Los foros de discusión han existido durante casi tanto tiempo como Internet. Incluso antes de que la World Wide Web se hiciera popular, la gente estaba compartiendo información y discutiendo temas utilizando sistemas de tablones de anuncios de servidores terminales. De hecho, mis primeras experiencias con Internet en 1998 giraron en torno a las salas de chat y los foros de discusión de AOL (vaya, miro hacia atrás con nostalgia a esos días felices).
The forum de discusión moderno conserva la idea central de lo que ahora es un concepto muy bien establecido: compartir información y discutir temas, pero ha llegado a ser un complemento liviano para WordPress que se puede instalar en cuestión de minutos.
I'm talking about bbPress - he software de foro de WordPress creado por los mismos que crearon WordPress. En esta publicación voy a explicar exactamente qué es bbPress, por qué es factible que lo necesite y al mismo tiempo le mostraré cómo instalarlo.
Why you need bbPress
The bbPress feature set is not as comprehensive as dedicated forum software, such as phpBB or vBulletinSo why use it? There are some compelling reasons for this.
- Is light. El software del foro está tradicionalmente inflado, lleno de agujeros de seguridad y un verdadero drenaje para su server. La última versión de bbPress (v2.5.13) es fácil de usar y de Open Source, por lo que puede modificar el complemento según be necesario.
- It is fully integrated with WordPress. This benefit goes beyond ease of installation. bbPress takes advantage of the WordPress user management system and has access to the vast WordPress plugin repository, where you will find a decent number of specific plugins that are compatible with bbPress. One of these is BuddyPress, una plantilla para una social network basada en WordPress que realmente usa bbPress para fomentar sus foros.
- Personalization is easy. bbPress has a unique advantage over other forum programs when it comes to customizing the style of your forum. Since it is designed for WordPress, there are many amazing themes (like the Total WordPress Theme) designed specifically for bbPress, so changing the look of your forum is as easy as changing your theme.
If you want to start a traditional ad management panel or a new social network, then bbPress is probably not for you (although check out BuddyPress as a basis for the latter!)
A pesar de todo, si desea agregar un elemento de comunidad a un Blog existente o un área de soporte para sus clientes, será difícil encontrar algo más adecuado que bbPress.
What is bbPress?
Cualquier propietario de un sitio debe entender lo que sucede dentro de sus complementos. bbPress es simplemente tres tipos de publicaciones personalizadas, algunas plantillas de diseño, un sistema de códigos cortos, un par de widgets y código CSS. ¡Por eso se llama ligero!
Types of custom posts
The three types of custom posts are:
- Forums: containing each discussion forum you create, making it possible to create a hierarchy of forums
- Topics: containing each discussion thread (the title and the opening post)
- Answers: containing each individual response to a topic
Designs
The standard layout templates are suitable for most cases. As an example, the theme layout will display a list of themes with the following information:
- Topic name
- Who started the topic and in which forum started it
- The amount of persons involucradas en una conversación (voces)
- The number of responses to the topic.
- (And surely) How long ago was the last answer and who made it?
Los distintos items se pueden diseñar con CSS para adaptarse mejor a su blog, pero si desea realizar cambios sustanciales en la estructura, deberá sentirse cómodo con PHP o comprar un tema como Total que ofrece opciones de estilo personalizadas integradas.
Shortcodes and widgets
bbPress simplifies the visualization of the different forum items wherever you want by means of a series of shortcodes and widgets. This is actually a formidably powerful feature that enables you to consider usability and responsive design.
As an example, you can create a page that lists the latest topics with a selection of the most popular posts highlighted in your sidebar using just a shortcode and a widget. If you decide you prefer a more traditional forum layout that lists categories, you can change things up in minutes.
To give you an idea of flexibility, refer to the codex to see all 19 bbPress shortcodes.
The included widgets are:
- Forum List
- Recent replies
- Recent Topics
- Topic view list
- Look for
- Login widget
- Statistics
El widget de inicio de sesión es sobre todo útil, puesto que muestra un formulario de inicio de sesión a los visitantes y un link de perfil a los usuarios registrados.
Installation
If you decide to give bbPress a try, installation couldn't be easier.
Install bbPress via the WordPress directory
Just search for bbPress in the WordPress plugin directory, hit install, and you're done (or, if you want to use the plugin as a base for development, or just for a closer look, you can download a copy of the WordPress plugin repository).
Install bbPress through a WordPress theme
Your other option is to install the plugin via your WordPress theme (if it offers the option). As an example, the Total WordPress theme is not only fully compatible with bbPress, but includes a ready-to-use, easy-to-import bbPress demo.
Just head over to Themeforest and purchase Total (one of the popular and top-rated drag-and-drop WordPress themes on the web), install and activate it, then navigate to Theme Panel> Demo Importer (Note: this is exclusive to Total, most themes will not include this awesome easy to use feature).
From here search for “bbpress” and then click on the demo to begin.
Once you click on Total, you will be prompted to install the necessary plugins, which for this case includes bbPress. Just click on each plugin to install and activate it.
Una vez hecho esto, Total le ofrece la opción de especificar qué partes de la demostración le gustaría importar. Para la demostración de Total bbPress, asegúrese de que todos los cuadros de datos de muestra XML, imágenes, configuraciones de personalizador de temas y widgets estén configurados para que su sitio web tenga un aspecto idéntico al de la demostración en vivo.
Cuando se complete la importación, debería ver un mensaje como el anterior. Esto significa que su contents de muestra y bbPress están listos para funcionar.
Basic bbPress setup
Once bbPress is installed and active, you will notice the three new custom post types in the admin menu and a bbPress page in the Settings menu.
Before diving in and creating your dream forum, spend some time on the settings menu. Navigate to Settings> Forums.
En particular, querrá modificar la configuración de spam, que incluye:
- Acceleration time: el número mínimo de segundos permitido entre nuevas respuestas del mismo Username
- Allow anonymous posting: Disable this to require a user to sign up for an account to post a topic or reply
Once you've done this, it's good to create several sample forums, topics, and responses (preferably from several different user accounts) before you start modifying the layout. With dummy data, you are more likely to spot things that need to be fixed with CSS, especially on mobile devices. Fortunately for you, if you've selected to use the Total theme sample demo, you're ready to move on to customizations!
BbPress customization
To customize bbPress, you really need to be a developer ... or use one of the following cheat methods to customize your forum style without knowing how to code.
Option 1: use your theme settings
First of all, if you decided to use a theme that offers additional bbPress options, you should first look there. Navigate to Appearance> Customize to edit options.
Specifically under the bbPress section (such as Total) to select the default page layout for forums, topics, and user pages. After that, use the settings Typography for custom fonts and less General theme options for accent colors, Page header title selections, Forms styling Links and buttons customizations and more to match the design to your brand.
Option 2: use a live CSS editor plugin
If by chance your theme doesn't offer any styling options, or just doesn't offer the ones you're looking for, you may want to consider a live CSS editor plugin. These plugins allow you to point, click and edit items on your website using simple styling options (no code required). Here are our two favorites:
- Yellow pencil: This plugin is one of our favorites. Just install and click "Let's Get Started" to start customizing your website. Want to learn more? Check out our full Yellow Pencil user guide to see how the plugin works and what features are included.
- CSShero: Equivalent to the plugin above, CSShero offers a super easy to use point and click interface for editing styles, colors, fonts, spacing, and more. Take a look at how this plugin works in our CSShero guide to customizing WordPress.
Recommended bbPress Add-ons
As previously mentioned, bbPress is easy to extend through a large number of plugins. Here are a few that we think you would like to consider to add more features and options to your forums.
Ultimate Member bbPress Addition
Add options for easy user registration, advanced profiles, and even memberships with the Ultimate Member plugin. This extensible option fully integrates with bbPress so you can give your forum members more to enjoy.
Bbp style package
Want to add some basic styling options to your bbPress forum? Try bbp Style Pack. This free plugin adds options to customize styling, links, display features, and more.
bbPress Notify (no spam)
This plugin sends an email notification to users when new topics and / or responses are posted. This is useful if you are operating a support forum and need a particular person to answer questions on a particular forum, by way of example.
GD bbPress tools
One of the most comprehensive bbPress plugins available, this adds BBCode support, user signatures, additional custom views, responsive quotes, as well as some additional management features.
The best solution for forums?
It's lightweight, fast, and easy to install, but is bbPress the best forum solution for your WordPress blog? There's only one way to find out: get a copy, install it on your site, and start experimenting!
Now is the time to receive your feedback. Are you a bbPress user? Do you see bbPress as the best forum solution for WordPress users or do you prefer an alternative solution? What is your experience adding a community element to your blog?
Give us your answers to the questions above in the comment sections below. Alternatively, if you have any other comments or questions, shoot!
