[Robkk]

Because I see potentioal and how WordPress self can make bbPress powerfull. Or buddyPress, I install it all the time together.

I know a lot of users who ask for more features like other forum solutions are like this because they all do see potential.

But, one thing is very specific for bbPress. I would not dare to touch it as average User, who installs and setup phpbb or SMF forum without big problems. It is extremely hard for beginners

In what ways is it difficult? Is it anything about user experience, or from just going from one to another?? Any ideas to improve it for beginners?

At least take those 10-12 plugins from Github and put them in WP repository. Dont ask developer, it is GPL. Developer had 2-3 years or more to decide to do it byself, and he did not wanted it.
Problem there is notification about updates.
Just one example, lost many hours to see why Live preview stoped to word and by chance checked on Github versions. If it was in WP repository I would be notificated directly there is an update for it.

There is some plugins on Github but that doesn’t mean everybody should use them. Some plugins on github were made from developers from jobs they did for people(might contain specific db table names for a specific site), are just some custom plugins they use on their site(might contain several referances to a site), custom projects for themselves(just playing with stuff/learning development). There is a difference between building a plugin for yourself, and building a plugin for everybody to use. When you begin to build one for everybody to use, you definitely take into consideration some plugin conflicts that might happen(I think GD bbPress attachments and bbp live preview comes to mind). There are some plugins on there that actually should be considered to be on WordPress.org, so I will keep that in mind.

Just to not be missunderstood. I personally dont have any problem whatsoever with this list above. Implemented with help of code tweaking and those plugins all of this. And much, much more. All except proper Polls. For this I cannot find a solution.

The polka polls plugin is the best plugin for polls for bbPress. It does require use of shortcodes, I do not think you have to whitelist the shortcode or anything, I think it just works. I guess it could get inspired from some ideas of the bbPress polls plugin for v1 that _ck_ made.

I am not telling about design, despite this too is hard for Users beginners to tweak.

Please say any issues you might have on this, I have ideas for users to make design for theme compatibility easier.

Github should never be primary source of plugins. Additional OK, but only and one never.
I know there is a plugin that makes updates from Github possible, but demands some lines added by author in plugin self.

It isn’t, any plugins listed on the featured plugins list are really just plugins that might have functionality similar to what might be suggested to core. Github was never really a plugin repository for WordPress, mostly development. Some of the information why some plugins might not be in what I already said above. Plus some plugins were pretty neat not to leave in.

Something like Jetpack for bbPress would be a killer, perfect. But I do understand when you say there are not many developers of bbPress. Wish just you start discussion about it and report back to us how it went. Jetpack probably started with few developers, and with years come to number of 46. It doesnt have to start great, developers are attracted later to all good staff by itself.
Do you know what all those names behind Jetpack say to me ? Not in the first hand anything about code quality, but about security. I know it will flow huge amount of years before this plugin is abandoned. And with all new WP versions they adapt code before new version get out.

If we are talking about Jetpack as a plugin full of features, then BuddyPress could be something like that. There is also another plugin but it is paid (has minimized free version) that has several other features like bbcode, attachments, quotes. Creating another plugin like that I will keep in mind.

[Robkk]

try some troubleshooting first

Troubleshooting

[Robkk]

What happens if you logout from the WordPress toolbar, which has nothing to do with bbPress?? If you come across the same issue something is just redirecting you.

You might have to do some troubleshooting

Troubleshooting

<?php bbp_logout_link(); ?> pretty much uses wp_logout_url{} in WordPress.

https://codex.wordpress.org/Function_Reference/wp_logout_url

[Robkk]

Yeah you do not have to use the plugin in that codex page, its not like it is recommended or anything it is just a user submitted guide. That codex page will likely show an example using CSS or a lightbox when I am done with it. But yeah there are tons of plugins that add a modal popup login.

In this reply to a topic, I list a bunch of alternatives.

Modal login – can't find plugin ‘wp modal login’ mentioned?

[Robkk]

search the forums, I have said how to do this many times. There are two different ways one using a drop link and another using the new topic shortcode in a page and linking to that.

[InquisitiveReader]

I forgot to say in the previous reply that you also need to uncheck the “strip shortcodes” and “the content” boxes in the advanced excerpt plugin. See http://inquisitivereader.com/discussion-forum/

[Stagger Lee]

It cant work with shortcodes in a forum. Forget about it.

[drinkingsouls]

This is the login link that is generated in the HTML:
<a href='http://52.webshrimp.uk/wp-login.php?action=logout&redirect_to=http%3A%2F%2F52.webshrimp.uk%2Fchat%2Fcomments-suggestions%2F&_wpnonce=302ba1641f'>Log Out</a>

[PinkishHue]

Ok got it, needs sprucing up design-wise but this nicely outputs the reply content and date (with permalink) directly under the topic title on the single forum view topics list:

(With thanks to some code used here – https://bbpress.org/forums/topic/how-to-get-reply-ids-within-topic-loop/)

// https://bbpress.org/forums/topic/how-to-add-latest-reply-or-topic-to-forum-list/ - SHOW REPLIES ON SINGLE FORUM LIST OF TOPICS
function jagreplies_add_last_reply() { { 
$new_args = array(
    'post_type'=> 'reply'
);
$topic_id = bbp_get_topic_id();
$new_args['post_parent'] = $topic_id;

$new_query = new WP_Query( $new_args );

if ( $new_query->have_posts() ) : while ( $new_query->have_posts() ) : $new_query->the_post();

     $reply_id=$post->ID;
     $reply_title= get_the_title();
     $reply_date= get_the_date();
     $reply_content= the_content(); 
     $reply_permalink= get_the_permalink(); 
	?>

     <div class="the_content">
		<?php echo $reply_content; ?>
		<a href="<?php echo $reply_permalink ?>"><?php echo $reply_date ?></a>
	</div>
                     
   <?php endwhile; ?>   
   <?php endif; 

    }} 
// Hook into action
add_action('bbp_theme_after_topic_freshness_author','jagreplies_add_last_reply');

[drinkingsouls]

Hi Guys,
I’ve come across an issue with the logout link in the bbpress login widget and I’d appreciate some help.
When clicking the logout link it redirects to the first forum titled “Comments and Suggestions”.
Does anyone know why it would be redirecting here? I don’t want the user to be directed here after logging out as it makes no sense.
I’ve looked in the widgets.php file and this is the logout link code:
<?php bbp_logout_link(); ?>
Why would this be redirecting?
Any help would be appreciated.
Thank you.

[Stagger Lee]

You see, I am not saying bbPress is bad or cannot do this and that.
Just that third party plugins community is a bit backward and not well. One can find plenty of explanation for this, I have mine. Dont necessary mean mine are right.

Some short explanations of mine opinions:

– I am not telling about design, despite this too is hard for Users beginners to tweak.

– Yes, you could “sell” bbPress better if you made an outstonishing design here on forum, and showed most of the functions. But it is OK for me, I dont have any problem with this forum. Telling this from “selling” bbPress standpoint. It is only CSS, page load is the same, no harm done if you make modern and elegant design.

– Github should never be primary source of plugins. Additional OK, but only and one never.
I know there is a plugin that makes updates from Github possible, but demands some lines added by author in plugin self.

– Something like Jetpack for bbPress would be a killer, perfect. But I do understand when you say there are not many developers of bbPress. Wish just you start discussion about it and report back to us how it went. Jetpack probably started with few developers, and with years come to number of 46. It doesnt have to start great, developers are attracted later to all good staff by itself.
Do you know what all those names behind Jetpack say to me ? Not in the first hand anything about code quality, but about security. I know it will flow huge amount of years before this plugin is abandoned. And with all new WP versions they adapt code before new version get out.

I dont say you should work hard as they do on Jetpack. It is here just for comparation, and for bbPress something like this would demand much less of time.

I dont know. I would go live with bbPress all the time before I go with some other forum platform.
Used and tweaked SMF forum for many years, phpbb for short time.

But first associations about bbPress as newcomer and beginner would be: hard to setup, bad design, third party plugins not so live community.

OK now, dont want to expand discussion to all possible. Let us stick to the plugins.

[Stagger Lee]

Just to not be missunderstood. I personally dont have any problem whatsoever with this list above. Implemented with help of code tweaking and those plugins all of this. And much, much more. All except proper Polls. For this I cannot find a solution.

Just chit-chating about bbPress from less average User perspective and how it lives in world compared to other popular forum platforms.

[Stagger Lee]

I dont ask anything of this be in the core. Just to find some other solution because this now doesnt work well.

Dont ask plugin developers. Is it GPL ? Yes. Use code as you wish and make completely new plugin if you need. Just some of your names stand as Author of plugin.

I see tendencies to become little Joomla community. They dont want to piss off developers of very popular extensions and they never add anything good in the core (dont let “core” confuse use, using it just as example here).

I personally have tweaked bbPress to unimaginable level. It is localhost, but still one Kunena import with many Users, topics and posts. Good for testing. spent huge amount of time on it. Not for the money, nobody would pay all those lost hours, impossible. Because I see potentioal and how WordPress self can make bbPress powerfull. Or buddyPress, I install it all the time together.

But, one thing is very specific for bbPress. I would not dare to touch it as average User, who installs and setup phpbb or SMF forum without big problems. It is extremely hard for beginners, and all those important plugins depending of how will it go in private life of (one) developer, make it much more difficult to touch and maintain.

At least take those 10-12 plugins from Github and put them in WP repository. Dont ask developer, it is GPL. Developer had 2-3 years or more to decide to do it byself, and he did not wanted it.
Problem there is notification about updates.
Just one example, lost many hours to see why Live preview stoped to word and by chance checked on Github versions. If it was in WP repository I would be notificated directly there is an update for it.

[Robkk]

@printablecharm

Only other thing I can think of is you set up a custom index page with a shortcode and you cannot get the forum sidebar to show up on their?? But does it show on single topics, single forums??

[ronz]

I ment doing it with a function in code =)

[Robkk]

@stagger-lee

I have seen this list but it is not the same as Feature plugins are for WordPress core.

Im trying to spruce up the page on the bbPress codex.

Not of things on list has anything to do with me personally, just using other popular forum scripts as reference.

Anything that BuddyPress already has as a feature and putting it into bbPress is a BIG decision to make, this could shy away from the plugin integration with BuddyPress in bbPress, but it would make bbPress stand on its own compared to other forum solutions though. Most of the features people want could be added by just installing BuddyPress with bbPress. I am starting to think if users want something like Vbull or IP Board they install should install BuddyPress to add any social network features. If users want a simple forum just use bbPress.

Here is what I think of your plugin list, it is just my opinion, my opinion could change depending on how you reply to how I feel about this. Maybe tell us a reason of why to incorporate these features into core vs a plugin. I just want to know what you think, and please do not just tell use that this forum is doing this and that bbPress should have do it also, make it an interesting discussion.

• Live preview – maybe bring TinyMCE back, as long as it doesn’t have issues
• Report content – Josh Eaton’s plugin I think personally is pretty darn good and well developed to stay being a great plugin for awhile. Might have to see how his plugin favors in the 2015 survey for any core considerations though.
• Ignore User – I don’t know really know, this might need some additional functionality somewhere else, maybe plugin territory.
• bbPress moderation panel separate from backend –  I could see improvements on front-end moderation, maybe not exactly similar to the way the backend is set up, but I have ideas.
• Notifications – BuddyPress can add this..
• Make topics/forums read, unread (dont know if it is already in the core) – Not in core, toss up if in core or not, lots of plugins to choose from.already, do not know which one is the most optimal for most sites.
• bbPress TinyMce plugin – Maybe bring TinyMCE back, as long as it doesn’t have issues
• Reply titles – I don’t see a benefit from this, there is already a plugin for this though.
• View counts – I had this implemented on one of my forums using WP PostViews, after awhile I got to thinking that the voice and reply count really do show how popular a certain topic is, especially the voice count. Because the higher the voice count amount the more participation from users and not just back and forth between two people. Plus this will bulk up your database with a bunch of data.
• Topics for posts (very important even if not used on all installations) – Something like this is set for core. The creating a new topic for each blog post and linking to the topic where the comment form is gold. Entirely replacing the comments is where I had thoughts about this and I started to question possible issues that might come forth from this, and also the set up needed to make this work flawlessly.
• Online / Offline status – Don’t know really, I don’t really care either way, it is neat though.
• bbPress Polls (not shortcode based) – Maybe someone should just fork _ck_’s version of polls and make it work for bbPress v2, but this in my opinion this should stay plugin territory.
• Attachments – bbPress definitely needs more support for the import of attachments from other forum solutions, but managing them might shift to BuddyPress because they have the attachment API now, and BuddyPress might handle it better. I could see a simple image upload button in toolbar though.
• Move topics / replies between subforums – Yeah probably needs to be core. Maybe just topics with its own replies, not single replies??
• Avatar management – Same thing with attachments, needs more support for the import of avatars, managing them might be considered a toss up too, maybe BuddyPress/plugin territory, maybe core.
• Like / Vote topics, replies (I personally would never use this one, but..) – Probably plugin territory, I have seen some great plugins for this that are compatible with bbPress though. This also gives the user to have more choices on what to use, a 5 star rating, thumb voting, up down rating, like only topics. There are lots of choices.
• New plugin that makes it easy to add custom fields and add them where you need (this one is not referenced by other forum scripts).- I think you could use Advanced Custom Fields, but I am not entirely sure where you are going with this one??

Take some of those plugis from your list and give them to bbPress core developers. Or ask original developers to sign some of you on list of plugin Authors. For those developers who dont have much free time you have some plugins literally made from one-two PHP files. Just as it is a GPL take ownership from todays developers, or cooperate with them as co-maintainer Author.

Well this is tough sometimes too, contributing is one thing but taking ownership is another. Some devs might not see eye to eye, some have probably have gotten most of their income based on a very popular bbPress plugin.

There are plugins that I have suggested merging into core because they seem to improve areas that bbPress already has, the plugin seemed simple enough to consider thinking about since it is very commonly requested, and also that it would make life easier in some cases. I have also contacted a few developers if they wanted to contribute some have said they would like to see what they made into core, and others have not replied back.

Also some plugins could be very small, that might not mean put it in the plugin anyway.

There is not a lot of core devs in bbPress as one might think to start taking over some plugins while bbPress would have a bug that needs to be fixed, testing, code improvements, and other features added to core that may not exactly be a plugin on WordPress.

If you mean just any other active plugin developer to ask them to take over stuff, well I can’t really tell what they are good at besides making their own plugin. And I don’t want to seem bossy by asking people to do stuff that they might not agree to or have time to.

All those names of developers are very active in core community. Developers of bbPress plugins are not.
Either they abandon plugin and lose lust, dissapear.

WordPress core is very active compared to bbPress, but they are two different things. One is a plugin the other is the entire CMS. Other forum solutions are CMS’s to themselves but bbPress is just a plugin.

If there are some plugins that are abandoned and do not have an alternative/fork that you think the plugin should be resurrected and be contributed to, you can say which plugins here.

I think I got most of your points, if I missed one point it out. Try not to be rude at all or come off as rude, just have a decent discussion.

[Coach Afrane]

Thanks.

Please one more thing.
I want to place a login/register form in header which drops the profile on hover as in codex.bbpress.org

I used

<?php if ( $user_ID ) : ?>
<?php wp_head();
global $user_identity;
?>

<p><b>Howdy</b>, <a href="<?php echo get_option('siteurl'); ?>/wp-admin/profile.php"><?php echo $user_identity; ?></a>.  [<a href="<?php echo wp_logout_url(); ?>" title="Log out of this account">Log Out</a>]</p>

<?php else : ?>

<form name="loginform" id="loginform" action="<?php echo get_option('siteurl'); ?>/wp-login.php" method="post">

	Username <input value="Username" class="input" type="text" size="20" tabindex="10" name="log" id="user_login" onfocus="if (this.value == 'Username') {this.value = '';}" onblur="if (this.value == '') {this.value = 'Username';}" /> <input name="rememberme" id="rememberme" value="forever" tabindex="90" type="checkbox"> Remember Me? <br />
        Password <input value="Password" class="input" type="password" size="20" tabindex="20" name="pwd" id="user_pass" onfocus="if (this.value == 'Password') {this.value = '';}" onblur="if (this.value == '') {this.value = 'Password';}" />
		<input name="wp-submit" id="wp-submit" value="Log In" tabindex="100" type="submit">
		<input name="redirect_to" value="<?php echo get_option('siteurl'); ?>/wp-admin/" type="hidden">
		<input name="testcookie" value="1" type="hidden">

</form>

<?php endif; ?>

…but on log out the username and password boxes stretchesd fullwith.

Please help.
Thanks

[Robkk]

@itsmeitsb

@carlharrison1 <- sorry I was probably lazy that day.

You would have to create a custom template for bbPress or a bbpress.php file so that all your forum pages use this.

i guess if your slider is using a shortcode you can echo the shortcode in the template too.

Getting Started in Modifying the Main bbPress Template

You need to show it only on pages you want, so single topics, single forums, forum archive, and topic archive. Usually I see sliders have a conditional to show on the home page only so you would to do something similar but only on bbPress pages. You can input multiple conditionals using && or | for example,

<?php if ( bbp_is_single_topic() && bbp_is_single_forum() && bbp_is_forum_archive() && bbp_is_topic_archive()) : ?>

<?php echo do_shortcode("[shortcode]"); ?>

<?php endif; ?>

bbPress Conditional Tags

[Robkk]

@itsmeitsb

You would have to create a custom template for bbPress or a bbpress.php file so that all your forum pages use this.

i guess if your slider is using a shortcode you can echo the shortcode in the template too.

Getting Started in Modifying the Main bbPress Template

You need to show it only on pages you want, so single topics, single forums, forum archive, and topic archive. Usually I see sliders have a conditional to show on the home page only so you would to do something similar but only on bbPress pages. You can input multiple conditionals using && or | for example,

<?php if ( bbp_is_single_topic() && bbp_is_single_forum() && bbp_is_forum_archive() && bbp_is_topic_archive()) : ?>

<?php echo do_shortcode("[shortcode]"); ?>

<?php endif; ?>

bbPress Conditional Tags

[Robkk]

Use is_user_logged_in()

https://codex.wordpress.org/Conditional_Tags

[Robkk]

@caseylifec

You might have to try this to only remove it on bbPress pages and not on blog posts.

#bbpress-forums div.entry-author {
  display: none;
}

[Robkk]

As long as the users have registered and their default role is a participant they should be able to create topics.

You can try troubleshooting for other possible issues too.

Troubleshooting

[Robkk]

style using this CSS

.bbp-form .button {
  background-color: #1e8cbe;
  color: #FFF;
  font-family: "Oswald", "Lato", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;
  text-shadow: none;
  font-size: 26px;
  font-weight: bold;
}

.bbp-form .button:hover {
  background-color: #1e8cbe;
  color: #FFF !important;
}

[Sam Rohn]

also respects posts hidden by s2member bbpress level restrictions

i was mistaken, topics hidden by s2member restrictions are hidden, but replies are not hidden in search results when using this snippet

davidddn, you may have another plugin or theme function interfering with this search code, so try testing with default wp theme and disable other plugins etc

otherwise, including bbpress in standard wp search results as a standard option in bbpress would be great

sam

[Robkk]

The activate component I think you are talking about is part of BuddyPress.

I can’t find any documentation that details if there needs to be a shortcode on that page but mine is blank…This is the downside so far. In the Docs there should be a description of each of the required pages and what they do as well as what I need to do with them

When BuddyPress is installed you will have a register page usually at yoursite.com/register/, and also an activate page so after you register you are required to activate your account usually here yoursite.com/activate/.

All documentation for the activate page would be on BuddyPress, in their codex.

Register and Activation Pages

There might be more documentation on the activate page, but I can’t find them if you want more information about it contact BuddyPress in their forums.

https://buddypress.org/support/

bbPress does allow shortcodes for registration, lost-password, and also for login, but none for users to activate their account. bbPress relies on how WordPress sets up registered users.