Getting started with the new Gravitee community forum
We have launched our brand new Gravitee community forum! In this blog post we’re going to cover how to use the forum, getting the most out of it.
Logging in
We have a number of options available to you to log in:
- SSO through: Google, Twitter and GitHub
- Registration form
The welcome message
First of all, please read the welcome message — it will give you instructions on how to get the best out of the forum. In there you’ll find details about how to find answers to your questions, getting to know your fellow community members, and what to expect in general.
Introducing some concepts
Discourse uses the following concepts:
- Topics & posts
- Categories
- Tags
Topics are the equivalents of creating a new thread or flow for a conversation. They are generally publicly visible, and users are able to reply to a topic with Posts, keeping the context of the conversation in the same place, making it easier to follow.
Categories are dedicated sections where Topics can be created under. They help encourage similarly-themed topics to be grouped together, making it easier to find areas of interest.
Tags are ways to annotate a Topic further, and can be used to do things such as:
- Advanced searches using Tags and filter down conversations
- Call all Topics that have the same Tag
- Better annotate Topics when browsing through a Category
Using the search
Using the search function for simple search is pretty straightforward — just click on the magnifying glass at the top of the page and type what you’re looking for.
Posting a new topic
If you’re looking to start a new conversation, perhaps you’re asking a question, or letting the community know about that project you’re working on, then you can do so by clicking the New Topic button located in the top-right corner of your browser.
A message window will pop up at the bottom — from here you can select what Category you’d like to start the new conversation, as well as adding Tags if it makes sense to do so. You’ll notice that you’ll have full richness of editing available to you, as well as being able to attach images and add links. Once you’re done, click Create Topic.
Replying to a Topic
To reply to a Post on a Topic, select the Topic in question that you’re interested in, and click the Reply button. You’ll get the same editor box pop up.
Marking an answer as a solution or liking a Topic or Post
Did someone help answer your question? Did you read an interesting comment? Then please make sure you either mark a post as the solution if it answers your question, and don’t be shy about linking posts. To access these options, click on the … on the post in question. A menu will pop up with options that will allow you to:
- Like a post
- Get a share link
- Flag a post as inappropriate
- Bookmark a post for future reference
- Mark a post as the solution (only available to the original Topic poster and moderators)
What categories are in use
We have a number of categories available on the forum:
- Announcements (read only) — Product updates and important announcements about Gravitee
- Events — A place for everybody in the community to share news about events they’re attending or presenting at
- Hello! Salut! Hola! — The welcome forum. New here or to Gravitee in general? Do pop by and tell us about yourself
- Show and tell — Working on a new plugin? Published a new blog post? Learned something new about the platform? Why not tell the community about it
- Frequently Asked Questions (read only) — Got a question? Check here first, it might be a fairly common one!
- Support — Not seen your question answered in your searches? Then select the appropriate sub-category (API Management, Access Management, Alert Engine, Cockpit) and post away
- Feature requests & feedback — Is there something you’d like to see added to the platform? Is there something really… bugging you (sorry about that pun)? Do you have some suggestions about the forum itself? Do let us know
Wrapping it all up
We’ve provided a quick overview of how to get started on the Gravitee community forum. We look forward to seeing you there, and don’t forget, if you’ve got suggestions around how we can make it better, do let us know!
