to older topics are not lost.

Whether you participate with your contributions to existing topics, open new topics, or read along depends on your requirements, wishes, and authorizations on the ILIAS platform.

The effort you put into a good forum contribution is worth it: Since contributions can still be viewed years after publication, visitors can benefit from them later.

The forum from the teacher's perspective

Forum - Introduction

Forums are used for communication. In forums, learners can discuss and exchange information with each other. Teachers and tutors can also help with questions. Since posts can be viewed years after they are posted, visitors can benefit from them later. So as a teacher, you can save a lot of work by offering a well-moderated forum.

In a forum, the discussion is organized into different topics on which posts are made. It is not necessary that all participants are present in the forum at the same time. ILIAS displays posts in chronological order: Topics with new posts always appear at the top of the topic list. This ensures that contributions to older topics are not lost.

Whether participants participate with their posts on existing topics, open new topics, or read along depends on their requirements and wishes but also their authorizations on the ILIAS platform. As a forum moderator, you can control the course of the discussion.

Learning and teaching with forums

Forums can support teaching and learning processes in different ways:

• Open discussion of all participants: teachers and learners can independently open new topics and publish contributions. This is the most common use case, as it is known from numerous Internet forums. If desired, you can set up the forum to allow users to post anonymously. On the one hand, this can hurt the quality of contributions, but on the other hand, it can lower the barriers to participation.
• Discussion of predetermined topics: Only the instructor can open new topics in this case. Other users can post to the given topics, but cannot create new topics. This can help clarify the forum and focus the discussion on the learning subject.
• Information sharing (FAQ): In this case, only the instructor has write permission for the forum. He can create new topics, for example, to answer frequently asked questions about his course or to provide materials. Other users cannot post in the forum.

Moderation in the forum

All ILIAS forums have at least one moderator.

The moderator can move or even censor posts, close threads, and enforce compliance with discussion rules.

The moderator is especially important when

• there are a large number of users in a forum posting contributions and/or topics,
• the discussion culture suffers and persons (groups) are insulted,
• the discussion does not get going, or the requirements are unclear.

To make users moderators, open the Moderators tab and follow the instructions.

Reading topics and posts

Overview of topics in the forum

You want to read a topic in the forum. All new posts are marked in bold; they are "unread".

1. In the forum, open the tab Topics.
2. ILIAS shows you all topics that are discussed in this forum.
3. Click on the title of the desired topic.
4. ILIAS opens the topic and the related posts.
5. Choose a different view if necessary:
   - In the Sort by Posts tab, you can see how the posts relate to each other.
   - In the Sort by date tab, all posts in the topic are listed from oldest to newest. You cannot see who has replied to whom.
6. If you have read a post, mark it as "read" so you don't have to look at it again. The new posts will always catch your eye if you always do this. In the ▼-selection menu to the right of the post, select the entry
7. Mark as read.
   You can also mark all posts in a topic as read: In the ▼-selection menu above or below the table, select the entry Set all to read.

Sort topics

ILIAS allows you to sort posts by top topics.

Prerequisite: The function "Manual sorting of top topics" is activated.

1. Navigate to the Topics tab in the forum.
2. Click on the Posts title in the table header to sort them in ascending or descending order.    
   Note: ILIAS now sorts the forum topics based on the number of posts.
3. Click on the title Visits in the table header to sort them in ascending or descending order.    
   Note: ILIAS now sorts the topics of the forum based on the number of visitors to the posts.
4. Click on the title Last post in the table header to sort in ascending or descending order.    
   Note: ILIAS now sorts the posts from current to old or from old to current.
5. Click on the title Ratings in the table's header to sort them in ascending or descending order.    
   Note: ILIAS now sorts the posts based on the best and worst ratings of the posts.

Note: You cannot use all functions at the same time. You must choose one way of sorting.

Set all topics to read.

So that you don't have to skim through all the posts to see if there is anything new, ILIAS displays in red how many new or unread posts a forum or topic contains.

The best way to use this information is to reset this counter regularly. Then, the next time you visit the forum, you can see which new posts have been published since then. To do this, you need to set all topics in the forum to read (if necessary, even if you have not yet opened them, for example, because a topic is not interesting to you).

You want to mark all topics as read.

1. Open the Topics tab in the forum.
2. Click the Set all to read button.
3. ILIAS marks the topics and posts as read and reports, "All topics have been marked as read."

Read topic offline

You can read a topic without an active Internet connection if you have previously downloaded it as an HTML file.

You want to download a topic as an HTML file.

1. Open the Topics tab in the forum.
2. Activate the checkboxes to the left of the topics you want to download
   Optional: You can select two or more topics if you want. In the ▼-selection menu above or below the list of topics, select Export as HTML file.
3. Click the Execute button.
4. ILIAS generates the HTML file.
5. Your browser opens a window to download the HTML file.
   Note: Depending on your browser and operating system, you can also open the file directly in the browser, print it or save it as a PDF using the print function.

Mark contribution to further work

You can mark a read contribution as unread. This can be a reminder if you want to refer back to it later.

1. Open the Topics tab in the forum.
2. Select a topic in the table.
3. ILIAS loads a new page.
4. In the ▼-selection menu to the right of the post, select Mark as unread.
5. ILIAS reloads the page and displays the post in bold as unread.

Print posts

You want to print forum posts. You can print individual posts or print all of them.

Print all

1. Open the Topics tab in the forum and click on the topic you want to print.
2. Click the ▼-selection menu next to the New post button and select the Print topic entry.
3. ILIAS creates a printer-friendly display of the posts and opens the print dialog.

Printing a single forum post

1. Open the Topics tab in the forum and click on a topic there.
2. In the post, you want to print, click the ▼ selection menu and select the Print option.
3. ILIAS creates a printer-friendly representation of the post and opens the print dialog.

Discussing your contributions

Replying to a contribution

You want to add a new post to an existing topic in the forum.

Note: To post a contribution that does not relate to an existing topic, please follow the instructions for adding a new topic.

1. Open the Topics tab in the forum and click on the topic to which you want to add a post.
2. ILIAS will open a new page displaying the selected topic.
3. Click the Reply button to the right of the post you want to reply to.
4. ILIAS opens a new page with two input fields.
5. In the Title input field, enter the desired title for your post.
6. In the Your contribution input field, enter your contribution.
   Optional: To add a file to your contribution, click the button next to Attach the file.
   Optional: To be notified when new posts are made to this topic, select the Notify me when a post is sent checkbox.
7. Click the Save button.
8. ILIAS saves your contribution and reports, "New contribution has been submitted".

Delete or change your contribution

You want to delete your contribution.

Note: Deleting a contribution also deletes all direct replies to the contribution.

1. Navigate to the desired topic and post in the Topics tab.
2. Click the Delete link to the right of the desired post.
3. ILIAS will ask you to confirm the deletion.
4. Click the Confirm button.
5. ILIAS deletes the post and reports, "Post has been deleted".

You want to change your own already published contribution.

1. Navigate to the desired topic in the Topics tab.
2. Select the desired post.
3. Click on the ▼-selection menu to the right of the contribution and select the Edit option.
4. ILIAS opens a new page where you can make the desired changes.
   Note: The button's name varies depending on the operating system and browser.
5. Click on Save
6. ILIAS applies the change and reports, "Post has been edited."

Contributions as draft

ILIAS allows you to save individual posts of a topic in a forum as a draft. With this function, you can continue working on a post anytime without starting your work from scratch.

You want to save a post as a draft.

Prerequisite: The function to save drafts has been activated by a moderator in the settings.

1. Open the Topics tab in the forum and click on the topic to which you want to add a draft.
2. ILIAS opens a new page on which all posts on this topic are displayed.
3. Click the Reply button to the right of the post you want to reply to.
4. ILIAS opens a new page with two input fields.
5. In the Title input field, enter the desired title for your post.
6. Enter your contribution in the input field Your contribution.
   Optional: To add a file to your contribution, click the button next to Attach the file.
   Optional: To be notified when new posts are made to this topic, select the Notify me when a post is sent checkbox.
7. Then click the Save as draft button.
8. ILIAS reports, "The draft has been saved successfully". The draft is displayed below the last post in the pink background color—the number of existing drafts updates. The bottom pink post is the most recent draft.

You want to edit a post as a draft.

1. In the Topics tab, navigate to the desired post.
2. Next to the desired draft, click ▼-Selection Menu and select the Edit option.
3. ILIAS opens a new page displaying the selected post, which you can now edit.
4. Click the Save as draft button.
5. ILIAS reports, "The draft has been saved successfully".

Note: If the autosave function is activated, the message in which time intervals the draft is automatically saved appears below the draft mode.

Alternatively: Click the Publish button to add the post directly to the forum.

You want to remove a post as a draft from the overview again.

1. Navigate to the desired post in the Topics tab.
2. Click next to the desired draft on the ▼-selection menu and select the Delete option.
3. ILIAS asks, "Are you sure you want to delete this draft".
4. Click the Confirm button.
5. ILIAS reports, "The draft has been successfully deleted".

You want to publish a post as a draft.

1. In the Topics tab, navigate to the desired post.
2. Click the Publish button next to the desired draft.
3. ILIAS reports, "New post has been submitted".
4. The draft will now be displayed as a post, and the number of existing drafts will update.

Create contribution anonymously

ILIAS allows forum members to post anonymously without using their real names. This function is helpful if you don't want posts to be traced back to your person.

Prerequisite: The function "Post in forums with the pseudonym" is activated.

1. Navigate to the Topics tab in the forum.
2. Click on the button New topic.

Alternatively: Click on the desired topic on the Reply or New post button.

1. ILIAS opens a new window.
2. Enter your pseudonym in the input field Your name.
3. Enter your desired title in the Title input field.
4. Enter your contribution in the input field Your contribution.
   Optional: To add a file to your contribution, click the button next to Attach the file.
   Optional: To be notified when new posts are made to this topic, select the Notify me when a post is sent checkbox.
5. Click the Save button.
6. ILIAS reports, "New contribution has been entered".

Note: The contribution will no longer appear under your real name in the overview but under the pseudonym you used.

Being notified about new contributions

Putting a forum on your desktop

You want to put a forum on your desktop always to have quick access to it.

1. Open the desired forum.
2. Open the Actions menu at the top right of the forum title.    
   Note: You can access the Actions menu from any forum page.
3. ILIAS opens a▼ selection menu.
4. Select the entry Put on desktop.
5. ILIAS places the forum on your desktop and reports, "The object has been placed on the desktop."

Notification (de)/activate

You want to know when other users post new items in a forum, but you don't want to have to log in to ILIAS for that. Let yourself be conveniently notified by e-mail. ILIAS generates a notification and sends it to your normal mail address.

Prerequisite: Notifications and mail forwarding are enabled on your ILIAS installation. If this is not the case, please get in touch with your system administrator.

Note: Notifications may already be enabled depending on your instructor's settings.

1. Open the Actions menu at the top right of the forum title.    
   Note: You can access the Actions menu from any page of the forum.
2. ILIAS opens a selection menu.
3. Select the entry Start notification for this forum.
4. ILIAS activates the notification feature and reports, "You will be notified of new messages in this forum."    
   Note: You can also tell that the yellow color of the small bell next to the Actions link enables notification. If notification is not enabled, the bell will be gray.

You no longer want to be notified about new posts in the forum.

Note: Depending on the forum owner's settings, notifications may not be able to be disabled. In this case, the entry will not be displayed in the Actions menu.

1. Open the Actions menu at the top right of the forum title.    
   Note: You can access the Actions menu from any forum page.
2. ILIAS opens a selection menu.
3. Select the entry Stop notification for this forum.
4. ILIAS disables the notification feature and reports, "You will no longer be notified of new messages in this forum."    
   Note: You can tell that notification is disabled by the gray color of the small bell next to the Actions link.

Creating or rating topics

Adding a new topic

You want to create your discussion. Create a new topic in the forum.

1. Open the Topics tab.
2. Click on the New Topic button.
3. ILIAS opens an input field.
4. Enter a meaningful heading for your topic in the text input field Topic.
   Note: The title should briefly and concisely state what the topic is about.
   In the next text input field, enter your contribution.
   Note: This will be the first post on your new topic.
5. If necessary, click the button next to Attach File.
   Note: This can be useful for sharing and discussing images and documents.
6. If necessary, select the Direct Notification checkbox.
   Prerequisite: Forum notification has been activated on your ILIAS installation and forum.
   
   Check the General Notification checkbox to be notified by email when a new post is created on your topic.
   
   Note: Even if it does not directly relate to your post.
   Select the Direct Notification checkbox to be notified by email when a direct reply to your post is created.
7. Click the Create button.
8. ILIAS saves the new topic and reports, "New topic has been entered".

Topics as draft

ILIAS allows you to save individual topics of a forum as a draft. With this function, you can continue working on your topic anytime.

You want to save a topic as a draft.

Prerequisite: The function to save drafts has been activated by a moderator in the settings.

1. Open the Topics tab in the forum and click the New Topic button there.
2. ILIAS opens a new page with two input fields.
3. In the Title input field, enter the desired title for your post.
4. Enter your contribution in the input field Your contribution.
   Optional: To add a file to your contribution, click the button next to Attach the file.
   Optional: To be notified when new posts are made to this topic, select the Notify me when a post is sent checkbox.
5. Then click the Save as draft button.
6. ILIAS reports, "The draft has been saved successfully". The draft is now displayed above the published topics.

You want to edit a topic as a draft.

1. In the Topics tab, navigate to the desired topic.
2. Click on the desired topic.
3. ILIAS opens a new page displaying the selected topic, which you can now edit.
4. Click on the Save as draft button.
5. ILIAS reports, "The draft has been saved successfully".

Note: If the autosave function is activated, the message in which time intervals the draft is automatically saved appears below the draft mode.

Alternatively: Click the Publish button to add the topic directly to the forum.

You want to remove a topic as a draft from the overview again.

1. Navigate in the forum to the tab Topics
2. Activate the checkbox next to the desired topic
3. Click the Delete button above or below.
4. ILIAS will report, "Are you sure you want to delete the selected drafts?"
5. Click the Confirm button.
6. ILIAS reports, "The draft has been successfully deleted."

You want to publish a post as a draft.

1. Navigate to the Topics tab in the forum.
2. Click on the desired draft.
3. Click on the Publish button.
4. ILIAS reports, "New topic has been entered".

Rate existing topic

ILIAS allows you to rate individual topics in a forum. This way, you can help to highlight helpful topics or especially important questions. This is especially useful in larger and very active forums: the best topics catch your eye faster this way.

You want to rate an existing topic.

Prerequisite: A forum moderator has activated the rating function in the settings. So if the Rating column is not displayed in the Topics tab, please get in touch with the moderator.

1. Open the Topics tab.
2. ILIAS displays a Rating column in the list of all topics.
3. Click once on the empty stars to give or change a rating.
4. ILIAS opens a small window above the empty stars. Now give your rating by clicking on the stars.    
   Note: You can also change a rating once it has been given in the same way. Click on Remove rating to withdraw your rating completely.
5. ILIAS will accept your rating and reload the page.

Searching the forum for terms

Search in forum

You want to search all posts of a forum for certain entered keywords. This function is especially helpful if you want to search for a keyword.

1. Enter the term you want to search for in the Search field on the right.    
   Note: ILIAS searches for the exact keyword you have entered. Make sure that the spelling is correct.    
   Note: Make sure that fewer words increase the search result.
2. Click on the Search button.
3. ILIAS opens a new window and shows all posts that contain the keyword you entered.    
   Note: ILIAS displays the relevance of the searched terms to help you find the post you are looking for faster.

Moderate forums

Highlighting a topic as a "top topic.”

Top topics are highlighted: ILIAS displays them first in the topic list and highlights them in color.

You want to make a topic a top topic or remove a classification as a top topic.

1. Open the Topics tab.
2. Activate the checkbox to the left of the desired topic.    
   Optional: You can also select two or more topics.
3. In the drop-down menu above or below the list of topics, select Make topic a top topic or Unmake top topic.
4. Click on the Execute button.
5. ILIAS accepts your entries and reports: "The selected topics have been marked as top topics."

Sorting top topics manually

You want to sort the top topics of a forum manually.

Prerequisite: You have activated the function of Manual sorting of top topics in the settings. At least two topics are already on top.

1. Click the Sorting link in the Topics tab.
2. ILIAS opens a new page.
3. Enter the desired order as numbers in the text entry fields.
4. Click the Save button at the top or bottom of the topics list.
5. ILIAS accepts your order and reports, "Your changes have been saved".

Changing the title of a topic

You want to change the title of a topic in the forum.

1. Open the Topics tab.
2. Activate the checkbox to the left of the desired topic.
3. In the ▼-selection menu above or below the topic list, select Edit title.
4. Click on the Execute button.
5. ILIAS opens a new page.
6. Enter the desired title in the text input field next to Title.
7. Click on Save.
8. ILIAS changes the title, returns to the initial page, and reports, "Your changes have been saved."

Close topic

You want to close a topic so that other users cannot publish more contributions to it.

1. Open the Topics tab.
2. Activate the checkbox to the left of the desired topic.    
   Optional: You can also select two or more topics.
3. Select Close from the drop-down menu above or below the list of topics.
4. Click the Execute button.
5. ILIAS closes the topic, displays it as [closed], and reports, "The selected topics have been closed."

Reopening a topic

You want to reopen a closed topic in the forum for new posts.

Prerequisite: The topic is currently closed for new posts. ILIAS shows this below the topic with the note [closed].

1. Open the Topics tab.
2. Activate the checkbox to the left of the desired topic.    
   Optional: You can also select two or more topics.
3. In the▼ selection menu above or below the topic list, select the Reopen entry.
4. Click the Execute button.
5. ILIAS opens the topic, displays it again as a normal topic, and reports, "The selected topics have been reopened".

Delete topic

You want to delete a topic with all its posts.
Prerequisite: You have the right to delete posts.

1. Open the Topics tab.
2. Activate the checkbox to the left of the desired topic.    
   Optional: You can also select two or more topics.
3. Select Delete in the ▼-selection menu above or below the list of topics.
4. Click the Execute button.
5. ILIAS asks you to confirm your entries.
6. Click on the Confirm button.
7. ILIAS deletes the topic with all posts and reports "The selected topic including all related posts have been deleted".

Moving a topic to another forum

You want to move a topic to another forum.

Prerequisite: For the forum to which you want to move the topic, you need the right "Create topic".

1. Open the Topics tab in the source forum.
2. Activate the checkbox to the left of the desired topic.    
   Optional: You can also select two or more topics.
3. In the drop-down menu above or below the topic list, select Move topic to other forum.
4. Click on the Execute button.
5. ILIAS displays the part of the repository accessible to you on a new page titled Move selected topics.
6. Navigate to the target forum in the tree structure.
7. Activate the radio button next to the forum you want to move the topic to.
8. Click the Move button at the bottom of the tree.
9. ILIAS moves the topic and reports, "The selected topics have been successfully moved to another forum".

Merge the topic with another.

You want to merge one topic with another. In doing so, all posts on both topics will be preserved.

1. Open the Topics tab.
2. Activate the checkbox to the left of the first topic.
3. Select Merge posts with other topics from the drop-down menu above or below the topic list.
4. Click on the Execute button.
5. ILIAS will show you a list of all available topics and message "Please select a topic as the merge target."
6. Activate the radio button to the left of the second topic.
7. Click the Merge button above or below the list of topics.
8. ILIAS prompts you to confirm the merge.
9. Click on the Confirm button.
10. ILIAS merges the two topics and reports, "The selected topics have been successfully merged."

Unlocking new posts

As a moderator, you want to enable new posts in the forum.

Prerequisite: You have set that new posts have to be enabled first.

1. A user has posted a new contribution in the forum. This is displayed to you as a moderator in the Topics tab as "Unread".
2. Click on the title of the topic that contains unread posts.
3. ILIAS opens the topic.
4. Click the Unlock link at the end of the new post.
5. ILIAS will ask you to confirm the unlock. You have two options:
   - Unlock this post only
   - Unlock all posts
6. ILIAS unlocks the post.

Anonymized moderator posts

ILIAS allows moderators to reply anonymously to posts in a forum. This feature is helpful if you do not want to stand out among the other forum users with your special status.

Prerequisite: You have the moderation rights of the forum; the function "Write in forums with the pseudonym" is activated, and the function "Mark moderator posts" is deactivated.

1. Navigate to the Topics tab in the forum.
2. Click on the New Topic button.
   Alternatively: click on the desired topic on the Reply or New post button.
3. ILIAS opens a new window.
4. Enter your pseudonym in the input field Your name.
5. Enter your desired title in the Title input field.
6. Enter your contribution in the input field Your contribution.
   Optional: To add a file to your post, click the button next to Attach the file.
   Optional: To be notified when new posts are made to this topic, select the Notify me when a post is sent checkbox.
7. Click the Save button.
8. ILIAS reports, "New contribution has been entered".

Note: The contribution will no longer appear under your real name in the overview but under the pseudonym you used.

Censoring contributions

Editing a user's contribution

You want to edit a post of another user.

1. In the Topics tab, open the topic that contains the post.
2. In the▼ selection menu next to the Reply button, select Edit.
3. ILIAS switches to edit mode.
   Optional: In the Title input field, change the title for the post. In the Edit post input field, change the post.
   Optional: To be notified when new posts are made to this topic, select the Notify me when a post is sent checkbox.
   Optional: To add a file to your post, click the button next to Attach File. Note: The button name varies depending on your operating system and browser.
4. Click on the Submit button.
5. ILIAS accepts your input, marks the contribution as edited, and reports "Contribution has been edited".

Delete the contribution of a user.

You want to delete the contribution of another user.

Note: Deleting a post also deletes all direct replies to the post.

1. In the Topics tab, open the topic that contains the post.
2. In the ▼-selection menu to the right of the Reply button, select Delete.
3. ILIAS asks you to confirm the deletion.
4. Click the Confirm button.
5. ILIAS deletes the post and reports, "Post has been deleted".

Censoring a user's contribution

You want to censor a post of another user.

1. In the Topics tab, open the topic that contains the post.
2. In the ▼-selection menu to the right of the Reply button, select Censor.
   Optional: In the input field under Censor's remark, specify why you are censoring the post.
3. ILIAS asks you to confirm the censorship.
4. Click the Confirm button.
5. ILIAS censors the post and marks it with "The post has been censored".

Canceling the censorship of a post

You want to remove the censorship of a post.

1. In the Topics tab, open the topic that contains the post.
2. In the ▼-selection menu to the right of the Reply button, select Un-censor.
   Optional: In the input field under Censor's remark, specify why you are removing the censor.    
   Note: This remark is only visible to other moderators after the censorship is lifted.
3. ILIAS will ask you to confirm the removal of the censor.
4. Click on the Yes button.
5. ILIAS will remove the censorship of the post.

Add or remove moderators.

Add moderators

You want to make a user a forum moderator.

1. Open the Moderators tab.
2. Click on the Search users button.
3. ILIAS opens a new page.
4. In the Add User section, Search Type section, under Username, enter the name of the user you want to make a moderator.
   Optional: If you don't know the full username, you can also search for part of the name.
   Optional: You can also display lists of all holders of specific roles to select a user from them.
   - In the Add User section, select the Search for Role Members radio button in the Search Type section.
   - Under Role, enter the desired role.
   - Click on the Search button.
   - ILIAS opens a new page titled Search Results.
   - Select the checkbox next to the desired role name.
   - Click the List Users button to view all holders of that role.
   - Follow the rest of these instructions from step 5.
   Optional: Similar to the procedure described for roles, you can also display lists of all members of specific courses or groups to select a user from them.
5. Click on the Search button.
6. ILIAS opens a new page with the title "Search results".
7. Select the checkbox next to the user you want to make a moderator.
8. Click on the Add button.
9. ILIAS accepts your input and reports "The user has been added as a moderator".

Remove moderators

You want to remove the role of moderator from a user.

1. Open the tab Moderators.
2. Activate the checkbox before the user name from whom you want to remove the moderator role.    
   Optional: You can also remove the moderator role from multiple users as long as at least one user retains the role.
3. Click the Revoke moderator role button.
4. ILIAS revokes the moderator role from the user and reports, "The moderator role has been successfully removed for the selected users."

Settings

Rename or change the description.

You want to change the title of the forum or add a description.

1. Open the Settings tab.
2. In the Title text input field, enter the desired title for your forum.
3. In the Description text input field, enter the desired description for your forum. This will be displayed below the forum title.
4. Click on the Save button.
5. ILIAS accepts your entries and reports "Changes saved".

Manual sorting of the top topics

You can make especially important or permanently relevant topics into top topics. This way, they will be highlighted: ILIAS displays them first in the topic list and highlights them in color. Like the other topics, top topics are sorted by date by default.

You want to sort the top topics manually.

1. Open the Settings tab.
2. In the Topics sorting section, activate the Manual sorting of top topics radio button.
3. Click on the Save button.
4. ILIAS accepts your entries and reports "Changes saved".

Now follow the instructions in the action guide Sorting top topics manually.

Selecting the default view for the forum

You want to change how posts are displayed and sorted in the forum.

1. Open the Settings tab.
2. Activate the desired radio button next to in the Default view section.
   Check Sort by date to list the posts by the date they were created.
   - Select Recent Posts at the bottom to display the oldest posts first.
   - Select Recent Posts at the top to display the newest posts first.
3. Click the Save button.
4. ILIAS accepts your entries and reports "Changes saved".
   Note: Users can change the view within a topic if they wish.

Allow posts without names.

You want to allow users to post anonymously or use a pseudonym on the forum. This can be useful to freely discuss even controversial topics or solicit feedback on courses, for example. However, it sometimes requires more effort in moderation.

1. Open the Settings tab.
2. Activate the checkbox Write with a pseudonym.
3. Click on the Save button.
4. ILIAS accepts your entries and reports "Changes saved".

Enable statistics on forum posts.

You want all users of the forum to be able to see who has published how many posts.

Precondition: The statistic function is activated in your ILIAS installation. If this is not the case, please get in touch with your administrator.

1. Open the Settings tab.
2. Select the Show statistics checkbox.
3. Click on the Save button.
4. ILIAS accepts your entries and reports "Changes saved".

Activate new posts

You want new posts in the forum to be published only after they have been read and approved by a moderator.

Note: Posts by moderators are always published immediately.

1. Open the Settings tab.
2. Select the Enable new posts checkbox.
3. Click on the Save button.
4. ILIAS accepts your entries and reports "Changes saved". Note: ILIAS will show moderators new posts within a topic as "New" in the future. Open the topic to enable new posts. To do this, follow the instructions for action "Unlock new posts".

Change title format for posts

You want to change the title format for new posts. You can decide whether users can choose their titles for their contributions to existing topics or whether the title is automatically adopted.

1. Open the Settings tab.
2. You have several options to do this: Activate one of the following radio buttons:
   When replying to a post, the previous post's title is automatically taken as the title.
   When replying to a post, the previous post's title will be taken and prefixed with Re:.
   When replying to a post, the title line remains empty and must be filled in by the user.
3. Click on the Save button.
4. ILIAS accepts your entries and reports "Changes saved".

Highlight moderator contributions

You want to highlight moderator contributions.

1. Open the tab Settings.
2. Activate the checkbox Highlight moderator contributions.
3. Click on the Save button.
4. ILIAS accepts your entries and reports "Changes saved".

Allow topic rating

ILIAS allows you to rate individual topics in a forum. This allows users to highlight helpful topics or essential questions. This is especially useful in larger and very active forums: The best topics quickly catch the eye this way.

In contrast to top topics, ratings can be submitted by all users logged into the forum. So while top topics highlight the most critical posts from the moderator's point of view, ratings allow all users to cast their votes.

The rating feature must be enabled for each forum individually.

You want to allow users to rate topics.

1. Open the Settings tab.
2. Select the Rate topics checkbox.
3. Click on the Save button.
4. ILIAS accepts your entries and reports: "Changes saved". Note: The rating function is now displayed in the Topics tab.

Forums in Courses and Groups

(De)activate notifications

Prerequisite: This setting is only possible if the forum is in a course or a group. Otherwise, the link Notifications will not be displayed!

ILIAS allows forum participants to be informed about new topics and posts by e-mail. The notification function must be activated to administer your ILIAS installation. Then you can set whether notifications are mandatory for all participants or whether they can freely decide.

You would like to determine whether members of a course or a group are notified by e-mail about new posts in the forum.

1. Open the Settings tab in the desired forum.
2. ILIAS opens the basic settings.
3. Click on the link Notifications.
4. ILIAS opens a new page.
5. Activate the radio button in front of the desired option:
   - Members must enable notifications themselves: By default, notifications are disabled but can be enabled by the user as desired.
   - Members will be notified automatically: By default, notifications are enabled but can be disabled at the user's discretion.
   - Members are automatically notified. Each member can be individually set to disable notifications: you can make an individual choice for each user. Save first and then make the desired settings per member.
6. Click on the Save button.
7. ILIAS accepts your entries and reports: "Your changes have been saved".

Set notifications individually

You would like to regulate the notification function for users individually.

Prerequisite: This setting is only possible if the forum is in a course or a group. Otherwise, the link Notifications will not be displayed!

1. Open the Settings tab in the desired forum.
2. ILIAS opens the basic settings.
3. Click on the link Notifications.
4. ILIAS opens a new page.
5. Activate the radio button Members will be notified automatically. For each member, you can individually define if they are allowed to deactivate the notification.
6. Click on the Save button.
7. ILIAS will accept your specifications and load a table with all members.    
   Note: Users who can deactivate notifications are shown here with a green tick. Other users are shown with a red cross.
8. Activate the checkbox in front of the desired members.
9. Make your choice in the ▼-selection menu above or below the list:
   - Member may not deactivate notification
   - Member may deactivate the notification
10. Click on the Execute button.
11. ILIAS accepts your entries and reports: "Your changes have been saved".

Statistics

Show statistics

The statistics tab of a forum shows you which users have published how many posts in this forum. This information is usually only visible to moderators. ILIAS reports in the statistics tab, "The statistics are not visible for normal forum users" if users do not get the tab displayed.

To be able to view forum statistics as a normal user, a moderator must have the statistics feature enabled in the settings.

Rights in the forum

Overview of rights in the forum

The following rights are available in the forum:

• View: This right allows you to view the forum on your ILIAS installation. However, you cannot read any posts or topics in it yet. Only the info page can be viewed with this right. Read access: With this right, you can read topics and posts published in the forum. It is not possible to post replies. \Create post: With this right, you can write your posts on existing topics, but you cannot create new topics.
• Create topic: With this right, you can open new topics and write the first post for them.
• Moderate: This right allows you to edit, delete, and censor forum posts by all users. If "Enable new posts" is activated under the Settings tab, you will receive a message by mail when new posts are published in the forum. You or another moderator must unlock them to make them visible to all users.
• Copy: This right allows you to copy the forum. You will automatically become the owner of the copy you created.
• Edit settings: This right allows you to make various changes to the forum under the Settings tab.
• Delete: With this right; you can delete the entire forum. Likewise, you can move the forum within the repository with this right.
• Change rights settings: With this right, you can add or remove rights from other roles within the forum, including appointing moderators.