[Inquirer]

I just installed bbPress.

Now, I need to learn how to customize the forum’s appearance.

Apparently, a lot of customization done through plugins.

I found the following:

Using Plugins

To use a plugin, simply create a directory in your main bbPress directory called my-plugins and put the plugin file in it. bbpress does not currently have a plugin activation/deactivation interface like WordPress’. Any .php file in your /my-plugins directory will be run.

Looking for plugins? Try our plugin browser http://bbpress.org/plugins/

I like adding the ‘This topic is one of your favorites’ feature.

How would I find if this is an available plugin?

If so how would I find where to download it?

[Andrew]

http://www.nyquistcapital.com and http://www.nyquistcapital.com/forums

[Inquirer]

I dropped the bbPress tables in my database and did a reinstall.

The installation went fine.

I discovered my original installation falied because of a typo

I had entered ‘http://mywebsite.com/forums/’;

I should have entered ‘http://mywebsite.com/forum/’;

On this install I didn’t want to integrate with the WordPress database.

Now I need to learn how to customize the forum’s appearance.

Is there a way to change the forum name within Administration or will I have to edit the config.php file and FTP it?

Is a lot of customization done through plugins and php templates?

I found this online.

[The best way to start off is to create a new directory inside the root folder of the bbpress install called “my-templates”. Any php templates place in this folder with the same name as in “bb-templates” will override the original files. For example, if you modify front-page.php and upload it to “my-templates”, bbpress will pull the customized front-page.php file.]

Fore instance I like adding the ‘This topic is one of your favorites’ feature.

[fel64]

Should be. If they are on the same domain, it is certainly possible. In a small set of cases you will need to add two simple lines of code to your bbpress config.php. What URLs do you (want to) have bbpress and wp at? Tell us and we can tell you what code to add.

[Andrew]

I’ve read through multiple posts about WordPress/BBpress integration but cannot find the answer to one question.

Is single sign on supported?

I understand that the same username and password is shared between the two sites, but if I log into WordPress do the same cookies automatically log me into BBpress?

[fel64]

Changing the width of the theme is easy; all it takes is a single change in a CSS file. If they hard-coded the width into the HTML, they deserve the extra work.

I think that if you use they backticks on an inline basis the overflow is hidden, but if you use it for paragraphs (specifically: backtick is in line above your code, I think) the overflow remains.

For example, a really long path like var/www.mywebsite.com/htdocs/wordpress/bbpress/bb-includes/template-functions.php or whatever will be cut off. If there had been spaces, it should wrap.

But a paragraph of code will have the scrollbar.

<?php

/*

Plugin Name: o/

*/

function withareallylongnamethatjustneverstopsandthefunctiondoesn'tevendoanythinguseful() {

return true;

}

[talbina]

Sorry i meant wordpress.org

[Trent Adams]

wordpress.com is the hosted blog service of wordpress. Go to https://wordpress.org/support/ to search

Trent

[talbina]

Ok.

No offence to the wordpress.com people. But i just went on the wordpress.com support forum and searched for ‘CMS’ and almost everyone there has a lot of trouble making wordpress.com into a CMS.

All the reply posts about CMS on there have all been just ‘advice’, no real action to build on.

[talbina]

Can you please show me some websites that use WordPress, that are not blogs?

Something with some functionality in them.

Thanks,

Talbina

[talbina]

Hello ck,

thanks for the help.

I keep on thinking that wordpress is a blog software, but i guess its just like any other CMS.

Furthermore, what im trying to do now is reduce cost. That means, try to use the software that has the most features that i need already.

BBpress already has categories (different job types) , posts (job posts) , users (companies) and avatars (for logos).

Just way too confused for a person like me who doesnt know anything.

[_ck_]

If you are just making one locked post with no replies then WordPress will suit you better. Forums are best for users being able to start threads themselves. Blog-like CMS software is best for 1-to-many.

The other benefit of WordPress is that you can have unlimited alias nicknames and anonymous self-posting with alias nicknames. So you could pretend to be “Microsoft” when you post and then later if Microsoft really becomes a client you can give them a true login with the real username.

Last but not least wordpress has far more development and plugins and contributors than bbpress at this time. Something to consider for a commercial application.

[Trent Adams]

Ah….here! That would make sense for sure since even the wordpress.com forums are using a larger layout for posts! I will pass it along up the chain!

Trent

[annathea]

_ck_, there was no misconception – I tested bbPress thoroughly with MU before I decided it was the right move for us. I would expect any other user to do the same. And I’ll just chime in and say that the bbPress site and forums made it very clear to me before I began that bbPress and WordPress are two different applications and would need manual integration.

Prior to bbPress, I tried integrating PunBB directly with our WordPress install, and while I wouldn’t call it difficult exactly, it was unnecessary: the features that separate PunBB from bbPress went largely unused by our community, so why not use forum software that uses a similar table structure, takes advantage of the wp_users table, and is supported by the same community of interested users that brought us WordPress?

I’ll admit my needs are very specific, and that the alternative to using open source software is writing it myself, which means I can get pretty excited that bbPress ONLY requires a certain amount of integration. Also, as specific as my needs are, I posted the conversion script I used for the one or two other people who find themselves in the same position. I don’t know that it’s a common request, and I imagine that anyone who’s in the position of converting already has a bbPress install they’re happy with, whether it’s integrated with WordPress or not.

[Trent Adams]

It is related with wordpress.org. Let me explain. Akismet keys are given from wordpress.com (free hosted blog service) and that key can be used with bbPress and the Akismet plugin for WordPress (downloaded from wordpress.org) or with other blog softwares have the Akismet plugin.

bbPress integration is dealt with here or in the wordpress.org/support/ forums and issues with your Akismet key are dealt with through the ‘feedback’ or ‘support’ tab in the wordpress.com forums.

Hope that clears it up a little.

Trent

[_ck_]

Ah I see. It’s the misconception that by name alone, that bbpress integrates easily/well with wordpress. You’ll find several experiences that it does not integrate easily or well by default. Between the nasty cookie issue and the even worse username issue, it makes no attempts on it’s own to integrate. You’ll need a few plugins and some trial and error with members.

I’ll suggest again to the powers that be that an integration sub-forum might be a good idea to warn/help others. The mini-faq doesn’t begin to cover the issues.

[Michael Adams (mdawaffe)]

bbPress should be magic_quotes agnostic. I’ll do some tests to see If I can pin down the problem.

Are you loading any other scripts at the same time (WordPress, anything else)? Any plugins?

[annathea]

_ck_ : Our PunBB forum dates from the inception of our site, and the nature of our community has sort of moved the interaction out of the forums and throughout the rest of the site. So I wanted to be able to incorporate our past discussions into the latest version of the site and have a little finer control over the data (relating archived forum discussions to archived blog entries and such). Since I am expecting that participation in the forums may continue shifting more toward the blog comments, I am trying to merge the old and the new and a PunBB -> bbPress -> WordPress path has fit perfectly so far.

[Inquirer]

In the bbPress config.php file is the following

You can get an Akismet key at

// http://wordpress.com/api-keys/

I registered with wordpress.com and received an Akismet key, which I have put in the bbPress config.php

I posted a question WordPress.com forum and discovered that there is a WordPress.org and a WordPress.com. I have WordPress.org blog software, which is able to be customized.

I then registered with WordPress.org forums.

Is bbPress related with WordPress.com or WordPress.org?

[_ck_]

bbPress’s auto-close tags is broken by default – though the code and filter is in there, it’s not passed correctly:

add this to a plugin

function force_balance_tags($text) {return balanceTags($text, true);}

add_filter('pre_post', 'force_balance_tags');

or if you don’t know how, use my tweaks plugin:

http://ckon.wordpress.com/2007/07/12/bbpress-plugin-bb-tweaks/

[talbina]

Hello,

I have some paid work that i want done, and what i see is people are told to post here http://comox.textdrive.com/pipermail/wp-pro/ . I was wondering how is the response with that, specifically to BBpress work.

From speaking to people, i found that many people who work with wordpress have no idea about BBpress. Furthermore, there are very few links (or widely visible ones) from the wordpress.com and the wordpress.org websites. Maybe you should look into it and see if you want to market the product further. Thats just my advice here.

Second of all, i just don’t understand what is the reason that BBpress (this site) doesn’t allow ads for paid work.

Thanks,

Talbina

[talbina]

Hello,

I am not a developer and i dont know anything. Just wondering which software to use.

Im wondering if the forum topics can be made to look like over here http://www.jobs.ac.uk/ the “Search jobs by subject area” section?

Also, are there really any limitations with what can be done with wordpress/BBpress ?

Thanks,

Talbina

[Inquirer]

At the top of the config.php files of bbPress and WordPress these values will be the same.

<?php

// ** MySQL settings ** //

define(‘BBDB_NAME’, ”); // The name of the database

define(‘BBDB_USER’, ”); // Your MySQL username

define(‘BBDB_PASSWORD’, ”); // …and password

define(‘BBDB_HOST’, ‘localhost’); // 99% chance you won’t need to change this value

Trent wrote:

[For bbPress and WP to be integrated you have to configure your config.php before install to have your WP specific data in it (there is a portion near bottom) and then install bbPress in the same MySQL database regardless of where the physical files actually reside (your case /blog/ and /forum/).}

// The rest is only useful if you are integrating bbPress with WordPress.

// If you’re not, just leave it as it is.

$bb->wp_table_prefix = ‘wp_’; // WordPress table prefix. Example: ‘wp_’;

$bb->wp_home = ‘http://mywebsite.com/blog/&#8217;; // WordPress – Options->General: Blog address (URL) // Example: ‘http://example.com&#8217;

$bb->wp_siteurl = ‘http://mywebsite.com/blog/&#8217;; // WordPress – Options->General: WordPress address (URL) // Example: ‘http://example.com&#8217;

/* Stop editing */

---

I already have WordPress installed in my public_html directory in a folder named blog.

Above, I put in examples of how to fill-in ‘examples’

Apparently it would be wp_home = http://mywebsite.com/blog/

and wp_siteurl = http://mywebsite.com/blog/

Apparently, only the WordPress has to have the bottom portion filled-in?

If this is correct then I would have to fill-in bottom portion of the WordPress config.php and FTP it before I reinstalled bbPress.

[regardless of where the physical files actually reside]

I was thinking of the physical storage of the files.

[Does that make sense?]

I think so.

[Inquirer]

I have read through phpAdmin Quick Install at

http://wiki.cihar.com/pma/Quick_Install

It reads Extract files

Untar or unzip the distribution (be sure to unzip the subdirectories):

tar -xzvf phpMyAdmin-2.*.*.*.tar.gz

in your web server’s document root.

When I login to my server using WinSCP to connect my server via SSH, there is a button with / to connect to the root directory. When I click the button it displays / <root>

The documentation recommends phpMyAdmin should be installed in the root directory (document root).

I already have WordPress installed in my public_html directory in a folder named blog, which isn’t a database nor is it my root directory (document root).

WordPress is up and running.

[Then just install your bbPRess in the same database as WP.]

Where on my web server is the database you are referring?

Are you referring to the database files portion of the bbPress and WordPress installation?

[You can have the forum installed wherever, I was talking about having bbPress and WP in the same database.]

I can have WordPress installed in my public_html directory in a folder named blog.

I can have bbPress installed in my public_html directory in a folder named forum.

I apologize for my confusion.

[Inquirer]

[If you plan on integrating WP and bbPress, it is best to have a running copy of WP up and going.]

I already have WordPress up and running.

[Then just install your bbPRess in the same database as WP. WordPress will have the database prefix of wp_ and bbPress with bb_]

I have WordPress installed in my public_html directory in a directory named blog

Do you mean install bbPress in the blog directory?

In other words, don’t create a separate directory forum to install bbPress?

I think I want mywebsitedomainname/blog and mywebsitedomainname/forum to be separate urls

But to integrate WordPress with bbPRess do they have to have the same url?

Thanks

---

On a separate note

I should be able to use WinSCP to login to my server via SSH, then access my database with a MySQL login, then drop the bb_ tables from the failed bbPress install.

I imagine this could be done through the WinSCP Console

I realize the phpAdmin is a more user friendly interface than the WinSCP Console.

I sent an e-mail to my web hosting support, but they haven’t responded.