It works fine with subdirs or subdomains or with WPMU in a subdirectory. Please post more details about your setup, perhaps we can debug what is wrong with it.
The best option is to set “Template: bp-sn-parent” in the WP theme’s style.css header. That will allow it to inherit all of the BuddyPress templates.
If that isn’t an option (perhaps the theme is already a child theme) then you will need to copy over the template files from bp-sn-parent into the wp theme. Just make sure you don’t replace any existing theme files.
You’ll will probably want to add the user navigation into the theme also, you can add the following lines to the bottom of header.php:
<?php if ( !bp_is_blog_page() && !bp_is_directory() && !bp_is_register_page() && !bp_is_activation_page() ) : ?>
<?php locate_template( array( 'userbar.php' ), true ) /* Load the user navigation */ ?>
<?php locate_template( array( 'optionsbar.php' ), true ) /* Load the currently displayed object navigation */ ?>
<?php endif; ?>
Once you’ve done that, BuddyPress pages will inherit all of the theme’s styles and its header and footer. You will of course need to add extra styles since WP themes only handle blog pages.
You can also try importing the bp-sn-parent screen styles into the WP theme’s style.css file. Depending on the theme, this may help to add layout to BuddyPress pages, but also stay within the WP theme’s look and feel.
@wordpressfan: You must first visit a sub forum on this site to post a topic. You cannot post a topic from the front. It is identical except for the fact there are no groups listed on the forums directory in BuddyPress.
Also –
You don’t need to first browse to a group, click a group name on a topic and you will go straight to that group forum where you can post a reply or new topic.
You don’t need to be a member of the group, you can post a reply or a new topic on a group forum and will auto join that group. It’s not a two step process.
Stickies cannot be show on the front. You may have hundreds of groups, each with stickies. This will clog up the directory and make it useless.
@allenweiss: If you don’t want a group to be a place for starting topics and discussions then simply disable the forum on that group.
It is no different than the way things work on this forum. You cannot just post a new topic. You must first browse to the correct group/sub forum/category before you post. You do not have to explicitly join a group to post.
I’ll be writing up a “how-to” on using WordPress themes with BuddyPress very soon. What you have described is one way of doing it if the “template: bp-sn-parent” does not work.
To get the user menus you can add these lines to the bottom of your header.php:
