I would suggest making a copy of bp columns ie making a directory in your themes directory called my-columns and putting all the contents of bp-columns in it.
Then redo the details at the top of the style.css sheet – change:
` Theme Name: BP Columns `
to:
` Theme Name: My Columns `
leave
`Template: bp-default`
as it is.
Then you should find My Columns available to activate in the appearance > themes > Manage themes area.
Then make your changes to the new directory which is / will still be a child of bp-default…
Do not touch the bp default theme.
Thanks aces,
I think I understand, but all the CSS style changes in Columns are borrowed from BP Default. Wouldn’t I need to save those style changes made in Default somewhere also? so when Default is upgraded I won’t lose all the style changes I made…This is where I pretty much get lost as to how not to lose the style changes when I’m using the Columns child theme and style changes are required to be made in BP default because Columns child does not have it’s own CSS — ? its sort of confusing to me.
Nope. Just make the changes @aces gave you, and you’ll be ready to edit how you please 
You’ll only to change the css in your new my_columns theme.
my-columns will have it’s own style.css (as it is a clone of bp columns which has one) and that is where you change the font sizes and colours etc. It will overwrite the css in buddypress default theme. So you could change the font size by writing
`body {
font-size: 14px;
}`
in the my columns style.css file….
You can quite often see what needs to be changed using developer tools built into ie8 or firebug in firefox (and equivalents for other browsers). Firebug has a neat trick of being able to show changes as you make them….
As you are creating a child of bp default your changes won’t be lost when bp default is upgraded… bp columns is now a different theme and if it is upgraded you would need to compare the changes manually…
I actually used this method with bp columns to create the child of bp default I used here
You might also find https://codex.buddypress.org/theme-development/building-a-buddypress-child-theme/ useful if you haven’t already seen it!
aces/brandon…I really appreciate your help…I think I grasp it and if I don’t, how much damage can I do anyways? (other than having it all disappear)…I’m working on it in a test site, so if worse comes to worse, hopefully I will be able to undo whatever I did to mess it up. I’m printing your answers so I can follow them word for word Again, My thanks……
You can never do damage if you just follow a simple principle: make a copy of the file you intend working on, then when you mess up and can’t unravel things, simply revert the copied file to the original filename and you are back where you started.
hnla,
Thanks for the tip…I hadn’t thought of that. Not being a developer/programmer and being a brand new BP user, I’m wrapped up just trying to work & find my way through all the other issues….Easy to lose focus. Thanks
