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== Regular, Reverse & Complex Integration ==

1. If you already have WordPress and are installing bbPress, that is what I called “regular” or “simple” integration and is the most straightforward.

2. If you first have bbPress installed and are trying to install WordPress afterwards, that is what I call “reverse” integration and while it’s definitely possible, it does require a bit more work initially.

== Levels (or Depth) of Integration ==

There are two levels of integration:

1. User information is shared across both WordPress and bbPress – logins are persistent across both programs and they are essentially “aware” of each other but they still run “standalone” – one at a time, instead of both together – I call this “stand-alone” or “simple” integration.

2. bbPress can be made to run “within” WordPress (or visa versa) – where both programs are fully executed for every page loaded – I call this “full”, “deep” or “complex” integration – and I actually advise AGAINST it heavily. There are various reasons to try to avoid this, including server loads and technical issues with the way templates and plugins are processed.

However it definitely can be done and many people have made it work but future products from Automattic like BackPress will make this process much better and I advise to avoid it for now if possible.

If you insist on trying complex integration you can find some helpful instructions from Aditya Naik over here. They are for bbPress 0.8 so they are a little out of date. Instead of “config.php” use “bb-config.php” and you should NOT install the three plugins he recommends as they are no longer needed in versions 0.9 and 1.0