Moderation

The forum has a small set of moderation controls that surface to ordinary users (flagging, special topic states). Most moderation is handled by community moderators and platform admins behind the scenes.

Topic states

Two badges may appear next to a topic title:

  • 📌 Pinned: sticky topic. Stays near the top of the category for visibility. Used for announcements, FAQs, and pinned threads moderators want everyone to read.
  • 🔒 Locked: no new replies accepted. Used for resolved threads, off-topic threads kept for reference, or threads that have run their course.

You can read pinned and locked topics like any other. You just can't reply on locked ones.

Flagging a post

Every post (including topic openers) has a flag icon at the top-right of the post card. Click it to open the report dialog.

Reason options typically include:

  • Spam: promotional content unrelated to the platform.
  • Off-topic: fine content but in the wrong place.
  • Inappropriate: violates the code of conduct.
  • Personal data: accidentally posted credentials, customer info, or other private data.
  • Other: anything else. Add a note.

Add an optional note explaining context. Click Submit report.

What happens after you flag:

  • The platform notifies the on-call moderators.
  • For some flag types (clear spam, multiple users flagging), the post may be auto-hidden pending review.
  • A moderator reviews, then either dismisses, edits, hides, or escalates.
  • The reporter gets a notification when the report is acted on.

You can't see other people's flags. The total flag count on a post (used by moderators to triage) is not exposed to ordinary users.

What gets flagged often

  • Promotional posts with affiliate links, unrelated product pitches.
  • Asking for free unlock keys / cracked software.
  • Cross-posting the same question in many threads.
  • Personal attacks.
  • Leaked credentials in screenshots. (Common when people share OpenPLC runtime user dialogs without redacting.)

Moderator actions you might see

Moderators can:

  • Edit any post (e.g. to redact a leaked password).
  • Hide a post (it stays in the database but is replaced with "Post hidden by moderator").
  • Delete posts in extreme cases.
  • Pin / Unpin topics.
  • Lock / Unlock topics.
  • Move a topic to a different category.
  • Ban users (see below).

When a moderator acts on a post you authored, you'll get a notification with the reason.

Bans

There are two levels:

  • Temporary ban: you can read, but cannot post, reply, or DM, for a set period. The platform shows you the duration and reason when you try to post.
  • Permanent ban: same as temporary, but indefinite.

Bans are issued by admins after a pattern of behavior. Appeals go through the platform's support channel.

Code of conduct

A short code of conduct lives at the platform's terms-of-use page. The shortest summary:

  1. Be kind. Help is more useful than mockery.
  2. Stay on topic. Use the right category.
  3. Don't spam or solicit. Sales pitches aren't welcome.
  4. Don't share other people's private info.
  5. Don't ask for or share warez, cracks, or pirated content.

Violating any of these is grounds for a flag, edit, or ban depending on severity.

If you're a moderator

Moderator and admin tooling lives on internal pages (e.g. /admin/forum-moderation, /admin/forum-bans). If you have moderator permissions, those pages will be reachable; otherwise they're not part of the user experience.

Where to next

  • Find the right category → Reading and searching.
  • DM someone instead of posting → Messaging.
  • Read the code of conduct → the link in the platform's footer / Terms of Use.