Below are some helpful tips to help you get the most from the Focal Point message board:

BEFORE POSTING A MESSAGE, TAKE A COUPLE SECONDS TO SEE IF YOUR QUESTION HAS ALREADY BEEN ANSWERED in a previous post. Select the "search" link at the top of the page, enter a few keywords, and voila -- you should see a list of relevant topics. If not, then by all means start a new topic.

!!NEW!! WHEN POSTING HTML CODETEXT, type the words CODE and /CODE before and after your codetext and be sure to surround each with square brackets.

EDIT YOUR POST, DON'T POST A NEW ONE; JUST FIX THE OLD ONE.
If you realized that you made a typo or a mistake in your original post, you don't need to create a duplicate post - this takes up valuable space on the board. You can edit your post.
1) The first step is to click on your post.
2) There are usually four or five icons next to the date of the post:
-A rolodex card which links to the poster's profile
-An envelope which means you can privately message the poster
-A house which gives the poster's homepage, if available
-A paper and pen - TO EDIT POST
-Quotation marks which enable you to reply to the post with quotes around original message.
3) Click on the paper and pen. THIS WILL ONLY WORK IF YOU ARE THE AUTHOR OF THAT POST. Then you are free to edit. Once you are finished, click "Edit Post".

EDIT YOUR THREAD TO EMAIL YOU, IF YOU FORGOT TO SELECT THIS OPTION, WHEN YOU BEGAN A NEW TOPIC.
Select the paper and pen icon of your original post. THIS WILL ONLY WORK IF YOU ARE THE AUTHOR OF THAT POST. Then scroll down to the bottom of the page where "Options" are listed. Check the box next to "Email Notification: emails sent to you whenever someone replies." Then click the "Edit Post" button.

DELETE YOUR POST if you changed your mind and you don't want to post that particular question/issue.
If you're having second thoughts about a post, follow the steps to edit your post. At the top of the page there is a "Delete Post" checkbox. Check that box but note: if a post is the first post in the topic, deleting this post will result in the deletion of the entire topic. Also, if you found the answer to the question, please post it. Another user can benefit from your knowledge.

WHEN DISCUSSING AND/OR REFERRING SOMEONE TO INFORMATION CONTAINED WITHIN IB DOCUMENTATION, please refrain from posting the URL to the documentation file. Rather refer people to the topic name in the "___ chapter in the ___ manual", for example. Or, if you prefer you can provide the DN (document number). In the past some users have mistakenly given the URL to the entire manual and not just a page within the documentation.

EDIT YOUR PROFILE TO SHOW WHERE YOU'RE FROM, CHANGE YOUR PASSWORD OR UPDATE OTHER INFORMATION ABOUT YOURSELF, if you forgot to do that when you registered. The only thing that is required to register for the board is a valid email address but the more we know about our members, the more of a community feel. You can add/change any information about yourself by clicking on "my profile" at the top of the page. Once there, click � View/Update Profile � and add/change any field you'd like.

Lastly and most importantly, please SAY THANKS when you get good advice.

THANKS FOR BEING A MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY!

Maryellen