Core Features

• Free Basic mode with an optional 3-day free preview of Max features
• License QC Live Forum on 1 domain with Basic
• Create and publish 1 live Section with up to 3 live Categories
• Build a Joomla-native Section → Category → Topic → Message community structure
• Create traditional Discussion Topics with permanent chronological Messages
• Create Live Chat Topics in Basic
• Start Live Chat immediately or schedule it for a future date and time
• Keep the same durable Topic URL before, during, and after a live session
• Preserve ended Live Chat conversations as permanent searchable forum Messages
• Use a shared live lifecycle for scheduled, starting, live, ending, ended, and archived states
• Support planned-end grace handling, authorized extensions, explicit End Now, and automatic ending
• Keep Hosts and authorized moderators able to communicate while participant chat is locked
• Show live-session status such as Starting Soon, Live, Ending Soon, and Ended
• Browse published Sections and Categories from the frontend
• Use AJAX Browse navigation without requiring full-page reloads for normal tab changes
• Preserve browser Back and Forward behavior across supported Browse states
• Search accessible Topic titles, permanent Messages, archived live Messages, authors, Categories, and Sections
• Filter Search by Section, Category, Topic Type, status, author, date range, polls, attachments, media, pinned, featured, and Answered/Unanswered state
• Open Message search results at the correct Topic page and Message anchor
• Use Unread to find accessible Topics with unread activity
• Use My Topics to find Topics created by the signed-in user
• Follow accessible Topics and Categories
• Use Following to review followed Topics with normal Topic-row presentation and quick Unfollow controls
• Control Email and On-site delivery independently for each followed Topic or Category
• Keep Following and Follow Delivery synchronized to the same follow relationship
• Use paginated Following, Follow Delivery, Notifications, Search, Unread, My Topics, and moderation views
• Receive on-site Notifications for supported forum and live-session events
• Mark individual Notifications read, Mark All Read, delete individual Notifications, or clear notification history
• Configure global Email and On-site notification preferences
• Keep reaction email separate and off by default unless the user enables it
• Send managed forum email through Joomla Mail
• Edit Plain Text email templates with supported dynamic tokens
• Use direct-engagement notification priority so mentions and direct replies do not also create redundant generic follow notices
• Retry failed email-template deliveries independently without resending sibling deliveries that already succeeded
• Create polls on supported Topics
• Upload and download supported attachments through access-controlled forum delivery
• Use reactions, mentions, Quote, and Reply Reference tools where available
• Optionally allow guest permanent Topics and/or Messages without creating a separate forum-account system
• Require a private guest email address and Joomla CAPTCHA for guest submissions
• Optionally require moderator approval before guest content becomes visible
• Keep pending guest content out of public lists, Search, counts, and notifications until approved
• Use global content filtering with prohibited words or phrases, exceptions, link limits, mention limits, duplicate-content controls, and tighter new-account rules
• Inherit content-filter policy from Global → Section → Category with scoped overrides
• Use Joomla view levels, Joomla groups, QCLF scoped access rules, and Category permissions for content access
• Assign Global Moderator groups for forum-wide moderation authority
• Assign Category Moderator groups for moderation limited to selected Categories
• Give moderators a frontend Moderation workspace without requiring Joomla administrator access
• Use Moderation tabs for Reports, Users, Content, Live, and History
• Review reports only for areas the moderator is authorized to moderate
• Approve, edit, or reject pending guest content from moderation
• Apply Posting Suspension, Live Chat Suspension, or Full Participation Suspension with supported scope and duration
• Use live moderation controls for authorized Hosts and moderators
• Keep ordinary users from receiving moderator-only author shortcuts and private moderation details
• Keep frontend QCLF presentation white-label so public users do not see QuantaCade/QCLF vendor branding
• Use responsive Topic rows, tabs, subtabs, live layouts, moderation, notifications, and discovery views across desktop and mobile
• Keep mobile primary tabs and subtabs contained within the viewport instead of forcing horizontal overflow
• Run License Revalidation through Joomla Scheduled Tasks
• Run Live Lifecycle Reconciliation through Joomla Scheduled Tasks
• Run Live Archive Conversion through Joomla Scheduled Tasks
• Run Notification Delivery through Joomla Scheduled Tasks
• Run Cleanup through Joomla Scheduled Tasks
• Preserve forum content and configuration through normal extension updates
• Preserve forum database content on uninstall rather than silently destroying community history
• Remove QCLF Scheduled Task rows during uninstall so orphan executable tasks are not left behind
• Use the Joomla configured Site Time Zone for customer-facing scheduling and displayed live-session dates/times

Pro Features

• License QC Live Forum on up to 5 domains
• Create and publish up to 2 live Sections
• Create and publish up to 6 live Categories
• Create Live Broadcast Topics in addition to Discussion and Live Chat
• Start a Live Broadcast immediately or schedule it for a future date and time
• Let one authorized Broadcast Host publish camera and microphone while viewers receive media
• Keep Broadcast viewers subscribe-only for media while they participate through the live Message stream
• Use Host camera, microphone, device, Leave, and reconnect controls during supported Broadcast operation
• Preserve Broadcast live chat as permanent searchable Messages when the session ends
• Use the same scheduled/live/end/archive lifecycle for Broadcasts as other live Topic types
• Create and send Custom HTML email content with supported dynamic tokens
• Keep all Basic forum, Live Chat, Search, Following, Notifications, moderation, guest, filtering, poll, attachment, reaction, and automation functionality

Max / All Access Features

• Unlimited licensed domains
• Unlimited live Sections
• Unlimited live Categories
• Create synchronized YouTube Watch Party Topics
• Start a Watch Party immediately or schedule it for a future date and time
• Use the official YouTube Player integration rather than arbitrary stored iframe HTML
• Let the Host control synchronized YouTube play, pause, and seek state
• Let viewers follow the Host playback state and use Sync to Host when needed
• Keep YouTube synchronization separate from chat retrieval so message delivery and media control do not depend on each other
• Preserve Watch Party live conversation as permanent searchable Messages after the live session ends
• Preserve applicable Watch Party media-position context with archived Messages for search/history
• Add optional Host Live camera and microphone beneath a Watch Party
• Let exactly one Watch Party Host publish Host Live media while viewers receive only
• Detect Host Live start, stop, and restart on viewer pages without requiring a full page refresh
• Stop Host Live without stopping the synchronized YouTube Watch Party or its live chat
• Create administrator-authored Custom Email Templates for supported triggers and recipient audiences
• Keep Custom Email Templates preserved after downgrade while preventing their use until Max/All Access entitlement returns
• Add administrator-authored Custom CSS for QCLF frontend presentation
• Use Easy CSS Helper targets for the full frontend, headings, Browse navigation, Section/Category cards, Topic rows, Messages, composer, Live Chat, Watch Party, Broadcast, Notifications, Search, Moderation, Polls, Attachments, Buttons, and Form fields
• Enable or disable saved Custom CSS without deleting the saved rules
• Preserve Custom CSS after downgrade while preventing it from being applied until Max/All Access entitlement returns
• Receive Priority support
• Keep all Pro and Basic functionality
• Active QuantaCade All Access resolves QCLF to Max-level features with unlimited Authorized Domains while the pass remains active

Safety First

QC Live Forum is designed around Joomla identity, Joomla access control, scoped forum permissions, and server-side commercial entitlement checks. Hiding a button is never the only protection for a paid or privileged capability. Topic creation, live participation, Watch Party synchronization, Live Broadcast controls, Host Live startup, Custom Email Templates, Custom CSS, moderation actions, attachments, subscriptions, and other protected operations are revalidated on the server.

Plan downgrades preserve customer content and configuration rather than deleting it. Basic can use 1 real Section and 3 real Categories, Pro can use 2 Sections and 6 Categories, and Max/All Access can use unlimited forum structure. Content beyond the current tier is retained but is not made usable simply because it existed before the downgrade. Pro-only Broadcast/HTML-email capability and Max-only Watch Party/Custom Email/Custom CSS capability are likewise preserved but gated until entitlement returns. Cleanup actions such as ending or stopping an already-running live session remain available so a downgrade cannot strand a live room.

Live Chat, Watch Party, and Live Broadcast use authoritative server-side lifecycle state rather than trusting an open browser tab as the source of truth. Joomla Scheduled Tasks reconcile live sessions, convert ended live conversations into permanent Messages exactly once, deliver queued notifications, refresh licensing, and perform cleanup. Stale browser state must not reopen an authoritatively ended session, and archive conversion is designed to be repeat-safe.

Guest posting is limited to supported permanent forum workflows and never grants guest access to live chat, Watch Party/Broadcast chat, attachments, polls, reactions, follows, voting, or saved drafts. Guest submissions require Joomla CAPTCHA, a valid private email address, server-side content checks, and any configured approval workflow. Private guest email addresses remain moderation-only information and pending content is excluded from public discovery until approved.

Attachments are stored and delivered through QCLF access checks rather than exposed as directly executable public uploads. Downloads revalidate the current user's access to the related Topic/Message, deleted Message attachments are not exposed by a previously known attachment ID, and download responses use browser hardening such as nosniff handling.

QCLF preserves one Joomla identity system rather than creating a parallel forum-profile database. Moderators receive only the scope granted through QCLF/Joomla rules, ordinary members do not gain Joomla administrator access, and backend component access does not automatically make a user a frontend global moderator. License management, forum settings, moderation, and advanced presentation controls use separate permission and entitlement checks.

Notification delivery rechecks recipient existence, enabled state, current access, follow state, preferences, and applicable role immediately before delivery. Failed email-template deliveries retry independently, successful sibling deliveries are not resent merely because another template failed, and deleting on-site notification history does not reset canonical email-delivery or event-deduplication state.

QC Live Forum does not record or replay Host Live or Live Broadcast audio/video. Realtime media uses short-lived, room-scoped authorization while QCLF keeps forum identity, permissions, lifecycle, and permanent Message history under Joomla/QCLF control.