Table-Based Forums

WebSite-Watcher supports two different methods to monitor web-based forums:


1.  Forum-Plugins

2.  Forum-Templates

Forum-Plugins

Predefined Plugins are available for major forums with a default layout, such as phpBB. A suitable Plugin can be selected in the Bookmark properties or via the browser information bar.


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When you select a Forum-Plugin, WebSite-Watcher performs compatibility checks to ensure that the Plugin can be used with the selected Bookmark.

Forum-Templates

WebSite-Watcher supports Forum-Templates for table-based forums, especially for topic lists.


Forum-Templates only work if a discussion forum uses the TABLE HTML tag to display the topic list. If a forum uses other HTML tags to simulate a table layout, for example the DIV tag, the Forum-Template system cannot be used.


A topic list must contain the following elements:


  1. A table header
    The header tells WebSite-Watcher where the topic list begins, for example:
    Topics | Replies | Author | Views | Last Post

  2. A "Last Posting" time for each topic
    Each thread or topic must display a last posting time, for example "09:13 AM". It does not work if the forum shows relative times, such as "13 minutes ago", instead of a fixed time.

  3. A table footer
    The footer tells WebSite-Watcher where the topic list ends. The footer may contain changing text or numbers, for example "Mark forum read" or "Page 1 of 13".


If a forum meets all these requirements, you can use the Forum Assistant to create the Forum-Template and the required filter definitions. No further configuration is required.


See also: