Figure a
Launch File Manager
This is probably one of the more extensive areas within the Admin CP. From here
you can view all your iB files and directories. Previous versions only allowed
you to view the cgi-bin part of the Ikonboard files, though this version now
has made it possible for you to also access the non-cgi parts of the installed
Ikonboard (figure a).
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Figure a
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To navigate through the control panel, you click on the text that is the name of each folder. Once you've clicked on it, it will show you the contents inside that folder, complete with user name and CHMOD permission settings for non-windows users (figure b).
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Figure b
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If you need to upload something and would rather do it through your control panel instead of FTP, then there is an easy way to do that. You can even CHMOD your files, rename or delete specific files with ease. Glance down at the bottom and you'll see the series of links there that perform each function (figure c).
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Figure c
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If you wish to CHMOD a file, select the box next to it, which will produce a checkmark, then click on the CHMOD Selected Files link. You will end up with a window showing you the CHMOD settings options underneath the bottom menu. Enter in the CHMOD value you need (IE - 0777, 0755), then press the button and your settings should be changed. To rename a file is basically the same process, in marking the box and clicking the link which will pull up a text box to enter the file's new name. Deleting a file will cause a small window to show up below the menu asking if you wish to Delete Empty Directories (folders) if chosen, or if you wish to delete full directories. Hit the delete button with the first box checked for single or multiple files. If you select the box at the very top of your file manager (figure d), it will select every item in that directory.
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Figure d
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A quick run down of the location of some of your important files is below, as sort of a quick reference guide :
Avatars - iB_html/non-cgi/avatars
Back-ups (for exported databases, etc.) - cgi-bin/Back_Up
Emoticons - iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons
Exported Skin Packs - cgi-bin/OUTGOING
New Skins (where you upload them to) - cgi-bin/INCOMING
Posticons - iB_html/non-cgi/Skin/(the skin name, be it Default, SKIN-2, SKIN-3,
etc.)/PostIcons
Skin Images - iB_html/non-cgi/Skin/(the skin name, be it default, SKIN-2, SKIN-3,
etc.)/images
Team Icons (those cool admin & mod icons to go under their names) - iB_html/non-cgi/team_icons
Uploaded Images - iB_html/uploads
Of course with a little bit of looking, you can find anything else you need in the control panel. It is substantially easier to use than previous versions and much more convenient.
Clean Temp Files
Temporary files are necessary for a script like this, but too many can take
up a lot of room unnecessarily. It's good to clean them out on a regular basis,
and this feature has been set up to help keep your temporary files to a minimum
and keep from weighing down your board (and your server space) with a lot of
unnecessary stuff. You have 10 types of temporary files that you can clean out
(figure a), Redundant Table Locks, Active
Table Locks, Search Log Files, Redundant Administration Sessions, Active Administrative
Sessions, Redundant Log in Attempts, Active Log in Attempts, Calendar Update
Lock, Members Prune Historic Lock, Off-line List SSI generation Lock, Messenger
Prune Lock, Calendar SSI generation Lock, Error Log, Email Log, & Notice
Log.
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Figure a
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If you'll notice the last three offer the file size for those particular logs. This will also help you decide when these files need cleaned out. Redundant means replaceable, SSI stands for Server Side Includes. Members logged in at the time you delete temporary files, as well as yourself, will have to log in should the "active" temporary logs be deleted. For heavily used boards with a large number of members, you will likely wish to delete temp files at least once a week or more often, less if your board is not as big nor as active.
Reset Sessions
Reset sessions, also called session control. Occasionally, the file, active_sessions.db
gets corrupted, usually due to a server-related issue. When upgrading, there
are sometimes members who are "stuck" in the active users database
as well (for DBM databases). To help clean out these sessions and "rebuild"
your active users list, you may need to reset the sessions for the board. All
users will need to log in, should they be on the board at the time you reset
their session, or those who are having trouble logging in due to being "stuck"
should then be able to log in normally. You have the choice of those inactive
in the last five minutes, all users or specific users as demonstrated in the
screen shot below.
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Rebuild Board Stats
OK, say you've deleted a bunch of posts, or even a few. Maybe you've recently
removed some forums or even some members. You've just imported a database from
another board. Whatever the reason, your counts are off for one thing or another.
This feature helps correct that problem. After doing any type of major work
to the database, especially removing things, you'll want to update your counts
so that they show the accurate amount of members/posts/topics/replies. That's
what this feature is for. Rebuilding board sates will do a "recount"
of the information in the database and correct it to show the current information.
Very simple to use and very useful, there is only one button to push once you've
selected that link (figure a).
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Figure a
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View Moderator Logs
Do you know what your moderators are doing? Wondering what happened to a particular
post that seems to have disappeared off your board? There are all sorts of reasons
why you might want to check to see what your mods and admins might have been
doing. This feature helps you do just that. Here you can pull up a list of the
activities performed by your moderation staff and see just what has been going
on. If your staff has made no changes, you will simply get a screen displaying
no logged activities (figure a). When logs
are present, you simply mark the box next to the entry and hit the button to
view the information regarding that particular action.
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Figure a
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Remove Moderator Logs
Over time, moderator logs can start accumulating a lot of information and take
up a good amount of space on your server's storage area. To help keep this trimmed
down, this feature is offered to help remove old logs from your database. You
can select the logs individually to remove or select the box at the top (figure
a) to choose all the available logs and simply press the button.
If no logs are available, you will get a screen simply showing no logs.
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Figure a
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Manage Web Ring
This is a new feature for this version. This allows you to add other links you
wish to onto your forum, directing members to another location. It is set up
very simply. An example of how you would add a link to it is : http://members.ikonboard.com=Ikonboard.
You are able to edit, add or remove any links that you wish for your forum in
the text box displayed (figure a).
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Figure a
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Switch Board On/Off
Upgrading or Restoring from a backup are only two of the possible reasons you
may not wish anyone to view your boards for a period of time. This feature is
handy because member groups of your choosing will be allowed to log-in during
the time it is closed off to other members. This gives you time to upgrade,
update, install or what have you without interference from members, other admins
or even to prevent any accidental problems. If you choose to use this feature,
you may wish to write in your own message for the wording on the page that shows
the boards being off-line (figure a). Please
note that you will also need this feature to turn your board back on after shutting
it down.
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Figure a
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Written 6/22/02 by Snow Wolf for Ikonboard
Jarvis Network
