This guide covers our old ProBoards v4 software. Click here for the ProBoards v5 Help Guide.
In ProBoards free forums, page headers and footers can be customized to give each forum a more personalized look. The Headers and Footers link in the admin panel allows discussion forum administrators to use HTML, CSS, or Javascript to apply advanced customizations to the look and functions of their forums. On the Headers and Footers page, you'll be presented with a drop-down menu containing the following:
Global Header / Footer: This option will take you to the Modify Headers and Footers page where changes made to the Global Header and Footer will appear on all pages of the discussion forum.
Main Header / Footer: This option will take you to a different Modify Headers and Footers page. Changes made here affect headers and footers on all main pages that aren't within boards. Main forum pages include the homepage of your forum, the admin area, the instant messaging area, calendar, etc.
Beneath the two options mentioned above will be a list of all boards on your forum. Keep in mind; changes made to the headers/footers of individual boards will only appear when visiting those specific boards.
To modify a header or footer, select an option from the drop-down menu and click Continue. You'll then be taken to the Modify Headers and Footers page for the section of the forum you want to modify. Here you'll be presented with a top box for the Header and a bottom box for the Footer. Changes made in the Header box will typically display at the top of the discussion forum while changes made in the Footer box will typically display at the bottom of the forum.
For example, if you select the Global Header / Footer option from the drop-down menu and type Header in the top box and Footer in the bottom box, when you save those changes you'll see the word Header at the top of the discussion forum and the word Footer at the bottom, on every page of the forum.
In addition to the drop-down menu on the Headers and Footers page, there are two links providing the following customization options:
Click here to manage your headers and footers preferences: This link will bring you to a preferences page where you can specify how your discussion forums Headers and Footers will display.
Click here to make a backup of your headers and footers: This link will take you to a text page listing all the codes you currently have in the Headers and Footers of your forum. Simply copy the codes to a text document or save the page in your web browser so you have a backup. It's generally a good idea to make a backup of your Headers and Footers codes if you plan to make extensive changes to your online forum. That way you can always return to what you had, if necessary.
Customization Codes
As mentioned previously, you can use HTML, CSS, or Javascript to change the look of the forum or provide additional features that aren't standard. If you're not familiar with coding languages, you can view a list of pre-made codes available in our Support Forum. The provided code instructions are generally well written and will direct you where to paste the code as well as how to make changes to the code, if necessary. Also, if you have a Support Forum member account, you can get assistance with coding issues in our Code Request and Support area.