How To Use The Intro2CS Forum System
The course forum is THE place to hang out when questions arise, or to get updated on off-campus correspondence.
Our forum is an external tool by Nabble, an Internet company.
In order to use the forum you must follow these steps:
Our forum is an external tool by Nabble, an Internet company.
In order to use the forum you must follow these steps:
- Read the forum rules.
- Register as a user.
- Use the forum.
Registering the Forum
Although you can read all the messages posted in the forum, you must be registered in order to participate. To register, enter the forum page (using the menus). At the top-right corner of the screen you will see a link labeled "Register". Click it and follow the instructions below:
For example, if my name is Moshe Levy and my IDC mailbox is [email protected] I'll register like this:
Click the link you received in the email message, and you're registered and confirmed.
- Your Email: should be your IDC mailbox. We will not accept claims for not receiving our messages if you use other mailboxes.
- Your Password: choose any password you want. Your password is personal and you should keep it that way. We will not accept identity theft claims.
- Your User Name: should be your full name: First Last. User names which do not belong to a course student will immediately be banned. If your user name is taken, add the number "2" at the end (E.g., "David Levy 2").
For example, if my name is Moshe Levy and my IDC mailbox is [email protected] I'll register like this:
- Email: [email protected]
- Password: ********
- Your User Name: Moshe Levy
Click the link you received in the email message, and you're registered and confirmed.
Reading Conversations
The forums are structured in a hierarchical way: You have the top categories with sub categories to some of them. The conversations are organized in the categories. A conversation is called "A Topic". Each message in a topic is called "A Post". So a topic may have a first post, and then a reply post and a reply post to that, which makes 1 topic and 3 posts.
When you're in a forum (or category, same same), you can see the number of topics in that forum and the number of posts. You can also see, at the right column, details about the latest post: when it was posted and by whom. You can click the time of the post to read the post itself. However, this is not recommended, because you may be missing older posts which you may have not read yet.
Click the forum name to see all the topics. In the forum page, you can see a list of all the topics. You can see the number of posts and replies for each topic. Click one of the topics to see the conversation.
In the conversation window, choose a view that is most convenient for you (Classic, List or Threaded).
A "Threaded" view is the best way to see the conversation, who answered whom and to what the reply refers to.
Another nice option is to click the little Star icon next to a topic. This tells the system that you're interested in the topic. Under your account, you will be able to view all your starred items.
When you're in a forum (or category, same same), you can see the number of topics in that forum and the number of posts. You can also see, at the right column, details about the latest post: when it was posted and by whom. You can click the time of the post to read the post itself. However, this is not recommended, because you may be missing older posts which you may have not read yet.
Click the forum name to see all the topics. In the forum page, you can see a list of all the topics. You can see the number of posts and replies for each topic. Click one of the topics to see the conversation.
In the conversation window, choose a view that is most convenient for you (Classic, List or Threaded).
A "Threaded" view is the best way to see the conversation, who answered whom and to what the reply refers to.
Another nice option is to click the little Star icon next to a topic. This tells the system that you're interested in the topic. Under your account, you will be able to view all your starred items.
Asking a Question in the Forum
Before asking a question, you must do 2 things:
You'll see a link labeled "New Topic". Click this link to start a new topic.
Enter a topic subject. The subject should not be too short and should be descriptive enough to understand the question before reading the text. Bad example: "Question regarding exercise 4.1". Good example: "Section 4.1: String or StringBuffer?".
Type your question in the Message box. Make sure the question is descriptive, clear and in English. Don't forget to not post code that is part of your homework solution. Just in case, make sure you read the Forum Rules before posting a question.
You may notice a small checkbox at the bottom. Checking this will tell the system to email you the moment you get a new answer to your question. Our suggestion is to check this box.
You can then preview your message by clicking "Preview Message" or post it by clicking the "Post Message" button.
- Find the right forum that this question belongs to.
- Search, maybe someone has already asked the question before. We don't like the same questions asked twice..
You'll see a link labeled "New Topic". Click this link to start a new topic.
Enter a topic subject. The subject should not be too short and should be descriptive enough to understand the question before reading the text. Bad example: "Question regarding exercise 4.1". Good example: "Section 4.1: String or StringBuffer?".
Type your question in the Message box. Make sure the question is descriptive, clear and in English. Don't forget to not post code that is part of your homework solution. Just in case, make sure you read the Forum Rules before posting a question.
You may notice a small checkbox at the bottom. Checking this will tell the system to email you the moment you get a new answer to your question. Our suggestion is to check this box.
You can then preview your message by clicking "Preview Message" or post it by clicking the "Post Message" button.
Posting a Reply
Although the forums are for the students to ask, it's not only for the staff to answer. We encourage you to reply to posts if you think you can be helpful.
To answer to a topic or a post, click that topic/post. It will expand, and you will see a link on the right that says "reply". Remember, if you want to answer a specific post within a topic, click the "reply" link that in this post, and not the one that on the main topic.
Once you click "reply", you get a windows that is very similar to posting a new topic, except the subject is already filled out for you. It's OK to change the subject if you think that's necessary.
To answer to a topic or a post, click that topic/post. It will expand, and you will see a link on the right that says "reply". Remember, if you want to answer a specific post within a topic, click the "reply" link that in this post, and not the one that on the main topic.
Once you click "reply", you get a windows that is very similar to posting a new topic, except the subject is already filled out for you. It's OK to change the subject if you think that's necessary.
Practice!
If you think you've mastered the system, it's time to practice.
For that we have created a special forum for you called "Come Say Hi!".
Try posting replies or starting new topics in that forum. Type whatever you want, just keep respectful to all and avoid foul language.
Good luck!
For that we have created a special forum for you called "Come Say Hi!".
Try posting replies or starting new topics in that forum. Type whatever you want, just keep respectful to all and avoid foul language.
Good luck!