In this tutorial, we cover default module configuration in Boone Dolphin including enabling RSS feed configuration, store management, SMTP configuration and much more.
Further reading:
How to Install Modules in Boonex Dolphin
How to Enable and Manage Blogs in Boonex Dolphin
How to Install Boonex Dolphin Social Network
1. Enabling the RSS feeds
The RSS feed block provided by the Boonex Dolphin platform can easily be used for pulling informative content such as news or updates from other websites.
To enable the RSS Feeds in Dolphin, you will need to:
- Step 1: Access the Block Editing page
- Step 2: Enable and Configure the RSS block
Further reading:
How to Install Modules in Boonex Dolphin
How to Enable and Manage Blogs in Boonex Dolphin
How to Install Boonex Dolphin Social Network
Step 1 Access the Block Editing page
The process itself is fairly simple and since the RSS feeds are an actual block you will need to first include the block to one of your pages.
In order to add the RSS feed block please login into your admin area and navigate to Builders>Pages Builder
For the purpose of this tutorial we will add an RSS feed to the home page of the Social Community. Thus you will need to select the Homepage from the Pages drop-down menu and click the Go button which will display for you the blocks on your homepage.
Step 2 Enable and Configure the RSS block
The RSS block is located in the Samples section of blocks and you will need to drag and drop it in the column of your page you would like the block displayed at.
This action will only add the block, however I order for the block to be working properly you will need to configure it. The configuration process is fairly simple and in order to perform it you will need to click on the block’s name so the additional block editing interface can be opened.
The option you will need to edit for this block is only the Url Of RSS Feed and there you will need to paste the URL where the information will be pulled from.
Of course if you would like to limit the number of displayed items in the feed you will need to edit the “Number Of RSS Items (0 - All)”.
Once you are done editing the RSS feed block simply use the Save button in order for the lock to be saved properly and from now on your block will be displayed with the feed items on the page you have added it to.
Congratulations! You are now able to add RSS feeds to your Boonex Dolphin social community!
Further reading:
How to Install Modules in Boonex Dolphin
How to Enable and Manage Blogs in Boonex Dolphin
How to Install Boonex Dolphin Social Network
2. Managing a store in Dolphin
Building a store for your online community has never been so easy. With the integrated Store module of the Boonex Dolphin platform you will be able to easily manage an online store within your Social Community.
To manage a store in Dolphin, you will need to:
- Step 1: Enable the Store Default Module
- Step 2: Configure the Payment Modules
- Step 3: Configure the Store Module
Step 1 Enable the Store Default Module
Since this tutorial will involve the installation of a module you will most probably need to check the above tutorial on the installation and management of the modules used by your Social Community.
The Store module cannot be directly installed due to the simple fact that the module require two additional modules to be installed in advance. If you attempt to install the Store module without the additionally required modules you will most probably get the following error message.
As you will probably notice the additionally required modules are the Payment Module” and also the Files Module. Fortunately these modules are included in the default installation and you will simply need to install them prior the installation of the Store module.
Once these modules are installed you can proceed with the installation of the Store module.
As soon as the module has been properly installed it will be listed in the Modules menu.
Step 2 Configure the Payment Modules
Before we can configure our new module we will begin with configuring the Payment module so the overall process of enabling entirely the store for your website to be in some order.The Payment module is available right above the Store module in the Modules administration menu.
If you click on that module you will be redirected to the module administration page where you will be able to configure its options.The first option is actually the first section on that page called Payment Settings. This section contains the following fields:
- Currency Code – The code of the currency your store will be supporting
- Currency Sign – The actual sign of your currency
- Site Administrator – The administrative user having access to the store management
The next block of settings is called Payment Details and it actually contains the payment methods your store will be supporting. There are only two payment methods supported currently by that module and they are PayPal and 2Checkout.
You should be able to easily configure both of the modules to accept payments on your website as their configuration is fairly simple and strict.
The next two blocks are actually blocks related to the order performed on your Store and there is nothing for configuring in these.
Step 3 Configure the Store Module
Now that you have configured your payment methods and other payment related options it is time to actually configure your shop .This can be easily achieved if you click on the Store module in the list of modules displayed under the Modules link in your administration area.
The first thing you will probably notice in the administration page of the module is the horizontal menu at the header of that page.
First we will show you how to configure your store. If you click on the Settings link from that menu you will be redirected to a page where you should configure the settings for the module. The settings of the store are fairly simple and you should be able to handle them easily.
The next link from that menu is the Add Product link which respectively serves for adding a product. This link will redirect you to a page where you will be able to fill the following options for your product:
- Name – The name of your product
- Description – The description of your product
- Tags – Tags related to your product
- Categories – Categories which your product can be classified to
- Product Files – Any files related to the product such as images or some other files if your product will be a virtual product
- Price – the price of the product
- Privacy settings – What type of members should be able to see the module
Once you fill all those fields use the Submit button at the bottom of the page in order for the settings to be properly saved.When you have added a product it will be displayed under the Admin Products link.
And finally your product will be automatically added to your Social Community under the Store menu item.
Now you have fully functional store for the members of your Social Community.
Congratulations! You have learned how to enable a store in your Boonex Dolphin social community!
3. Enabling the SMTP protocol
SMTP stands for “Simple Mail Transfer Protocol” and as the name suggests it is a protocol for sending outgoing messages to your members of to whom you would like to. By default your Social Community will use the php mail function for this purpose, however this not always is the correct approach for sending messages.
To actively use the SMTP Mailer, you will have to follow these steps:
- Step 1: Enable and Configure the SMTP module
- Step 2: Test the Module
Step 1 Enable and Configure the SMTP module
This module is part form the default Boonex Dolphin modules set. Once the module is installed you will need to configure it with the settings available for the mail server of your account with us. In order to do so first you will need to access the Administration Page of your website and to navigate to Modules>SMTP Mailer.
There you will notice 3 different sections of options and additional information. The first section is called “SMTP Mailer” – the same way as the module name. In this section you will be able to find the actual settings for the module which you will need to configure:
- Override Default Sender Email Address – This option is for changing the default email address of the sender assigned by the SMTP protocol. The value of this field should be the same as the one for your SMTP Username if you would like to avoid any issues related to your email being flagged as spam
- Attach Every Outgoing Email All Files - This is an actual checkbox which will allow you to attach the content of the Modules/Boonex/Smtpmailer/Data/Attach/ folder in the messages you are sending
- SMTP Server Port Number – The native SMTP port without SSL/TLS encryption of your email is 25. If however you would like to use SSL encryption please use port 465 or 587 for TLS encryption
- Enable SMTP Mailer – If the mailer should be enabled or not. Please check this option if you would like to have the SMTP mailer activated immediately after you save these settings
- SMTP Authentication – If the outgoing mail server requires authentication please use that option. Currently our mail service requires such thus if you are configuring the Mailer with your mail settings for your account with use check this option
- SMTP Username – The username you are using for connecting to the email service for your accountUsually this username is an actual email account you have. For example if your domain name is example.com and your email account is admin@example.com you should use admin@example.com as the SMTP Username.
- SMTP Password – The password for the email account you have used as username in the previous option
- SMTP Server Name Or IP Address – The hostname or IP address of the mail server you are connecting to for the use of the SMTP Protocol. If you are configuring the SMTP Mailer with the mail configuration for your account with use please use mail.yourdomain.com. So if your domain name is example.com you should use mail.example.com for SMTP Server name
- Is Your SMTP Server Requires Secure Connection – Entirely depends on the way you would like to have your messages encrypted. If you have chosen port 25 for the SMTP Server Port Number option you should leave the value of this option as “Not Secured”
- 'From' Name Of The Message – This name will be displayed as the mail sender and your recipients will be able to see that field once they receive an email. It would be appropriate if you set this option to your Site’s name
Once you have all of these properly configured you should use the Save button in order to save the configuration. If you have enabled your SMTP mailer in the configuration it will be activated once you have pressed the Save button.
The second section is called “HELP” and it basically describes what each field from the configuration stands for.
Step 2 Test the Module
The final third section is an actual tester for your SMTP Mailer. It is recommended once you have the configuration saved to test the service via this section. It will basically send a simple message to the email address you would like to. Thus you will need to simply fill the Recipient, Subject and Body fields with the values you would like to and press the Submit button so the message can be sent.
If everything was properly configured you will be prompted with a message indicating that the mail has been successfully sent.
That’s it! You can now activate and configure the SMTP protocol for outgoing messages on your Social Community!
4. How to Enable Events in Dolphin
The events functionality is commonly used to mark certain real life event or any virtual event such as meeting, conversation or even a party in your social community. If you would like to enable your social community to provide the users with an easy to manage Events functionality you should do so by installing the Events module provided with the default modules set of the Boonex Dolphin platform.
In this tutorial we will show you how to enable that functionality and how to create your first event.
Since the functionality is related to installing a module you will need to know how a module should be installed.
To enable the events module in Dolphin, you will need to:
- Step 1: Install the Events Module
- Step 2: Manage the Events Module
- Step 3: Add a Block for the Module
Step 1 Install the Events Module
In order to install the events module you will need to login into your admin area and find the module in your Modules>Add & Manage page
If the module is still not installed you will be able to find it respectively under the Not Installed Modules block.
Once your Events module is installed please find the module in the list of modules under your administration area>Modules and click on it so you can access the module’s administration page.
Step 2 Manage the Events Module
If you have just installed the module the administration page for the module will look similar to the following.
You will notice the management menu of the module in the top right corner of the only section displayed at this page. In order to add a new event please use the Create Event link from that menu. Then you will be redirected to a page where you will need to fill all of the information related to your new event.
- Title – The title for your event
- Description – Detailed description of your event
- Country – The country where the event will occur
- City – The city where the event will occur
- Place Name – The name of the place where the event will occur
- Date Start – The starting date of the event
- Date Ends – The ending date of the event
- Tags – The tags related to your event
- Categories – Categories your event is related to
- View Event – The allowed users for viewing the event
- Allow Viewing Participants – The group of users that will be able to see the participants of the event
- Allow To View And Post Comments – The allowed group of users that can view and post comments on the event
- Allow Rating – The allowed group of users that can rate the event
- Allow Joining – The allowed group of users that can join the event
- Join Confirmation – Confirmation for joining the event – you should consider enabling this option in order to avoid fake members participating in events
- Allow Joining By Membership – The allowed membership levels that can join the event
Once you fill all these fields and hit Submit your event will be created. The event will be then displayed under the Admin Events link on the Events page
Additionally the event will be added to your social community and your users will be able to browse it under the Events link.
Step 3 Add a Block for the Module
The Events module also provides a block you can put on your pages. The block is called Public Events and can be found in the Inactive Blocks section of the Page Builder feature provided in your administration area> Builders.
Once the block is added to your page it will be displayed as it follows. Congratulations! You can now add and manage events on your Dolphin social community!
Further reading:
How to Install Boonex Dolphin Social Network
.5. Enabling the Worldmap Module in Dolphin
The World Map module provided in the default set of modules of the Boonex Dolphin platform is commonly used for easily displaying the locations around the globe where the members of yoru social community are registering from. In order to handle the installation process of that module you will need to know how to install modules.
To enable the Worldmap module in Dolphin, you will need to:
- Step 1: Install the Worldmap Module
- Step 2: Add a Block for the Worldmap Module
Step 1 Install the Worldmap Module
Assuming that you are already logged into the administration area of your social community you will need to navigate to Modules>Add & Manage.
There you will be able to find the module World Map in the list of Not Installed Modules of course if you have not installed it already.
nce you install the module you will be able to find it under the list of installed modules which will verify that the module has been successfully installed
There is no need to reconfigure the module if you would like to preserve the described functionality in the beginning of this tutorial.
Step 2 Add a Block for the Worldmap Module
Now that you have the module installed it is time to add the module’s block with the actual World Map to one of your pages. Let’s add the map to the home page of your website. For this purpose you will need to navigate to the Pages Builder located inside your administration area>Builders>Pages Builder.
Once you are redirected to the Page Builder page you will need to select the page you would like the map added to from the Pages drop-down list and press the Go button. This action will allow you to browse the blocks displayed on the concrete page. For the purpose of this tutorial we will add a map to our Homepage.
The World Map block is listed in the list of Inactive Blocks where you should be able to find it and then drag and drop it into the column you would like the module displayed. In our case this is the Column 1 of our Homepage and after the module has been successfully added it is immediately available on the homepage of our Social community.
Now you have a World map displayed on your website with the locations your users are signing up from.
Congratulations! You have successfully added the Worldmap feature to your social community!
Further reading:
How to Install Boonex Dolphin Social Network
6. Enabling Polls in Dolphin
The poll is a feature allowing you to put questions regarding certain subject you or your users are interested with along with available answers that can be chosen in order for a global statistic on the question to be generated. You can use polls to create for example a survey or any type of inquiry which you will need a statistic about.
In this tutorial we will show you how to enable the Polls module and also how to create your first poll.
Since the Polls feature is an actual module you will need basic knowledge in installing and managing the module of your Social Community.
In this tutorial, you will learn how to:
- Step 1: Install the Polls Module
- Step 2: Manage the Polls
- Step 3: Add a Poll
Step 1 Install the Polls Module
The installation process of the module is taking place in the administration area of your community under the Modules>Add & Manage page.
The Poll module should be listed in the list of Not Installed Modules where you should be able to install the module from.
Once the module is installed you will be provided in a link to the module in the Modules administration menu.
On that link you will be able to see all of the polls added on your Social Community and respectively to perform actions related to the concrete poll.
Step 2 Manage the Polls
The actions you can take are listed as buttons on the bottom of the block displayed on that page.
- Approve – Approve the poll so it can be displayed
- Disapprove – Disapprove already approved polls
- Featured – Make a poll featured
- Delete – Delete the poll
Step 3 Add a Poll
If you check the frontend of your social community you will probably notice that a new link has appeared in the top navigation menu – Polls. If you click on it you will be redirected to the home page of your polls where you should be able to add a poll via the Add Poll button.
Once you click on the Add Poll button you will be redirected to a page where all of the available options for the new poll will be displayed.
- Question – The question for your inquiry
- Answer – The positive and negative answers to your inquiry
- Categories – The categories this poll can be related to
- Tags – The tags related to the poll
- Choose Members Allowed To View This Poll – The group of members that can view this poll
- Choose The Group Where Members Are Able To Comment On Your Polls – the group of members allowed to comment the poll
- Choose Members Allowed To Vote On Your Polls – The group of members allowed to vote on your poll
Once you fill all of the available options and click on the Create button your poll will be created and it will be available under the Polls link.
Congratulations! You can now create and manage polls on your Dolphin social community!
7. Enable and Manage Articles in Dolphin
As the name of the feature suggests by enabling the Articles feature you will be able to write articles which will be conveniently presented into a separate link in the navigation menu of your Social Community. Each article will have its own separate page where the whole content of the article will be presented.
As most of the features of the Boonex Dolphin platform, the Articles feature is a separate module you will need to install and configure in order for the functionality to be available. If you are not quite sure how to install a module on your Social Community please read our other tutorial related to the installation of modules.
To Manage the Articles in Dolphin, you will need to:
- Step 1: Install the Articles Module
- Step 2: Use the Articles Module
Step 1 Install the Articles Module
The module you will need to install is called Articles and in order to install it you should be able to find the module in the list of Not Installed Modules located at the Add & Manage page of the Modules menu provided in the administration area of the Boonex Dolphin platform
Once the module has been successfully installed you will be able to find it as a separate link displayed in the Modules menu.
Step 2 Use the Articles Module
If you click on the module’s name you will be redirected to the administration page of the module. The page is separated on 3 sections.
The first section contain the Settings for the articles you are about to add or you have already added.
- Publish Articles Automatically – If checked this option will allow each article you will add to be automatically published
- Allow Comments For Articles - This option is for allowing comments to be submitted to each article you have
- Allow Votes For Articles – This option will allow for the Star Rating block to be displayed in the article’s page and respectively this functionality will enable the rating for each article
- The Number Of Articles On Home Page – The Home page of the articles will contain the number of articles you have set using this option
- The Number Of Articles On Account Page - The amount of Articles being displayed on an account page
- The Number Of Items Shown On The Page - The amount of Articles being displayed on a page
- The Number Of Items Shown In The RSS Feed – If the articles should be shown in RSS Feed this option is for setting their number
The second section is for posting article. This section contains the mandatory fields that should be filled if you would like to post an article.
- Caption – The caption of your article
- Snippet – This text is a short text that will be displayed for every article in the Articles home page where many articles are shown
- Content – The content for your article
- Date – Date when your article is posted
- Tags – Tags related to your article
- Categories – Categories your article should be related to
Once you fill all of these settings you should use the Post button for posting the article.
The last section is actually presenting you with all of the articles you have added. From there you will be able to Publish, Unpublish, Feature, Unfeature and Delete.
The articles are displayed in a separate menu item in the main navigation menu for your Social Community.
Congratulations! You can now add and manage Articles on your social community!
8. Enabling the Forum Feature in Dolphin
Forums usually provide a place where different subjects can be discussed by the members of the board. Since the Boonex Dolphin platform is indeed for managing large amount of user accounts one of the best functionalities it has integrated is the combination of social network plus forum feature.
In this tutorial we will show you how to easy and quick setup a forum for the users of your Social Community.
Since the forum functionality is provided by a module you will need to know how to install a module which we have explained in one of our other Boonex Dolphin tutorials.
To finish this tutorial, you need to complete the following steps:
- Step 1: Install the Forum Module
- Step 2: Access the Forum
Step 1 Install the Forum Module
We will begin with the activation of the Forum module. For this purpose you will need to login into the administration area of your website and to navigate to Modules>Add & Manage.
There under the NOT INSTALLED MODULES section you will find the Forum module if of course you have not already activated it. In order to install the module please check the checkbox in front of the module and use the Install button.
Once the module has been installed you will be presented with a message indicating that the installation has been successful.
Step 2 Access the Forum
Now that you have the module activated you are probably wondering how to access the forum. Well since this is a newly installed module it will be available under your Administration area>Modules>Forum.
This link will redirect you to the frontend of your Social Community where the forum will be already available in the top horizontal navigation menu and you will be able to add Topics to the forum.
Congratulations! You are now able to install and use the Forum feature of your Dolphin social community!
