This guide covers our old ProBoards v4 software. Click here for the ProBoards v5 Help Guide.
The Modify Profile page is where you can change personal profile information and account preferences as they relate to the discussion forum. The page is organized into 6 categories we'll explain, as well as the options provided. To navigate to the Modify Profile page, click profile in the forums top navigation bar, then click Modify Profile.
Account Information
Listed at the top of the page, Account Information options allow you to change your password, email address, and display name.
Change Password: To change your online forum password, enter the new password in both Password fields. If the password don't match, you'll be asked to try again.
Change Email: To change your email address, simply replace the current email address with your updated email address. Note, if your account is with a forum that has account activations enabled, an activation code will be sent to your new email address after you save changes. Your account will then need to be re-activated to continue posting.
Change Display Name: Your Display Name identifies you to other members and can be changed at any time. Keep in mind, you will keep the forum username you originally registered with as it cannot be changed. Changing display name has no effect on username.
Personal Information
Here you can modify personal details if you wish. Options range from gender, location and even include an area to add a link to a personal website. You can also add or change an avatar image, update your signature, or add user notes.
Gender: To change gender, click the drop-down menu and make your selection.
Hide Gender: If you don't wish to disclose gender to other forum members, select Yes next to Hide Gender. With Yes selected, gender will display as undisclosed, even to forum staff members. When set to No, gender will display in your profile as well as your mini-profile attached to message board posts.
Location: If you wish to share or update your location, do so here. This info will be provided in your profile as well as your mini-profile attached to forum posts. This is an optional field that can be left blank.
Web Site Name: If you have a website you'd like to share, type the name of your website in the first box and the full URL in the next. For example, ProBoards would be the website name; www.proboards.com would be the URL. These fields are optional and can be left blank if you wish.
Avatar: The avatar options allow you to set an image for your forum account. Avatars will appear on your main profile page, as well as the mini-profile attached to the message board posts you make. Some forums provide images to choose from which can be viewed using the drop-down menu next to the Avatar option.
Custom Avatar: You can also use your own avatar. Keep in mind, custom images must first be hosted with an image hosting service (Flickr, Photobucket, etc). Once the image is hosted, copy the direct link or direct URL provided by the image host and paste it into the Avatar URL box on the Modify Profile page. Once done, you can adjust the size of the image using the Avatar Width and Avatar Height fields. Image sizes are measured in pixels and are limited to 100x100 pixels. If you're unsure of the sizing, leave the sizes blank and the ProBoards forum software will re-size the image for you.
Personal Text: This is displayed beneath your avatar on both your main profile page as well as the mini-profile area attached to each of your message board posts. Personal text is optional and can be up to 100 characters in length.
Signature: Signatures display beneath message board posts and can also be seen in member profiles. BBCode can be used to customize signature content which has a 400 character limit, measured by the counter to the right of the signature text box.
User Notes: You can add personal notes for yourself in the User Notes area. Forum staff members can also add notes for you but won't be able to read the notes you've written.
Instant Messengers
If you have an IM account with AOL, ICQ, Yahoo, or MSN you can share your screen name with forum members in your main profile, as well as the mini-profile attached to posts. Instant Messenger fields are optional.
Account Preferences
Here you have options to control how elements display in your profile as well as some features allowing you to customize how you view the discussion forum.
Show Age: You can display or hide your birth date and age with the Show Age option. When set to Yes, forum members will see your age and birthday when viewing your profile. Your birthday will also be added to the discussion boards calendar. When set to No, this information will be hidden from all non-staff members. By default, this is set to Yes.
Hide Email: You can choose to display or hide your email address on the discussion forum with the Hide Email option. When set to No, all members can view your email address on your profile page as well as in the Members listing. When set to Yes, your email address will be hidden from non-staff members. By default, this option is set to Yes.
Mass Emails: Occasionally, forum staff may choose to send out mass emails to inform forum members about upcoming events. You can opt-in or opt-out of these by choosing from the drop-down menu. By default, this is set to Opt-in.
Stay Invisible: Here you have the ability to keep your online status hidden with the Stay Invisible option. When set to Yes, regular forum members and guests will not see your name in the Users Online or Active Users list in the Info Center. Your status will also say Offline in the mini-profile attached to your posts. When set to No, anyone can see when you are logged into your account. By default, this is set to No.
Show Signatures: If you'd like to avoid seeing member signatures attached to the bottom of their forum posts, set the Show Signatures option to No. Conversely, setting this option to Yes will show Signatures. By default, this is option is set to Yes.
Show Avatars: If you'd like to avoid seeing Avatar images attached to member profiles, set the Show Avatars option to No. Conversely, set this option to Yes to view member avatars. By default, this option is set to Yes.
Select Skin: Forums sometimes offer alternative skins that can change the overall look of the site. If you're on a forum with multiple skins, you'll be provided with a Select Skin option on the Modify Profile page. With this, you can select the skin of your choice to view the forum in. If you're on a discussion forum that only has one skin installed, this option will not be available to you.
Expand Sub-Boards: Busy forums often have sub-boards containing topics apart from the parent board. You can set your preferences so sub-board topics also appear in parent boards, thus combining all threads in one area for viewing. Set to Yes for sub-boards to display in parent boards. Set to No if you'd like sub-board threads to display only inside sub-boards. This option is set to No by default.
Hide Sub-Boards: Additionally, if the Expand Sub-Boards option is set to Yes, you can hide sub-boards completely by setting the Hide Sub-Boards option to Yes, also.
Dates and Times
This category provides options to adjust the forum clock at the top of the forum. Options range from time zone settings to how the time is displayed.
Time Format: Here you can choose a 12 hour AM/PM format or, a 24-hour clock. To change, simply choose your preference from the drop-down menu. AM/PM times will display thus: 3:30pm. 24 hour time will display as: 15:30.
Date Format: You can choose the way you'd like dates to appear as well. There are 8 different date formats to choose from in the drop-down menu; each provides an example.
Month Format: The Month Format also allows you to change how the day / month is listed. If you prefer to list the month first, select the December 28 example, etc.
Time Zone: If the time listed on the forum is incorrect compared to the clock on your computer, verify your forum profile is set to the correct time zone. Choose the correct zone from the drop-down menu and the forum time will be adjusted accordingly when you're logged into your account.
Daylight Savings: If the time zone you set is correct but your message board clock is still off by one hour, check the Currently Observing DST option. Select either Yes or No from the drop-down menu to adjust the message board clock to compensate for daylight savings time.
Admin Functions
If your account has appropriate administrative privileges, you'll see the Admin Functions category at the bottom of the Modify Profile page. Options here provide the ability to change a forum accounts' member group, add a custom title, adjust the post count, warn the member, even disable the account.
Member Group: Choose a member group from the drop-down menu to one that works best for this member. If the account was previously associated with another member group, only the title displayed on the main forum profile page & mini-profile area will change.
Custom Title: As an administrator, you can add a custom message that will display on a members profile and mini-profile below their member group listing and display name. You can also use BBCode to customize the text or add images to this area as well.
Warning Level: To warn members for bad behavior, use the Warning Level and Warning Notes fields. Assigning a number from 0-100 in the Warning Level box displays a warning bar under the members display name and let's the member how close they are to being disciplined. You can also add notes in the Warning Notes area which can be read by the warned member and forum staff. This system can be used to keep track of members that cause trouble continuously on the forum.
Posts: If you need to adjust a post count, do so in the Posts area. Only numbers are allowed in post counts; letters and punctuation marks are not supported.
Karma: If Karma is enabled on a message board, you can make an adjustment to the karma count in the Karma field. Only numbers are allowed for the Karma count.
Disable Account: You can disable a members forum account using the Disable Account option. Selecting Yes in the drop-down menu will disable the member's ability to login and post. When disabled, members will receive a message when they attempt to login letting them know the account has been disabled.
Disable For: If you've specified a time in the Disable For option, forum members will see a date when they can access their account again. When the disable period expires, the account will automatically be re-enabled. To disable an account indefinitely, leave the Disable For value set to 0.
Account Notes: To add notes to a member account that only other staff members can see, add them in the Account Notes area. Staff members can then view the notes when visiting a member's profile.
Modify Profile: When you've finished making changes to the profile, click the Modify Profile button at the bottom of the page. You can also delete an account using the Delete Account button found to the right of the Modify Profile button. Clicking the Delete Account button will then prompt you with a confirmation message.