Hide Forum From Index

[x-Treme]

There are a couple of plugins out there that currently do this, but why use a plugin when you can use stock MyBB features to achieve the same result.

This little trick will allow you to hide a forum from the index and make it reachable only via the direct url.

Step 1:
Create a new forum and set that new forum as a category. Edit the permissions of the category you just created and remove every groups ability to view it. (Move the "View" permission to the Disallowed list), even for the administrators group.

Step 2:
Now create a new forum or move an existing one to the new category you created in step 1.

Step 3:
Because of the way MyBB is set up, the new forum you just created or moved in the previous step has now inherited the permissions of the parent category. Therefore, regardless of what you set the permissions to in step 2, no one will be able to view that forum.

To fix this, we have to edit the permissions to the new forum again. Here you can choose which usergroups you want to allow to view the new forum.
Now if you visit the new forum at http://yourdomain.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=[fid of the new forum] only groups you granted permission to should be able to view it.

I personally use this in a number of different ways. On TAFFA, I have a staff forum, but it's still unviewable from the index...even for the staff. The link to the staff forum is placed inside the sidebar of the ModCP to save clutter on the index.
You can also use this as a premium section for premium usergroups. Instead of everyone seeing the "Empty" forum on the index, hide the link away somewhere that only your premium group can see.

Just another trick of how MyBB can be bent to allow you to do something without the use of a plugin. Have fun and play around with it

[Detrition]

Neat things like this are why I use MyBB.

[x-Treme]

(03-05-2012 05:29 AM)Peter L Wrote:  Neat things like this are why I use MyBB.

Exactly. It truely is a powerful piece of software. As I said...you just gotta know how to "bend" it to achieve different things.

[Ralph]

Very nice this will be a very helpful reference for the future.