New features in 2.4.0.beta7
Admin API key improvements
The Discourse API is a powerful tool for interacting with a Discourse site. In the latest beta we’ve made a number of improvements to the API key system, improving both security and functionality.
- Users can now create more than 1 API key, so individual keys can be revoked if compromised.
- API keys can now include a description, letting you keep track of what each key is for.
- Keys can be revoked, preventing them from being used, without fully deleting them.
- Unused API keys will be deleted after 6-months without use. This is configurable via the
revoke_api_keys_dayssite setting.
Staff welcome message
Like new users, and users that reach TL1, staff now receive a welcome message when they are granted moderator or admin access. This message welcomes the user to the staff team, tells them how to access the admin interface, and links to the Discourse Moderation Guide , a great resource for new staff members.
New site settings for default tag notification status
Admins have long been able to control which categories new users watch, track, and mute when they join the forum. Users have also been able to control which tags they watch/track/mute, but this could not be configured prior to sign up by the site. Now admins can determine which tags users track prior to signup via the new site settings:
default_tags_watchingdefault_tags_trackingdefault_tags_muteddefault_tags_watching_first_postUpdate user preferences of all users when default site setting changed
Previously, when a
default_site setting was modified, it only applied to new users. Existing users were not affected by the change. Now, admins will have the option to apply the change historically, or just for new users.
New category tag setting: Require new topics to have tags from a tag group
For sites that make use of tag groups, staff can now require that all new topics within a category have at least x tags from a tag group before the topic can be created. This is a great way to keep topics organized.
An example. Say you have a category about car mods, where users share all the amazing things they do. You may create a tag group for vehicle area, which includes tags like tires, wheels, exterior, interior, and lighting. By adding this tag group to the new setting, users will be required to add at least one of these tags to the topic, helping other users see at a glance what the mod is for.
User Selectable Primary Group
We’ve added a new site setting,
user selected primary groups, which when enabled allows users to select which group they’d like to be their primary group. This can be useful on sites where primary groups provide avatar flair , and users want the ability to switch which flair they display. When the site setting is enabled, users who are members of groups will see the new primary group user preferences dropdown on the account tab.
Configurable email style
Site can now customize the look and feel of their notification emails, with customer HTML and CSS. The new email customization options can be found at
/admin/customize/email_styleSearch for topics when inserting a hyperlink
When inserting a link in the topic composer, you can now search for existing topics directly from the hyperlink modal.
That’s nice! I was wondering how to get users to use their API keys, and these improvements make it easier.
:pfft: Who needs moderators?!
That’s pretty neat, as part of a set of features to make Discourse not distracting by default.