How do I configure the Forum settings?
All dinamically manipulled settings are stored in a special configuration file in the WEB-INF/config directory. The filename is system dependant, according to the user which is running the webserver, in the form <user.name>.conf. So, if the system' user is "Webserver", all custom settings will be written to the file WEB-INF/config/Webserver.conf.
Obviously, it should have write access to this directory. Top

I'm getting an error that says that I need write access to some directories
The error "Please give write access for the user who is running the webserver to the file 'index.htm' and for the directory 'WEB-INF/config' and its subdirectories before continuing" means that, in order to JForum be able to store its configurations, it needs write access to these directories / files.
It occurs generally in shared environments, like ISPs for example, where the user who owns the webserver process is different from your ftp user. To solve this issue, simply give write access to the respective user. For more information, please contact your System Administrator / Support. Top

How do I configure the Forum settings?
All administrative settings are done in the "Admin Panel", that can be accessed through the link "Admin Panel" available in the end of the forum page. You must be logged as administrator, either by using the Admin account or any other user who has administrative privileges. Top

How do I configure email notifications?
You can change this option in the admin panel, Configurations section. Top

How to I set a different Character Encoding?
Go to the Admin Panel, section "Configurations". Set the character encoding you want in the "Character Encoding" field. Top

Can I restict the access to some forums or categories?
Yes. Restricting access to forums or categories will make them do not be shown to users who doesn't have access rights. To acquire that, go to the Administration Panel -> Groups -> Permissions and then choose the forums and / or categories you want to restrict in the section "Restricted Forums" and "Restricted Categories". Top

What database does JForum support?
As of version 2.0, JForum is bundled with support to MySQL, PostgreSQL and HSQLDB. Other databases are known to work, like Oracle, SQLServer and Firebird. Top

What does "Announce" and "Sticky" mean, other than a special icon?
Announces are always shown first. Sticky are shown first of other topics as well, but after Announces. Top

Which are the languages currently supported in JForum?
As of version 2.0, the languages supported are English, Chinese Simplified, French, German, Dutch, Português do Brasil, and Russian. Top

Which open source license is JForum under?
JForum is licensed under the BSD License. Top

When using MySQL 4.1, I get an error like "Illegal mix of collations". What is that and how to solve?
When using MySQL 4.1 or newer, JForum will raise an error when trying to do some options. The error raised generally is like "Illegal mix of collations" (utf8_general_ci,IMPLICIT) and (latin1_swedish_ci,COERCIBLE)".
Until we find a real solution, a workaround is described at http://www.jforum.net/posts/list/455.page. Top

Avatar upload is not working. What's wrong?
If you are using Linux, or other Unix like machine, it is necessary that you have installed the X server libraries. Another solution is to run the Servlet Container setting up JAVA_OPTS's parameter java.awt.headless to "true". For more information, see http://www.jforum.net/posts/list/219.page Top