Discussion Forums

Discussion forums are a space to communicate with others, similar to a message board. The discussion forum is visible to users who have access to the project.

Creating a New Message Thread

The Discussion tab can be found on the project main page. Anyone with project access may view project discussion threads, create new threads, or reply to existing threads.

To create a new thread, click the New Thread button at the top of the Discussion tab.

This opens a New Thread dialog box where you can edit text, insert pictures, code, TeX, widgets, or Markdown script. As with wiki editing, a formatting guide is available for Markdown, TeX, and code block examples.

Tip: You may tag people by including an '@' symbol followed by a username. Tagging users in discussion threads will send them a notification, so use this feature to invite others into the discussion. Tagged users will only receive a notification if they were tagged in the initial thread creation. Tagging users after starting a thread will not send a notification.

Managing Notifications

You may subscribe to a discussion forum for a particular project by clicking the Follow button on the main discussion page. Once you’ve subscribed to a forum, you will receive an email to your Synapse-registered email address whenever a new thread is created. You can use the Unfollow button at any time to discontinue this subscription.

To receive email notifications for replies to individual threads, click the eye icon, which is visible from within the thread of interest. If you reply to a thread, you begin following the thread automatically.

Moderating a Discussion Forum

Deleting and Restoring Threads

Users with administrative privileges on a project also have moderator privileges for that project’s forum. Moderators may delete threads and individual replies from all users using the trash can icon next to the original post.

In case of accidental deletion, moderators may also undelete threads to restore them. To view deleted threads, click on Discussion Tools and Show Deleted Threads to see a list of threads that are currently in the trash can. Once you’ve found the thread you’d like to restore, click the thread and use the Discussion Tools menu to select Restore Thread.

Pinning Threads

Moderators may emphasize important threads by selecting the pin icon to bring the post to the top of the forum. The thread will remain at the top of the list even after newer threads are posted. Moderators may also unpin threads.