Misc FAQ
I am getting Error 403 in AdminCP, what do I do?
Error 403 Forbidden when saving settings in AdminCP is caused by security software installed on your web host and apparently misconfigured. It detects specific keywords in a POST request and does not allow this request to go to PHP/MySQL (AdminCP). It is likely to see the same 403 error again and again when adjusting settings in AdminCP.
The only solution: You should ask your hosting provider how to disable this security software for the chat folder with a .htaccess file or for the whole website and instructions how to do it.
We provide a workaround from v20.09 on. The content of any text box / textarea in AdminCP that can trigger the security software is base64 encoded on submit.
How do I ban someone and where do I see banned users?
SuperAdmin (userID=1) and users that are members of a group with Moderator permissions (C|D|E): click on one's name in chat, then click on the ⚡ icon. In the additional menu you kick out with the first ⚡, ban with the first crossed ⚡ and ban user + IP address with the second crossed ⚡. A list of banned users and options to unban or lengthen ban is to be found in AdminCP » Log.
How do I make someone else a moderator?
All permissions in chat are based on Groups. Create a new group Moderators (or Admins) from AdminCP » Groups and grant one or more of the following permissions:
- C = Full access to AdminCP. Allowed to KickOut+Gag & Ban
- D = Read-only access to AdminCP. Allowed to KickOut+Gag & Ban
- E = Allowed to KickOut+Gag only. No AdminCP access.
On mobile I have to re-enable sounds every time I enter the chat, why?
Mobile browsers do not play audio and video automatically without interaction. That's why on mobile sound notifications are always disabled and you have to re-enable them on every session. We provide two Android apps and a template which allows you to build your own mobile app and enable proper sound notifications using the PhoneGap media plugin (see Android apps).
What does version XX.XX mean?
It's similar to Ubuntu versioning. 17.06 means released in June 2017, 20.082 means August 2020 revision 2.
Can I upgrade from BlaB! AX free to BlaB! AX Pro?
Yes. See Upgrade free » Pro in the menu on the left.
Can I run BlaB! AX Pro on my shared hosting account? Does BlaB! AX Pro support SSL?
Yes2
Can I show who is online on my front page?
See Widgets in the menu on the left.
What about those large letters that appear in the middle of the chat space?
This is called room background - dynamically generated SVG image with the name of the current room. You can adjust font, size, opacity or disable it entirely from AdminCP » Rooms.
What is UTF8SCAN?
There is a popular method to register someone else's username using mixed alphabets and this can't be done by accident: John is not Jоhn (CTRL+F and search this page for John). UTF8SCAN allows specific unicode subsets and does not allow mixed subsets and numeric only usernames.
Why SVG and not PNG/GIF/JPG images like everybody else?
Almost all smartphones and tablets and a large part of the computer displays these days have pixel ratio x2, x3 or even x4. A raster image: GIF, JPG or PNG should be 2, 3 or 4 times larger to look sharp and proper on such a screen. A solution is to use srcset (what is srcset?) and have four files for each actual image. SVG images are not affected, they are relatively small, look excellent and are supported in all major browsers.