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BlueHost replied “Not at this time in the future it may be available but currently we do not allow any wildcards.”
Another problem solved by installing WPMU+BP manually: Sending confirmation emails to new users. With the automated SimpleScripts installation, WPMU+BP couldn’t connect to the email server. I had to install the “Cimy Swift SMTP” plugin to overcome this problem. After installing WPMU+BP manually, WPMU+BP connected to the email server automatically without any problems and without any SMTP plugins.
I use BlueHost. Your friend was talking about the WPMU + BP installation via SimpleScripts (kind of like Fantastico de Luxe, but much more responsive to upgrades).
SimpleScripts calls it “BuddyPress”, but it is really BP + WPMU.
I used SimpleScripts to do my initial BP + WPMU installation. I had a complete site failure yesterday when I upgraded to the most recent BP version. I also had some bugs creating user blogs with the original installation.
I think SimpleScripts automatically configures WPMU to create user blogs as subdomains. For this to work, your hosting provider MUST support “wildcarding”. When opened a support ticket with BlueHost to do this, they quickly replied: “No our system does not support wildcarding.”
If you were creating your own blogs as subdomains, this would not be a problem because you could use the DNS tool (e.g. cPanel > Simple DNS Zone Editor) to support define each one when you create it. But, it seems likely you’re using WPMU to support multiple users. In that case, it would be nearly impossible to define a new subdomain each time your users created a new blog. The wildcard gets you out of that predicament by immediately supporting any subdomain when they create the blog.
If you install WPMU + BP manually, you don’t need a hosting provider that supports wildcarding. During the configuration, just select the option to create user blogs as *subdirectories* instead of subdomains.
I did the manual installation for the first time today. I don’t think I’ll need the SimpleScripts approach again.
Hope this helps.
To recap:
PREVIOUS ENVIRONMENT:
BlueHost hosting, WordPress MU + BuddyPress 1.2.2.1 installed via SimpleScripts and automatic upgrades. Also had WordPress in a root directory.
PROBLEM:
After upgrading to BuddyPress 1.2.3, clicking the tabs for Activity, Members, Groups, Blogs, About generated an Internal Server Error.
SOLUTION:
Removed the WordPress installation from the root web directory.
Deleted the directory containing the WordPress MU + BuddyPress.
Deleted the previous databases.
Create a database and database user.
Manually install WordPress MU (WPMU)
Manually install BuddyPress.
TIPS:
If you have questions along the way, start with the links provided by the WPMU installation page (on your website) and search the WordPress MU and BuddyPress support forums. I also recommend the free ebook, Installing WordPress MU For Beginners, by Andrea Rennick, available at http://wpmututorials.com/wp-content/plugins/download-monitor/download.php?id=1
Use cPanel > MySQL Databases to create the database, create the user with ALL privileges, and assign the user to the database. Avoid using the “MySQL Database Wizard” tool. I got connection errors when I used the wizard.
I have an open request to my web hosting provider, BlueHost, to enable wildcard subdomains for my domain. (I elected to have new blogs appear as subdomains.) You can avoid this hassle if you opt to create user blogs as subdirectories.
After trying several variations, I completed an WordPress MU installation.
Here’s a tip for anyone else using cPanel, use “MySQL Databases” instead of “MySQL Database Wizard” to:
1. Create a new database.
2. Create a new user with ALL privileges.
3. Add the user to the database.
Just tried deactivating, uninstalling, reinstalling, reactivating the buddypress plug-in. That didn’t work. Same problem.
Also, I have kept all the default settings, so I don’t think this is related to any configuration changes.
Also, I was using SimpleScripts to do the installations and uninstallation
– I’ll definitely use BP Album+, but just as an album.
– Gravity Forms seems like a sophisticated tool for generating forms and gathering user input, but the videos don’t show how to display that data in pages.
– Pods CMS seems like it can do exactly what I want – create forms to gather detail and then create custom pages to display the data I gather. It’s powerful and flexible. I can get started using the pods demo video on wordpress.tv. I will have to learn PHP to really get the most out of it. I’m installing Pods now…
Wow! Thank you for all of your responses. I’ll pursue these different suggestions and report back with the results.
