Let me apologize up front if some of these questions are basic, I’m getting ready to tackle my first BuddyPress project but have been developing for WordPress for the last few years so I’m hopeful it will be quick to pick up for me.

I know that there is some work required to make any theme BuddyPress ready and I do a lot with custom WordPress themes so using an out of the box BuddyPress theme is out for me.

Any way the question I have is this, I’ve created a framework that I use for my theme development then just create WP child themes off of that, if I wanted to make one of those child theme BuddyPress ready could I just copy the files from the BP Theme Pack and adjust the HTML to fit my existing structure? Or is there more I have to do other then that?

Also Is there an unstyled BuddyPress theme that I could then style, like say the Sandbox WordPress theme?

[@mercime Participant 14 years, 1 month ago]

@Buckycat7 no apologies necessary. Many ways to go about theming the BP Project. On my end, if BuddyPress is a section of a full-blown CMS, then I would create a child theme of my framework and install the BP Template Pack (not yet updated for BP 1.2.6 however) in secondary blog of multisite and adjust HTML/CSS of template pack accordingly. If the project is full-blast social networking project, I would create a bp-default child theme and work from there. Welcome to BuddyPress.

[@modemlooper Moderator 14 years, 1 month ago]

I wouldn’t use the template pack. I’d create my own framework with the bp files inside or call them via a child theme. There isn’t a right or wrong way but the template pack is really for someone who isn’t capable of coding and a quick start to adding BP to an existing WordPress. If you go the template pack route then the files could be out of sync with the BP core.

[@mercime Participant 14 years, 1 month ago]

Here’s another way of using your current WordPress theme with BuddyPress – http://bp-theme-converts.com/convert-buddypress-theme-to-wp-theme/ See popular WP themes converted- http://bp-theme-converts.com/category/bpthemes/

As for BP Template Pack, it needs to be updated whether it’s for someone who knows how to code or for those who don’t know how to code. Check out Kobe Bryant’s site which uses BP Template Pack http://kb24.com/ specifically for BP components.

[@asshu Member 14 years ago]

http://bp-theme-converts.com/ is down . Could any body tell me how to contact the Author?

Thanks !

[@mercime Participant 13 years, 12 months ago]

https://buddypress.org/community/members/thekmen/
though he hasn’t been active for close to two months.

[@asshu Member 13 years, 12 months ago]

@mercime
Thanks !
Any body have a copy of converted p2 theme for Buddypress ?

Thanks!

[@karmatosed Moderator 13 years, 12 months ago]

I don’t have a copy sorry and notice the site is down from the author http://bp-theme-converts.com/

Hopefully someone else will have a copy or the author’s site will be back up soon.

[@ehegwer Participant 13 years, 12 months ago]

Creating a child theme really isn’t that hard, and you aren’t relying on a 3rd party to maintain a plugin.

First I created a new folder in the usual WP themes location, and named it child theme.
Then I grabbed the header and footer pages from the buddypress/themes folder, and edited them for my page, saving in the new Child theme folder.
Then,I used a basic generic WP framework to get started, and added some buddypress and wordpress php as needed – just cutting and pasting the loop, and BP stuff as needed.
Once the first page was made, I just would add or subtract the items needed for individual pages, blog pages, user pages, etc.

If you know just a little php, html, and CSS it’s not hard.

[@suchaqd Participant 13 years, 12 months ago]

The official instructables … https://codex.buddypress.org/theme-development/building-a-buddypress-child-theme/