Moderate Pending Guest Topics and Messages

When guest posting requires approval, QCLF stores the guest Topic or permanent Message as pending and routes it to Moderation → Content → Pending Approval instead of publishing it immediately.

The moderation row includes the guest display name and private email for moderation use. That email is not rendered with the public forum post.

Review the Pending Queue

  1. Open Moderation → Content.
  2. Select Pending Approval.
  3. Review the Topic title/Message excerpt, Category/Section, guest display name, private email, and submission time.
  4. Choose Approve when the submission is safe and appropriate, or use Edit/Reject when correction or rejection is needed.

What Qualifies as Pending Guest Content

The pending view includes only Topic/Message rows with author_id=0, approval_state=pending, and no current deletion flag, limited to Categories the moderator can actually moderate. Registered-user drafts or unrelated private Joomla content are not part of this queue.

Approval Publishes the Correct Object

  • Guest Topic approval sets approval metadata, changes the Topic to published, stamps publication/activity time, and leaves it on the same Topic ID.
  • Guest Message approval sets approval metadata, rebuilds the parent Topic reply count/last-reply fields, and advances Topic activity time.
  • The moderation audit emits the guest-approved event; QCLF then runs the normal approved Topic/Message notification path rather than treating the earlier pending submission as public activity.

Pending Content Stays Out of Public Use

Pending Topics/Replies are excluded by the normal approved-content queries used for public lists, Search, counts, and permanent-reply notification delivery. Approval is the transition that makes the content eligible for ordinary forum visibility and notifications.

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.