[kkradel]

This is a comment on functionality.

When I researched using BuddyPress with WordPress Multisite, I was looking for a seamless integration system – and I thought I found it. But the more I work with BuddyPress, I’m finding that it keeps way too many of its features separate from WordPress.

For instance.

— It’s really difficult to integrate BuddyPress into an already existing theme.
— Things that should be installed automagically are not – like “Create Groups” add as a “Friend” and “Invite” someone to a group. I’m sure I’ll find more.
— Almost every time I search for a snippet of code to fix something that is missing from my BuddyPress install, all I find is “Use this plugin …” or “Add a call/feature/hook/ …” and no code snippet or snippet example is posted. It’s like BuddyPress people don’t want to share information.
— Just because someone is new to BuddyPress does not mean they are not capable of editing code. I would much rather add code than add a plugin.
— I thought that BuddyPress would integrate plugins and members with WordPress but they seem to work on two different systems. I’m not looking forward to the part where I try to offer blogs to my users because I’m a tad worried that the BuddyPress blog system will be a separate entity from the WordPress blog offering.

Maybe I am missing something? Maybe there is a place where people actually share code information and feature requests? If so please direct me.

[modemlooper]

Plugins are better because then you have options as apposed to only having what is in core. BuddyPress comes with a set of core components but each of these have hooks, filters you can plugin into and craft anything your coding skills can muster.

You can use the profile part or maybe you just need groups. Pick and choose what you need to make it work for you.

The BP template pack plugin is there to help you integrate with a regular WP theme.

Code snippets:

http://bp-tricks.com
http://blog.etiviti.com/tag/buddypress-hack
http://buddydev.com/category/buddypress-tricks/

[kkradel]

Actually, plugins aren’t better, as they take up memory (I’m now on a VPS, so memory usage has become a concern) and they create a lot of doorways for hackage (not the good kind). I like, and would rather, hard code where ever I can, and I do, but I just don’t have the time or the bandwidth to do what I want to do on my own with BuddyPress, hence I’m stuck with plugins.

Before using Multisite, I hard coded as much as possible – all the header/footer stuff, links that I knew were stable. If I found a plugin that worked by adding one line of code, I just found that one line of code and added it by hand instead of using the plugin.

Currently I’m already using 30 plugins in a WordPress multisite and I’m still not getting all of the features that I need.

Already using BP Template Pack plugin. Already created my pages, which are fine, the problem is hacking the look and feel of BuddyPress elements within those template pack pages. Things that should be hardcoded, like the navbar, subnav, elements that should be automagically installed and configured, like the ones I mentioned above, are not.

Because I’m not using the BuddyPress theme, I can only guess that those elements are hardcoded into the theme instead?

I’d much rather be spending my time trying to hack a way for my BuddyPress members and my WordPress members to be integrated – or trying to make my already existing NextGen Galleries work as an “Album” within BuddyPress … but instead, I’m trying to figure out how to unscramble the stupid subnav bar.

Thanks for the code snippet links … I’m sure those would/should have shown up on my google searches if they had contained information that I was looking for. But when I get the time, I’ll peruse them and see if they contain the hacks I need. The stuff I need is really basic though and I don’t understand why it’s just not on the BuddyPress site, unless I am really missing something, which I could be …

Thank you for trying to help … !