For a private site where no forum content is visible to guests, the easy way to hide everything is to simply deny "View" permission to Unregistered / Unconfirmed users.
However, the end result is a little messy as guest visitors get presented by an unhelpful error message "You must be logged-in to do that" and a login form, and the page returns a 403 (Forbidden) error.
This simple addon provides an alternative approach with a cleaner and more elegant outcome.
The following UI changes are made by installing this addon:
- a customisable message is displayed to guests below the site title
- hides the "New posts" button for guests and anyone without a valid user_state
- hides the "What's new" link from the header on mobile devices for guests and anyone without a valid user_state
1. change user permissions
To use this addon, you must change your user permissions to allow Unregistered / Unconfirmed users access to view the site (but not the content).
Use Quick set to set all permissions to "Never" for Unregistered / Uncofirmed users:
Then set the "View" permission to "Yes" so they can see the site (but no content).
Now guests can see the forum home, but no content.
2. install this addon
3. customise (or remove) guest message in options
4. tidy up navigation and widget display for guests