A coffee lounge

[rayheinrich]

So I use Microsoft Copilot for everything and specifically anything to do with coding.
I've been doing stuff in Python using PyTorch to get a neural net of mine up and running
and, when it comes to software, it's nothing short of terrifying. It's no wonder software
engineers are losing their jobs left and right.

So I asked Copilot if the MyBB software that Pigpen uses can exclude specific threads or
entire forums from appearing in the “Recent Posts” sidebar and it said "yes" and it went
on in Copilot fashion to explain the details which I'm including in the P.S. below in case
that route might be deemed a solution to our problem.

Copilot sayeth:
"Absolutely — yes, you can exclude specific threads or entire forums from appearing in
the “Recent Posts” or “Recent Threads” sidebar in MyBB, but the method depends on
how that sidebar is being generated.

Below is a clear breakdown so you can match it to your setup.

? First: How is your “recent comments” sidebar being generated?
MyBB does not include a built‑in recent‑posts sidebar, so your board
is almost certainly using a plugin. The two most common ones are:

1. “Recent Threads On Index” plugin
This plugin does support excluding forums from the results.

2. “Recent Posts / RecentPostsIndex” plugin
This plugin can also be modified to exclude specific forums (FIDs).

✅ If your sidebar is from Recent Threads On Index
This plugin includes a setting in the Admin CP where you can exclude specific forums.

How to do it:
Go to Admin CP → Configuration → Recent Threads Settings

Look for an option like “Exclude Forums”

Enter the FID numbers of the forums you want excluded (comma‑separated)

This will prevent all threads in those forums from appearing in the sidebar.

✅ If your sidebar is from RecentPostsIndex
This plugin doesn’t have a built‑in exclusion setting, but you can exclude forums by editing the plugin code.

The MyBB community confirms this is possible by adding a condition to filter out specific FIDs.

Typical code change:
Inside the plugin’s SQL query, add something like:

php
AND p.fid NOT IN (X,Y,Z)
Where X, Y, Z are the forum IDs you want to hide.

This will hide all posts from those forums in the sidebar.

? What if you want to hide only one specific thread, not a whole forum?
MyBB doesn’t natively support excluding individual threads from “recent posts,” and most plugins don’t include that option. But you can do it by:

Option A — Move the thread into a hidden/excluded forum
Create a forum called something like “Hidden Threads”, set permissions so users can still access it normally, and exclude that forum from the sidebar plugin.

Option B — Modify the plugin to exclude a specific TID
You can add a condition like:

php
AND p.tid != 1234
This requires editing the plugin file, but it works reliably.

? Want me to help you identify which plugin you’re using?
If you can tell me:

What your sidebar is titled (e.g., “Recent Threads,” “Latest Posts,” etc.)

Whether it shows threads or individual posts

A screenshot of the sidebar (optional)

…I can tell you exactly which plugin you have and give you the precise steps or code snippet to exclude the thread or forum you want.

Happy to help you fine‑tune your board however you like.