Questions & Answers (Q&A) - HL Vanilla Community
<main> <article class="userContent"> <p><strong>Higher Logic Vanilla (Vanilla)</strong> supports several <strong>post types</strong>.</p><p><strong>📝 NOTE</strong>: All communities have Discussions and Comments by default, but others can be enabled (these vary by plan level). Check with your CSM to understand what types are available to you.</p><div class="embedExternal embedImage display-large float-none"> <div class="embedExternal-content"> <a class="embedImage-link" href="https://us.v-cdn.net/6030677/uploads/RKC6V6XHP8QP/new-post-menu-options.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener ugc" target="_blank"> <img class="embedImage-img" src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6030677/uploads/RKC6V6XHP8QP/new-post-menu-options.png" alt="new_post_menu_options.png" height="214" width="275" loading="lazy" data-display-size="large" data-float="none"></img></a> </div> </div> <p>In this article, we'll focus on the <strong>Questions & Answers (Q&A) </strong>post type, which makes it easier for users to have their questions answered and helps users to quickly locate questions that need <em>to</em> be answered.</p><h2 data-id="enable-qa">Enable Q&A</h2><p><strong>📝 NOTE</strong>: This addon is available to <a href="https://vanillaforums.com/en/plans/" rel="nofollow noreferrer ugc">Corporate plans </a>and higher. </p><ol><li>Access the Dashboard.</li><li>Navigate to <strong>Settings > Addons > Addons</strong>.</li><li>Click the <strong>Q&A </strong>toggle to enable it.</li></ol><div class="embedExternal embedImage display-large float-none"> <div class="embedExternal-content"> <a class="embedImage-link" href="https://us.v-cdn.net/6030677/uploads/N8ZGNU6D4QDY/enable-q-26a.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener ugc" target="_blank"> <img class="embedImage-img" src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6030677/uploads/N8ZGNU6D4QDY/enable-q-26a.png" alt="enable_Q&A.png" height="469" width="1344" loading="lazy" data-display-size="large" data-float="none"></img></a> </div> </div> <p>The <strong>Ask a Question </strong>option is now available in the <strong>New Post</strong> dropdown (refer to the image above).</p><h2 data-id="qa-features">Q&A features</h2><p>You may be wondering why you should incorporate Q&A into your community instead of users just asking questions via a standard Discussion post. While users can technically ask questions via a Discussion post, the Q&A addon includes a few features that make it better suited to asking (and answering) questions. Let's look at these features now.</p><h2 data-id="dedicated-unanswered-page">Dedicated Unanswered page</h2><p>All unanswered questions are listed on a dedicated <strong>Unanswered </strong>page, accessible in the <strong>Quick Links</strong> area. This makes it much easier for users to <em>find </em>questions, which, in turn, makes it more likely they'll <em>answer</em> them.</p><div class="embedExternal embedImage display-large float-none"> <div class="embedExternal-content"> <a class="embedImage-link" href="https://us.v-cdn.net/6030677/uploads/WEM7LMVB0L8V/unanswered-questions-list.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener ugc" target="_blank"> <img class="embedImage-img" src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6030677/uploads/WEM7LMVB0L8V/unanswered-questions-list.png" alt="unanswered_questions_list.png" height="542" width="1384" loading="lazy" data-display-size="large" data-float="none"></img></a> </div> </div> <p><strong>📝 NOTE</strong>: While these questions are also listed on the <strong>Recent Discussions</strong> page, they're mixed in with all other post types, making them harder to find.</p><h2 data-id="acceptreject-answers">Accept/reject answers</h2><p>For each response, the person who asked the question will be prompted to either <strong>accept </strong>or <strong>reject </strong>it as a suitable answer. </p><p><strong>📝 NOTE</strong>: If all answers to a question are rejected, the question will return to the <em>Unanswered </em>page.</p><div class="embedExternal embedImage display-large float-none"> <div class="embedExternal-content"> <a class="embedImage-link" href="https://us.v-cdn.net/6030677/uploads/J46456TPBZFE/accept-reject-answer.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener ugc" target="_blank"> <img class="embedImage-img" src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6030677/uploads/J46456TPBZFE/accept-reject-answer.png" alt="accept_reject_answer.png" height="642" width="837" loading="lazy" data-display-size="large" data-float="none"></img></a> </div> </div> <p><strong>✔️ TIP</strong>: Admins and Moderators with the <code class="code codeInline" spellcheck="false" tabindex="0">Curation > Manage</code> permission can also accept/reject answers.</p><h2 data-id="best-answer-indicator">Best Answer indicator</h2><p>An accepted answer will be flagged as the <strong>Best Answer</strong>, which will be pinned to the top of the comment list so other users can easily find it.</p><div class="embedExternal embedImage display-large float-none"> <div class="embedExternal-content"> <a class="embedImage-link" href="https://us.v-cdn.net/6030677/uploads/170/1BGF7T1KERMC.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener ugc" target="_blank"> <img class="embedImage-img" src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6030677/uploads/170/1BGF7T1KERMC.png" alt="image.png" height="670" width="868" loading="lazy" data-display-size="large" data-float="none"></img></a> </div> </div> <h2 data-id="qa-statuses">Q&A statuses</h2><p>Q&A posts can have one of three statuses:</p><ul><li><strong>Question</strong>: The post has no answers or only rejected answers.</li><li><strong>Answered</strong>: The post has has <em>tentatively answered </em>or <em>potentially answered</em> responses that have not been marked accepted or rejected by the author (or admin).</li><li><strong>Accepted Answer</strong>: The post has has <em>at least one </em>accepted answer (i.e., an answer has been marked as accepted by the question's author or admin).</li></ul><div class="embedExternal embedImage display-large float-none"> <div class="embedExternal-content"> <a class="embedImage-link" href="https://us.v-cdn.net/6030677/uploads/864/2PNHT38EAD6T.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener ugc" target="_blank"> <img class="embedImage-img" src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6030677/uploads/864/2PNHT38EAD6T.png" alt="image.png" height="229" width="599" loading="lazy" data-display-size="large" data-float="none"></img></a> </div> </div> <p><strong>📝 NOTE</strong>: Reach out to Vanilla Support if you'd like to rename these statuses (e.g., change "Answered" to "Tentatively Answered" or "Potential Answer"). Here are a few examples of custom statuses: </p><div class="embedExternal embedImage display-large float-none"> <div class="embedExternal-content"> <a class="embedImage-link" href="https://us.v-cdn.net/6030677/uploads/525/06OS9WT62KUT.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener ugc" target="_blank"> <img class="embedImage-img" src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6030677/uploads/525/06OS9WT62KUT.png" alt="image.png" height="124" width="535" loading="lazy" data-display-size="large" data-float="none"></img></a> </div> </div> <h2 data-id="gamification-and-points">Gamification and points</h2><p>By default, users <em>do not receive points</em> for answering questions or having their answers accepted. </p><p><strong>📝 NOTE</strong>: They do, however, get points for receiving badges associated with answering questions, <em>if </em>these badges<em> </em>are enabled:</p><div class="embedExternal embedImage display-medium float-none"> <div class="embedExternal-content"> <a class="embedImage-link" href="https://us.v-cdn.net/6030677/uploads/213/REKJ18CJI8JC.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener ugc" target="_blank"> <img class="embedImage-img" src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6030677/uploads/213/REKJ18CJI8JC.png" alt="image.png" height="160" width="800" loading="lazy" data-display-size="medium" data-float="none"></img></a> </div> </div> <p>You can, however, choose to give users points for answering questions, and/or for having their answer accepted.</p><h3 data-id="enable-points">Enable points</h3><ol><li>Access the Dashboard.</li><li>Navigate to <strong>Settings > Addons > Addons</strong>.</li><li>Locate the Q&A addon and click the <strong>settings </strong>button.</li><li>In the dialog, click to enable points, and in the fields that appear, set how many points to award for each action (or enter 0 to disable points for an action).</li></ol><div class="embedExternal embedImage display-large float-none"> <div class="embedExternal-content"> <a class="embedImage-link" href="https://us.v-cdn.net/6030677/uploads/1T78HZ5CWPBP/enable-points.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener ugc" target="_blank"> <img class="embedImage-img" src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6030677/uploads/1T78HZ5CWPBP/enable-points.png" alt="enable_points.png" height="677" width="1340" loading="lazy" data-display-size="large" data-float="none"></img></a> </div> </div> <p><strong>📝 NOTE</strong>: Changes are not retroactive. For example, if you gave users 2 points for each first answer, but then changed it to 4 points a few weeks later, users will not be retroactively awarded additional points.</p><h2 data-id="custom-post-types-per-category">Custom post types per Category</h2><p>You can control which post types are available on a per-Category basis, allowing you to make specific Categories dedicated to only Q&A posts (or other post types). </p><ol><li>When creating or editing a Category, toggle ON the <strong>This category has custom permissions</strong> option to display the <strong>Discussion Types</strong> options.</li><li>Check/uncheck the post types you want available for this Category.</li><li>Click <strong>Save </strong>at the bottom of the page to apply your changes.</li></ol><div class="embedExternal embedImage display-large float-none"> <div class="embedExternal-content"> <a class="embedImage-link" href="https://us.v-cdn.net/6030677/uploads/PZC4PHZO5N6I/custom-category-post-types.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener ugc" target="_blank"> <img class="embedImage-img" src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6030677/uploads/PZC4PHZO5N6I/custom-category-post-types.png" alt="custom_category_post_types.png" height="380" width="600" loading="lazy" data-display-size="large" data-float="none"></img></a> </div> </div> <p><strong>✔️ TIP</strong>: Admins and Moderators can change existing Discussions to Questions by selecting <strong>Q&A</strong> from the <strong>ellipsis menu</strong>. Then, select the <strong>Question </strong>radio button and click <strong>OK</strong>.</p><div class="embedExternal embedImage display-large float-none"> <div class="embedExternal-content"> <a class="embedImage-link" href="https://us.v-cdn.net/6030677/uploads/NP0DR4OF41UH/change-post-to-q-26a.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener ugc" target="_blank"> <img class="embedImage-img" src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6030677/uploads/NP0DR4OF41UH/change-post-to-q-26a.png" alt="change_post_to_Q&A.png" height="465" width="928" loading="lazy" data-display-size="large" data-float="none"></img></a> </div> </div> <h2 data-id="faq">FAQ</h2><h3 data-id="can-i-customize-qa">Can I customize Q&A?</h3><p>Verbiage can be customized by contacting your CSM.</p><p>The look and feel can be altered using CSS. A theme developer experienced in HTML and CSS should be able to do this for you, or you can engage Vanilla's Professional Services team to build you a theme that includes any Q&A customizations you need.</p><h3 data-id="can-i-change-the-new-post-menu-to-ask-a-question">Can I change the New Post menu to Ask a Question?</h3><p>Yes, simply reach out to Vanilla Support.</p><h3 data-id="will-users-receive-notifications-about-qa">Will users receive notifications about Q&A?</h3><p>Yes, these can be toggled in their notifications preferences. Alternatively, you can reach out to Vanilla Support to set sitewide defaults.</p><h2 data-id="additional-resources">Additional Resources</h2><ul><li><a href="https://blog.vanillaforums.com/product/vanilla-forums-friday-theme-css-tip-modifying-q-a" rel="nofollow noreferrer ugc">Theming and Q&A</a></li><li><a href="https://docs.vanillaforums.com/help/analytics/advanced-analytics/#q-a" rel="nofollow noreferrer ugc">Advanced Analytics - Q&A</a> - <em>note that Advanced Analytics is a Corporate level feature</em></li></ul> </article> </main>