Here you can find answers to questions about how the board works. Use the links or search box below to find your way around.
For the most part, your posts will contain plain text, but on occasions, you may want to emphasize certain words or phrases by making them (for example) bold or italic.
To do this you use vB Code: a special set of tags which you can use to produce the most popular text-effects. vB code has the advantage that it is very simple to use, and is immune to malicious javascripts and page layout disruption.
You may also use smilies, small icons to convey emotion, and the [img] code, which allows you to add pictures to your message.
For more information about vB code, click here.
Sending Private Messages
Private messages work a little like email, but are limited to registered members of this forum. You may include vB Code, smilies and images in private messages that you send.
You may send a private message to a member of this forum by clicking the 'Send A Private Message' link in the private messaging section of your user control panel, or by clicking the 
button in a member's posts.
When you send a message, you have the option to save a copy of the message in your Sent Items folder.
Private Message Folders
By default, you will have two folders in your private message area. These are the Inbox and the Sent Items folders.
The Inbox folder contains any new messages you receive, and allows you to view all the messages you have received, along with the name of the person who sent the message to you, and the date and time the message was sent.
The Sent Items folder contains a copy of any messages that you have sent, where you have specified that you wish to keep a copy of the message for future reference.
You may create additional folders for your messages by clicking the 'Edit Folders' link.
Each folder has a set of message controls which allow you to select messages, then either move them to one of your custom folders, or delete them completely. You may also have a button which allows you to forward multiple messages from a folder to another member of the forum.
You will need to periodically delete old messages, as there is a limit to the number of private messages you can have in your folders. If you exceed the number of messages, you will not be able to send or receive new messages until you delete some old messages.
Whenever you read a message, you will have the option to reply to the message, or forward that message to another member of the forum. You may also have the ability to forward that message to multiple members of your buddy list.
Message Tracking
When you send a new private message, you may have the option to request a read-receipt for that message. This will allow you to check whether or not a message has been read by its recipient by viewing the Private Message Tracking page.
This page is divided into two sections: unread messages and read messages.
The unread messages section shows all messages that you have sent with a read-receipt request, that have not yet been read by their recipient. The time of the last activity of the message recipient is also shown. Messages in this section can be cancelled if you decide that their contents are no longer relevant, or for any other reason. Cancelled messages can also be restored to active status.
The read messages section shows all messages you have sent with a receipt request that have been read and acknowledged by their recipient. The time that the message was read is also shown.
You may choose to end the tracking on any message you choose by selecting the message and clicking the [end tracking] button.
When you receive a message with a read-receipt request, you may have the option to read the message while denying the read-receipt request. To do this, simply click the 'deny receipt' link rather than the title of the message, if it appears.
The calendar functions in a way similar to the forums in that there can be multiple calendars. One calendar could hold just events that you are able to see, while another may list birthdays.
There are two types of events on the calendar: normal events and recurring events.
Normal Events span the time frame from when the event starts until the event ends.
Recurring Events repeat over a set period of time based on certain criteria. Examples would be an event that occurs on the first Monday of every month and an event that occurs every Monday and Wednesday.
Only forum administrators may post events for the entire board to view. You can post your own private events that are only viewable to you.
Birthdays are shown on the calendar. Your birthday will automatically be shown on the calendar if you have entered the date of your birthday in your profile. Note: if you do not enter the year of your birth when you edit your profile, your age will not be shown on the calendar.
If you enter your birthday, your name will also appear on the main forum page when it is your birthday.
You may notice that some threads on this forum also include a section where you can vote on an issue or question. These threads are called 'polls' and this is how to create them:
Creating a new poll
When you post a new thread, you may have the option to also create a poll.
This function allows you to ask a question and specify a number of possible responses. Other members will then be able to vote for the response they wish, and the results of the voting will be displayed in the thread.
An example poll might be:
What is your favorite color?
- Red
- Blue
- Yellow
- Green
- Sky-blue pink with yellow spots
To create a poll when you post a new thread, simply click the 'Yes! post a poll' checkbox at the bottom of the page, and set the number of possible responses you want to include.
When you click the submit button, you will be taken to the poll creation page, where you can specify the question and the list of responses you want to include.
You may also want to specify a time limit for the poll, so that (for example) it only stays open for voting for a week.
To vote in a poll, simply select which option you want to vote for, and click the [Vote!] button. You may view the current results for a poll before you vote by clicking the 'View Results' link. Voting in a poll is entirely optional. You may vote for any of the available options, or cast no vote at all.
Once you have voted in a poll, you will not be able to change your vote later, so place your vote carefully!
The attachment feature of this forum gives you the ability to attach files of certain types to your posts. This could be an image, a text document, a zip file etc. There will be a limit to the file size of any attachments you make.
To attach a file to a new post, simply click the [Manage Attachments] button at the bottom of the post composition page, and locate the file that you want to attach from your local hard drive.
Only certain types of files may be attached: these are the valid file extensions for files to be attached to this forum: .
After posting, the image attachments may display a thumbnail, depending on the forum settings. To view the contents of the attachment (if it is not already displayed) simply click the filename link that appears next to the attachment icon.
Referrals allow you to be credited for any new users you invite to the forum.
You gain referrals by promoting WeldingWeb - Welding Community for pros and enthusiasts using your unique referral link. The link you should use as your referral link is this:
https://weldingweb.com/vbb/forum.php?referrerid=0
Each time someone follows this link to WeldingWeb - Welding Community for pros and enthusiasts and registers as a new member, your referral count will be incremented by one. The number of referrals you have can be viewed in your profile.
Please be courteous when promoting WeldingWeb - Welding Community for pros and enthusiasts by not spamming other web sites with your referral link just to gain referrals.
RSS syndication allows you to view newly created threads in guest viewable forums without visiting the board.
The feeds are currently provided in two formats, RSS and RSS v2. The differences are as follows:
To add this to MyYahoo click here.
The forums to which this applies can also be limited to specific guest viewable forums by adding another paramater to the URL containing the forumids as follows:
https://weldingweb.com/vbb/external.php?type=rss2&forumids=123
If you would like the content to be generated for multiple forums you can seperate the forumids by commas. Additionally, yo may also be interested in the RSS feeds from WeldingDesign.com. To learn more CLICK HERE.
vBulletin does not have a built-in spell check available at this time. However, there are some client-side options available to you.
