[LabSecrets]

After (literally) hundreds of folks asking for help with how to get BuddyPress & bbPress playing “nice” with one another, I made this video to walk step by step through the entire process. I’ve also included a few insider tricks to get past the pitfalls.

It’s long (16 minutes), but takes you from blank WP installation all the way to a gorgeous Frisco child theme setup with group forums and sitewide forums living in harmony.

If you are frustrated or stuck, please grab a beverage and have a view:

http://labzip.com/the-definitive-guide-to-buddypress-bbpress-configuration/

If you have any questions, drop me a line.

Cheers!
Spence

[Stephen Edgar]

Thanks for this Spence 🙂

[EricSchmitz]

Thanks, Spence, you’re a stitch! I LOVE resources like this! Full of great tips that I never would have worked out on my own.

If anyone has a moment to answer a newbie question, I’m just getting started with BuddyPress and bbPress, and am not yet clear on the difference between “Forums” and “Sitewide Forums”. What’s up with that?

[LabSecrets]

Hi Eric,
sorry for the new profile, but my old one seems to have been locked-out.

Forums are typically used to describe BuddyPress Group Forums, and Sitewide Forums used to describe bbPress forums.

Cheers!
spence

[EricSchmitz]

Thanks for the reply! As I read more about these, that stuff is starting to become more clear. I need to learn a lot more about how to use BuddyPress. bbPress is pretty straightforward — it’s a BBS running inside WordPress. The introduction of Groups with BP adds a whole new nulti-dimension to it all. Cool stuff!

Gotta catch some of your other vids now.

[EricSchmitz]

Hi again, Spence. I had another question… You mentioned in your video that it is a good idea to use something other than “admin” as the main admin username, and I have heard that elsewhere and agree. Is there a way to safely change that username? Basic WP install indicates that a username cannot be changed (at least admin cannot), but I wondered if there is a plugin that could facilitate this? Or should I just wipe-and-replace? Thanks!

[LabSecrets]

The plugin is https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wpvn-username-changer/

I’ve not used it lately, and it is over 2 years since an update….so please test it before on a demo site.

I suggest you merely use cpanel and phpmyadmin to change username for admin in row 1 of wp_users table…..be sure to backup your db beforehand in case something goes wrong 🙂

Cheers!
Spence

[EricSchmitz]

Thanks! I’ll go with the latter. I’ll be testing it on a site that I only just started, so if I hose it I can easily rebuild. Using cpanel and phpmyadmin actually sounds a lot safer, and I do know how to do that.

Much appreciated!

[mendesites]

ha legal!

[LabSecrets]

What do you mean mendesites?

[DFranzwa]

Thanks, Spence!

You really should warn a guy to put on an apron before counting to 5, though. I wound up with a lap-full of digital stuff to sort through. Good thing I have a latent nerd gene;-)

Thanks again, Dave

[Stephen Edgar]

Unsticking with the freshly pressed bbPress 2.2 now out the door with the improved BuddyPress Group Forums integration.

[LabSecrets]

Mmmm…..

Maybe want to hang on to the sticky for a bit longer?

2.2 seems to have unleashed a wave of calls and emails to our office from folks having some troubles with the update… especially those running any plugins that worked with <= 2.1.3 … many of those plugins aren’t playing nice with 2.2

I’m going to be doing a bunch of testing and experimenting in the meantime, but for now many folks have a nice safe place to go with 2.1.3 while the new stuff shakes out on 2.2+

When our new video is ready, I’ll send it over to help out anyone with these growing pains.

Cheers!

spence

[John James Jacoby]

I don’t think this guide is 100% accurate anymore, so not worth keeping stuck until it’s corrected.

[LabSecrets]

For those <= 2.1.3 what parts should I focus upon to make them 100% accurate?

I’m happy to update the video to improve it for folks who need the same. Based on the comments to the video, it seemed to have been useful to the community and helped many folks out.

Just trying to help…

your feedback is greatly appreciated

[John James Jacoby]

Who said you weren’t being helpful?

Much of it is the same. You’ll want to focus on:

• turning the BuddyPress forums component Off
• the bbPress 1.1 import tool
• the BuddyPress settings in: Settings > Forums

[SydneyDesigner]

Thanks for the above JJJ.

I’m using WP3.4.2, BuddyPress 1.6.1 and bbPress 2.2.2.

As you recommended above, I have turned off the BP forums component and turned on BP in Settings> Forums. But I can only get the bbPress group forums to work with new BP groups that I create now (i.e. after loading bbPress 2.2.2). And I have a stack of old BP groups that I wish to add new forums to.

Do I need to use the bbPress 1.1 import tool to turn on the bbPress group forums for pre-existing BP groups? If so, perhaps you could guide me on how to do this please. (I don’t actually need to import any old BP group forums.)

Many thanks.

[LabSecrets]

Sydney,

in our experience…you simply go to each pre-existing group and toggle the “allow group forum” for each. Save. Then turn it back on. Save again.

That has worked for us.

cheers!

spence

[SydneyDesigner]

Thanks Spence- I tried toggling and saving the BP “allow group forum” as you suggest but it didn’t fix it.

In fact, the BP group admin>forum page check box (followed by save) seems to have no effect on turning the bbPress forum on or off for that group. I checked that it does toggle the “enable_forum” field in the wp_bp_groups database table. But neither BP nor bbPress seems to recognise the change.

I think there may be a BP/bbPress bug/incompatibility problem here – what do you think Spence and JJJ?

[LabSecrets]

Sydney,

what happens if you try to change the privacy setting of a legacy group forum? Save it as private (or opposite of what it was), and then change it back. Save permalinks just for good measure, then reload.

This is a long-shot idea…

[SydneyDesigner]

Hi Spence,

I’ve now removed all my legacy forums database tables, so I tried what you suggested above, but instead changing the privacy settings of the legacy groups themselves. It didn’t fix it.

So I still cannot find a way of turning on the new bbPress forums in legacy BuddyPress Groups. Anyone with a solution please post.

[LabSecrets]

Hi Sydney,

I’ve beendoing extensive testing this week to prepare anupdate to the video, and find I get similar results regarding group forums. I will be releasing my results and suggestions in a new video here ASAP.

 

In the meantime, I suggest you consider leaving legacy group forums “as is” for now.

[SydneyDesigner]

Thanks for confirming the bug Spence – I’ll post a bug report with bbPress.

And I look forward to your updated video…

[SydneyDesigner]

I’ve created a bug ticket https://bbpress.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/2083

See also https://buddypress.org/support/topic/bp-group-adminforumbbpress2-2-check-box-not-working/#post-146547

[LabSecrets]

Hi Guys,

we’re happy to say that an UPDATED video has just been released that covers all aspects of bbPress 2.2.2 and BuddyPress 1.6.1, including:

http://labzip.com/the-definitive-guide-to-buddypress-bbpress-configuration/

– Installation of bbPress as the BuddyPress Group Forums
– Turning off BuddyPress Forums
– BuddyPress settings in Settings/Forums
– Pitfalls to avoid during installation and setup
– Roles and Capabilities (both for WP and bbPress)
– Use of the Membership Plugin (Justin Tadlock) and bbPress Tools for legacy members
– Child Themes and bbPress
– Two ways to setup a bbPress forum index page and make it a landing page of your site
….and much, much more.

This is a WHOPPER … clocking in at 29:00, but I GUARANTEE it will help solve many of the questions and issues that folks have been having with the new combination of bbPress & BuddyPress.

If anyone has any questions, please post them here, or you are welcome to post them to our forum at LabZip.com if they are not directly related to bbPress alone.

Cheers!

Spence