I have had many people ask questions about how to use this website, so i thought i would take the time to make a guide to help out newer members that may be confused or overwhelmed by the wealth of information here. Hopefully this will help you to make a quick transition from a new member to an experienced member. I am basing this off of the website version (Dark theme 2015) on PC as it seems to be the most confusing for people. If you are using the mobile site, or app, then some of these options may not be available or may be located in a slightly different place. I have also left a few things out for the sake of simplicity. After reading this thread feel free to ask any questions that you have and i will try my best to clear things up. Some of the things we will discuss are...
~Settings
~How to set up your profile and preferences
~How to make friends
~How to graduate to a Member, Senior Member, and more
~How to make a signature
~What does my profile look like to others?
~Notifications
~How to change thread display options
~How to change the theme
~How to keep up to date with interesting threads
~How to find your previous posts
~XDA forum rules
~How to search for what you are looking for
~Your device page
~How to find the right download for your device in threads
~How to get help when you cant find the threads or answers that you are looking for
~How to post, reply, give thanks, etc. in threads
~How to rate threads and participate in polls
~How to report bad behavior
~How to attach photos to a thread
~How to donate to developers
~XDA Assist
~How to start a new thread
~Sending private messages
~How to upload photos to a private message
~And more!
Settings:I think setting this up first is best. Click on settings button near the top right of your screen. Then you will find the XDA control panel on the left. Here you can setup/edit your XDA experience. Now we will take a look at some of the options available in "Settings"...
Edit Your Details
Here you will find a quick link to change the email affiliated with your XDA account or change your password. You can also add information that will show up to others when they view your profile such as your birthday, what device you are using, your personal website link, how to instant message you on other messaging networks, links to your social media accounts, the phone carrier that you are using, what city and country you are from, a short biography of yourself, your interests and hobbies, your work occupation, and how to donate to you (if you think your contributions to XDA will be worth a donation).
Profile Privacy
Here you can edit what information you will allow others to see about you just in case you would like to keep some information more private.
Edit Profile Picture
Here you can add/edit a profile picture by either uploading a photo from your computer or phone, or entering a link to a photo from another website that you use such as dropbox.
Contacts & Friends
Here you can select XDA users to add to your contacts or friends list. You can also find information on how to delete contacts here.
Social Groups
Here you can search for social groups to join or start your own social group. Social groups are usually a grouping of people that have the same device, same interests, same cultural background, etc.
Pictures & Albums
Here you can add picture albums to upload photos to for sharing with others here on XDA.
Edit Avatar
Here you can add a photo that will appear under your username whenever you make a post.
Edit Signature
Here you can add/edit a signature (text and/or photo) that will appear at the bottom of every post you make. You can hover over edit options with your cursor to see a description of what they do (like change color of text, change size of text, etc.). You can highlight a part of your signature and select an edit option to change only that part. For a complete guide to all the cool things you can do in a signature, go here! Things that would be great to include in your signature would be your device model number, which ROM version you are using (stock is what came on your phone from the store, and custom ROM is like Cyanogenmod or other aftermarket ROM that was flashed by you or previous owner of device), which kernel version you are using, which android version you have (like 4.4.2 or 5.1.1), which baseband version you are using, which recovery version you are using (stock is what came on your phone from the store, and custom recovery is like Clockworkmod, team win recovery project, etc), any additional custom framework or modules that have been added to your device (like Xposed, Lspeed, etc. Do not list apps), or anything else that you think is important related to your device. If you are unsure, most of this info is available in android settings-about phone. Entering this info will help us to quickly answer your questions.
Edit Email & Password
Here you can change the email affiliated with your XDA account, change your password, or connect a Google+ account to your XDA profile.
Edit Options
Here you can find additional privacy options, messaging and notification options to keep up with interesting threads, private messaging options, date and time options, and customize how the website looks to you including the theme.
Edit Ignore List
Here you can add or delete contacts that you wish to ignore during your XDA experience.
List Messages
Here you can see any private messages that you have received or sent. You can also delete or save messages here as well as change the display options for your message list. An easier way to get to this list is by going into messages from the box labeled "messages" near the top right of your screen.
List Subscriptions
Here you can view the threads that you have subscribed to in a nice and neat list.
Edit Folders
Here you can add/edit folders that you want to keep subscribed threads organized in case you have a lot of them.
Attachments
Here you can view or delete any attachments that you have attached in previous posts.
You may find that you are unable to post replies or threads in some places at first. Please make 10 meaningful or helpful posts elsewhere first and then you will be able to. You will graduate from a Junior Member to a Member at 30 posts. You will graduate from a Member to a Senior Member at 100 posts. To graduate to a Recognized Contributor, Recognized Developer, or Moderator, please search in the "Search all forums" box near the top middle of the screen, and type "How to become a (which ever one of these I mentioned that you are curious about)"
Near the top right of the screen there will be a button labeled "Notifications". Here you will get quick access to messages, mentions, quotes and statistics (statistics will be shown on same page as quotes. Here you can also find all posts made by you in the past, and all thanked posts made by you in the past), and update alerts for software you are using from subscribed threads. Also towards the right of the screen you will see easy access tabs to quickly view unread messages, and threads that you subscribed to.
Near the top right of the screen you will see the button for "Swappa". This is an online store for buying and selling devices and is recommended by XDA.
Next read XDA Forum Rules if you haven't yet before going any further. Scroll all the way down to the bottom of the webpage and you will find a link for this as well as some other useful links. Or you can click here.
Finding The Forums And Threads That You Are Looking For
Now to find the best forums and threads related to your device, click on the search box near the top left of your screen and start typing any identifying words that relate to your device until you find it. Once your device is selected you will find specifications, forums, threads, information on how to root, ROM's, kernels, and tools/utilities that are related to your device. If you are not able to find your device, then use the search box for searching all forums to find forums and threads that may be related to your device. This may be needed if you have a very new, old, or less common device. You may have to select the settings icon to the right of this search box for advanced search options. For a complete guide to using XDA's search features, check out this thread by my friend @TheMerovingian. If you are still not finding the information you need, read below for what to do next.
XDA Assist And How To Start Your Own Thread
If you are still not finding the information you need after following the steps above, then click on the XDA assist tab near the top left of your screen. Here you can start a new thread requesting help to find the information you are looking for. You can find the new thread button near the top left of your screen. If you did find the forum you were looking for, then you can start a thread there the same way by selecting the new thread button near the top left of your screen. If you are unsure if this is the right forum to start your thread, then select the moderator tab near the top middle of the screen and send a private message to one of the moderators telling them what your thread is about, the name of your thread, where you think it should go, and politely ask if that is the right thing to do.
How To Operate Within Threads
Now that you have found a thread that interests you, here is some information on how to utilize your resources to get the most out of it. The original post or OP is where you are going to find the most info and usually any downloads that are related to the thread. This is on the first page of the thread (sdk version is related to which android version you are running. Arm, arm64, and x86 version is related to which processor you have in your device). If you cannot find this info in your android settings, then search for your device specifications online. Read all of the first page now. If you still have questions about the thread, next use the search box at the top of the original post to find specific info within the thread. If you still have questions read through a majority of the thread before posting questions. Unless it is a new thread, most likely the answer to your question is in there somewhere. The newest posts will be towards the last page of the thread. If you still have questions its time to make a post in the thread.
Making A Post In A Thread
At the bottom of the thread page you will see an option for a quick reply. This is a basic reply with limited options. Not many people are going to notice this post especially in a busy thread. If you want a specific person to be alerted that you have made a post then you either need to mention them by adding text in your post like this... @ZipAddict or you need to quote another persons post by selecting the "reply" button at the bottom right of the post that you are replying to. If you would like to alert multiple people that you have posted, then you need to select the "multi-quote" button at the bottom right of each persons post that you are replying to followed by selecting reply. Once again if you hover over edit options at the top of the reply you are making, you will see a description of what each one does (like change the font, or hide text like in my signature). For a complete guide on all the cool things you can do in a post, go here! Additional options are available below the text box and this is where you can add attachments to your post. If you are wanting to post several photos or videos, it can be easier to post a link to an offsite photo gallery like dropbox in your post itself.
Sending Private Messages
To send someone a private message you can either click on their username and select "send message", or you can go to your message list and start a new message by manually entering the username/s of who you wish to send a message to. If you are wanting to send attachments in a private message, then you can include a link to your offsite gallery just like we discussed above.
~If someone has posted something that has helped you, then you are urged to hit the "thanks" button under that post regardless if you post a thank you.
~If someone is breaking the forum rules, then you are urged to hit the "!" button at the bottom left of their post and report them.
~If the thread has a poll (at the top of the thread), then you should participate. It only takes a second, and your opinion matters.
~You should rate the thread (at the top of the thread) immediately if it has helped you a lot. If not, give it a little time before rating and dont be quick to give a bad rating.
~If you benefit from software that you have used here, you should donate to the developer. Any amount is appreciated, and this will motivate them to keep providing the service that you use.
~Be patient and do not make another post about the same thing twice. If no one answers within 24 hours you could send a private message to the maker of the thread politely asking for direction.
This is something I put together real quickly to point new members in the right direction and once again i did not go over every single option or detail. Feel free to ask any questions here, or to request more information regarding a certain topic though. And if you see any mistakes please point them out so that i can correct them. Also, if anyone would like to make photos or videos outlining these things, then i will be happy to add them and give credit. In the meantime i will attach photos as requested. Thank you for reading and good luck on your XDA adventures!:good::good:
Thank you.
Helpful
Very helpful ! Thank you !
Very well done. Excellent guide and very helpful for new members. :victory:
The_Merovingian said:
Very well done. Excellent guide and very helpful for new members. :victory:
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Thank you friend!
I urge everyone to look through his threads as well ^ as he has some very informative ones that cover many topics, and is extremely helpful and kind to all members! :good::good:
Very useful information for every member, Thank you so much !
Thanks for the heads up, new member today
J.I. Shawon said:
Thank you.
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Megamachine said:
Very helpful ! Thank you !
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Sparkia said:
Very useful information for every member, Thank you so much !
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ULTRA777 said:
Thanks for the heads up, new member today
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Welcome to XDA and thank you for reading! Let me know if you need anything!
thank you very much. will read then go ahead
blackview said:
thank you very much. will read then go ahead
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Welcome to XDA and thank you for reading! Let me know if you need anything!
Newbie here. Thanks for the guide, it's informative and helpful for me.
Thank's for guide bro
Thank you...it's really Helpful.
Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk
Anders81 said:
Newbie here. Thanks for the guide, it's informative and helpful for me.
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Anonymous94 said:
Thank's for guide bro
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jhalayashraj said:
Thank you...it's really Helpful.
Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk
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Welcome to XDA and thank you for reading! Let me know if you need anything!
Thanks for the info its always nice to get friendly advice on your first day at school
@ZipAddict great job here
I'm so proud on you heheh
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
davyro said:
Thanks for the info its always nice to get friendly advice on your first day at school
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Welcome to XDA and thank you for reading! Let me know if you need anything!
Paget96 said:
@ZipAddict great job here
I'm so proud on you heheh
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
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Thank u friend! Great work on LSpeed! I love it! Have a good day!
Thank you!
Really thank you!
It is very helpful to newcomers like me
L-K said:
Really thank you!
It is very helpful to newcomers like me
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Welcome to XDA and thank you for reading! Let me know if you need anything!
kanesimicart said:
Thank You !
It's Very useful information for every member.
I'm Kane
Happy to be here also. I hope that we can build better community here.
Nice to meet you !
Regards!
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Welcome to XDA and thank you for reading! I like that attitude! You will be able to help build a better community here (even though it is already awesome!) Nice to meet you as well! Let me know if you need anything!
Related
I tried the contact form and it returned a "Failed to send your message. Please try later or contact administrator by other way." error. So I thought I'd post here. Please delete if inappropriate.
a message for egzthunder1:
First I want to thank you very much for this post: http://www.xda-developers.com/android/hamster-powered-clock-project-for-android-needs-help/
I think it is the reason I got to see my idea come to life. And this is why I'm writing right now. A coding wizard by the username Blou_Aap has taken upon himself to make this happen. We are working at it and so far we've gone through quite a few releases and lots of downloads in the market. Although still in development, we have a stable, working Live Wallpaper we want to share with the world. Free
The development thread is http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=819988 and we've added and improved on this app with the help of the community. This is how we got the name too
We also have a site about timester up and running complete with a donate section.
www.timester.info
Find more info in the OP of the development thread, including download links, recent changes, etc.
All means of spreading the word is appreciated and welcome - I am hoping for a news update on the original posting.
For any more info or images, I'm a reply away.
Thank you!
To XDA Forum Mods and Developers.
Now, excuse me if this was asked and answered - could not find it anywhere.
Let me exporess MHO: a feature of this forum which would store and bring up the links of last, lets say 10 (preferrably customizable ) posts would be a great addition and time saver. Now if one wants to find his posts (to see if they were answered for instance) he has to go to quick links -> your profile -> statistics -> Find all posts by ***** (and sometimes the search feature is not working so the site asks you to try in 10 minutes...). And here you go.
Considering that many of us (my opinion again) would start our XDA day by checking the responses a direct link to this feature (in the same quick links) would be much appreciated.
If such a shortcut exists i would apologize and ask this thread to be deleted.
If it is the only way and everyone does this steps - see above.
If it is hell of a hard thing to do and there were no request before and you don't think it is something important - see above..
If this was answered (that picky google... ) - see above...
Thanks in advance
P.S. taking the chance - thanks you for this forum (though since i got my HD2 I am ugly addicted to it, and my work suffers.. )
Use the forum subscription feature in your usercp. It has more features, and lets you watch a thread for new posts. Click usercp up above and take a look
yeah, i know this feature. And i do subscribe for threads. But only the most important for me. If i subscribed for any thread i posted something in i would have some 50 subscriptions- not that easy list to browse through... And some posts are really not a life-time-follow-through (i know i can delete subscriptions, but to subscribe, to follow, and then delete - that is even more steps (everyday!) - and hence mess - then "search your own posts" option, with earlier-mentioned drawbacks)... Also it does sort the subscribed threads according to the last post date/time. Which is a mess because one would need to browse through HIS recent posts, not the others...
There is a "Track messages" button in userCP. I meant something like "Track posts" options would be great!
Thanks for a reply though.
Is there anyway I can get notifications like we get for PMs but when somebody replies to your post in a thread? Some threads are huge and I can't find where I posted my question, comment, concern, and can't find who replied and what they said?! Is there a feature I just can't find or does that just not exist? Please PM me with the answer, because I at least get a notification that I got a reply then. Thanks!
From what I can see there is nothing like that available on XDA (I couldn't be wrong, but I don't think so). You can however use the subscription feature that is built into vBulletin. Go to User CP > Edit Options > Subscriptions and change it from None to one of the options. That will then add a thread to your subscription list and show you when new posts have been made in that thread.
I have mine set to No Email which just adds the thread to your subscriptions list, I can't be bothered with the emails it sends you.
I'm thinking this is the closest feature you'll find to what you're wanting.
Punxx said:
From what I can see there is nothing like that available on XDA (I couldn't be wrong, but I don't think so). You can however use the subscription feature that is built into vBulletin. Go to User CP > Edit Options > Subscriptions and change it from None to one of the options. That will then add a thread to your subscription list and show you when new posts have been made in that thread.
I have mine set to No Email which just adds the thread to your subscriptions list, I can't be bothered with the emails it sends you.
I'm thinking this is the closest feature you'll find to what you're wanting.
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As far as I know, that's the best you can get with the software this forum is using.
Unless you mark threads as read, the "View first unread" feature (either visible in the thread, or the ">" icon next to thread titles in the forum view) will take you to the first reply after your post, and the emails/notifications links should take you to the first unread post in a thread.
I am here and I was wondering where I was suppose to post tutorials in the Xoom Section. I was thinking about making some New Xoom User tutorials with screenshots, and if I am to find a good screen recorder app too, some videos, of basic questions as well as operation of the tablet. I would like to make sure I post it in the correct forum before I continue on with it as well as make sure someone has not already done an extensive overview of the actual operations like I am wanting to start here. I hope that I can start this up soon (well I am working on the posts now in word doc, but I am meaning by posting it up...)
Thank you for your time and thank you in advance for the help with this idea
~Cranvis
Cranvis said:
I am here and I was wondering where I was suppose to post tutorials in the Xoom Section. I was thinking about making some New Xoom User tutorials with screenshots, and if I am to find a good screen recorder app too, some videos, of basic questions as well as operation of the tablet. I would like to make sure I post it in the correct forum before I continue on with it as well as make sure someone has not already done an extensive overview of the actual operations like I am wanting to start here. I hope that I can start this up soon (well I am working on the posts now in word doc, but I am meaning by posting it up...)
Thank you for your time and thank you in advance for the help with this idea
~Cranvis
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Just a thought...you could post in general...if related to rooting it could be added to diablo2224's. Rooting thread, otherwise create your own. I hope you do some tutorials...do you know what you'd like to cover?
I was thinking about the little small things like "how to get to settings" and "explaining your questions for help" and so on. and then when i get a feel for how people react to them, maybe deeper into programming, rooting troubleshooting, and other stuff
Thanks for the encouragement okantomi! I will keep things updated on my sig and profile page!!
Cranvis said:
I was thinking about the little small things like "how to get to settings" and "explaining your questions for help" and so on. and then when i get a feel for how people react to them, maybe deeper into programming, rooting troubleshooting, and other stuff
Thanks for the encouragement okantomi! I will keep things updated on my sig and profile page!!
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I think that "how to get to settings" is a little basic, but I definitely think we need more tutorials on how to make the most of the Xoom (and Honeycomb in general) so have at it.
If you make videos "how to"s, I would create a single post in General and post links to all of them there. If they are just written guides, I would make a new post in General for each one.
rschenck said:
I think that "how to get to settings" is a little basic, but I definitely think we need more tutorials on how to make the most of the Xoom (and Honeycomb in general) so have at it.
If you make videos "how to"s, I would create a single post in General and post links to all of them there. If they are just written guides, I would make a new post in General for each one.
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I was thinking about making on big tutorial in on general location for all the links, kind of like the index of a book, and then you click the link and it goes to the forum post about that said link. I might have to do this on another page like a personal website but i really do not want to do that so i am looking into alternative ways. I was thinking too about making the videos a playlist and use youtube and maybe add a few Here's why and commentaries to the list. I have a whole list of ideas and I am hoping to get started (as in posting it up) soon! cause i use google docs, I can write on my phone when away and have an idea... so this should be interesting Also looking into screen recording material for ON the Xoom cause i do not want to be doing DDMS all the time for ever single frame that i need... if i had a video recorder it would be nicer ... but i will get to that when i cross that bridge! I will keep everyone updated on the tutorials when they get posted... I will if it suits people, us this as a "to go" point and just change the title, or make a new thread for the index.... Here we GO!
also! thank you for the words of encouragement and advice rschenck!
Cranvis said:
I was thinking about making on big tutorial in on general location for all the links, kind of like the index of a book, and then you click the link and it goes to the forum post about that said link. I might have to do this on another page like a personal website but i really do not want to do that so i am looking into alternative ways. I was thinking too about making the videos a playlist and use youtube and maybe add a few Here's why and commentaries to the list. I have a whole list of ideas and I am hoping to get started (as in posting it up) soon! cause i use google docs, I can write on my phone when away and have an idea... so this should be interesting Also looking into screen recording material for ON the Xoom cause i do not want to be doing DDMS all the time for ever single frame that i need... if i had a video recorder it would be nicer ... but i will get to that when i cross that bridge! I will keep everyone updated on the tutorials when they get posted... I will if it suits people, us this as a "to go" point and just change the title, or make a new thread for the index.... Here we GO!
also! thank you for the words of encouragement and advice rschenck!
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If you wish to see an example of one approach to this sort of idea, we have been building a community wiki for CyanogenMod 7 on the SGS and created a How To section. Of course this is a group effort as opposed to a single member, but the idea is much the same.
http://sgscm7nightlies.pbworks.com/w/page/41716809/i9000 How-To´s
awesome to hear onn the cyanogen mod but I want to keep it as close to stock as possible... like right now I have super user but I have not changed the rom at all I'll look at the how to that you linked me to and I will study it and see what advice to writing a tutorial it will give me :-D
Keep you updated and thanks again!
[Maybe i post my topic in the wrong area, if so , please help to move to the right section]
I want to say something about the XDA, just two suggestions.
First , the image verification , i think it's necessary when post a reply or topic, but can you make the words more clearly ? Every time i post a reply, i have to taste a long time to distinguish them, what's more, after fill in these words, it prompts wrong ,
Second, canyou add a quick top button? Many threads Include a lot of content,when browsed to the bottom, it's inconvenient to back to the top.
Third, no third!! . I really like this forums, so i hope my suggestion can be considered . Thanks
i have the same feeling, the back top button should be always on the desktop
Please feel free to leave your suggestions in the existing thread located here:
[All XDA Members] Feedback/Recommendations for XDA
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