BuddyPress.org

OH guess what…? 😀 Figured it out.

I have a solution that so, sooo…..SSOOOOOOO many other people have been looking for, and I’m elated to say I’ve found it.

Been cruising Stack Exchange, various WordPress plugin support threads, installing plugin after plugin, reading blogposts made by developers, comments made by disillusioned masses….I mean, it’s endless.

But THANK GOD I found a solution!

So it turns out that the code that BuddyDev mentioned was not to blame for the 500 error I mentioned in my intro. It was actually due to one of the two plugins that is recommended in BuddyDev’s tutorial (and they are now fixing that bug). 🙂

I figured this out as I tried to reproduce the error while activating plugins in a different sequence.

The first time I did this, I’d had BuddyPress disabled when I’d installed both plugins. I’d also already put the code mentioned in their tutorial into my bp-custom file. I then activated BuddyPress, and the site failed.

This time, I had BuddyPress already activated, then installed and activated one of the two plugins BuddyDev recommended to use in the tutorial…and all was well. THEN…I installed the second plugin. And upon clicking ‘Activate’ the site failed again. NOTE: on the second attempt to reproduce the 500 error, I hadn’t put the code from the tutorial into my bp-custom file….

And according to BuddyDev, even before I tried to reproduce the error, the bp-custom code I was using was sound.

So when the site failed upon my attempt to reproduce the error, I knew: that plugin was to blame.

Then, I found out more about that plugin…it is designed to be used for users to have extra fields to fill out upon signup, fields that would show in their Member Profile. And I have Member Profiles disabled. Wa-la!

I then asked BuddyDev if I needed the plugin that failed…and THANKFULLY they said, ‘no — not needed for what you want to do.’

WHEW!! 😀

So, a summary:
– Use custom code in bp-custom (pasted below)
– Use one plugin in particular from BuddyDev
– Do not use another plugin recommended by BuddyDev

The plugin to DEFINITELY use, that was listed in their tutorial: ‘BuddyPress Member Type Generator’…that affects the ability for Webmasters to set custom member types AND an avatar specific to every custom type created! 😀

The other plugin that was recommended in that tutorial, that is NOT needed to change user avatars for custom member types…not ever, as it has nothing to do with avatars — it was merely recommended in their tutorial so people could manage user profiles: ‘BP XProfile Member Type Field’

SO. If you want to have a different default avatar for different member types, then you will need to use the ‘BuddyPress Member Type Generator’ plugin. Not the other one.

Steps to take:
1.] Download the ‘BuddyPress Member Type Generator’ plugin from BudyDev

2.] Read their tutorial (I’ll paste a link below in follow-up comments to this comment)…do everything EXCEPT install the ‘BP XProfile Member Type Field’ plugin — it’s not needed for assigning an avatar via custom member type; it just is recommended in their tutorial to use so you can manage user fields 🙂

3.] Use the code I’ll also paste below (in the follow-up comments) — modify it to your site’s name but insert your site name where I typed ‘sitenameprivate’…etc.

4.] For creating more avatars with custom member types in the future, you’ll always have to update that same code in the bp-custom file…via FTP/SFTP; tbh that process is easy as pie once you realize how to do it

5.] For making your life easier with switching out avatar images for member types without having to re-do the bp-custom file: just save over the image in your media library that is used for that particular member type…so the path is the same and your code won’t need to be changed

Simple, yet difficult to find.

Thank GOD FOR BUDDYDEV!!! <3

Screw it. I tried to post the code in various ways, but I don’t have time to spend trying to post A SIMPLE COMMENT FFS.

Go to this link and use the code specified in the file.

I hope it’s still available years later when someone stumbles across this comment thread.

BuddyPress forums need some sort of fix for this crap. What an incredible waste of time and energy, just to post a helpful comment that contained code. I’m not a freaking spammer. I mean, if your forum software is needing to be THAT sensitive to fight spam, make us do captchas or some crap to verify we’re ‘human.’

Ya know, I get why spam filters exist, but when they make a site UNUSABLE FOR ACTUAL USERS then your technology is worthless.

Anyhow…lol, end of rant. Here is the link:

I hope this solution helps others as much as it’s helped me. <3