Installed buddypress last night and my current theme is definitely not compatible. Had issues and had to delete BP to get things back to normal. My current theme is hacked/modified by me pretty extensively over the years. In another year or so, I may do a complete redesign which will make things easier, but I’d like to build up the social media presence via adding BP in the short-term before doing so.

That being said, I have to use my theme to make this work, which is not compatible with BP. Is their a way I can use my theme but have a subpage that connects the BP with it’s own theme? Basically, separating the two in one regard but tying them together still?

My whole objective is to have my normal blog, widgets, etc…..but I want a page on the menu that opens up a forum which ties into my wordpress user database where the interactions can begin. Currently, I don’t allow comments on articles…thats what I want the forums for.

Any ideas? I’m not a pro at this obviously, but not a complete novice. Need a link to my site?

[@mercime Participant 13 years ago]

If you’ve been hacking your theme, you might want to install Theme Check plugin just to make sure that everything’s kosher. Then to make your WP theme compatible with BuddyPress, you will need to install/activate BP Template Pack plugin which will transfer 6 folders with BP template files to your active WP theme. Go through the BP compatibility process https://codex.buddypress.org/theme-development/wordpress-to-buddypress-theme/

[@mikek Member 13 years ago]

Thanks mercime. Before I go through the process of the theme pack plugin, does it have a “back to original” feature or anything? Basically, if I make changes to preview, can I go back to scratch at any point (my hacked theme as of before installing the plugin) without saving any of the changes? The walk-thru you pointed to didn’t really cover that (unless I’m blind) and in case something goes wrong, I’d like to know ahead of time how to bring myself back to normal.

Worst case, just a complete backup that export from wordpress right before I add the template plugin?

Thanks again

[@mercime Participant 13 years ago]

Which plugin did you mean re”process of the theme pack plugin “? The “theme” Check plugin or the BP Template “pack” plugin?

Re Theme Check plugin, it will just generate what the problems are, if any, of your theme vs WP 3.3

Re BP Template Pack plugin, if it doesn’t work for you, deactivate the plugin and then delete the 6 folders transferred to your WP theme in server – activity, blogs, forums, groups, members, and registration.

Sure, backing up DB and server files is always a good thing.

You’re welcome.

[@mikek Member 13 years ago]

Much appreciated….will toy with it this week.

[@mikek Member 13 years ago]

Just doublechecking….is is this Theme Check Plugin? The one last updated in August before 3.3? https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/theme-check/

[@mercime Participant 13 years ago]

Yes it is. It’s one of the tools used when we review themes submitted to the WordPress Theme Repository. We also use the Debogger plugin as well as the Log Deprecated Notices plugin as well. See #1 on this page https://make.wordpress.org/themes/about/how-to-join-wptrt/

[@mikek Member 13 years ago]

FYI, it doesn’t appear the template pack is compatible with 3.3….does not even have a BP Compatibility section at all after installing and activating the plugin

[@boonebgorges Keymaster 13 years ago]

Just to be clear: You are looking under the Appearance top-level menu of the root blog’s Dashboard, right? ‘BP Compatibility’ does *not* appear under the BP top-level menu. (It’s working fine for me with BP 1.5.2 + WP 3.3.)

[@mercime Participant 13 years ago]

@MikeK The same thing happened to me in a test install. Could be that the auto-install was incomplete or corrupted for some reason. Re-uploading BP Template Pack plugin manually via FTP, then deactivating BP Template Pack plugin in dashboard, then reactivating the plugin brings in the BP Compatibility Link under Appearance > BP Compatibility to start the process.

[@mikek Member 13 years ago]

Making progress finally. It moved the files successfully and the layout seems fine except for 1 problem I have found so far. The problem is in regards to avatars for the authors. Unless you see more problems on your end?

I have an avatar plugin that allows me to upload pictures to my photobucket then link them to my avatar(s) for more clear pictures. This is also used because it’s easy to modify for all the authors on my site (as the admin, I want control of that). However, this change seems to put me into gravatar only. How can I change that back to putting my photobucket links in for each author? If you look at page 2 where my recent article is, my gravatar is blurry until you hover over it, then it is clear. Further reason I’d like to not use gravatar for authors.

Any recommendations?

[@mikek Member 13 years ago]

A confusing part of my theme editor. main index.php is now all buddypress code that seemingly has no residual code from my index before BP. However, my main page is still like my normal main page minus the avatar issue listed above. So if I want to modify my main page code, where do I go for that if it is not the main index.php?

[@mikek Member 13 years ago]

Ok this is odd, but I found more to add to the above. Hopefully this is common and you know the way to fix it.

In my editor, when I click on main index.php, it is supposed to show me my main page template. Instead, it is showing me all BP member code. I looked in the address and it has this code between “main” and “index” ……. members%2F

So obviously I deleted that part in the address and then it took me to my correct main index page BUT that page is not listed on the right side where it should be. Example: If you are in your main index.php….the right side will highlight main index.php as you are viewing it. In this case, it shows up as my main index code, but it is nowhere to be seen on the right side.

Hopefully this is common so my gibberish makes sense, ha

[@mikek Member 13 years ago]

Finding numerous theme issues, may be in over my head with the amount of time it will take to fix them all let alone figuring out how to fix them all first.

[@mercime Participant 13 years ago]

Did you ever run the Theme Check plugin on your install and fix Warnings or Requirements, if any? Did you install Log Deprecated Notices plugin and check Tools > Deprecated Notices to see if you need to update some functions/template tags you have in your custom theme? I’d say deactivate BP and BP template pack and fix any issues you find with your theme first.

Change to bp-default theme and check if everything’s working in your installation. Ideally, it would be better if you install WP/BP with same server environment as your current installation.

EDIT- Also, the 6 BP folders transferred to your WP theme wouldn’t cause changes in your theme’s index.php . If you manually remove the 6 BP folders and deactivate BP Template Pack plugin, does the issue you mentioned resolve itself?

[@mikek Member 13 years ago]

Deactivated theme pack and BP, but haven’t removed the folders yet….all seems normal on front end, but back end still has the members index showing up as my main index.

I did the theme check and frankly it had more warnings (if I remember correctly, it was mostly warnings, not requirements) than I had time to even read up to understand them all. For the sake of giving it a shot before pulling the plug on the project, I pressed forward with the theme pack, but obviously that is too many modifications for me to learn about and complete over the coming weeks as I can’t devote enough time to it.

If I just used BBpress forums for now…would I encounter similar issues?

[@mercime Participant 13 years ago]

== it had more warnings (if I remember correctly, it was mostly warnings, not requirements) than I had time to even read up to understand them all. ==
Just to let you know that warnings/requirements listed in theme check are cause for rejecting a theme being submitted to the WordPress Theme Repository. Btw, Log Deprecated Notices plugin show up results in backend sometimes after clicking through 8-10 different theme pages in front end.

== If I just used BBpress forums for now…would I encounter similar issues? ==
I wouldn’t know. But if that happens, you can always change to Twenty Ten or Twenty Eleven theme and see if behavior is corrected.