Frequently Asked Questions

Here are answers to the most popular questions about Light Portal.

General questions

Which versions of SMF are supported?

See Installation.

Where can I download Light Portal?

See Installation.

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Installation and Setup

How do I install Light Portal?

See Installation.

How do I make the portal the front page?

See Portal Settings.

Can I use Light Portal alongside another portal?

Yes, you can try combining two portals.

1. Install Light Portal without removing the previous portal
2. Go to Settings → Miscellaneous and change the action/page parameters to differ from the other portal

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Pages

How do I create a new page?

See Add Page.

How do I configure SEO for pages?

See SEO Tab.

What are categories and tags?

See Glossary

You can create categories in Portal → Categories and tags in Portal → Tags.

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Blocks

How do I add a block?

See Add Block.

How do I reorder blocks?

In the block management section, drag blocks to the desired order.

Can I use JavaScript in blocks?

Yes, use an HTML-type block for this.

Warning

Be careful with external scripts — they can slow down page loading or create security vulnerabilities.

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Plugins

What are plugins?

Plugins extend Light Portal functionality. They can add new block types, integrate with other modifications, and provide additional features.

See Manage Plugins for details.

How do I install an additional plugin?

See Installing additional plugins.

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Design and Themes

How do I change the portal appearance?

Light Portal uses the same theme as the rest of the forum. However, you can change the front page layout.

1. CSS: Create a file portal_custom.css in the Themes/default/css folder
2. Layouts: Create a custom front page layout in the Themes/default/portal_layouts folder

See Create Custom Layouts for details.

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Troubleshooting

Page isn't displaying

Check:

1. Page status (enabled/disabled)
2. Correct URL (slug)
3. Visibility settings (Access and placement tab in page settings)

Block isn't displaying

Check:

1. Whether the block is enabled
2. Which panel it is assigned to
3. Visibility settings (Access and placement tab in block settings)

Errors after update

1. Clear the forum cache and browser cache
2. Enable weekly table optimization in the Miscellaneous tab in portal settings
3. Reinstall/update plugins if necessary

Where can I find error logs?

Light Portal logs are in the standard SMF logs. You can also enable debug mode in the portal settings.

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Development

How do I create my own plugin?

See Add Plugin.

Where can I find documentation on hooks?

See Portal Hooks.

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Need Help?

If you didn't find the answer to your question:

1. Search the support forum
2. Create a new post describing your problem
3. Attach screenshots and error logs

Or use the comment section right on this page.