Private messages

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Private messages
Written by djs596

The phpBB3 private messages system, often abbreviated to PM, is the interface which allows users with the appropriate permissions to send each other messages. Vanilla PHPBB installations have private messaging enabled by default.

Features
Almost every feature used in posts can also be used in PMs; quotes, smilies, code boxes, attachments, and custom BBCodes.

Sending a PM
There are a few different ways to send a PM. One method, maybe the most popular, is to click on a user's name, which takes you to their profile. Then you can just select Send private message. Or, you can go to the user control panel and select Private messages. Then, type the name of the recipent and click add. You can add multiple recipents with this method. If the feature is enabled, you may be able to send one a PM to one or many usergroups. As with the method above, click the group name and then click add. Then the message will be sent to every member of that group.

Default folders
The private message system gives each user default folders: Inbox, Outbox and Sent messages. Other folders can be added too, see the section below (Folders).

Inbox: Messages received from other users.
Outbox: Messages that you have sent but that have not been read by the receiver yet. You can edit messages while they are in the outbox.
Sent messages: Messages that you have sent and that have been read by the receiver.

Permissions
PM permissions are managed from the ACP. They can be set for groups and individual users. The latter is useful if you have a disruptive member that you wish to stop from sending private messages. To manage PM permissions for groups go to:

ACP > Users and groups > Groups heading > Groups' permissions > Select group > Advanced permissions > Private messages tab. Here you will be able to control what BBCodes users can use, if they can use smilies, etc.

Folders
You can add folders to organise private messages. For example, you could create a folder for messages that are important. To do this you would go to:

UCP > Private messages tab > Rules, folders and settings

A screen will appear. Simply type the name of the new folder into the provided box and click Add. After you have done this, on gthe left hand side of the screen, normally inbetween Inbox and Outbox, your new folder will be there. But there is no point having a folder unless there are messages in it. There are two ways to add messages; manually, or via private message rules. First, here is how to maadd messages manually to your new folder:

Open your inbox. There is your liost of messages. Click the checkbox next to the message/ s that you would like to add to the new folder. You should see a dropdown menu at the bottom of the PMs. Click Move marked to yourfolder.

PM rules
A less known feature of PMs is that you can add rules. Go to your UCP (user control panel) and click on Rules, folders and settings. Suppose you want to move all messages with the word phpbb in the subject to a folder named phpbb messages. Under the title Add new rule there is a drop down list. Select subject and click next. In the next list, select is like and again click next. Now, in the box, type phpbb, and click next. Now select place in folder -> yourfolder, and click add rule. Now, evertime you receive a message with phpbb in the subject, the message will automatically go to the folder that you created.

ucppm2.PNG (3.44 KiB) Viewed 3856 times

Of course there are many other possibilities with PM rules, but all are just as easy as above.