Table of Contents
Manage the forum via command line.
Running OCC Commands
The way you run OCC commands depends on your Nextcloud installation method. Replace <command> with
the actual forum command you want to run.
Direct Installation (Standard)
If Nextcloud is installed directly on your server:
cd /var/www/html/nextcloud
sudo -u www-data php occ <command>
Example:
sudo -u www-data php occ forum:repair-seeds
Docker Installation (AIO, Docker Compose)
Development Docker (docker-compose):
docker exec --user www-data -i nextcloud-nextcloud-1 php occ <command>
Nextcloud All-in-One (AIO):
docker exec --user www-data -it nextcloud-aio-nextcloud php occ <command>
Custom Docker container:
Find your container name first
docker ps | grep nextcloud
Then run the command
docker exec --user www-data -it <container-name> php occ <command>
Examples:
docker exec --user www-data -i nextcloud-nextcloud-1 php occ forum:rebuild-all-stats
docker exec --user www-data -it nextcloud-aio-nextcloud php occ forum:set-role alice admin
Snap Installation
If Nextcloud is installed via Snap:
sudo nextcloud.occ <command>
Example:
sudo nextcloud.occ forum:repair-seeds
Notes
- Always run OCC commands as the web server user (www-data on most systems)
- Use -i flag for non-interactive mode, -it for interactive mode
- Adjust container names based on your Docker setup
- Check your Nextcloud documentation if commands don't work as expected
General Server Administration
forum:repair-seeds
Initialize or repair forum data. Safe to run multiple times as it will skip data that already exists. Also available in the server administration panel (Settings > Administration > Forum).
What it does:
- Creates default roles (Admin, Moderator, User, Guest) if missing
- Creates category headers if missing
- Creates default categories if missing
- Sets up category permissions for all roles
- Creates default BBCodes if missing
- Assigns account roles as needed
- Creates welcome thread if missing
When to use:
- After initial installation
- To repair incomplete installations
- After failed migrations
- To restore missing default data
Statistics Management
forum:rebuild-all-stats
Rebuild all statistics including accounts, categories, threads, and posts. Also available in the server administration panel (Settings > Administration > Forum).
What it does:
- Rebuilds account statistics (post count, thread count, first/last post dates)
- Rebuilds category statistics (thread count, post count)
- Rebuilds thread statistics (post count, last post reference)
When to use:
- When statistics appear incorrect or out of sync
- After manual database modifications
- After data import/migration
forum:rebuild-user-stats
Rebuild account statistics only.
What it does:
- Recalculates post count for all accounts
- Recalculates thread count for all accounts
- Updates first and last post timestamps
- Creates missing account stats records
- Updates existing account stats records
Output: Shows number of accounts processed, created, and updated
forum:rebuild-thread-stats
Rebuild statistics for categories, threads, and posts.
What it does:
- Recalculates thread count per category
- Recalculates post count per category
- Recalculates post count per thread
- Updates last post references
Output: Shows number of categories and threads processed and updated
Account Management
forum:set-role <username> <role>
Assign a forum role to an account.
Parameters:
- username (required) - The Nextcloud username of the account
- role (required) - Either a role ID (numeric) or role name (case-insensitive)
Examples:
Assign by role name
php occ forum:set-role alice admin
php occ forum:set-role bob moderator
Assign by role ID
php occ forum:set-role charlie 1
Notes:
- Validates that the account exists in Nextcloud
- Checks if role exists before assignment
- Prevents duplicate role assignments
- For multiple roles with same name, use numeric ID
- Also available in the server administration panel (Settings > Administration > Forum)
Testing & Diagnostics
forum:test-notifier
Test the forum notification system.
What it does:
- Instantiates the forum notifier
- Creates a test notification
- Attempts to prepare and format the notification
- Displays notification details (subject, link, icon)
When to use:
- To verify notification system is working
- To debug notification issues
- After notification configuration changes
Output: Shows notifier ID, name, and test notification details, or error messages if something fails
Quick Reference
| Command | Purpose | Parameters |
|---|---|---|
| forum:repair-seeds | Initialize/repair forum data | None |
| forum:rebuild-all-stats | Rebuild all statistics | None |
| forum:rebuild-user-stats | Rebuild account statistics only | None |
| forum:rebuild-thread-stats | Rebuild category/thread stats | None |
| forum:set-role | Assign role to account | <username> <role> |
| forum:test-notifier | Test notification system | None |
Tips
-
All rebuild commands are safe to run and will not damage data
-
Statistics commands can be run periodically via cron for maintenance
-
Use forum:repair-seeds as a first troubleshooting step for most issues
-
Check Nextcloud logs after running commands:
tail -f /var/www/html/data/nextcloud.log