Help & Support
Our help database contains answers to most of the common questions regarding our products.
If you are unable to locate a satisfactory answer for your query by searching here, please contact us.
I lost my Cbox embed code. Where can I get it?
Your Cbox embed code is available at your control panel. You need this code to install your Cbox on your website.
Also on that page is your Quick Link — a URL which you can use to access your Cbox directly in your browser or on your mobile device.
How do I put my Cbox on my website?
Once you have created your Cbox account, go to the Publish page of your control panel. The code and steps for embedding your Cbox are provided there for a number of common platforms.
If you install your Cbox and all you see is code, or nothing at all, your web host may be removing or otherwise interfering with the HTML iframe tags that Cbox uses. Your Cbox code needs to be pasted into an area of your site that accepts HTML without modification. This may mean switching your editor from "rich text" or "WYSIWYG" mode into HTML-editing or "raw" mode, or you may need to open your template files in a plain-text editor like Notepad.
Remember that you always have the option of posting or sharing your Cbox Quick Link — this gives visitors direct access to your Cbox in a full-screen layout, so it's perfect as a mobile option or for stand-alone use.
How do change my Cbox's style to go with my site's design?
Go to the Theme editor in your control panel. There you can specify the fonts and colours of your Cbox, using a point-and-click editor. You can always reset your theme to one of the preset defaults there, if you would like to start again.
If you have a Premium or Pro Cbox you can edit CSS, which gives you complete control over presentation.
How do I delete messages?
If you have a Premium or Pro Cbox, you can create a moderator name for yourself at your Users page, and then log in on your Cbox using the "profile" link. You will see a delete icon [x] next to each message in your Cbox, and you will not have to log in at your control panel at all to delete messages.
Alternatively, visit your Messages page to delete messages individually or in bulk. Deleted messages are removed from your public Cbox history, but are preserved in your Archives.
Can I make my Cbox transparent?
Yes. In the Theme editor, simply delete the colour codes for the main and form background ("BG") elements. This will make the Cbox transparent, allowing whatever is behind the Cbox to show through.
Note that any pop-ups generated by a transparent Cbox will have the default background colour — usually white. If your font colour is light, it may be invisible in popups. You can fix this by editing the CSS to introduce a background-color rule for popups.
What are the emoticon / filter limits?
Because emoticons and filtering rules require additional message processing time, we have a limit on the number that can be defined per Cbox. The limits vary by plan and you can upgrade if you need to increase them.
If you later downgrade your plan, your limits will be reduced but we will not automatically delete any of your data.
The new Cbox
We've recently launched a new version of Cbox with an entirely new interface. By going back to the basics and building a modern UI, we have created a more flexible, accessible platform to support future development.
Some of the things that have been improved in the new Cbox:
- Mobile responsiveness. We've enlarged the buttons and done away with popups; overlays keep all functions in the Cbox itself.
- Message history. Simply scroll back to load older messages.
- Registration and login. It's clearer and quicker to register a name and log in with it.
- Avatars. Users can upload pictures from within Cbox. No need to copy-paste URLs.
- Themes. The new Cbox supports more fonts and more colour options.
- Embedding. The embed code has been simplified to support more platforms.
Migrating to V10
If you already have an older Cbox, you can get the latest version by creating a new Cbox on your account. While it's not possible to transfer your data and settings automatically, we can transfer any paid credit balance if you decide to switch over to your new Cbox: simply contact us to request a transfer.
How do I change my settings?
Check out the control panel. Cbox is highly customizable, and the options are arranged in the control panel into sections. Some options are only available on paid plans. These will usually be greyed-out. Upgrading will unlock these options, but will not automatically enable them.
Most changes to settings will take effect immediately, but some will require that you refresh the page that your Cbox is on. If you have embedded your Cbox on your website, you will generally not need to reinstall it. Settings that change your embed code will notify you of this.
Cbox forgets my name
If Cbox does not remember your user name between visits, your browser's privacy settings may be preventing Cbox from storing this information.
Some browsers have a setting specifically to block third-party cookies or site data. When Cbox is embedded on a site, it is considered a third-party content source from the visitor's perspective, and this preference will apply.
You can usually configure an exception for Cbox in your browser's privacy settings. Use *.cbox.ws as the address.
If you have set up an exception for Cbox or configured your browser to allow third-party storage, and Cbox still forgets your name, then the problem may be a browser extension instead. To test this, disable all extensions in your browser, and if that fixes the problem, re-enable them one by one until the problem returns. This last extension will need to be configured with an exception for Cbox, as above.
I banned someone and they are still able to post. What can I do?
The user's IP address is probably changing. Cbox has a feature that allows you to strengthen bans so that certain kinds of changing (dynamic) IPs are blocked by a single ban. Cbox Pro has additional features that can pre-emptively ban users of proxies.
Go to your bans page, and select the ban(s) that are not effective. Then click the "Strengthen" button in the top-right. This will "widen the net" on the selected bans. You can click Strengthen again to widen the net even further.
Note that strengthened bans are more likely to affect other people, especially other customers of the same ISP, because they constitute a range of IP addresses. A doubly-strengthened ban covers about 65 000 IP addresses.
If you have a paid Cbox, you have access control features you should enable, including the option to require users to register their names before posting. You can also control whether your users are able to register their own names. You can disable this second option to take control over registration; simply deleting a registered user will then prevent that person from posting, regardless of IP, because they cannot register a new name.
With a Pro Cbox, you can enable "Auto-ban proxies" at your Settings page. Your Cbox will detect proxies, VPNs and Tor exit nodes and will automatically and temporarily ban users who attempt to post from behind such services.