Sometimes people don’t want specific details about how to resolve issues on their sites and they only want to ask quick “is it possible” questions. Generally speaking, the answer to these types of questions is yes but depends—

1. if it can be done easily because a built-in feature exists;
2. if something can be modified, changed or customised with CSS;
3. if something has to be changed in the HTML/PHP source code;
4. whether it has been done before or if the person you are asking knows the answer;
5. the complexity of the job;
6. how important it is to you to know the answer, whether you have the technical skill to do this yourself or pay someone to do the job for, and how much are you might have to pay for the solution;
7. your willingness to accept the burden of maintaining any custom changes when you upgrade software on your site; and
8. it may be possible but it may not be ethical or legal.

When people ask me “Is it possible ...?”—on the forum at this site, I mean—I will do my best to answer them as quickly as I can in one of the following ways:

Type 1:

This means that there is a feature already built into Kunena or Joomla that allows you to do this. If you want to know the details, please post a follow-up question in the Questions category.

Example:

Question:  Is it possible for my forum to send email from a different address than the one I use for the rest of my site?

Answer:  Yes, this is possible by changing a Kunena configuration setting.

Type 2:

This means that you can probably make the change if you modify the CSS on your site. If you want to know the details, please post a follow-up question in the Questions category.

Example:

Question:  Is it possible to change the header font colour from blue to red

Answer:  Yes, this is possible by making a small change to the end of your Joomla site template CSS file.

Type 3:

This means that you can probably make the change if you edit the HTML or PHP on your site. If you want to know the details, please post a follow-up question in the Questions category; depending on the complexity of the request I may not be able to answer all of these questions.

Example:

Question:  Is it possible to create my own Kunena forum template?

Answer:  Yes, this is possible but you need to know how to write HTML, CSS and PHP.

Type 4:

This means that you can probably do this but if you want my help it will cost you extra; this answer will apply in special cases, such as moving a forum from one site to another. If you want to know more you may post a follow-up question in the Questions category or contact me directly by email to make the necessary arrangements to look at your job and give you a quotation for the work.

Examples:

Question:  Is it possible for you to migrate my old website running J! 1.5.26 to a new website running J! 3.2.3?

Answer:  Yes, this is possible but I would have to take a good look at your site and we would agree on the scope of the job and how quickly you want me to do this for you. I charge a fee for consulting/contract work like this and I require a minimum up-front payment equivalent to 2 hours of my time to discuss your special requirements with you. If I agree to do this work it will be subject to a separately negotiated contract.

Question:  Is it possible for you to write a special module for my website?

Answer:  Yes, this is possible but I charge a fee for consulting/contract work like this and I require a minimum up-front payment equivalent to 2 hours of my time to discuss your special requirements with you. If I agree to do this work it will be subject to a separately negotiated contract.

Type 5:

It may be possible to do what you want but I do not know the answer and I will not speculate what is required to do this.

Example:

Question:  Is it possible to insert standard HTML tags in Kunena or use a different editor?

Answer:  Yes, it is possible but I do not know how to go about doing this. You may need to ask around to find someone who has successfully done that.

Question:  Is it possible to convert my old forum (which is not Kunena) into Kunena?

Answer:  Yes, it is possible but I have never done this before. You may need to ask around to find someone who has successfully done that.

Type 6:

This means that, in my opinion, what you are asking is against the law or unethical. It may be possible to do what you want but I will not speculate what legal consequences you may face because of it.

Example:

Question:  Is it possible to remove all the copyright notices from Kunena?

Answer:  No, this is against the terms of the GNU General Public Licence as of 29 June 2007.

Type 7:

This means that, the way things are at the moment, it is not possible to do what you want

Example:

Question:  Is it possible for Kunena to make my coffee?

Answer:  No, it is not possible for Kunena to make coffee.

Question:  Is it possible to Kunena without Joomla?

Answer:  No, Kunena needs Joomla.

About the author:

Michael Russell has worked in the information technology industry since 1971 and, since retiring from the workforce in 2007, is a website hobbyist specialising in Joomla, a former member of the Kunena project for more than 8 years and contributor on The Joomla Forum™. The opinions expressed in this article are entirely those of the author. View his profile here.