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The Forum model represents a forum section in ForkBB. It extends DataModel and provides properties and methods for managing forums, subforums, moderators, and forum-specific permissions.

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Location

app/Models/Forum/Forum.php

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Properties

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id
int
Unique forum identifier
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forum_name
string
Forum display name
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parent_forum_id
int|null
Parent forum ID (null for top-level forums)
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num_topics
int
Total number of topics in the forum
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num_posts
int
Total number of posts in the forum
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last_post
int
Timestamp of the last post
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last_post_id
int
ID of the last post
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last_poster
string
Username of the last poster
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last_topic
string
Title of the last topic with activity
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post_topics
int|null
Permission to create topics (1=allowed, null=use group default)
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post_replies
int|null
Permission to reply to topics (1=allowed, null=use group default)
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redirect_url
string|null
Redirect URL if forum is a redirect link
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sort_by
int
Topic sorting method (0=last post desc, 1=posted desc, 2=subject, etc.)
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page
int
Current page number

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Computed Properties

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parent
Forum|null
Parent forum object. Returns null for root forum (id=0).
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name
string
Forum name (alias for forum_name)
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friendly
string
URL-friendly forum name for links
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subforums
array
Array of direct subforum objects indexed by forum ID
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descendants
array
Array of all descendant forums (including nested subforums)
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moderators
array
Array of moderator data with name and link for each moderator
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tree
Forum
Aggregated statistics for this forum and all descendants
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numPages
int
Total number of pages based on topic count and user display settings
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pagination
array
Pagination array for forum pages

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Permission Properties

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canCreateTopic
bool
Returns true if current user can create topics in this forum
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canMarkRead
bool
Returns true if current user can mark all topics as read
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canSubscription
bool
Returns true if current user can subscribe to forum updates
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link
string
URL to the forum page
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linkNew
string
URL to search for new posts in this forum
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linkLast
string
URL to the last post in the forum
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linkCreateTopic
string
URL to create a new topic
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linkMarkRead
string
URL to mark all topics as read
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linkSubscribe
string
URL to subscribe to forum updates
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linkUnsubscribe
string
URL to unsubscribe from forum updates

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Methods

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modAdd()

Adds one or more users as moderators to the forum. 
public function modAdd(User ...$users): void
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users
User...
Variable number of User objects to add as moderators
Example: 
$forum = $container->forums->get(5);
$user1 = $container->users->load(123);
$user2 = $container->users->load(456);

$forum->modAdd($user1, $user2);
// Save changes
$container->forums->update($forum);

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modDelete()

Removes one or more users from the forum’s moderator list. 
public function modDelete(User ...$users): void
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users
User...
Variable number of User objects to remove as moderators
Example: 
$forum = $container->forums->get(5);
$user = $container->users->load(123);

$forum->modDelete($user);
$container->forums->update($forum);

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hasPage()

Checks if the current page number is valid for this forum. 
public function hasPage(): bool
Returns: bool - true if page is valid Example: 
$forum = $container->forums->get(5);
$forum->page = 3;

if ($forum->hasPage()) {
    $topics = $forum->pageData();
} else {
    // Invalid page number
}

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pageData()

Returns an array of topics for the current page. 
public function pageData(): array
Returns: Array of topic objects Throws: InvalidArgumentException if page number is invalid Example: 
$forum = $container->forums->get(5);
$forum->page = 1;

$topics = $forum->pageData();
foreach ($topics as $topic) {
    echo "{$topic->name}\n";
}

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calcPage()

Calculates which page a specific topic is on within the forum. 
public function calcPage(int $tid): void
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tid
int
Topic ID to find
Example: 
$forum = $container->forums->get(5);
$forum->calcPage(789); // Calculate page for topic 789

if ($forum->page !== null) {
    echo "Topic is on page {$forum->page}";
}

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Usage Example

// Load a forum
$forum = $container->forums->get(10);

// Display forum info
echo "<h2>{$forum->name}</h2>";
echo "<p>Topics: {$forum->num_topics}, Posts: {$forum->num_posts}</p>";

// Check permissions
if ($forum->canCreateTopic) {
    echo "<a href=\"{$forum->linkCreateTopic}\">New Topic</a>";
}

// Display subforums
foreach ($forum->subforums as $subforum) {
    echo "<a href=\"{$subforum->link}\">{$subforum->name}</a><br>";
}

// Get topics for page 1
$forum->page = 1;
if ($forum->hasPage()) {
    $topics = $forum->pageData();
    foreach ($topics as $topic) {
        echo "<div>{$topic->name}</div>";
    }
}

// Display moderators
if (!empty($forum->moderators)) {
    echo "Moderators: ";
    foreach ($forum->moderators as $mod) {
        if ($mod['link']) {
            echo "<a href=\"{$mod['link']}\">{$mod['name']}</a> ";
        } else {
            echo "{$mod['name']} ";
        }
    }
}

// Get tree statistics (including descendants)
$stats = $forum->tree;
echo "Total posts (including subforums): {$stats->num_posts}";

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Sorting Options

The sort_by property controls topic sorting:
  • 0 - Last post DESC (default)
  • 1 - Posted DESC
  • 2 - Subject ASC
  • 4 - Last post ASC
  • 5 - Posted ASC
  • 6 - Subject DESC