Posting a topic

A topic is the unit of conversation in the forum. To start one, you need a signed-in account and a few minutes to write a clear title and body.

Reach the composer by clicking + New Topic from the forum home or any board page.

New Topic page, categories, title, rich-text editor, attachments

Pick a category

The first thing the page asks for is the category. A row of chips lists every available category:

  • News & Announcements
  • OpenPLC - General Discussion
  • OpenPLC Hardware
  • OpenPLC Editor
  • Sample PLC Programs
  • OpenPLC Projects
  • Custom Function Blocks
  • OpenPLC em Português (Portuguese-language)
  • Bug Reports
  • Patreons Only

If you arrived here from a board page, the category is pre-selected. You can change it.

Pick the most specific category that fits. The wrong category usually leads to fewer responses, wrong-category topics often get moved by moderators, but it costs an hour or two.

Topic title

Below the categories, a large Topic title field. Some guidance:

  • Be specific. "ModbusTCP server in OpenPLC won't accept connections from Schneider M580" beats "Modbus problem".
  • Lead with the noun, not "Help with" or "Question about".
  • 60–80 characters is a sweet spot: long enough to be descriptive, short enough to fit in the topic list.

The editor

Below the title is a rich-text editor with two tabs:

  • Write: markdown editor where you type your post.
  • Preview: rendered view to verify formatting before publishing.

The toolbar across the top has the standard formatting actions:

IconAction
HHeading (h1/h2/h3 cycling).
BBold.
IItalic.
UUnderline.
SStrikethrough.
<>Inline code or code block.
🔗Insert link.
•Bulleted list.
1.Numbered list.
"Block quote.

The editor accepts markdown syntax directly, typing **bold** produces bold without using the toolbar.

Attaching files

Below the editor body is the attachment area: Paste, drop, or click to add files.

Three ways to attach:

  • Paste: Cmd/Ctrl+V from the clipboard. Useful for screenshots.
  • Drag and drop: drag files from your file manager into the area.
  • Click: opens a file picker.

Common attachments:

  • Screenshots of the editor or the platform showing the issue.
  • Wiring diagrams.
  • Small project zips (under 10 MB).
  • Logs as .txt or .log files.

Large files (videos, big datasets), link out to YouTube, Google Drive, or GitHub instead of attaching.

Publishing

Top right of the page:

  • Discard: abandon the draft and go back.
  • Publish Topic: publish and land on the thread page. The topic appears in its category immediately.

Drafts are not saved server-side today, if you close the browser without publishing, your work is lost. Save important drafts in a markdown file or paste them into a private note while writing.

Good-topic checklist

Before clicking Publish Topic:

  • Right category?
  • Title is specific?
  • Body says what you tried and what happened?
  • Relevant version info included (runtime version, agent version, OS)?
  • Attached the right files (screenshots, logs)?
  • No private data (passwords, API keys, internal customer info) in screenshots or paste?

Editing after publishing

You can edit your own topic for a limited window after publishing. The edit pencil appears on hover over your own post. After the window closes, you can still request edits by flagging the post with a "Please edit" reason or by asking a moderator.

Where to next