Managing forums, topics, threads, and posts

Table of contents

1. Edit a forum or topic
2. Copy a forum
3. Copy a topic
4. Copy or move a thread
5. Copy or move a post
6. Copy a shared forum or topic
7. Reorder forums and topics
8. Delete forums or topics
9. Delete a thread from a topic
10. Delete a post from a thread
11. Restore a deleted forum or topic
12. Restore a deleted thread
13. Restore a deleted post

Editing a forum or topic

Editing a discussion forum gives you the ability to change the forum name, availability and locking options, release conditions, and group restrictions. Editing a discussion topic gives you the ability to reassign the topic to a different forum, rename the topic, change the availability and locking options, restrictions, and assessment options, and associate learning objectives to the topic.

Edit a forum or topic

1. On the Discussions List page, click Edit from the context menu of the forum or topic you want to edit.
2. Make your changes.
3. Click Save.

Copying a forum

Copying a forum creates a new forum with the same properties as the original. You can copy the forum’s topics and any pinned threads within those topics. Copying a forum does not copy any normal, unpinned threads inside the forum’s topics; however you can copy or move individual threads from existing topics once you create the new topics.

Copy a forum

1. On the Discussions List page, click Copy from the More Actions button.
2. Click Copy a Forum.
3. Select the forum you want to copy from the Forum to Copy drop-down list.
4. In the New Forum Title field, enter a name for the copied forum.
5. Select your Copy Options:
   • Copy topics  Select this option to copy all of the topics inside the forum; this creates new topics with the same titles and properties as the existing ones.
   • Copy pinned threads  If you choose to copy topics, select this option to copy any pinned threads within those topics. If you use pinned threads to post information about a topic (rules, evaluation criteria, etc.), you should copy these threads along with the topics.
6. Click Copy. See Creating discussion forums and topics for information on how to customize the settings of your copied forum.

Copying a topic

Copying a topic creates a new topic with the same properties as the original. Links to grade items or competency activities are not copied. You can choose to copy pinned threads along with the topic. Copying a topic does not copy any normal, unpinned threads inside the topic; however you can copy or move individual threads from inside the existing topic after you create the new topic. See Copy or move a thread for more information.

If you want to copy topics into another course offering, see Copying course components between org units. If you want to move a topic from one forum to another, click Edit Topic from the context menu of the topic you want to move, then select the desired forum from the Forum drop-down list in the Properties tab.

Copy a topic

1. On the Discussions List page, click Copy from the More Actions button.
2. Click Copy a Topic.
3. Select the forum that contains the topic you want to copy from the Forum to Copy drop-down list.
4. Select the Topic to Copy from the drop-down list.
5. In the New Topic Title field, enter a name for the copied topic.
6. In the Copy Destination list, select the forum you want to copy the topic to. If you select multiple forums, each forum creates a copy of the topic.
7. Select the Copy pinned threads check box if you want to copy pinned threads into the new topic. Select this if you use pinned threads to provide information and instructions about the topic.
8. Click Copy. See Creating discussion forums and topics for information on how to customize the settings of your copied topic.

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Copying or moving a discussion thread or post

Discussion threads and posts can be moved to topics other than the original topic they are posted to. If you think a thread or post belongs in a different topic, you can move it by copying it and choosing the option to delete the original thread or post. If a thread or post is applicable to more than one topic, you can copy it into as many other topics as you want.

Copy or move a thread

1. Click Copy Thread from the thread's context menu.
2. Select where you want to copy the thread to in the Destination Forum and Destination Topic drop-down lists.
3. Select addition Copy Options:
   • Select the Copy replies check box to copy replies to the thread.
   • Select the Delete original post after copy completes check box to delete the original post in the thread after the copy completes.

     Important  If you choose to delete the original thread post and do not choose to copy its replies, the system will delete any replies made to the thread.

4. Click Copy.

   Copy or move a post

   1. Click Copy Post from the post's context menu.
   2. Select where you want to copy the post to in the Destination Forum and Destination Topic drop-down lists.
   3. Select addition Copy Options:
      • Select the Copy replies check box to copy replies to the thread.
      • Select the Delete original post after copy completes check box to delete the original post after the copy completes.

        Important  If you choose to delete the original post and do not choose to copy its replies, the system will delete any replies made to the post.

   4. Click Copy.

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Copying shared forums and topics

Copying is the only task that is significantly different when working with shared forums and topics (as opposed to course-specific forums and topics), because you can copy shared forums and topics between org units.

For example, if you create a shared forum and set of topics in the Math department, you can use the Copy command from the Shared Discussions List page to copy this structure to the English department, the Faculty of Arts & Sciences, the Fall 2012 semester, or any other org unit that supports shared forums.

See Shared forums and topics for more information about shared forums and topics.

Copy a shared forum or topic

1. Click Shared Forums from the Admin Tools menu on the minibar.
2. Select Copy from the More Actions button.
3. Click Copy a Shared Forum or Copy a Shared Topic.
4. Select your options, then click Copy.

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Reordering forums and topics

Reorder forums and topics when you want to change the order in which they appear to users, based on your course and teaching preferences.

Reorder forums and topics

1. On the Discussions List page, click Reorder from the More Actions button.
2. Select the position in the list where you want each forum or topic to appear using the Sort Order drop-down list.
3. If the topics in a forum are not visible, click the Expand icon beside the forum or click Expand All at the top of the list.
4. Click Save.

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Deleting discussion forums, topics, threads, and posts

Delete forums or topics

1. On the Discussions List page, click Delete from the context menu of the forum or topic you want to delete.
2. Click Yes.

Delete a thread from a topic

Click Delete Thread from the context menu of the thread you want to delete.

Delete a post from a thread

Important  When you delete a post, the system also deletes any replies to that post.

Click Delete Post from the context menu of the post you want to delete.

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Restoring a deleted forum or topic

You must have the Delete and Restore Forums and Topics permission enabled to restore deleted topics and forums.

Restore a deleted forum or topic

1. On the Discussions List page, click Restore from the More Actions button.
2. Click Restore beside the forum or topic you want to restore.
3. Click Yes.

Note  If the forum you restore contains one or more topics, you will be given the option to also restore the forum's associated topics.

Restoring a deleted discussion thread or post

To restore a deleted post, you must have permission See Deleted Posts enabled and you must have the Display deleted posts option enabled on the Settings page.

Restore a deleted thread

Click the Restore Thread link in the thread you want to restore.

Restore a deleted post

Click the Restore Post link in the post you want to restore.

Note  If the post you restore is a reply to another post, and the other post was also deleted, both posts restore.

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