Code:
The new Approval Queue for Xenforo is a great asset for approving new applicants. Unfortunately, if you have somewhat stringent requirements for membership and volunteer admins, you don't have the time to deal with applicants who follow application instructions.
Here is our board's workflow using the Approval Queue and the Admin Panel to moderate marginal applications that could be approved if the applicants provide clarifying information.
Preliminary Steps:
1. Create an Application Rejection FAQ
We have found it useful to create an Application Rejection FAQ that reminds applicants of our forum rules and lists the five common reasons why applications are rejected. The creation of this page helps us to write simple statements in our reason for rejection: "See Item 4. in our Application Rejection FAQ (Link)."
2. Edit the Application Rejection prhase
a. Go to phrases and edit user_account_rejected_body_html
b. Delete the sentence that reads "Your account is no longer accessible. " (the reason for this is that their account is actually still accessible by us and we may want to moderate their application).
Workflow for Application Rejection/Resolution
1. Applicant applies for membership and submits application.
2. Applicant confirms email.
3. Applicant's username is now in the Registered usergroup with a User State of Awaiting Approval.
4. Application appears in the Approval Queue.
5. Admin/Mod notices there is an issue with the application. The application requires some clarification.
6. Admin/Mod selects Reject with Reason and types a reason that refers the applicant to an enumerated item in the Application Rejection FAQ. He asks the user to reply to the email to provide the clarifying information.
(Note: we have Zapier to convert any emails with Application Rejected in the email into an RSS feed item that appear in an Admin forum. See here for instructions. The benefit to this is that we see the username that the user registered with when they reply. An alternative method would be to have the user respond via the Contact Form or for the person checking the Admin email to gather the information used in subsequent steps).
7. User is now in the Registered usergroup and his User State is Rejected.
8. User replies with clarifying information.
9. Admin/Mod searches for users and uses either the username or the email address of the rejected applicant and edits the profile.
10. Admin/Mod pastes in the clarifying information and changes the User State from Rejected to Awaiting Approval.
11. Application re-appears in the Approval Queue. Approval queue shows what the Admin/Mod changed in the profile as well as the User State change. The application is now in order. He approves the application.
12. User is now in the Registered usergroup and User State is Valid. User receives email that his application is approved.