Browse Sections, Categories, and Latest Topics

The default QCLF Sections tab presents only forum structure the current visitor is allowed to see. It can optionally append a Latest Topics panel showing recent accessible activity across the forum.

Section/Category publication, plan structure entitlement, Joomla Access Levels, and QCLF ACL are enforced before rows become visible.

Sections Home

Each visible Section appears as a card with its title, optional description, and the visible Categories inside it. If a Section has no published/accessible Categories, the card shows an empty-state message rather than leaking hidden Category names.

When no accessible Sections exist, QCLF shows a “No forum Sections yet” state.

Section and Category Navigation

Selecting a Section opens its Overview and Category subtabs. Selecting a Category opens its Topic list, New Topic control when authorized, follow control for signed-in users, optional sample warning, pagination, and moderator recovery tools when the acting user has that authority.

Breadcrumbs are rendered when the Administrator setting enables them.

Latest Topics Panel

Settings can enable or disable Show Latest Topics on Sections Home. When enabled, the count is administrator-controlled from 1–50 and defaults to 3.

The Latest Topics query starts from approved, non-deleted, published/archived Topics whose Section and Category are published, sorts pinned first then latest activity, and filters the result through Category visibility before displaying the configured count.

Access-Aware Browsing

  • A direct URL does not bypass visibility checks.
  • Latest Topics cannot intentionally surface a Topic from a Category the current user cannot view.
  • Sample structure can be visible as examples, but Sample Categories still cannot accept real Topic creation until converted.

Community Discussion

Want to compare forum workflows, share practical QCLF tips, or discuss how other Joomla site owners use this feature? Visit the QC Live Forum Community. For private support, bug reports, account-specific entitlement problems, or feature requests, use the QuantaCade support system.