Reorder QCLF Sections

QCLF Sections are reordered by dragging them on the Sections & Categories board. The reorder operation changes the Section ordering values; it does not recreate the Section or change its ID, Categories, ACL, or saved settings.

Ordering is also part of QCLF’s preservation-first downgrade logic, so Section order can affect which real structures remain entitled when the Effective tier has a finite structure limit.

Reorder Sections

  1. Open Components > QC Live Forum > Sections & Categories.
  2. Drag the Section cards into the exact frontend order you want.
  3. Allow the board to save the order. QCLF submits the ordered Section IDs to the structure service.
  4. Reload the frontend Sections view and confirm the order with a normal member account.

What QCLF Saves

The structure service validates supplied IDs against existing Sections and writes ordering values in increments of 10: 10, 20, 30, and so on. It also records the modifying user/time.

The reorder request requires Manage Forum. It does not modify Section titles, aliases, publication, access levels, settings, or child Category identities.

Why Order Matters After a Downgrade

Basic allows 1 real Section and Pro allows 2; Max/All Access are unlimited. QCLF preserves every customer Section in the database after a downgrade, but for finite tiers it determines the currently entitled real Sections by stable sort order: Section ordering, then title, then ID.

Sample Sections are always included and do not consume a real Section slot. The first real Sections within the plan limit remain entitled.

Section Order Also Influences Category Entitlement

For finite tiers, QCLF only considers Categories inside entitled Sections, then orders eligible Categories by parent Section ordering/title/ID followed by Category ordering/title/ID. Basic allows 3 real Categories and Pro 6.

That means changing Section order before or after a downgrade can change which preserved real Section—and therefore which Categories—remain usable under the lower tier. The records themselves are not deleted.

Plan the Order Deliberately

  • Keep the most important real Section earliest when operating near a plan limit.
  • Do not rely on alphabetical title order when you have explicitly reordered Sections; ordering is evaluated first.
  • Remember that sample rows do not consume the real quota.
  • After any downgrade or reorder near a limit, verify the actual frontend structures that remain accessible.

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.