hmm, not sure what to suggest here
Something has become corrupt, and from what you write it sounds as though you changed something in the database directly, rather than from the dashboard?
Can you confirm what you changed and how?
Yes, I changed the user_login for one user in table wp_users in the database for security reason.
This user started 2 forums before and had the role Moderator at that time.
Ok, so it will probably be a database issue eg the forum referring to a user whose details have changed.
My initial thought would be to delete that user via the dashboard, and then create a new user for that person, and see if that fixes.
I deleted the user on a local test-installation with MAMP, where I could reproduce the problem. It made no difference.
Here is what I can see and do in WP frontend and backend:
Frontend
– Logged in as Keymaster, I can do everything. I can see all bbPress related menu items in the WP Toolbox on top of the page.
– Logged in as Moderator, I can see the bbPress related menu items Topic and Answer in the WP toolbox, but not Forum. I can start a new forum on a page with the shortcode [bbp-forum-form] as a child-forum (same behaviour as Keymaster starting a forum with this shortcode).
– Logged in as Contributor I don´t have any bbPress related menu item in the WP toolbox, but I can start Topics and answer in the forum itself.
Backend (Dashboard)
– Logged in as Keymaster I have every bbPress menu item.
– Logged in as Moderator I only have Topics and Answers as menu items.
– Logged in as Contributor I don´t have a bbPress menu at all.
For me it looks like every role has the corresponding capability, but the menu items of the role below, except the Keymaster.
What I also tried was changing capabilities with the plugin bbPress Advanced Capabilities and restoring the WP default capabilities with Capability Manager Advanced. No difference.
ok, don’t know what bbPress Advanced Capabilities does but it might be the issue
Plugins
Deactivate all but bbpress and see if this fixes. if it does, re-enable one at a time to see which is causing the error.
Themes
If plugins don’t pinpoint the problem, as a test switch to a default theme such as twentytwelve, and see if this fixes.
I installed it after I had the problem. I tried to fix bbPress capabilities with it. In the meantime I restored the default WP capabilities. But it had no effect on the menu.
The first thing I did was deactivating all plugins but bbPress. Nothing happened!
Now I switched to twentytwelve. But that did not fix it either.
If it helps, I could send you the wp_capabilities entry (table: wp_usermeta) in the database of a user with the role Moderator.
Here it is:
table: xxxxxx_usermeta
meta_key: xxxxxx_capabilities
meta-value: a:2:{s:6:”editor”;b:1;s:13:”bbp_moderator”;b:1;}
The user is Editor in WP and Moderator in bbPress.
hmmm… This conmbination should be able to see forums in the dashboard
Do you still have bbPress Advanced Capabilities in the mix? I’d still suspect this to be the issue if you have eliminated plugins and themes.
No, I don´t have bbPress Advanced Capabilities in the mix anymore. I deleted the plugin.
I installed it, because I thought it may help me with my problem.
When I first ran into these problem I had no capabilities changing plugin installed at all. bbPress worked fine. It started with changing the login_name in wp_users in the database of a user who was Moderator.
My workaround in the moment is changing the Moderator to Keymaster, so he can create forums in the dashboard and the common users, who don´t see the WP-toolbox on top of the page, can create topics and answers over the frontend. But it doesn´t give me a good feeling that something is wrong and I am not able to repair it. I don´t know now where I should dig deeper.
Can I provide you with more information?
I forgot to say, that I could reproduce the problem on a local testing site installed with MAMP on my machine.
ok, the database entry for usermeta is correct, and a moderator should be able to see forums in the dashboard.
I’m stuck as to what to suggest next, usually not see dashboard items is a conflict between bbpress and another plugin, but you’ve already tested for that.
My only other thought is to create a new mamp, and then export and import forums to it and see if it’s something in that.
Dirk, one year later I am having the exact same problem you described. Did you find a solution?
Hy ruuizz,
Unfortunately not. As I said I could reproduce it on a fresh MAMP Installation with the Twenty Twelve theme and without any plugin else. For me it looks like a problem related to the database, because I changed the login_name there.
I don´t have much time to dig deeper and it is a private forum with only a few members which I all know. So I am living with the workaround.
Hi ruuizz,
If you have already deactived all plugins except bbPress and switched to a default theme and you still do not see ‘Forums’, ‘Topics’ and/or ‘Replies’, then please try this in Settings > Forums (check after every step if you find the options back on your dashboard):
– ‘Settings > Forums’ : (de)activate ‘Anonymous posting’, save, (de)activate it again to get back to your original setting, save
– ‘Settings > Forums’ : (de)activate ‘Auto role’, save, (de)activate it again to get back to your original setting, save
– Deactivate the bbPress plugin, then reactive the bbPress plugin
– ‘Tools > Forums > Repair Forums’ : Remap existing users to default forum roles, click ‘Repair Items’ (WARNING: Make sure to have multiple admins in case the keymaster role would disappear from one account)
Let me know if this fixes anything,
Pascal.
Thank you both for coming back to look into this issue.
Pascal, I did the series of steps you recommended in both, the installation where we have our site as well as a brand new installation in my local without anything but bbPress plugin. Unfortunately, the Forums menu still doesn’t show for the moderator role & the front end forum form doesn’t allow a moderator to create a forum without assigning it a parent in either one.
For the error on the front forum form: ERROR: Your forum must have a parent.
This error actually happens for the keymaster role as well. I was reading through the function bbp_new_forum_handler, & it always checks that a parent has been passed with the comment “No forum parent was passed (should never happen)” – So it seems to be working as designed. Is there a reason I am unaware of the restriction was placed in the front forum form? Could it be a request to update the validation to allow the creation of parent Forums through the front forum form?
If you don’t have a parent, then try Tools > Forums > Repair Forums and launch the first 3 repair actions (one at a time). If not working, launch also all the other repairs (again one at a time)
Pascal.
Yep, the top level forum was created after running the top 3 repair actions.
The way the content creators would like to structure the forums is by having the category and several forums inside that category, no further levels down. On the front forum form, selecting a category as a parent forum is not an option either, and the forums moderators can create are in a 3rd tier level instead of a 2nd tier.
I guess I can suggest to them that instead of using category, they use parent forums created by keymaster as the tier 1 organizational structure. I still think it would be helpful if the moderator could create parent & children forums. Maybe it could be considered as a feature request?
Category and then forums should be standard already, but indeed this is maybe not for moderators.
I will draw the attention to this ticket to the developers. Let’s see what they say.
Pascal.
