BuddyPress.org

I imagine we will see a first group of WP powerusers who just didn’t want to mess with WPMU. They don’t mind playing with trunk of BP and WP at the same time.

Soon after though, we’ll see the pent up massess who want the functionality, but want no hiccups, plug and play. Support questions will likely shoot the moon. Hopefully that first group will be here to help.

The standard support questions which mercime linked to help us help you. Despite the fact that FB Connect is not BuddyPress and as such is a third-party plugin, there are plenty of existing threads in these forums about issues with FB Connect

I hate to be harsh, but this plugin is un-intuitive and without instructions or explanation.

For instance, you are supposed to select the “which field represents the users location” Well, given there is a field for address, city, state and zip possible….what do you choose? Most Geo plugins use a mash-up of the complete address to search for an accurate location of the user.

The plugin has signs of promise but questions remain. …like what’s up with the “Sponsored by Automattic” ??

@Bowe

setting up different group types is fairly easy. You just have to attach some groupmeta to the group, that basically let you add as many types as you’d like. Then you just check the metadata to figure out what type of group you’re in. Using the groups API you can then add different functionality for different groups.

I’ve written a types-plugin for one of my sites. It doesn’t have an interface, though. The 3 types I needed are hardcoded into it, so it’s really not suited for a release at the moment. There’s also a lot of more stuff, like a shopping cart, part of that plugin. So, I’ve stripped the functions needed for group types out (hopefully al of them).

First we need to add the addtional fields to our registration form:

function sv_add_registration_group_types()

{

?>

<div id="account-type" class="register-section">

<h3 class="transform"><?php _e( 'Choose your account type (required)', 'group-types' ) ?></h3>



<script type="text/javascript" defer="defer">

jQuery(document).ready(function(){

jQuery("#account-type-normal_user").attr("checked", true);

jQuery("#group-details").hide();

jQuery("#account-type-type_one,#account-type-type_two,#account-type-type_three").click(function(){

if (jQuery(this).is(":checked")) {

jQuery("#group-details").slideDown("slow");

} else {

jQuery("#group-details").slideUp("slow");

}

});

jQuery("#account-type-normal_user").click(function(){

if (jQuery(this).is(":checked")) {

jQuery("#group-details").slideUp("slow");

} else {

jQuery("#group-details").slideDown("slow");

}

});

});

</script>



<?php do_action( 'bp_account_type_errors' ) ?>

<label><input type="radio" name="account_type" id="account-type-normal_user" value="normal_user" checked="checked" /><?php _e( 'User', 'group-types' ) ?></label>

<label><input type="radio" name="account_type" id="account-type-type_one" value="type_one" /><?php _e( 'Type 1', 'group-types' ) ?></label>

<label><input type="radio" name="account_type" id="account-type-type_two" value="type_two" /><?php _e( 'Type 2', 'group-types' ) ?></label>

<label><input type="radio" name="account_type" id="account-type-type_three" value="type_three" /><?php _e( 'Type 3', 'group-types' ) ?></label>



<div id="group-details">

<p><?php _e( 'We will automatically create a group for your business or organization. This group will be tailored to your needs! You can change the description and the news later in the admin section of your group.', 'group-types' ); ?></p>



<?php do_action( 'bp_group_name_errors' ) ?>

<label for="group_name"><?php _e( 'Group Name', 'scuba' ) ?> <?php _e( '(required)', 'buddypress' ) ?></label>

<input type="text" name="group_name" id="group_name" value="" />

<br /><small><?php _e( 'We suggest you use the name of your business or organization', 'group-types' ) ?></small>



<label for="group_desc"><?php _e( 'Group Description', 'scuba' ) ?></label>

<textarea rows="5" cols="40" name="group_desc" id="group_desc"></textarea>

<br /><small><?php _e( 'This description will be visible on your group profile, so it could be used to present your mission statement for example.', 'group-types' ) ?></small>



<label for="group_news"><?php _e( 'Group News', 'scuba' ) ?></label>

<textarea rows="5" cols="40" name="group_news" id="group_news"></textarea>

<br /><small><?php _e( 'Enter any news that you want potential members to see.', 'group-types' ) ?></small>

</div>

</div>

<?php

}

add_action( 'bp_before_registration_submit_buttons', 'sv_add_registration_group_types' );

Then we have to validate things and add some usermeta when a regitration happens:

/**

* Add custom userdata from register.php

* @since 1.0

*/

function sv_add_to_signup( $usermeta )

{

$usermeta['account_type'] = $_POST['account_type'];



if( isset( $_POST['group_name'] ) )

$usermeta['group_name'] = $_POST['group_name'];



if( isset( $_POST['group_desc'] ) )

$usermeta['group_desc'] = $_POST['group_desc'];



if( isset( $_POST['group_news'] ) )

$usermeta['group_news'] = $_POST['group_news'];



return $usermeta;

}

add_filter( 'bp_signup_usermeta', 'sv_add_to_signup' );



/**

* Update usermeta with custom registration data

* @since 1.0

*/

function sv_user_activate_fields( $user )

{

update_usermeta( $user['user_id'], 'account_type', $user['meta']['account_type'] );



if( isset( $user['meta']['group_name'] ) )

update_usermeta( $user['user_id'], 'group_name', $user['meta']['group_name'] );



if( isset( $user['meta']['group_desc'] ) )

update_usermeta( $user['user_id'], 'group_desc', $user['meta']['group_desc'] );



if( isset( $user['meta']['group_news'] ) )

update_usermeta( $user['user_id'], 'group_news', $user['meta']['group_news'] );



return $user;

}

add_filter( 'bp_core_activate_account', 'sv_user_activate_fields' );



/**

* Perform checks for custom registration data

* @since 1.0

*/

function sv_check_additional_signup()

{

global $bp;



if( empty( $_POST['account_type'] ) )

$bp->signup->errors['account_type'] = __( 'You need to choose your account type', 'group-types' );



if( empty( $_POST['group_name'] ) && $_POST['account_type'] != 'normal_user' )

$bp->signup->errors['group_name'] = __( 'You need to pick a group name', 'group-types' );



if( ! empty( $_POST['group_name'] ) && $_POST['account_type'] != 'normal_user' )

{

$slug = sanitize_title_with_dashes( $_POST['group_name'] );

$exist = groups_check_group_exists( $slug );

if( $exist )

$bp->signup->errors['group_name'] = __( 'This name is not available. If you feel this is a mistake, please <a href="/contact">contact us</a>.', 'group-types' );

}

}

add_action( 'bp_signup_validate', 'sv_check_additional_signup' );

And then we set up the group for the user (there are some constants in this function, so you’ll need to change that):

/**

* Create custom groups for skools, biz and org accounts

* @since 1.0

*/

function sv_init_special_groups( $user )

{

global $bp;



// get account type

$type = get_usermeta( $user['user_id'], 'account_type' );



if( $type == 'normal_user' )

{

// Do nothing

}

elseif( $type == 'type_one' || $type == 'type_two' || $type == 'type_three' )

{

// get some more data from sign up

$group_name = get_usermeta( $user['user_id'], 'group_name' );

$group_desc = get_usermeta( $user['user_id'], 'group_desc' );

$group_news = get_usermeta( $user['user_id'], 'group_news' );



$slug = sanitize_title_with_dashes( $group_name );



// create dive skool group

$group_id = groups_create_group( array(

'creator_id'	=> $user['user_id'],

'name'			=> $group_name,

'slug'			=> $slug,

'description'	=> $group_desc,

'news'			=> $group_news,

'status'		=> 'public',

'enable_wire'	=> true,

'enable_forum'	=> true,

'date_created'	=> gmdate('Y-m-d H:i:s')

)

);

// add the type to our group

groups_update_groupmeta( $group_id, 'group_type', $type );



// delete now useless data

delete_usermeta( $user['user_id'], 'group_name' );

delete_usermeta( $user['user_id'], 'group_desc' );

delete_usermeta( $user['user_id'], 'group_news' );



// include PHPMailer

require_once( SV_MAILER . 'class.phpmailer.php' );



$mail = new PHPMailer();

$mail->IsSMTP();

$mail->Host = SV_SMTP;



$auth = get_userdata( $user['user_id'] );

$profile_link = $bp->root_domain . '/' . $bp->groups->slug . '/' . $slug . '/admin';



$message = sprintf( __( 'Hello %s,



we have created a group for your business or organization. To get more out of your presence on Yoursitenamehere please take some time to set it up properly.



Please follow this link to fill in the rest of your profile: %s



We wish you all the best. Should you have any questions regarding your new group, please contact us at support@yoursitenamehere.com.



Your Yoursitenamehere Team', 'group-types' ), $auth->display_name, $profile_link );



$mail->SetFrom("support@yoursitenamehere.com","Yoursitenamehere");

$mail->AddAddress( $auth->user_email );



$mail->Subject  = __( 'Your new group pages on Yoursitenamehere', 'group-types' );

$mail->Body = $message;

$mail->WordWrap = 75;

$mail->Send();

}

}

add_action( 'bp_core_account_activated', 'sv_init_special_groups' );

When you write a group extension we’ll have to swap the activation call with a function like the one below to be able to check for group types.

/**

* Replacement activation function for group extension classes

*/

function activate_type_one()

{

global $bp;

$type = groups_get_groupmeta( $bp->groups->current_group->id, 'group_type' );

if( $type == 'type_one' )

{

$extension = new Group_Type_One;

add_action( "wp", array( &$extension, "_register" ), 2 );

}

}

add_action( 'plugins_loaded', 'activate_type_one' );

The last thing we need to do is add our group type names to group and directory pages:

/**

* Modify the group type status

*/

function sv_get_group_type( $type, $group = false )

{

global $groups_template;



if( ! $group )

$group =& $groups_template->group;



$gtype = groups_get_groupmeta( $group->id, 'group_type' );

if( $gtype == 'type_one' )

$name = __( 'Type 1', 'group-types' );



elseif( $gtype == 'type_two' )

$name = __( 'Type 2', 'group-types' );



elseif( $gtype == 'type_three' )

$name = __( 'Type 3', 'group-types' );



else

$name = __( 'User Group', 'group-types' );



if( 'public' == $group->status )

{

$type = sprintf( __( "%s (public)", "group-types" ), $name );

}

elseif( 'hidden' == $group->status )

{

$type = sprintf( __( "%s (hidden)", "group-types" ), $name );

}

elseif( 'private' == $group->status )

{

$type = sprintf( __( "%s (private)", "group-types" ), $name );

}

else

{

$type = ucwords( $group->status ) . ' ' . __( 'Group', 'buddypress' );

}



return $type;

}

add_filter( 'bp_get_group_type', 'sv_get_group_type' );



/**

* Modify the group type status on directory pages

*/

function sv_get_the_site_group_type()

{

global $site_groups_template;



return sv_get_group_type( '', $site_groups_template->group );

}

add_filter( 'bp_get_the_site_group_type', 'sv_get_the_site_group_type' );

It’s quite a bit of code, but it should get you started. This hasn’t been tested with 1.2 btw.

“I would like to keep the home and blog slugs pointing to where they are, but fix the members and rest of the links to point to my root domain slugs.”

Then hardcode the full URL in the header above. No functions, just a web address. Easy. Works.

switch_to_blog — when abused to get numerous queries from other blog/s, or get all widgets of the main site’s sidebar, or get sets of posts, etc — is going to be a “slow function” to run. But when used for main navigation which has what, 5 to 8 links, switch_to_blog runs in a split second wherever it is placed – I just prefer to place my main nav in header.php.

If one is wary of switch_to_blog “overhead” for navigation, then easiest method is to look at source code of main site’s navigation and copy the navigation links there and paste to sub-blogs theme’s header.php or wherever they want to place it. Caveat to this method is, you’ll miss the automatic generation of new links when new plugins/components hook to bp_nav_items. This won’t happen when you use switch_to_blog and add restore_current_blog after the bp_nav_items block.

Switch to blog is considered to be a slow function to run and I wouldn’t recommend putting it in a theme header!

1. If I remember right, Jeff’s BP Privacy Options Plugin will allow the user to make profiles private. Just need to wait for the plugin upgrade for BP 1.2

2/3/5A. cosmic buddy theme – I would suggest asking Brajesh, the theme author about how to do that

5B. Yes you can create a Sitewide/global navigation bar in your blog’s themes, by using WPMU’s native switch_to_blog and restore_current_blog functions. Therefore, if you want the navbar of main site (blog_id_1) to be shown in you sub-blogs, you add the code below to your blog’s theme’s header.php

<ul id="nav"

<?php switch_to_blog('1') ?>

//copy the code from header.php of either bp-default/bp-sn-parent theme

//or the code used in main site plus any customized links you added in main site

<?php do_action( 'bp_nav_items' ); ?>

<?php restore_current_blog(); ?>

</ul>

You’ll get the correct URL’s which point to main site’s respective BP components.

1) Not aware of any existing code that does this. However, your users would only have to go into their profile and change the ‘name’ field (this is what BuddyPress uses).

2) I think the addon you want is called “Plugin Commander.”

3) All of the core BuddyPress features are detailed on https://codex.buddypress.org/developer-docs/custom-buddypress-loops/ which you can use to integrate bits of functionality wherever you want. As far as third-party plugins goes, it is dependant on how the plugin author wrote their plugin.

4) Have you looked at new BP theme on http://testbp.org/? That and BP 1.2 should be released mid/late January.

5) Haven’t got time to discuss how to fix but look at trac.buddypress.org/ticket/1501

does the installation actually create “members”, “groups”, etc blogs

No, those are simply slugs that are appended to the URI.

To help us better troubleshoot your issue, please answer these questions.

@Peter Why would you ask that question in this thread? I’m sure Bowe can tell you how many are in the Dutch BP community in a less non-sequitor thread, no?

@Bowe Nice 1st attempt. t has many elements Andy is trying to capture in 1.2 default theme. I appreciate everyone’ kinds words. My objective is to try and force myself to view this from the perspective of he user. I have a userbase that has a few quirky characteristics: ages 17-90, usually very bright but many find this whole area unintuitive. lastly, they all want to engage with each other. So…every element on the site has to promote that re-connection and engagement…intuitively. As an example, a place to tweet from my site won’t turn many on. Not because they aren’t on Twitter, but they don’t come to the site to do it, don’t usually want to tweet about what they are doing on the site and the added convenience of tweeting from within the site isn’t worth the real estate. Still – it’s a great idea for other sites.

Back to our issue: in a nod to @jjj’s original point, we have a set of groups (graduating class groups) in which users are auto joined upon sign up (having been required to input class year) Now, this is a group that everyone already is “friends” with. There is merit to some sort of auto-friending action which is being proxied by joining the group. Most users on the site seek out their year group and friend them. Maybe we should keep it that way (let’s you keep your distance from the jerks in your class) but we could also do more in making the process easier.

As we start from scratch and redesign the sight with the new parent/chile & 1.2 functionality we will focus on the following questions: What’s going on in the things I care about? e.g groups and friends and What is going on in the site that I might care about? Focus on too much of the former and users miss out on a lot. Too much of the latter and it doesn’t feel like a personal experience of connection and engagement.

The last thing we need o NOT lose sight of: As we connect, sync and add inter-operability to all of our components, how we present all this activity to the user will make or break the success of the site. Actions and activity need to be where the user expects them to be. Not cause we just threw it in there. It can’t appear out of place or cobbled together. Many a site has blown off this aspect and wondered why the user behaviors on their site are erratic. Example (minor but critical) On testbp.org a user made a post onto a topic in the BP testers group. That topic has 3 pages of replies. When you click View Thread you are taken to the topic’s 1st page. There are pros and cons to this. Pro: you get to start from the beginning and go thru all replies Con: you have to start from the beginning and goes thru all replies….or make your way to the end . Now you can reply from the bottom of the 1st page but you will actually never see the reply whose View Thread link you clicked on, so the user is often mis-oriented. I know I digress, but my users have written me to emphasize that it was often the person who made the reply that prompted them to click View Thread and then they never see that reply again.

The point is, it’s the user and his relationship to other users (friend or not) that often drives behavior and expectations. That’s why adding avatars to all activity completely changes a feel of a site and makes it seem personal.

1: Yes that’s right.. you can easily show recent blogs from your entire network by placing a widget on your homepage:

https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/bp-paginated-posts/

If you want to have one blog which collects and displays all blogs in a single blog form you can use this plugin:

https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wordpress-mu-sitewide-tags/

2: This is also possible.. just make a blog and make it only viewable for subscribers (members) of your site!

Good luck

I have a couple of lazy questions.

1. Will BP 1.2 still support the 1.1 default theme if people still want to use it?

Edit: Yes

1(b). Is the wire totally dead, or just not used in the new theme?

Edit: I am guessing it must still be there if the old theme is still supported.

2. Is there any kind of timeline as to when the new default theme will be considered safe to start working on plugin support? I want to avoid any extra iterations due to sudden changes in direction.

Edit: Late January?

Ok, that was three.

I did see the version of WPMU and BP that you’re currently running. But the other questions in the link that I provided are asked because they help determine other possible issues with your setup. So, please answer those questions so that I, or someone else, does not have to reask them one at a time in this post.

It seems that you are more than likely using an older theme, one that is not compatible with the version of BP that you’re running.

Please answer these questions so that we can better understand your setup:

https://buddypress.org/forums/topic/when-asking-for-support

Hmm, your the third one on the forum having trouble with this.

We might get some clarification if you answer these questions.

https://buddypress.org/forums/topic/when-asking-for-support

Signup questions and codes are a good supplement to the other methods but are also ultimately fallible. In the same way that Captcha is rendered ineffective by human relay attack, so to are questions; it will just take time for spammers to catch on.

It seems to me that the way forward is to incrementally roll out new defences, only presenting new defences when the old ones have been broken. As soon as lots of sites use a defence, that defence will probably soon be doomed to failure: spammers will only take the time to develop new exploits when a particular method of defence becomes popular. I believe this is the only reason why the hidden fields method currently works: its not sufficiently popular to bother coding an exploit for it (even though such a task would take about five minutes).