Re: Buddypress for Dummies – is it worth it, or is the best place to learn online?
After a few months of working with BP (with a good background in working with WP in general, and pretty strong HTML/CSS skills), I’m getting pretty comfortable. I’ve found the best for me has been to
a) set up a localhost install using WAMP or XAMPP that you can play with and wipe easily.
b) look at what other sites including this one have done, learn and understand how child themes work, try out new stuff with your own child themes, dig into the templates (and bp-core stuff) and see how it’s put together
c) look at the way plugins you like or think are rock solid are put together.
d) when you get stuck, ask questions here, the more specific the better.
For my part, my great weakness is in PHP. What I’ve learned, I’ve learned by fiddling, but basic concepts and stuff, well, let’s say that I fly by the seat of my pants. If working with PHP functions and actions and hooks and filters and arrays and all that kind of stuff isn’t something you’re comfortable with, brushing up on it (or learning by doing and failing, as I have been), is a pretty good idea.
I’m getting pretty comfortable with digging into the guts of BP now, but I’ve got a long way to go, even as someone who’s been building sites as a hobby with and without WP for many years. Still have an enormous amount to learn, especially about working with PHP, though.
