Usage Guide

This guide covers all backend and frontend features of Idea FMS, along with frequently asked questions.

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Backend Features

The backend is your central hub for managing feedback, users, and reporting. Access it at yourdomain.com/admin.

Reporting

Overview → Reporting

Generate comprehensive reports on feedback activity. You can:

• Generate reports filtered by product and date range
• Export reports to common formats
• Filter data to focus on specific boards or time periods
• Print reports directly from the interface

Staff Members

Users & Staff → Staff Members

Manage your internal team with full CRUD operations:

• Add new staff members with either Admin or Employee roles
• Search existing staff members
• Edit staff member details and roles
• Delete staff member accounts

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Admins have full access to all backend features. Employees have restricted access based on their assigned permissions.

Users

Users & Staff → Users

Manage frontend users who submit and vote on feedback:

• Search users by name or email
• Edit user profiles and details
• Delete user accounts

Categories

Data → Categories

Organize feedback ideas into logical groups:

• Create, Edit, Delete, and Search categories
• Categories help users filter and browse feedback ideas by topic

Feedback Roadmap

Data → Feedback Roadmap

View and manage roadmap statuses that represent different development phases:

• View all roadmap phases and their associated feedback items
• Edit roadmap statuses to reflect your development workflow

tip

Use the roadmap to communicate your development plans transparently. Users appreciate knowing what is planned, in progress, or completed.

Feedback Products (Boards)

Data → Feedback Products

Each "product" represents a separate feedback board for a product, website, or service:

• Create new boards for different products or services
• Edit board names and settings
• Delete boards that are no longer needed

Feedback Ideas

Data → Feedback Ideas

The core of Idea FMS — manage all submitted feedback from one place:

Action	Description
Add Manually	Create feedback ideas on behalf of users
Filter Per Board	View ideas for a specific product or service
Search	Find ideas by keyword
Edit / Delete	Modify or remove feedback ideas
View Info	See full details including submitter email, name, and comments
Request More Info	Ask the submitter for additional details
Approve / Disapprove	Moderate feedback before it becomes publicly visible
Change Category	Reassign a feedback idea to a different category
Change Status	Update the roadmap status of a feedback idea

Comments

Data → Feedback Ideas → Comments

Moderate and manage user comments on feedback ideas:

• Browse and Search all comments
• Approve or Disapprove comments for moderation
• Edit comment content
• Delete inappropriate or spam comments

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Frontend Features

The frontend is the public-facing interface where users interact with your feedback boards.

Main View

The main view displays a summary of all feedback ideas for the currently selected board. Users can vote, comment, and browse ideas at a glance.

Boards

Switch between different products or services using the dropdown selector. Each board maintains its own set of feedback ideas, categories, and roadmap.

Roadmap

A visual representation of your strategic development plans organized into phases. Users can see which features are planned, in progress, or completed.

Sorting

Order feedback ideas by various criteria such as:

• Most votes
• Newest
• Oldest
• Recently updated

Searching

Search for specific feedback ideas within the currently selected board using the search bar.

Feedback Ideas

Ideas are listed per board and display key information including title, description, vote count, comment count, and current status.

Comments

Comments are available in two contexts:

• Board view — displays up to 3 comments per feedback item as a preview
• Single view — displays the full comment thread

Upvotes

Users can vote on suggestions without needing to leave a comment. This provides a lightweight way to signal interest in a feature request.

Categories

Filter feedback ideas by category to narrow down results within a board.

Single View

The detailed view of a single feedback idea, including:

• Full description
• Upvote button
• Complete comment thread
• Current status and category

Log In / Log Out

Users can log in or log out from the header area. Authentication is required for posting feedback (unless anonymous posting is enabled).

Add New Feedback

Submit new ideas through the frontend form. Depending on configuration, users can submit feedback:

• With an account — linked to their profile
• Anonymously — if anonymous posting is enabled in settings

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I update Idea FMS?

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Always back up your database and files before performing an update.

1. Download the latest version from the marketplace.
2. Delete all old files on your server (except your database).
3. Upload and extract the new files.
4. Edit /app/Config/Database.php and enter your existing database credentials.
5. In index.php, change line 28 from pre_installation to installed.
6. Perform a hard refresh in your browser (Ctrl + Shift + R).

How do I translate the frontend?

Edit the language file located at:

/app/Language/en/front_lang.php

Modify the string values to your target language while keeping the array keys unchanged.

How do I translate the backend?

Edit the language file located at:

/app/Language/en/default_lang.php

How do I add custom code?

Type	Location
Custom JavaScript	Add via the backend at System Settings → Custom JS
Custom CSS	Edit the file at assets/custom.css
Frontend React Changes	Modify React source files and recompile using npm

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Frontend React modifications require a Node.js environment and an npm recompile step. Refer to the React source directory for build instructions.

Does Idea FMS support Nginx?

Idea FMS is built on CodeIgniter 4, which requires specific rewrite rules for Nginx. While Nginx configuration is not covered under official support, the team will do their best to assist if you reach out.