Getting Started with ProjectForum

Welcome! This page will help you quickly get started using ProjectForum.

If you don't already have access to a running ProjectForum site, please visit the main ProjectForum page to either download the software yourself, or try our live demo site.

Full Documentation

This page will give you a few tips to start with ProjectForum. But the best way to learn all that ProjectForum can do for you is by looking at our full user's guide:

ProjectForum User's Guide (PDF)

As well, we have several other resources available that can help you:

Our Frequently Asked Questions page covers common questions, as well as provides detailed information about some of the more advanced features of ProjectForum not covered in the user's guide.

We offer an online support forum (using ProjectForum of course) where you can post questions publically.

Finally, we're more than happy to answer any questions you have about ProjectForum. Please email them to [email protected].

Basic Concepts

Each ProjectForum group is made up of a collection of individual web pages. Unlike a normal web site though, you can quickly and easily change any page in the group, or create your own pages, right from your web browser!

Because everyone else in your group can do this too, this makes it easy to create and share information with each other. Use the forum to coordinate work, share files, discuss issues, collect information, and much more.

The Forum Page

Open your web browser and navigate to a group on the ProjectForum site you're using (if you don't have a group, try creating one on our live demo site). Each group contains any number of pages, each of which looks something like this (though the overall look can be changed via themes).

Title Area
The bar along the top shows the name of the current page, and if provided, the name of the group.

Find Pages
At the very top right is an area allowing you to search for pages in the forum.

Action Buttons
Below the 'Find' area at the top right are four buttons for frequent tasks: posting comments, editing the content of the page, or taking you to the Home or Help pages.

Recent Changes
This area, just below the colored area at the top, shows you the pages most recently changed, a good indicator where people are working.

Page Content
Most of the page (the parts with the white background) is made up of the actual content for the page, which is different for each page. All this area is fully editable by anyone, as you'll soon see.

Post your Comments
This area allows you to quickly add a comment to the end of the page.

Page Footer
This area at the bottom right of the page shows you where you are within the ProjectForum site, and helps you navigate around it.

Creating and Editing Pages

Creating a New Page
To create a new page, click on the 'New Page' link towards the bottom left of the page. This screen will appear. Type in the name that you'd like to give to the new page, and click the 'Create' button.

If a page by that name already exists, you'll get sent directly to that page. But if not...

Editing a Page
You'll then be taken to the "Edit" page, which allows you to modify the content of the new page you've created. It goes in the large area of the page, which will start out blank since its a new page.

Add some text to this page. Type it in the box, just like you would an email, leaving a blank line between paragraphs. When you're done, press the "Save Changes" button.

More Editing
If you want to make more changes, click on the "Edit" action button at the top of the screen. This will take you right back to the "Edit" page you used above.

Getting Fancy
Take a peek at the editing hints at the bottom of the Edit page. You can easily make links to other pages or websites, create lists in the page, use bold, italics, and more.

Posting Comments

Typing the Comment
Instead of editing the page (where you can change anything in the page), you can also just post a comment, which appears at the end of the page. This is handy for discussions.

Add your comment in the text area in the "Post your comments" section at the bottom. You may also have to fill in your name between the square brackets, if you haven't done so yet.

Posting
When done, click the "Post" button to the right of where you typed your comment. You'll then see the comment you entered, placed at the end of the page.