Widgets

Thread sources and selection

• Choose the current forum, the current forum with child nodes, selected forums or all forums.
• Select latest threads, latest replies, latest unread or latest watched for New Threads widgets.
• Filter by the thread author, the author in the current page context, or a specified username.
• Filter by tags, sticky or non-sticky threads, promoted threads and a custom age limit based on thread creation.
• Set the maximum number of entries, thread-title length and a custom widget-title link.
• Respect normal thread-viewing permissions and exclude ignored authors. On a thread page, current-forum sources exclude the thread being viewed.

Sorting, including Forum order

• Sort New Threads by creation date, last-post date, first-post reaction score, reply count, view count or promotion date.
• Select Forum order to put eligible stickies first and follow a single source forum’s saved sort field and direction.
• Use sticky-first, latest-activity ordering when the source covers multiple forums or no current forum context is available.
• Include zero-reply threads in Forum order when the chosen widget type allows them.
• Count stickies toward the configured maximum. Continue past inaccessible or ignored candidates to fill the Forum order limit when enough eligible threads exist.
• Keep the selected filters active: the widget shows the first eligible threads in that order, rather than copying every item on the forum page.

Layouts and discovery

• Use the Default thread list without installing Thumbnail.
• Choose Narrow 1, Narrow 2, Wide 1, Wide 2, narrow or wide slides, or your own XenForo template.
• Use Thumbnail’s selected thread images in the image layouts, including compatible generated cards supplied by Thumbnail.
• Add Random Threads with the same source, author, tag, sticky, promotion and age controls.
• Draw random results from a bounded pool of recent eligible candidates; the feature is not a uniform random sample of the forum’s entire history.

Thread promotion and scheduling

• Configure promotion eligibility separately for each widget through its promotable user groups.
• Grant forum permissions for promoting other members’ threads, promoting to all eligible widgets, scheduling and promotion cooldowns.
• Target specific widgets or all promotable widgets from a thread’s promotion controls.
• Show only promoted threads and, for New Threads, optionally sort by promotion date.
• Choose promotion start and expiry dates. XenForo’s scheduled tasks process scheduled starts and expirations.
• Review promotion and schedule actions in the Admin CP widget action log.

Facebook Fanpage configuration

• Configure the Facebook page URL, tab selections, width and height.
• Choose the small-header, cover-image and facepile settings exposed by the widget form.
• Enter a Facebook App ID in the Widgets options group before configuring the widget.
• Check Meta’s current Page Plugin availability, browser privacy controls and your forum’s script policy for the intended page.

1. Install Widgets

Install DC/Widgets through Add-ons → Install/upgrade from archive, or upload the release archive’s upload contents into your XenForo directory and complete installation from the Add-ons page. Test the add-on with your forum style before placing it on a public page.

When updating an existing installation, complete XenForo’s upgrade or rebuild process so imported templates and phrases match the uploaded files. The updated local archive described here adds Forum order while retaining the existing 1.1.5 Patch Level 5 version label.

2. Add a widget and choose its position

Open Appearance → Widgets → Add widget. Choose [D.C Style] New Threads, [D.C Style] Random Threads or [D.C Style] Facebook Fanpage, then enter a widget key, title and position. For example, use Forum list: Sidebar for a sidebar placement.

Installing the add-on does not place these widgets automatically. Each widget instance keeps its own source, filters and display settings.

3. Select the source, type and sorting

For a New Threads widget, choose the source forums, widget type and maximum entries. To follow a forum’s usual thread order, select Order by → Forum order and use a single source forum. To include both sticky and ordinary threads, keep Sticky threads → None, whose hint explains that both are included.

Forum order uses the source forum’s saved defaults. It does not follow a visitor’s temporary sort choice. A source containing multiple forums falls back to sticky-first, latest-activity ordering. Author, tag, age, promotion and widget-type filters still apply.

4. Choose a layout

Use Default for the native list. Install and configure Thumbnail before selecting an image-based narrow, wide or slide layout. The Custom choice accepts an existing XenForo template name; omit the .html extension.

5. Enable promotion when needed

In a thread widget’s settings, choose the user groups that may promote threads into it. Set Promote threads only → Yes if that placement should contain only promoted discussions. For New Threads, promotion-date sorting is available with this filter enabled.

Grant the relevant forum permissions: Promote any thread to widget, Promote thread to all widget, Schedule promote thread to widget and Time limit on promoting thread to widget (minutes). Users need an eligible widget and the applicable permissions before the thread promotion controls become available.

Set start and expiry dates when a promotion should be scheduled. Keep XenForo jobs and scheduled tasks running; scheduled processing is not an exact-to-the-second publishing guarantee. Review the widget action log under the Admin CP logs.

6. Configure Facebook separately — optional

Open Setup → Options → D.C Style - Widgets Options and enter your Facebook App ID. Add the Facebook Fanpage widget, enter your page URL and select its available tab and display settings.

Test the embed with your actual page and browser configuration. The current source uses an older Facebook SDK configuration, so external integration acceptance remains separate from the verified thread widgets.

See the Widgets setup guide for the existing product workflow.