[johnhiler]

It’s pretty dismissive to compare an open source project to cars, turntables and crock pots. bbPress is not a “hobby” for me. I have invested years of my life and tens of thousands of dollars in the platform. I’ve sponsored plugins, worked with developers, and answered help requests. It’s been a big part of my life, and my career.

This is big news to deliver, and I wish that Matt had delivered it personally. Or at least weighed in on it on this thread.

This proposed transition has been very badly handled. I am not even referring to the past year or so, or Matt’s posts in these forums or his speeches elsewhere. I am referring specifically to this proposed transition.

Why not just announce the separate WordPress plugin project and use a new name – why use the same name, and confuse users and antagonize this thriving community?

[ColinBradbury]

Hi I have customised the default theme as to make it match the rest of my site but I am having a major problem getting this page to look right http://www.supporttheanimals.co.uk/bbpress/topic.php?id=3 as you can see all the posts are towards the bottom of the page, could anyone tell me which section of the CSS of files I need to edit to fix this.

Also as a not so important but just an annoyance thing, if you navigate to another part of my site you will notice that the BBPress theme doesn’t quite match the rest of my site, mainly I think due to an error on my part with setting up the margins and padding but I can’t for the life of me find that solution either so if anyone can spend a moment or two to maybe let me know what I have done there too please?

If you need any of my code please don’t hesitate to ask you can contact me here or via email colin @ supporttheanimals.co.uk (without the spaces).

Kind Regards

Colin

Founder of Support The Animals

http://www.supporttheanimals.co.uk

[zaerl]

zaerl:

I have a question for official developers:

Update and submit new plugins right now is a complete waste of time?

and refueled:

And to add to zaerls question: will creating/updating bbPress themes be a waste of time?

I think that we deserve a direct answer. I have spent a lot of time and energy making plugins in the last 3 months (yes I am a newbie) and I want to know what to do in the near future.

[John James Jacoby]

Yeah… We both basically missed each other when we started both of those. That was just a miscommunication and probably a blunder on my part. I’m not sure who did what first, but we’re going to merge those two and close one of them down soon.

The way it sits today, is that ‘bbdevel’ is and has been the existing standalone development blog, and I opened ‘bbpdevel’ back in January when I originally started writing plugin bbPress code, not knowing if there was an existing dev blog, because there weren’t really existing devs . I got busy with work, and it sat for a while, and now it’s back in full swing.

If you need a way to remember it, think ‘bbp’ means bbPress plugin maybe? It wasn’t originally intended to be like that, but might help. I basically mirrored wpdevel(WordPress) and bpdevel(BuddyPress)

[citizenkeith]

Which Dev Update site should we be looking at now?

http://bbdevel.wordpress.com/

http://bbpdevel.wordpress.com/

This is just the beginning of the confusion, I’m sure. Thanks for keeping us posted. We’ve been in the dark for a while, and it’s nice to hear from the plugin developers, even though some of us still use bbpress 0.9.

[John James Jacoby]

Can’t speak on anyone’s behalf, but I imagine he does. Those sites can continue to run bbPress all the same, and if a bug fix or security issues pops up with 1.0/1.1 branches, the responsible thing to do is to fix it and push out updates.

I think what I might be confused about, is if bbPress as it is today is close to exactly what it should be, what would you want it to do 2 years from now that wouldn’t add more bloat or slow it down?

If today, it’s good; then let’s fix up what we have to put out a solid 1.1 stand-alone, and when shift gears to focus on 1.2 as the plugin milestone.

If someone crops up in 1.1 while we’re working on 1.2, then we put out a 1.1.1, etc…

Nothing is being dropped, or abandoned, or tossed aside anytime soon. The plugin is just a new branch of code with the same heart and soul, that will be able to import existing installations into WordPress.

[_ck_]

Does Matt realize that over 10,000 sites are currently using the standalone version of bbPress?

That’s not a massive number but it’s not trivial either.

[luminousnerd]

You could just modify the theme that comes with bbPress. Just change the url in the CSS to your header instead of the WP header.

[refueled]

And to add to zaerls question: will creating/updating bbPress themes be a waste of time?

[luminousnerd]

This is coming up pretty high for various google searches, and is extreme misinformation. If you meant something other than what you said, you should probably edit the original topic.

What you said, however, is wrong.

[zaerl]

You want to directly embed my code in your bbPress? I don’t think that it’s a wise choice. Anyway my plugin is GPL so you can do whatever you want with the code. Grab it and copy the code where you want.

Keep in mind that my plugin can’t be used to hide the entire forum (it’s a design choice). I think that swirl is the best choice.

[zaerl]

I have a question for official developers:

Update and submit new plugins right now is a complete waste of time?

[Rich Pedley]

Firstly, thanks JJJ for actually confirming that bbPress as a standalone will be dropped after the plugin is released – that does make a difference to things being discussed.

Non WordPress uses can’t use VaultPress, or BuddyPress. As the plugin is being developed, if you have suggestions on how it might still be able to sit on top of BackPress, I’m open to building that into it also provided it doesn’t overly sacrifice performance in other areas.

I keep having a weird thought which I know it not practical, about a cut down version of WordPress – oh wait that was what BackPress was supposed to be wasn’t it? Then within it you could have an option to upgrade to get full WP functionality. It would literally only need the files that bbPress utilises.

Ok I have weird thoughts – I admit it – hangs head in shame.

[kevinjohngallagher]

bbPress 1.0.3, and bbPress 1.1, are still being actively developed. Once those versions are available, what /more/ would you want bbPress to do on its own?

Honestly mate? Bug fixes.

Some big bugs that we’ve had for over a year have been bumped because Matt told us we weren’t to have a bug fix release, and instead were to roll out a release with 2 new features instead.

8 weeks ago Matt started deleting milestones from Trac. Didn’t tell anyone. Took him 3 weeks to reply to emails wondering why.

bbpress1.0.3 was ready over 3 months ago (save for a Backpress bug we could live with/patch ourselves). Matt decreed we’ve not to package it and give it to folks as an alpha or even an actual release. We have to wait for 1.1 and the next version of BackPress to be ready. In order to speed that up, we’ve had to bump loads to 1.5, which now isn’t going to happen.

This is the end of the line for the current implementation of bbPress.

Yes. Just like 2.9.2 was the end of the road for the 2.9 branch of WordPress when 3.0 came along. I understand the obvious differences, but at the end of the day, it’s just another day.

Two differences here though bro.

1) No-one has actually said that yet.

2) The new bbPress plugin is a totally separate project, being run under the same banner. Other than being able to import the data from the existing project, its totally different. It doesn’t even have the same requirements. Or any of the same code.

This isn’t resistance to change, nothing is being changed, it’s being replaced. And someone needs to be very clear and categorical about that. This is very very different from going from WP2.9.2 to WP3.

This is effectively a hostile takeover. The people with the keys to this website are handing the reins over to new management; while everyone is speaking in positive PR/Management speak. I’m not saying that the hostile takeover won’t be benefitial in the long run or benefitial to more people than currently use this product – i’m just syaing that hostile takeovers breed questions and uncertainty. Some of that uncertainty needs to be managed.

I know that you’re a real positive guy JJJ, and I’ve said before it’s infectious because you deliver, and deliver with a smile. I can think of no-one better to deal with this.

But the horse has bolted, the cat’s out the bag, the jig is up; and it’s a shame your left here answering questions, but in honesty – to some of us this is our livelyhood and we really need definative answers that are crystal clear so we can quote them as needed and make business decisions that affect our lives.

I am sorry tht you couldn’t have done this in your own time and in your own way. Your handling and galvanising of the BuddyPress community has been great, as I’m sure it will be here as well, we just need to get over this hump so that we can work with you

[Ivaylo Draganov]

Some time ago I came across markItUp! – a markup editor written as a jQuery plugin. It can be attached to any textarea, providing editing interface to it. The best thing is that it that interface can be totaly customized and there are many sets that are ready to be downloaded, among which is a bbCode set.

I’ve been using _ck_’s bbCode toolbar plugin but it lacked buttons for adding colors and changing font-size, so I decided to swap it for markItUp. It turned up quite nicely and the code is dead simple. Here it goes:

First, download markiItUp, along with the necessery bbCode set

http://markitup.jaysalvat.com/downloads/download.php?id=releases/latest

http://markitup.jaysalvat.com/downloads/download.php?id=markupsets/bbcode

http://markitup.jaysalvat.com/downloads/download.php?id=addons/bbcode/colors

* the color set is seperate by default, so you’d have to merge it to the bbCode set later

Upload the downloaded files to a directory on your server (my choice was my-plugins/scripts) and include them in your template. You can do that using bb_head in functions.php of the theme (bbPress 1.x) or as a mini plugin (bbPress 0.9.x)

/*

Plugin Name: markItUp! for post form

*/

function mark_it_up_init() {

echo '

<!-- markItUp! scripts -->

<script type="text/javascript" src="' . bb_get_option('uri') . 'my-plugins/scripts/markitup/jquery.markitup.js"></script>

<script type="text/javascript" src="' . bb_get_option('uri') . 'my-plugins/scripts/markitup/sets/bbcode/set.js"></script>

<script type="text/javascript" >

jQuery(document).ready(function() {

jQuery("#post_content").markItUp(mySettings);

});

</script>

<!-- markItUp! stylesheets -->

<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="' . bb_get_option('uri') . 'my-plugins/scripts/markitup/skins/simple/style.css" />

<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="' . bb_get_option('uri') . 'my-plugins/scripts/markitup/sets/bbcode/style.css" />';

}



add_action('bb_head','mark_it_up_init');

* Or you could just add that code to your header.php (without the PHP function wrap-up).

And last but most important – include jQuery before markItUp! in your template. That is best done using <?php bb_enqueue_script('jquery'); ?>

You can see it in action on the forum that I manage:

http://comicsbistro.net/forum/?new=1

Hope that this will be useful to someone Cheers!

[mr_pelle]

This wouldn’t have even started if your brand new forum plugin for WordPress (for which I wish you the best of luck) were named NOT bbPress!

This community and its software have survived the last months and I think they will, if this forum won’t be flooded by newbies not knowing exactly what software they are asking questions about…

My email for further discussion: http://scr.im/mrpelle

[mr_pelle]

To turn the whole forum private: https://bbpress.org/plugins/topic/swirl-unknowns/

To hide single forums: https://bbpress.org/plugins/topic/zaerl-visibility/

P.S: why on earth do you want your site to be invisible to websearches? Are you planning something evil??

[John James Jacoby]

Probably.

I just feel sorry for all the plugins developers…

No. Not probably, and not at all.

So far everyone’s managed to keep this pretty light and well mannered, and the easiest way to keep that pace is to not fuel any fires.

And what about non WordPress users?

Non WordPress uses can’t use VaultPress, or BuddyPress. As the plugin is being developed, if you have suggestions on how it might still be able to sit on top of BackPress, I’m open to building that into it also provided it doesn’t overly sacrifice performance in other areas.

There’s a lot of goals we hope to hit by doing this, one of which is allowing bbPress to be pocket sized and extensible from within WordPress, so that it can do other unique things that existing plugins have needed to jump through hurdles to achieve. Dedicated user forums, user groups, post/topic syncing, better BuddyPress integration, attachments, revision history, proper moderation, etc… If you don’t need those things, you can turn them off in WordPress all the same.

I know that my vote isn’t the popular one amongst the dedicated bbPress lovers, and there are lots of logistics to make this a smooth transition. With this initiative we have more people dedicated towards making this smooth and successful than bbPress has ever had in it’s 6 year history. That along with complete support from the original plugin author means it’s the next evolutionary step in bbPress’s journey.

I’ve been involved in too many hobbies to not know what it feels like when the version of something you love is discontinued, and something else replaces it that just ain’t the same. Cars, turntables, computers, cell phones, crock pots… You name it, I’ve dealt with the expiration of one thing, and moved on to the next.

The major difference with us and bbPress, is you all can help make the plugin do what you need it to by contributing code with patches. I couldn’t force Honda to bring back the del Sol CR-X if I tried.

[rockstarplr]

Hey guys,

I’ve started sniffing around bbPress a few days ago and I wanted to integrate it with WP. I’ve simply followed the installation procedure and filled in all the data, integrated the databases and cookies and that works just fine.

When logged in on WP – I’m also logged in on bbPress.

However, I cannot access the admin panel of bbPress. When I try to do that I just get redirected to the forum’s homepage.

I’ve tried solving this by installing a few WP plugins to use the bbPress interface on WP and here are the errors I got:

Warning: require_once(/home/rockstar/public_html/rockstarplr.com//forums/bb-admin/admin-functions.php) [function.require-once]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/rockstar/public_html/rockstarplr.com/wp-content/plugins/bbpress-admin/bbpress-post-admin.php on line 9

Fatal error: require_once() [function.require]: Failed opening required ‘/home/rockstar/public_html/rockstarplr.com//forums/bb-admin/admin-functions.php’ (include_path=’.:/usr/lib/php:/usr/local/lib/php’) in /home/rockstar/public_html/rockstarplr.com/wp-content/plugins/bbpress-admin/bbpress-post-admin.php on line 9

The forum is located at http://rockstarplr.com/community/

I’ve checked for that file, admin-functions.php and I don’t have it anywhere. Seems like the plugin can’t load that file because it doesn’t exist. Can anyone help me with this?

Thanks!

[mr_pelle]

Something else just occurred to me.

Is Matt planning to just “nuke” all the existing content on bbPress.org ?

Do we need to start archiving ?

Probably.

I just feel sorry for all the plugins developers…

EDIT:

If they’ve never used bbPress before, then they will come here not knowing it was ever standalone, and won’t have any issues installing a plugin, and turning it on.

And what about non WordPress users?

[John James Jacoby]

They will if they came here for a stand alone software (or if they don’t use the latest version of WordPress).

If they’ve never used bbPress before, then they will come here not knowing it was ever standalone, and won’t have any issues installing a plugin, and turning it on.

This is the end of the line for the current implementation of bbPress.

Yes. Just like 2.9.2 was the end of the road for the 2.9 branch of WordPress when 3.0 came along. I understand the obvious differences, but at the end of the day, it’s just another day.

This entire support forum and plugin section for bbPress will have ZERO meaning for the plugin and will only serve to confuse people.

All the years of advice here for the two major versions of the standalone version will be useless for the plugin version.

It will have meaning for supporting legacy code, which happens all the time when something gets refactored in WordPress. Get it working in it’s current incarnation, then ensure backwards compatibility with existing installations that are already integrated with WordPress.

bbPress 1.0.3, and bbPress 1.1, are still being actively developed. Once those versions are available, what /more/ would you want bbPress to do on its own?

The *plan* is for everything to stay how it is, with no loss of data on bbPress.org, or anywhere else.

The bbPress extend section doesn’t include half of the things the WordPress.org section does now, in terms of compatibility checks, etc… By having bbPress as a plugin, we inherit that too.

I know that there’s broken spirits, and I don’t want it to be this way, but I can’t say anything any more clear to ease anyone’s anxiety about it.

Btw, the first commit is in. As you can all see, there’s plenty of work to do, so you’ll have nothing to worry about for a while.

[_ck_]

Something else just occurred to me.

Is Matt planning to just “nuke” all the existing content on bbPress.org ?

Do we need to start archiving ?

[_ck_]

Please do not call the plugin version bbPress.

This entire support forum and plugin section for bbPress will have ZERO meaning for the plugin and will only serve to confuse people.

All the years of advice here for the two major versions of the standalone version will be useless for the plugin version.

Please call it something else.

Matt once said he didn’t like the bbPress name anyway, here’s his chance to change it.

Please change it before there are 1000 newbie questions from the WordPress forums clogging up this entire site and making all the old valuable advice disappear.

Need I mention the search for wp/bbpress is horrible so it will be impossible to sort out questions about the plugin vs standalone version.

The extend plugin section has absolutely no data or way to sort by which bbPress version they are for. This will only become much worse when there is yet another major derivative of bbPress.

The standalone version will be in use and independently developed for many years, perhaps even the remainder of this decade, so please use the opportunity start things off right for your plugin project.

[kevinjohngallagher]

Ah, see this is the issue mate, and I hate that I look pedantic.

My point is that 99% of people won’t know the difference.

They will if they came here for a stand alone software (or if they don’t use the latest version of WordPress).

The ability to be standalone software is being removed, without anyone actually saying so. I know it’s not underhanded or Machevelian in any way; but it’s difficult when people skirt around an issue (unintentionally).

This is the end of the line for the current implementation of bbPress.

Thats not me being all doom and gloom, your plug-in will rock, but lets manage expectations a little and tell people who use bbPress as a standalone that their days are up (btw, that covers roughly 60-70% of our support queries).

[pedagog]

Could anyone tell me if it is possible to lock my bbpress forum so that there is one central login page. I want to reserve my site for members only.

Furthermore, is it possible to hide my site from webserches?

Thanks in advance