5. Forum Channels

A forum is a subtype of text channel in HakoSpace that replaces the regular message stream with a “post + replies” structure. This chapter explains how forums differ from regular text channels, how to browse the post list, how to create and read posts, and who can apply the four post-level states (pinned / locked / archived / deleted). Assigning forum admins in detail is an admin matter, so this chapter only mentions that forum admins exist.

5.1 What a Forum Is and How It Differs from a Regular Text Channel

A forum is a subtype of text channel built around posts with titles and the replies inside each post. Compared with a regular text channel:

• Forums have: titled posts, replies inside posts, and post-level states such as pinned / locked / archived.
• Forums don’t have: message-level permission settings, voice audio quality settings, or message retention periods (these don’t apply to forums; the post + replies system takes their place).

In the channel list in the sidebar, forums are marked with a ☰ prefix, so you can tell them apart at a glance from regular text channels (# prefix) and voice channels (♪ prefix).

5.2 Entering a Forum and the Post List

Click a channel marked ☰ in the sidebar to enter the forum. The top of the forum shows the channel name, with a + New Post button on the right. Members who hold the Manage channels permission (the owner and admins always included) also see a settings gear ⚙️ next to it.

Below that is the post list, which offers four filters:

• All: lists every post in this forum.
• Pinned: shows only pinned posts.
• Mine: shows only the posts you created.
• Archived: shows only archived posts.

When the forum doesn’t have any posts yet, the list shows “No posts yet.” and a Create the first one link. Pinned posts are grouped at the top of the list under the label Pinned ({count}/5); each forum can pin up to 5 posts.

Each post card shows: the title, a summary (if any), the author, the number of replies, the number of reactions, the number of participants, a tag (if any), status icons (🔒 means locked, 📦 means archived), and the relative time of the latest activity (just now / Nm ago / Nh ago / Nd ago). By default, the list is sorted by each post’s latest activity, newest first.

5.3 Creating a Post

There are two ways to start a post: the + New Post button at the top, or the Create the first one link when the forum is empty. Either one opens the post editor.

The editor has three fields:

• Title (required, up to 200 characters).
• Tag (optional, up to 32 characters, at most one tag per post).
• Body: supports Markdown. You can use all the formatting listed in §2.2 (bold, italic, strikethrough, spoiler, inline / multi-line code blocks, quotes, lists, headings, horizontal rules, and custom font areas) in the post body.

While you write, HakoSpace automatically saves your draft locally in the browser. The next time you come back to the same forum, the draft is restored automatically, so you don’t lose it if you close the window halfway through. After the post is published successfully, the draft is cleared automatically.

At the top are two buttons: ← Cancel and Publish. After you submit, you return to the post list automatically.

If the server rejects the post, HakoSpace shows an error message. Common ones include: posting too frequently, the daily post limit has been reached, the channel is receiving posts too quickly, no permission to post, the title is too long, and the title is empty. When you see one of these messages, make the adjustment it points to, then submit again.

5.4 Reading and Replying to Posts

Click any post card in the post list to open the single-post view. At the top of the view are a back button, the post title, and a row of action buttons with three state buttons: pin, lock, and archive. If you’re the author, or once the post is archived, the row also has a 🗑 Delete button. For who can use each action, see §5.5.

The body of the post shows: the title, the summary, the author, the relative time, an (edited) mark (if it has been edited), the tag, and the number of replies.

The author, and members who hold the Moderate messages permission (the owner and admins always included), can edit the post: click ✎ Edit to enter edit mode, where you can change the title, tag, and body, then click Save to confirm. When a post is archived, it can be edited only after a forum admin unarchives it. When it is locked, only members who hold the Moderate messages permission can edit it; everyone else has to wait until a forum admin unlocks it.

Replying to a post works exactly like a regular text channel: all the message features listed in §2 (Markdown formatting, stickers, files, URL previews, spoilers, reactions, replies, pinning, editing, and deleting) apply. The only difference is that these replies stay inside this post instead of mixing into the main message stream.

If the post’s state restricts replies, a notice appears at the top of the view:

• Archived: “This post is archived. Replies are closed.”
• Locked: “This post is locked. Only admins can reply.” (The people who can reply to a locked post are members who hold the Moderate messages permission, the owner and admins always included; see §5.5.)

5.5 Post States (Pinned / Locked / Archived / Deleted)

Forum posts have four states you can switch, and their buttons appear in the row of action buttons at the top of the post view. Who can use each one depends on the action:

• Pin / Unpin: keeps the post at the top of the list (up to 5 posts per forum). Only forum admins can do this.
• Lock / Unlock: Once a post is locked, only members who hold the Moderate messages permission (the owner and admins always included) can reply. Only forum admins can do this.
• Archive / Unarchive: marks the post as closed, and no one can reply anymore. Only forum admins can do this.
• Delete 🗑: The author can hard-delete their own post at any time (the post is permanently deleted along with all its replies and can’t be recovered). When a forum admin deletes someone else’s post, they must archive it first and then perform a soft delete.

What a forum admin is: Members who hold the Moderate messages permission (the owner and admins always included) automatically become forum admins of every forum. In addition, individual members or user groups can be assigned in Forum Settings to serve as Forum admins, which gives them content moderation rights within that forum (other channels aren’t affected). Forum Settings is opened by members who hold the Manage channels permission (see §5.2). How to assign forum admins in detail is covered in the Admin Manual, so this guide doesn’t go into it.