Yes, you have to create the database first.
In Cpanel, you either have an option to admin your dbs or something like phpMyAdmin. Check with your ISP to see their directions on creating a database, as the details on which method can vary.
You can install bbPress in the same database as WordPress, it will use a table prefix of bb_ by default. It’s actually recommended to use the same database if you’re going to try integration at some point. So, there’s no need to create a new database, just use the connection details for the database you use for WordPress and ensure the table prefixes are different. By default, WordPress uses wp_ and bbPress uses bb_.
To get the database connection details, either look in wp-config.php in your WordPress installation, or get them from your cPanel.
So this is a bummer… I have the database name, user name (same as database name) and my password for the database. NO LUCK with the install.
My database is working with wordpress today at http://www.vuuch.com/wordpress and I put the bbpress.org files at http://www.vuuch.com/forum. When i go to this location I am told “There doesn’t seem to be a bb-config.php file. This usually means that you want to install bbPress”. So I use the “let’s get started” link and complete the database name, user and password info. After pushing the save button I get a failure note “There was a problem connecting to the database you specified. Please check the settings, then try again.”.
I have tried a few times, I have reset the password to make sure I have it right. I called godaddy, but the are no help with wordpress. I am stuck! Please help!
You can contact me off-list at anything you can find in my profile and I can help you get it connected. Just Google my user name if you have trouble finding me.
I’m gettin this same error message when putting my WordPress database name, database user, and database password into the intial setup screen…
chrishajer: when you say “use the connection details for the database you use for WordPress and ensure the table prefixes are different,” how do we ensure the table prefixes are different? Do we do that before we put the information into our database info into the bbPress installer screen?
I’m literally copy and pasting the database/password info from my wp-config.php and putting it into the bbPress install screen, but I’m still getting the error.
Any Ideas?
Thanks!
How do you ensure? Well, you can look at your wp-config.php and see what the table prefix is there. If you didn’t change it, it’s wp_. bbPress uses bb_ by default. If you don’t change either of them, they will go properly into separate tables in the same database.
There is something simple going wrong with the connection details. It really is as simple as the username, database name, password and host. I think they call the host “advanced database settings” in the installation. If you click that, I think it unhides the table prefix setting and the host setting. I always have to change the host in my installations, so to me that’s not an advanced setting. WordPress recently changed the terminology of that (it used to say something like “99% chance you won’t need to change this”) to something like “get these details from your host.” Maybe you just need to enter the host setting and you are not seeing where to do that.
I’m guessing it’s the host setting you’re not entering, since it’s not visible on the installation screen. If it’s different that localhost in your wp-config.php, my guess is that’s the problem. You need to set that for bbPress.
You’re exactly right!
I added my host (straight from wp-config.php) and it worked…BUT…it didn’t write bb-config.php on it’s own…it gave me some error messages, but it also provided the code for me to make the bb-config.php on my own…
I opened notepad, pasted the code, saved it as bb-config.php, and uploaded it to the bbPress directory. Seems to be working so far, but I’m not quite done with the install. I’ll let you know if it works out…
Thanks Chris!
