Users and Groups Management

Users and Groups Management

User Management

Viewing Users

Access: Admin Panel > Users

The user list displays:

• Username and email
• User group
• Registration date
• Last activity
• Post count
• Reputation

Filters:

• Search by username or email
• Filter by group
• Filter by status (active, banned, pending)

User Profiles

Click on a username to view:

• Profile information
• Activity statistics
• Recent posts and discussions
• Reputation history
• Badges and achievements

Creating Users

1. Click "Add User"
2. Fill in details:
   • Username - Unique identifier
   • Email - Valid email address
   • Password - Strong password
   • User Group - Assign initial group
3. Click "Create User"

Editing Users

1. Find user in list
2. Click "Edit"
3. Modify:
   • Account Info - Username, email, password
   • Profile - Bio, location, website, avatar
   • Preferences - Language, timezone, notifications
   • Group - Change user group (this is what determines the user's permissions)
4. Click "Save"

Deleting Users

1. Find user in list
2. Click "Delete"
3. Choose how to handle the account:
   • Anonymize - Keep the user's discussions and posts but remove the authorship link (content stays, attributed to an anonymous/deleted user)
   • Complete delete - Remove the user account along with its content
4. Confirm

User Groups

Default Groups

Flatboard 5 includes these default groups:

Guest

• Permissions: View discussions and posts
• Cannot: Post, reply, or access member features
• Use Case: Unregistered visitors

Member

• Permissions: Full posting and interaction
• Can: Create discussions, reply, upload files
• Use Case: Regular registered users

Moderator

• Permissions: All member permissions plus moderation
• Can: Edit/delete posts, manage discussions, handle reports
• Use Case: Community moderators

Admin

• Permissions: Full system access
• Can: Everything, including system settings
• Use Case: Forum administrators

Creating Custom Groups

1. Go to Admin Panel > Users > Groups
2. Click "New Group"
3. Configure:
   • Name - Group display name
   • Color - Group color (for badges)
   • Icon - Group icon
   • Description - Group description
4. Set permissions (see Permission System below)
5. Click "Create Group"

Editing Groups

1. Find group in list
2. Click "Edit"
3. Modify settings and permissions
4. Click "Save"

Deleting Groups

1. Reassign all users to another group
2. Click "Delete" on group
3. Confirm deletion

Permission System

Permission Types

Flatboard 5 uses a hierarchical permission system:

View Permissions

• View Forum - Access the forum
• View Categories - See category listings
• View Discussions - Read discussions
• View Posts - Read posts

Post Permissions

• Create Discussions - Start new discussions
• Reply to Discussions - Post replies
• Edit Own Posts - Edit own content
• Delete Own Posts - Remove own content

Moderation Permissions

• Edit Any Post - Edit all posts
• Delete Any Post - Delete all posts
• Pin Discussions - Pin to top
• Lock Discussions - Lock discussions
• Move Discussions - Move between categories
• Manage Reports - Handle user reports

Administrative Permissions

• Manage Users - User administration
• Manage Groups - Group management
• Manage Categories - Category management
• Manage Settings - System settings
• Manage Plugins - Plugin administration
• Manage Themes - Theme management

Setting Permissions

Permissions are assigned per group, not per individual user. To change what a user can do, move them to a group with the appropriate permissions (or adjust that group's permissions).

1. Go to Admin Panel > Users > Groups
2. Select group
3. Click "Permissions"
4. Enable/disable permissions
5. Click "Save"

How permissions are resolved

Permission checks follow this order:

1. Admin group - Members of the admin-type group bypass individual checks (full access).
2. Primary group permissions - The permission set of the user's group_id (or the Guest group for anonymous visitors).
3. Category access - Private categories further restrict who can see/post in them, by group. A user must both have the action permission and access to the category.

User Bans

Banning Users

1. Find user in list
2. Click "Ban"
3. Configure ban:
   • Reason - Why user is banned
   • Duration - Temporary (with end date) or permanent
   • IP Ban - Ban by IP address
   • Email Ban - Ban by email domain
4. Click "Ban User"

Ban Types

Temporary Ban

• Set end date
• User can return after ban expires
• Automatic unban on expiration

Permanent Ban

• No end date
• Requires manual unban
• Use for serious violations

IP Ban

• Bans by IP address
• Affects all users from that IP
• Use carefully (may affect legitimate users)

Managing Bans

Access: Admin Panel > Users > Bans

• View all active bans
• Edit ban details
• Unban users
• View ban history

Unbanning Users

1. Go to Admin Panel > Users > Bans
2. Find banned user
3. Click "Unban"
4. Confirm unban

User Statistics

Viewing Statistics

Access user profile to see:

• Posts Count - Total posts made
• Discussions Count - Discussions created
• Reputation - Reputation points
• Registration Date - When user joined
• Last Activity - Last login/activity
• Online Status - Currently online/offline

User Activity

View detailed activity:

• Recent posts
• Recent discussions
• Reactions given/received
• Mentions
• Subscriptions

Best Practices

User Management

• Regular Review - Review user list periodically
• Monitor Activity - Watch for inactive accounts
• Handle Reports - Respond to user reports promptly
• Clear Communication - Explain bans and actions

Group Management

• Minimal Groups - Create only necessary groups
• Clear Permissions - Set explicit permissions
• Document Groups - Document group purposes
• Regular Review - Review group permissions regularly

Permission Management

• Principle of Least Privilege - Grant minimum necessary permissions
• Test Permissions - Test after changes
• Document Changes - Keep permission change log
• Regular Audit - Review permissions periodically

Troubleshooting

User Can't Post

Check:

1. User group has post permissions
2. Category allows posting
3. User is not banned
4. No rate limiting blocking

Permission Not Working

Solution:

1. Check the permissions of the user's group
2. Confirm the user is in the expected group
3. Check the category's access restrictions
4. Clear cache and test

Ban Not Working

Check:

1. Ban is active (not expired)
2. IP ban matches user IP
3. User hasn't changed IP
4. Check ban logs

Resources

• Admin Panel Guide - Administration interface
• Security Guide - Security and permissions
• Moderation Guide - Content moderation
• Troubleshooting - Common issues

Last updated: February 23, 2026