Locking items is useful for when you wish to put a damper on a heated thread, in some situations relating to terms of use violations, or for an issue tracking system.

Locking an item means the item can no longer be updated, and no one may continue to add posts or edit posts associated with the item.

To lock an item, you can either use the item management shortcut, or find it in the "tools" page, under "item management". Look for the tool reading "lock / unlock item" (admin tool 023).

This is pretty self-explanatory. First you enter the item's ID (non-textual) and hit the "next" button. Notice: you won't have to enter the item's ID at all if you click the link through the item management shortcut.

You have a several options here.

• unlocked is a normal status where users can openly post comments in it
• unlocked (and unlock all associated posts) is useful for when you decide to re-open up a previously locked item; this not only unlocks the item, but all comments associated with the item
• locked is when the item cannot be updated anymore, or receive new posts, but the comments already associated with it remain manageable
• locked (and lock all associated posts) both locks the item from being modified and receiving new comments, plus it also locks up any comments associated with the item, so that they can no longer be modified either