User Guide

Overview

Complete guide for using the AutoBot Solutions Forum as a user.

Account Management

Registration

• Choose a unique username (4-64 characters)
• Provide a valid email address
• Create a strong password (8+ characters)
• Email verification required

Profile Settings

• View your profile by clicking your username
• Edit your profile to change username or email
• View your activity history
• See your badges and achievements

Password Reset

1. Click "Forgot Password" on login page 2. Enter your email address 3. Check email for reset link 4. Create new password 5. Link expires in 1 hour

Creating Content

Creating a Post

1. Click "New Post" in navbar 2. Enter a descriptive title (5+ characters) 3. Write your content using Markdown 4. Optionally select a category 5. Optionally link to a repository 6. Optionally attach a file 7. Click "Create Post"

Markdown Formatting

• Bold text: text
• Italic text: text
• Code: code or

  code

• Links: text
• Images: !alt
• Tables: See Markdown documentation

Editing Posts

• Currently not supported (planned feature)
• Contact admin to edit if needed

Deleting Content

• Delete your own posts and comments
• Cannot delete posts with comments (contact admin)

Interacting with Content

Voting

• Click ▲ to upvote
• Click ▼ to downvote
• Vote again to change your vote
• Vote same value to remove vote
• Rate limited to 30 votes per minute

Commenting

1. Navigate to a post 2. Scroll to comment section 3. Write your comment 4. Click "Post Comment"
• Comments support Markdown
• Rate limited to 20 comments per hour

Bookmarking

• Click "★ Bookmark" on any post
• Toggle to remove bookmark
• View all bookmarks via navbar
• Bookmarks are private

Categories

Using Categories

• Categories organize posts by topic
• Filter posts by category on forum index
• Categories have custom colors
• View category statistics in admin panel

Category Colors

• Visual identification
• Consistent across the forum
• Customizable by admin

Search

Searching Content

1. Click search icon in navbar 2. Enter search query 3. View matching posts and comments
• Case-insensitive search
• Searches titles and content

Notifications

Notification Types

• Comments on your posts
• Future: Likes, mentions, messages

Managing Notifications

• Bell icon shows unread count
• Click to view notifications
• Click "View" to navigate to content
• Click "Mark All Read" to clear

Private Messaging

Sending Messages

1. Click envelope icon in navbar 2. Click "New Message" 3. Select recipient from dropdown 4. Write your message 5. Click "Send Message"

Managing Messages

• View inbox for received messages
• View sent messages
• Mark messages as read
• Delete messages
• Messages are private

User Profiles

Viewing Profiles

• Click any username to view their profile
• See their activity history
• View their badges
• See their recent posts and comments

Your Profile

• View your own activity
• Edit your profile
• See your badges
• View your statistics

Badges and Achievements

Earning Badges

• Badges are assigned by admins
• Recognize contributions
• Displayed on your profile
• Color-coded icons

Badge Types

• Community badges
• Contribution badges
• Special achievements
• Custom badges

GitHub Integration

Repository-Linked Posts

• Link posts to GitHub repositories
• Repository metadata displayed
• Organize discussions by repository
• Sync repositories via admin panel

Viewing Repository Posts

• Filter posts by repository
• View repository metadata
• Link to GitHub repository

Best Practices

Posting

• Use descriptive titles
• Format content with Markdown
• Choose appropriate categories
• Be respectful and professional
• Search before posting

Commenting

• Stay on topic
• Be constructive
• Use proper formatting
• Reply to specific points
• Report inappropriate content

Voting

• Vote based on quality
• Don't vote spam
• Respect others' opinions
• Use voting for moderation

Troubleshooting

Can't Login

• Check username and password
• Verify email is verified
• Use password reset if needed

Can't Post

• Ensure you're logged in
• Check rate limits
• Verify form validation
• Contact admin if issue persists

Notifications Not Working

• Check if notifications are enabled
• Refresh the page
• Clear browser cache

Getting Help

• Check FAQ
• Visit Support
• Contact admin for account issues
• Report bugs via GitHub issues