Initial Configuration

After the install script has finished there are still a number of elements of the archive that you must configure before your archive will be operational.

Ratings - Ratings are a required element for story submission. Ratings are intended to show the intended audience for a story much as the MPAA ratings work for movies.

You are strongly advised not to use the MPAA ratings for your archive as they have threatened archives with legal action for doing so.

Categories (if you chose to have more than one) - How you categorize your archive is at your discretion. Some archives use categories for different fandoms. Others use categories for types of story within a fandom.

Characters - Characters are a list of characters used in your stories. Characters can be defined as sitewide or assigned to a specific category.

Classifications - Classifications are other types of "classifications" you want to sort your stories into. In 1.1 and 2.0, classifications were hard-coded as genres and warnings. To add new classifications or modify existing classifications required editing a number of core files. With 3.0, you can designate your own classifications. Other classifications that could be used are: spoilers, pairings, story type, language.

News - It's a good idea to write an initial news story.

Message Settings - The install script will load some default messages for your site. You will most likely wish to customize these messages to fit your site.

Custom Pages - Four custom pages are defined in the installation. You will most likely wish to customize these pages to fit your site.

Additional User Profile Fields - A number of optional user profile fields were installed though only a few were turned on. You will want to go to Admin->Profile Information and configure the user profile fields that you want on. If you want a custom profile field, now's the time to add that too.

Note: If you intend to bridge your eFiction site with another script. It's advisable to do it now before you open for business.