‘What’ you should change sort of depends on if you are using a child theme of the BuddyPress default theme or not. There is quite a list of updates for the theme changes the members is one, ajax.php /js and functions.php is another along with some member/group/forum loop stuff. I would strongly suggest if you can getting the latest update from your theme source particularly as you say you are a novice which I take means not comfy in code?
This link will show all differences in the theme files. It might be of help? Red is removed, green is added.
https://trac.buddypress.org/changeset?old_path=/tags/1.2.5.2/bp-themes/bp-default&new_path=/tags/1.2.6/bp-themes/bp-default/
To clarify, the above link shows changes in the bundled “BP-Default” theme, and it was intended for any theme designers who have created a BP-Default child theme to help pin-point the changes. It won’t apply to any other theme. Sorry for any confusion.
EDIT: third time’s the charm
Yes I am really a novice … 
Thank to @karmatosed and @DJPaul for you suggestion …
I use the theme named Blogs-Mu … and my subscription to the theme source(WPMU DEV) has expired …
, and I’m a bit short of cash
So , I’m out of luck now ..
But the link you provided is very help full …
Thanks again, both of you
Let me ask a question : I have checked the trac link provided by @DJPaul and found most similarity with old codes for bp default theme and Blogs-mu theme . Will making changes, according to the trac, suffice the need ? or is there anything extra that should be done ?
Please help ? This is a question of life
If you do all those changes you should be on track but it’s hard to say really until do it on the theme if that makes sense? Just with the CSS changes remember CSS is cascading and some themes use !important to over-ride this. It’s best to just in testing add your new CSS to the last CSS file called to make sure it has a fighting chance (key term in CSS is cascading). Also consider the theme may have it’s own styling different from the default theme even if uses the basic structure of it.
@karmatosed
Thanks for your reply Tammie.
by seeing the trac it seem to me that css edit for Blogs-mu theme is not necessary , I dont know but I guess so , please help , as css are fully theme specific …
Other that the css , .php file should be edited/changed for full support , and furthur upcoming plugin supports . Am I right ?
But let me ask one thing : presently without changing anything else(other than mentioned in the first post) , I have checked with my site and it working completely ….
What happens if I do not make those changes then ?
Thanks tammie for you time
I would say all things should be required by Blogs-Mu to be honest. However, it’s going to be a case of you’re only going to know as do. You definitely will have template changes otherwise have the magical double button issues on friends and blogs
Not sure what you mean about php file … it’s a case of finding the file and replacing the content with the updates should be pretty much a copy and paste job with Blogs-Mu.
Are you sure your site works correctly? I’m fairly sure you’re going to find some issues about the site and to be honest I’d always recommend updating. Ultimately it’s up to you but my recommendation is a calm methodical copy and pasting session
@karmatosed
Thanks again Tammie for your valuable time , and helping me out …
and yes I was facing some problems , and I did an update to the blogs-mu theme and trying it out on a demo install … Thanks for your valuable suggestions
Now it seems to work ok except ….
now I am jumbled up with a single issue , and yet it became a nightmare …
After updating to buddypress 1.2.6 from 1.2.5.2 , my site does not show admin bar for guest user(as admin is disabled for loggedout users) , instead inplace it shows a white space …
Logged in users can view the admin bar correctly , but non-loggedin users or guest users cannot see the admin bar , instead of the admin bar there is a white space in place … !!!
http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/4278/whitespaceu.jpg
check this image, see in image, just below the address bar there is a white space , its the 25 px padding for the admin bar …
This started happening just after upgrading to bp 1.2.6 , (with and without updating blogs-mu theme)
if the admin bar visibility is turned on for loggedout users , the admin bar is displayed correctly , otherwise a white space of 25px…
It was not happening with bp 1.2.5.2 , then it was fine.
Can you kindly help me out with this issue , Please tell me what needs to be done, I would be very greatful …
Thanks Tammie ….
@djpaul @karmatosed
I’m putting together my first soon-to-be-released theme package for BP (yay, I’m popping my cherry again! ) and have a n00b question.
Once I’ve updated all required files in my theme to 1.2.6 (using the aforementioned “calm methodical copy and pasting session”), will users who are still running 1.2.5 be able to use the theme? In other words, will the new 1.2.6 tags, functions, etc be recognized by 1.2.5?
@pcwriter
No, any new template tags will not be recognised by your 1.2.5.2 installations.
I’m dismayed by the 1.2.5.2 -> 1.2.6 decision making – with users unable to use 1.2.5.2 themes on 1.2.6. You’d expect some new features in a minor subversion upgrade, some additional template tags you could take or leave, but not for the behaviour of key regularly used functions to be changed overnight (e.g. the multiple friend button issue).
It’s been an issue for us with how on earth we can handle existing bespoke client implementations, but you raise another problem for generic theme developers – you’d have to have two versions of your theme.
@AnindyaRay: Hmmm you got a link for your site? My thoughts are maybe a javascript error (try in firebug to see that) or something like error in files (did you copy over the adminbar.css and also both javascript files (ajax.php / js)? I certainly don’t get any issues with the default or my themes that don’t use custom admin bars – perhaps the custom admin bar code. Worst case maybe you could remove that feature (hate to suggest that but if it’s causing issues).
@pcwriter: General rule is last supported version is latest with BuddyPress / WordPress or at least that’s the way I work with themes myself. Can’t really speak for others. I myself choose that route as there are generally security and other reasons for upgrades.
@Roger: I get the frustration but to be truthful I’m a theme designer and I don’t have these issues as said before I go with latest version support and I think you will find most do. This is of course a point of debate and maybe not the place for this said debate as a personal choice / company choice depending on your working situation. This happens with every release it gets better and more gets added… WordPress has same problem if you think of what happened around 3.0 for instance.
I do think it’s perhaps a point of note to those of us in themes to get more involved and this is one point I myself have in the past few months realised. We can complain about things and claim them wrong but until we get involved can we be surprised over something getting changed. It’s a project we all can get involved in and perhaps this all should be a call to action rather than a soap box moment which I know myself I’m feeling. BuddyPress themes will I think truly benefit from those of us that work with them getting involved where we can. Please take this in the good nature it’s meant as I’ve also had this realisation.
@rogercoathup
Hmmm… OK, so here’s what I’ll do: as I’ve created this, my first, theme based on 1.2.5, I’ll make it available for die-hard 1.2.5 users on my site. But I’ll update the theme to 1.2.6 before shipping it off to the theme repo with a heads-up that a 1.2.5 version is available for download at http://…
However, I think the advice given by @karmatosed is sound, so I’ll ensure future themes are in sync with latest version of BP.
Thanks guys!
@karmatosed
Thanks for your reply …
Yes all files and folder structure is intact , I have copied adminbar.css and both ajax.php/js files
But no I am not using custom admin bar, haven’t change anything related to adminbar colour , text etc. from the theme option
actually I don’t understand what exactly is causing the issue..
nope this actually doesn’t solve the problem. 
So does this mean, if I’m using a child theme, I have to make a lot of changes?
@AnindyaRay : Well I get a JavaScript error on your page when testing with firebug and that certainly could be making your adminbar get grumpy. My advice would be to using firebug track down what is causing that by turning off all plugins and widgets and extra code you’ve added then adding it in one by one. I usually opt for the ‘all off’ dramatic approach myself as saves time building up as oppose to one by one off. Up to you though.
@Maryke: Depends if your child uses the default BuddyPress one and has any core / major files changes in it. If it’s just CSS or additions to code then probably not but if it’s changes to code you’d have to check for anything that could be different. Generally if using default theme as your parent you’ll at least be 99% ok just depends on how extensive you’ve got in your child which I can’t really say.
@karmatosed : I disable all plugins except Buddypress , but the issue persist , also tried with fresh blogs-mu theme , still didn’t help
@AnindyaRay: Hmmm what happens just as a ‘test’ with the default BuddyPress theme and your site? I always use the BuddyPress default theme as my ‘baseline’ test.
After updating to buddypress 1.2.6 from 1.2.5.2 , my site does not show admin bar for guest user(as admin is disabled for loggedout users) , instead inplace it shows a white space …
Logged in users can view the admin bar correctly , but non-loggedin users or guest users cannot see the admin bar , instead of the admin bar there is a white space in place … !!!
What I don’t understand is why CAN I see the admin bar when I visit your site?
As this is a custom theme have you actually tried asking the wpmu guys for support? as per my suggestion on the other thread.
As I presume the other thread is finished with and my snippet of code of no use I will close that thread as it only serves to confuse if it runs on.
@karmatosed : with buddypress default theme it works absolutely OK. No problem at all.
@hnla : as for this issue the home page is displayed in a odd way , so I have enabled the admin bar for guests for the time being ….
I’m doing all the testing in my demo install in localhost …
after the issue is resolved, I will agian disable the adminbar for guests …
I’m attempting to point out how this is becoming a rather confused issue and gain clarification for all concerned
Is the issue that you ARE disabling the admin bar for anonymous, non logged in users but doing so leaves a blank space?
What is your definition of a ‘Guest User’ normally ‘Guest’ and Anonymous are one and the same thing and refer to someone browsing your site without being logged in.
@hnla : Yes disabling adminbar for nonlogged in users leaves a blank space, check this image http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/4278/whitespaceu.jpg
Users not logged in are guest user
Ok then skip back to the other thread where I think I suggested trying my original snippet of code but replacing ‘#header’ with ‘body’ and give that a try, is this not the issue that you are trying to loose that gap and that that gap is padding, the only padding I noted in your custom theme was on the body element.
@hnla : Thanks , It works , but
as I mentioned in the other thread ( https://buddypress.org/community/groups/how-to-and-troubleshooting/forum/topic/buddypress-1-2-6-adds-extra-padding-top/ ) , this will only work flawlessly if and only if adminbar is disabled completely by the define statement /define (‘BP_DISABLE_ADMIN_BAR’, TRUE)/
but incase of adminbar display disabled only for non loggedin users, if we use this ” padding off ” thing then a loggedin user will see some display glitch , same in the picture
http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/2457/paddingoff.jpg
check the logo area in the right and the ‘profile’ and ‘view pages’link area in the left in the image link
p.s. I cannot paste any code snippet correctly here , how to do that ?
Under the “Add a reply” textarea there is a line of text that reads thusly:
“To display code, put it between `backticks`”
Ok so the fact that the function is run for logged in users tells me that the check on the ‘disable adminbar for logged out users’ actually simply checks to see if the value has been set ‘true’ or ‘false’ not whether that function is in current operation as it were so there needs to be a further query to see if the user is logged in so the ‘if’ statement needs to include something like:
`&& !is_user_logged_in() `
added to the line at the end.
