This is a comprehensive guide explaining the various features and functionalities of the Discourse sidebar, including how to customize it for your needs.
Required user level: All users
The sidebar in Discourse provides quick access to various forum features and allows for easy navigation. This guide will walk you through the different sections of the sidebar and how to use them effectively.
Community section
The community section contains essential navigation links. It is divided into primary links shown directly, and secondary links accessible under More.
Primary links:
- Topics: Shows the latest posts on your forum.
- My Posts: Takes you to your activity page. When you have drafts, this link dynamically changes to show “My Drafts” and takes you to your drafts instead.
- My Messages: Takes you to your personal messages (visible if you can send private messages).
- Invite: Allows you to quickly invite others to the forum (visible if you have permission to invite).
Staff members will also see Review (for moderation) and Admin (for site management) options.
Secondary links (under More):
- Users: Shows the user directory.
- About: Provides information about your forum.
- FAQ: Links to your forum’s FAQ page.
- Groups: Takes you to the groups page.
- Badges: Displays the badge gallery.
- Filter: Opens the advanced topic filter page.
Administrators can customize the community section by clicking More and then Customize this section to add, remove, or reorder links for all users.
There may be additional buttons if you have plugins installed. For example, if you have Cakeday installed on your forum, Anniversaries and Birthdays will appear in your sidebar.
Categories and tags
This section displays categories and tags for easy access. To customize:
- Click on the pencil icon next to the section header to edit your categories or tags.
- Use the modal to add or remove categories and tags.
- Click on All categories or All tags to view the complete list.
Administrators can set which categories and tags appear by default for all users via the default navigation menu categories and default navigation menu tags site settings.
Chat
If your forum has Chat enabled, Chat appears as a separate panel in the sidebar. You can switch between the main forum panel and the Chat panel using the panel switcher buttons.
The Chat panel includes:
- My Threads: View threads you’re participating in
- Starred Channels: Quick access to channels you’ve starred
- Channels: Browse and access public chat channels (if enabled)
- Direct Messages: Access your personal chats
To start a new direct message, click the + button in the Direct Messages section.
Customizing your sidebar
You can adjust how navigation items behave in your user preferences:
- Go to your user preferences.
- Find the Navigation Menu section.
- Adjust settings for how new and unread topics are displayed (link to filtered list, show count of new items).
To customize which categories and tags appear in your sidebar, use the pencil icon directly on the Categories or Tags sections in the sidebar itself.
Creating custom sidebar sections
To add a custom section:
- Click the + button at the bottom of the sidebar.
- In the modal, customize the icon, name, and links for your new section.
This feature allows you to create personalized navigation options to improve your productivity. Administrators can also create global sidebar sections visible to all forum members by toggling the Public option when creating a section.
Mobile access
To open the sidebar on mobile devices, tap the hamburger menu icon in the top right corner, next to your profile picture.
Additional notes
- The sidebar layout and available options may vary depending on your forum’s settings and installed plugins.
- Administrators can customize the community section links for all users and create global sidebar sections.
This document was originally written by @twofoursixeight.
Last edited by @lindsey 2025-01-17T12:57:19Z
Last checked by @hugh 2024-10-29T00:35:45Z
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