Topic: Question: WordPress User Roles and BuddyPress

Question: WordPress User Roles and BuddyPress

desha
Member

@desha

14 years ago

Hi (and thanks in advance for your replies):

I am new to the software stack, but I just now successfully installed and configured WordPress 3.0.1 with the current version of BuddyPress, the PageLines Platform Theme and several WordPress plug-ins.

My goal is to have a private community site, and I seem to have that now, but I’d like to understand the relationship between WordPress roles and BuddyPress members. If my goal with this site is primarily to support members who participate in group discussions and perhaps comment on articles that I post (as a WordPress admin or author), should I only give those users Subscriber roles? It’s not clear to me what BuddyPress members are allowed to do independently or dependent of their WordPress user role status. I’d appreciate a little explanation.

Thank you.

Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 15 total)

Paul Wong-Gibbs
Keymaster

@djpaul

14 years ago

Other than site admin checks, BuddyPress doesn’t use or check for specific roles or capabilities anywhere. So, in terms of regular users, there is no difference between a subscriber and a contributor for the BuddyPress features.

desha
Member

@desha

14 years ago

Thank you Paul.

Paul Wong-Gibbs
Keymaster

@djpaul

14 years ago

I forgot to add it’s something we’re adding to BuddyPress 1.3, however.

pabloroboto
Member

@pabloroboto

14 years ago

Desha – good question. Paul – thanks for chiming in. What’s confusing, however, is that if I leave the “subscriber” role selected as the default for new users as part of the WP admin panel, a new user can still access the admin panel (and perform the normal Buddypress participation activities also). That said, if I select “blocked.” the user cannot see the /wp-admin console at all, but can still interact with the social/buddypress features …

Could you please provide some insight on why/how that happens?

Thanks again — great plugin!

Paul Wong-Gibbs
Keymaster

@djpaul

14 years ago

Sure. In terms of WordPress user roles, WordPress cares only about two – admins, and everyone else. Admins can of course do everything, and everyone else can do everything *that BuddyPress provides*.

I will check into what the “blocked” role does, and if need be, I’ll patch BuddyPress. I’ll update this thread later.

nick_man
Member

@nick_man

13 years, 11 months ago

Very helpful. Thanks.

Paul Wong-Gibbs
Keymaster

@djpaul

13 years, 11 months ago

Just checking in; haven’t had time to look, but haven’t forgotten.

ewebber
Participant

@ewebber

13 years, 11 months ago

I’m pretty interested in this too, I had my members set as “members” but have just noticed this has allowed someone to submit a blog post to the site which I don’t want.

sakyant
Member

@sakyant

13 years, 3 months ago

i had a mail from soneone sayng joined but couldnt log in
i then looked on users and saw everyone is automaticallyy registered as a subscirber, which my logic would say reader and recieve feed updates but cant comment etc

what i need is that people can make groups themself and also post in the groups and forums, but not make blog posts or create or edit pages
I see no way to change or modify permissions, and there is no interface explainig the differences in permissions between subscriber and members, contributors editors and authors.. editor will have pages and posts i thin and author will just have blog section open ??

but member and subscriber.. what more can a member do what a subscriber can not? and if no difference, why in hell have two member roles for the same permissions?

truelux
Participant

@truelux

13 years, 1 month ago

any updates on this? I’m following – http://cleverness.org/2011/01/27/updated-buddypress-user-roles-code/ but afraid to mess things up!

Pk
Member

@avpk729

12 years, 11 months ago

Hi, this link shows the roles and levels of access each role has. I think the best way would be to put ‘subscriber’ as the default user level. this way they won’t have access to /wp-admin/ page.
https://codex.wordpress.org/Roles_and_Capabilities

Pk
Member

@avpk729

12 years, 11 months ago

#update – sorry they will have access to the /wp-admin/ page but it will have no functionality.
The previous link I posted clarifies the role capabilities well. If that is your primary confusion.

nsbp001
Participant

@nsbp001

11 years, 9 months ago

In a BP installation (sitting on top Multisite WP) is there a difference in terms of Role between an extra user on a site, and user that has their own site?

Slava Abakumov
Moderator

@slaffik

11 years, 9 months ago

Each user in the network can have different roles on different sites.
That mean on site1 he is editor, on site2 he is subscriber and so on. These roles are only taken into account in WordPress Toolbar – when visiting different sites with the (dis)ability to post on them.

BuddyPress itself currently ignores those roles.

nsbp001
Participant

@nsbp001

11 years, 9 months ago

I have 4 separate WP 3.5.1 and BP 1.6.4 installations. I have connected them via the CUSTOM_USER_TABLE CUSTOM_USER_META_TABLE’ lines in the wp-config.php file. I have also installed the WP Orphan plugin.

When a person goes to one installation to register they will be given a user account and a blog site. When they go to one of the other installations they are there as a user but not having a site. In the admin listing of users, they are listed as a user in the ‘/’ (or admin) site, presumably as Subscriber role.

If I wanted the user to have sites the other installations as well being users what would I have to do then? Would I change the role to ‘Editor’ in the Orphan plugin, or is there another database that I would have to share?