Questions about the warning system

[jdubbz]

Hi. I'm taking a look at Xenforo as a possible replacement for our network of sites that are currently running vBulletin 3.8x. I've been comparing the warning system in Xenforo to our current system and have a few questions.

First, is it possible to automatically assign a variable duration to the warnings that are issued by staff? So, the first active warning might be active for 6 months, the second active warning might be active for 9 months, etc. Or, at least have the durations issued run sequentially and not concurrently?

Also, is it possible to allow staff to modify the warning points issued and not the duration?

Please let me know what is possible. Also, I'm new to Xenforo so if there are plug-ins available that would accomplish any of what I mentioned above I would be interested in those as well.

Thanks!

 

[Mouth]

https://xenforo.com/help/warnings/

 

[Paul B]

The points and expiry can be fixed or you can allow moderators to edit them when issuing:

 

[jdubbz]

Sorry, to clarify I have been running the demo instance to check out what it can do so I am somewhat familiar. My questions were posed mostly to clarify what I thought I was seeing and again to see if there were plugins available if functionality is not present in the base version of Xenforo.

To summarize, our currently process allows moderator staff to assign points and not duration to warnings. The duration is calculated automatically based on the number of existing non-expired warnings. It sounds like there is no way to recreate that in the base version of Xenforo, and maybe no plugins to do that? The work around is that staff would have to manually calculate the duration each time a warning was issued, correct?

 

[Paul B]

That's correct.

It's not part of the core functionality.

 

[Mouth]

The work around is that staff would have to manually calculate the duration each time a warning was issued, correct?

If you pre-define the warning types that your staff can issue to users, then the duration of that warning/ban period can also be pre-defined by admin. There's an access privilege to allow senior staff to give custom warning with custom warning/ban durations.

 

[jdubbz]

Thanks for the prompt responses!

If you pre-define the warning types that your staff can issue to users, then the duration of that warning/ban period can also be pre-defined by admin. There's an access privilege to allow senior staff to give custom warning with custom warning/ban durations.

Yeah, I think I saw what you're referring to. The issues go back to a couple of the things I referenced before. Right now we have a system that allows staff to assign a points severity to each warning issued on a 0 to 5 point scale. Duration for the warnings to remain active are calculated based on the number of currently active warnings. Once you're at 3 you're temp banned, and at 5 you're gone for good.

The system you're describing has merits. You'd basically create a "1 point warning", "2 point warning", etc and lock the points and the duration by the admin with a duration that escalates accordingly. The main issue is that the vast majority of our warnings are 0 or 1 pointers, so again they'd all have consecutively served, non-cumulative duration. I suppose we could create a "1 point for first offenders" warning, a "1 point for repeat offenders" warning, a "1 point for really naughty users" warning, etc, each with increased duration. That seems less intuitive to me than what we have today.


I have a few other questions regarding our requirements around the warning system. First, am I correct that there's no way for a user to view their own warnings without the following add-on? https://xenforo.com/community/resources/view-own-warnings.3670/

Also, if staff doesn't start a conversation with the warned member at the time the warning is issued are they not notified in any other way? I tried issuing a warning in the demo instance and my fake user received no notification that I saw if I didn't start a conversation with him. It was as if it hadn't even been issued from the users perspective.

Is thread banning supported? I'm seeing an add-on that mentions it as being sold separately (https://xenforo.com/community/resources/moderator-essentials.1269/), but all versions I see are "not supported".

Lastly, is there an option to create a thread in the staff area each time a warning is issued, or an add-on to support that functionality? We currently have a private staff forum that is automatically populated with warning details as they are issued, including the message sent to the user. This serves a vital function for staff as it provide a central location for discussion on problem members. Most importantly, it facilitates full transparency among staff and provides a place for peer review of all warnings issued, and helps junior staff model good behavior for interacting with users.


Thanks!

 

[Paul B]

I have a few other questions regarding our requirements around the warning system. First, am I correct that there's no way for a user to view their own warnings without the following add-on? https://xenforo.com/community/resources/view-own-warnings.3670/

Correct - it would require an add-on.

Also, if staff doesn't start a conversation with the warned member at the time the warning is issued are they not notified in any other way?

No, the conversation is the only notification they would receive.

Is thread banning supported?

Yes, it's in the core.

Lastly, is there an option to create a thread in the staff area each time a warning is issued

It's not an option in the core.
Ironically I was discussing this yesterday and was considering creating an add-on for it.

 

[jdubbz]

Jeez you're fast.

One more question while I'm thinking of it. Does the moderator "reported post" queue stretch back indefinitely like any other forum, or do entries roll off it after a while? It's difficult to tell as the demo only lasts a few days.

Thanks!

 

[Paul B]

Nothing is ever removed - there is a reports/closed/ page for older/closed reports.