# Configuring Permalinks and Slugs

GravityOps Forum allows you to customize the URLs for your community to ensure they are clean, descriptive, and user-friendly.

## 1. Global Configuration

Navigate to **Forms > GravityOps > Forum** and click on the **Configuration** tab to find the following settings:

### Forum Base Slug
This is the base URL for all forum content. The default is `forum` (e.g., `your-site.com/forum/`). You can change this to something else like `community` or `discussions`.

### Enable Custom Rewrite Rules
- **Enabled (Default):** This setting provides the most seamless experience. The plugin creates "pretty" URLs (e.g., `your-site.com/forum/general-discussion/123`).
- **Disabled:** If your site has complex permalink structures or conflicts, you can disable rewrite rules. The forum will then only be accessible via shortcodes and query parameters (e.g., `your-site.com/forum-page/?gofrm_forum=general-discussion`).

### Strict Pretty URLs
When rewrite rules are enabled, this setting ensures that all forum links strictly use the centralized `/forum/` URL structure. It prevents the plugin from "jumping" to separate WordPress pages that might contain forum shortcodes for custom layouts.

## 2. Board and Forum Slugs

In the **Forums** tab, you can set individual slugs for each Board and Forum.

- **Board Slugs:** Useful for board management and internal organization. They are not currently used as a dedicated segment in front-end forum routes.
- **Forum Slugs:** Used in front-end forum URLs.

For example, if your base slug is `forum` and your forum slug is `general`, the forum URL would be:
`your-site.com/forum/general/`

Topic URLs use the topic entry ID as the last segment:
`your-site.com/forum/general/123`

## 3. Troubleshooting Permalink Issues

If you encounter **404 Not Found** errors or if navigation is not working after setting up your forum:

1. **Check Permalinks Structure:** For custom rewrite rules to work, your WordPress permalink structure (under **Settings > Permalinks**) must be set to something other than **Plain**.
2. **Re-save Settings:** Go to the Configuration tab and click **Save Configuration** again. This triggers a refresh of the rewrite rules.
3. **Flush Rewrite Rules:** Go to **Settings > Permalinks** in the main WordPress menu and simply click **Save Changes** without making any changes to the permalink structure.
4. **Check for Conflicts:** Ensure that no other page or post on your site has the same slug as your "Forum Base Slug."
5. **Shortcode Mode Configuration:** If using shortcode mode (rewrites disabled), ensure you have at least one page with the `[gofrm_index]` shortcode. This page will act as the "Home" for your forum navigation.
