Here’s a very good one. It uses jQuery, which is included in WordPress.
Once you have the javascript and css in place the menu is not dramatically different from what comes with default templates – ul li etc.
If you can build a WordPress theme, building a BuddyPress theme is not very hard – it is just larger.
The idea with the included bphome/bpmember themes is to be a skeleton framework to build off of. It shows how to use all of the included functions and loops in a way that makes the output of each element clear and concise.
It might not be the cleanest theme available, but it’s a great start if you’re learning BP or you need to understand what files do what for what reasons.
In my opinion, an experienced BP developer should be able to create a unique template starting from the bphome/bpmember themes and working outwards, within a few days. There’s no doubt that BP themes are extremely involved, but that’s likely to change as the platform matures and WordPress better supports theme locations and child themes.
Long story short, you’re probably right, but don’t expect the included theme to get much fancier. (Look at WordPress and bbPress for example. Both included original themes are very primitive in their designs.)
I have to install WordPress MU in the root directory because I want that a domain point to the buddypress blog (/community), so I got the same error. If I install WordPress MU in a folder all works fine but then the visitors see the right url (/net/wp) and not the domain. Could it be that this is a buddypress bug?
Jfcarter,
Have a look at the pods plugin for wordpress at http://pods.uproot.us/
I am trying to use it to create company profiles. Maybe we can combine efforts.
You have to download and install WordPress MU – https://mu.wordpress.org/
It looks like you are trying to install BuddyPress under single-user WordPress.
BP currently requires the multi-user version of WordPress. Read this and follow the link in point one: https://codex.buddypress.org/getting-started/installing-buddypress/
Some people have suggested installing WP Hashcash to block signups, though I haven’t tried it myself.
But you’re saying that someone signed up on your BP install with the Facebook Connect plugin?
So it sounds like a problem with the FB plugin… not sure though.
Sounds like DJPaul suspects the same thing!
Are you on a shared hosting plan?
I suggest that you contact your hosting company and ask for the assistance in figuring out what is going on.
Also, Automattic’s VIP hosting is provided to just a very few, select, large clients. It is not something you can simply decide to purchase.
So, my guess is that, yes, Automattic will offer BuddyPress installs to their very few VIP clients, but it will not be available to the vast majority of users.
http://en.wordpress.com/vip-hosting/
Suprise, suprise! It’s running. I’ve installed WordPress MU in a folder in a folder and now it’s running. But don’t ask me why the root installation doesn’t work with buddypress in a folder.
Just go to http://ww2.toksta.com and create an account and setup your chat the way you want it and click ‘Create Script’ and choose ‘WordPress’, upload it to the /wp-content/plugins dir and follow the readme file directions. It does work because I have it working on my site right now.
http://jjunltd.com
Is the eshop plugin a buddypress plugin really? If it is designed to work with WordPress, it does not hook into the menu functions etc that BuddyPress uses. Contact the author of that plugin and talk to him/her about it.
What do you mean by “menus and new tabs”? If you create a plugin, you can add custom menu items related to your plugin through various hooks (see the Skeleton Component for examples), but there are no built-in drag’n’drop functions for it.
Jeff,
Your analysis in the paragraph above outlines exactly what users can expect or aim to acheive with shared hosting. The fact that it can be installed and operated is one thing, providing a desirable user experience is another.
The restrictions on shared hosting though may allow for a WPMU installation but not provide enough flexibility for some BuddyPress plugins to work, but as you say too many variables to be discussed here.
If BuddyPress does end up supporting single-user wordpress I’m sure that the net will undoubtedly widen.
I’m running WordPress µ 2.8.2:
You are using WordPress MU 2.8.2.
I don’t know the version of BuddyPress but I downloaded the latest one (at this site)
The showcase site Wannanetwork’s community is down, there’s a news posting saying that they “have pushed the limits of WordPress” and that they are experiencing server problems.
I’d like to have Maxaud’s feedback on BP after running what seems to be a pretty high traffic site for months.
As for the “Showcase”, it deserves a cleanup, many sites are down
hatiro-
The reason that the specific question of the OP is a WPMU issue is that he was asking whether a shared hosting account will be sufficient to run BP. Since BuddyPress is a WPMU plugin, what matters, then, is whether WPMU can successfully run on a shard hosting account.
I provided several links for him to begin his education.
In short, of course you can install WPMU + BP + bbP on many shared hosting accounts. But, whether that will provide a desirable user experience or support more than a few 10s to 100s of active users depends on too many variables to be discussed here. The underlying functionality of WPMU is paramount to the overall site functionality. If your site’s access to server resources is too limited, you will have issues quickly.
Perhaps once BuddyPress supports single-user WordPress, the options for hobbyists, as you call them, will be better.
Thanks for responding DJPaul!
I guess the hook would be this:
user_register
Runs when a user’s profile is first created. Action function argument: user ID.
Or maybe this?
register_post
Runs before a new user registration request is processed.
I have a wish list of things I need to do with input from the registration form:
1. synchronize fullname with wp_usermeta firstname + last name
2. autogenerate username/blogurl from fullname
3. add new user to the ListMessenger mailing list
They all require taking input from the registration form, processing the input and then storing the results in specific database tables. I’m trying to puzzle together one or more plugins to do that.
Information on upgrading single-user WP to WPMU can be found on the WPMU forums.
As far as this question:
I have a good many members and would like to know how to add them as a community member or does this automatically do this on install?
BuddyPress does not do any importing of your existing members. There is a plugin that can help though: https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/user-import-for-buddypress-all-fields/
I am not sure if that plugin is yet compatible with 1.0.3.
I think if you rename your /plugins and /mu-plugins (or whatever it’s called; the name escapes me) to something else, that’ll automatically deactivate them when WordPress tries to visit them. I think you have to visit your admin backend for this auto deactivation to happen.
OH! and when I went to check my error log to try and pin point the exact location of the error – all of my logs had been completely and totally WIPED. it showed zero errors. how weird is that?
Check you are looking at the correct file. Sometimes I chase errors then I realise I’m looking at an old log or the wrong file (doh!)
Hey James, thanks for the reply… I am pretty sure I could do it with a little help – it can’t be more complicated than forums platforms as you say… there is no ‘recipe’ out there yet so there is a chance to explore new territory 
I don’t really think it ‘competes’ – they are both GPL community platforms, ccHost being more niche for sure, but I think a social site with creative commons music functionality would be a killer direction for buddypress…
This seems to be a lifetime project for me (yesmate.com) – starting back in the days before wordpress, when open-source CMS were rare… I am in no hurry 
Perhaps it would be better to design some plug-ins for WP/BP that emulate what ccHost does (I know from trying to subscribe to an ‘editors picks’ feed on cMixter via my n95 that WP does RSS and pretty URLs better lol).
Peaces
Thank you!!!
Your answer was very helpful to me
http://graduatebuddy.com/ uses WordPress MU 2.8.2, BuddyPress 1.0.3, bbPress 1.0
comment system needs to be improved, had to go to 9th page to post this comment, there should be a link somewhere of the top of first page, and the from should be at the bottom of every page intensedebate if could be made compatible would be a great plus
now the BuddyPress install:
http://graduatebuddy.com/
it uses a wordpress MU 2.8.2 , BuddyPress 1.0.3, bbPress 1.0
