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Installing Group and Sitewide Forums

For New Installations:

The following is a step-by-step guide for installing the Group and/or Sitewide Forums  for the latest BuddyPress and bbPress plugins.

Forums Setup

Forums in BuddyPress make use of the bbPress software to function and we made it easy for you to install from the wp-admin backend with a few clicks. Depending on your community’s requirements, you can choose to:

• Set up Sitewide Forums only
• Set up Group and Sitewide Forums
• Set up Group Forums only

Forums FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions)

What’s the difference between Forums for Groups and Sitewide Forums?

Forums for Groups

Give each individual group its own discussion forum. Choose this if you’d like to keep your members’ conversations separated into distinct areas. bbPress Forums for Groups in BuddyPress are fully integrated and attached to Groups. The Group Admin has to enable the forum feature in the Group’s admin panel first.

Features:

• Group Integration
• Member Profile Integration
• Activity Stream Integration
• Forum Plugins Available
• @ Mention Integration

Site Wide Forums

Your site will have forums that are not isolated to any specific group. Choose this if you’d like to have a central forum area for your members.

Features:

• Central Discussion Area
• Member Profile Integration
• Forum Plugins Available
• Activity Stream Integration
• @ Mention Integration

From hereon forward, you’ll be using the bbPress plugin to set up your Group and/or Sitewide Forums.

A. Set Up Sitewide Forums only

1. Install and activate bbPress.
2. Proceed to bbPress.org Codex to get started in creating your Sitewide Forums.
3. If you kept the default “forums” slug in Settings > Forums, you can create a new Page via Pages > Add New. Add Title “Forums” and insert the forums index shortcode and/or other bbPress shortcode you’ll find in the bbPress Codex then publish the new page.
4. Add new “Forums” Page in your custom menu via Appearances > Menu.

B. Set Up Group and Sitewide Forums

1. Install and activate bbPress.
2. Proceed to bbPress.org Codex to get started in creating your Sitewide Forums.
3. If you kept the default “forums” slug in Settings > Forums, you can create a new Page via Pages > Add New.
4. Add Title “Forums” and insert the forums index shortcode and/or other bbPress shortcode you’ll find in the bbPress Codex.
5. Publish the new page.
6. Add new “Forums” Page in your custom menu via Appearances > Menu.
7. Create a new Forum as the “parent forum” for all of your Group Forums.
   • Go to Forums > New Forum
   • Add Title, e.g. Group Forums
   • Change Forum Attribute Type from “Forum” to “Category”
   • 
   • Add Page Order, e.g. 100 – positioning Group Forums near bottom of Sitewide Forums. Leave it at default “0” if you want it to show up above all other forums. Or adjust Page Order as necessary.
   • Click on Publish button.
8. Set up BuddyPress Group Forums in bbPress Settings
   • Go to Settings > Forums and scroll down to the BuddyPress section
   • Enable Group Forums – make sure it’s checked
   • Group Forums Parent – select “Group Forums” created in #2 above or whatever you chose to name the Forum
   • Save Settings
   • 
9. Create a Group and set up Group’s Forum
   • Go to your site’s Group’s Directory Page and click on create Group button.
   • Go through the group creation process. In Step 3, check “Yes, I want this group to have a forum.”
   • Continue through and finish the group creation process.
   • The “Forum” link is now visible in the Group’s main navigation and you and your members can now create new topics for your group’s forums.

C. Set Up Group Forums Only

1. Install and activate bbPress.
2. Go to admin dashboard menu Forums > New Forum
   • 
   • Add Title, e.g. Group Forums
   • Change Forum Attribute Type from “Forum” to “Category”
   • Click on Publish button.
3. Go to admin dashboard menu Settings > Forums to configure Forum Settings
   • BuddyPress -> Enable Group Forums: Check “Allow BuddyPress Groups to have their own forums”
   • BuddyPress -> Group Forums Parent: Select “Group Forums” category forum created in previous step.
   • Click on Save button.
   • 
4. Create a Group and set up Group’s Forum
   • Go to your site’s Group’s Directory Page and click on create Group button.
   • Go through the group creation process. In Step 3, check “Yes, I want this group to have a forum.”
   • Continue through and finish the group creation process.
   • The “Forum” link is now visible in the Group’s main navigation and you and your members can now create new topics for your group’s forums.

D. Forums: Frequently Asked Questions

How can I migrate my Group Forums to the Sitewide Forums?

Please see the main article Migrating from old forums to bbPress 2.2+.

I installed this cool bbPress add-on plugin. Will it work with the Group Forums I set up with bbPress?

Yes.

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