Create a forum

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 2 minutes to read

    • Create a forum to provide a place for users to share content. You can configure forums for membership that registered community users request access to join. You can also configure forums to convert unstructured conversations to structured knowledge articles.

    Before you begin

    Role required: sn_communities.admin

    About this task

    A forum can be configured in the following ways.
    Table 1. Options included in the forum configuration
    Public Visible to all users, including non-logged in users. All users have content_read access to questions and answers in public forums. Configure public forms by adding a forum user of the type public.
    Private Visible only to users who have been assigned the required permissions in the forum. Configure private forums by adding a forum user of the type custom and adding specific users or user groups to that forum user.
    Membership The forum title is visible to registered community users. Community users must request membership to get full access to the content in the forum. Configure membership forums by selecting the Enable Membership for this Forum check box.

    Procedure

    1. Navigate to All > Community > Administration > Forums.
    2. In the Forums list, click New.
    3. Fill in the fields on the Forum New record form.
      For field description, see Forum form fields.
    4. To allow registered forum users to view and request to join a forum, select the Enable Membership for this Forum check box and complete the following steps.
      1. Right-click the form header and click Save.
        Two default permissions are added to the forum in the Forum Permissions related list.
        • Default Permission for Memberships: Read and write access to questions and answers for users who are forum members.
        • Forum Visible: Read access to the name and description of the forum for registered users. To access content, users must request forum membership.
      2. If required, you can add a new forum permission and set it as the default using the sn_communities.default_permission_for_forum_memberships property.
        If you want public users to view content in the forum to attract them to become members, create a forum permission as follows:
        • Forum User: Public.
        • Permission: Question & Answer Read.
      3. In the Approval Flow for Membership field, perform one of the following options.
      OptionDescription
      Leave the Approval Flow for Membership field blank. Membership requests to the forum are automatically approved.
      Select the preconfigured approval flow Forum Membership Approval. A task is created and sent to the community or forum administrator for approval.
      Select a flow that you have created. A task is created and sent to the users defined in your flow for approval.
    5. Click Update.