bbPress is set to blossum according to recent news posted about the future for bbpress at the bbPress blog. I think that this will eventually lead to more streamlined bbPress and Wordpress integration mechanisms and make the job of integrating themes across these great web apps more straight-forward.

I’d like to see some Wordpress plugins with template tags that enable components of bbPress to be easily displayed in the context of Wordpress pages, widgets or posts.

I’d also like to see a private messaging facility that wpmu, wordpress and bbPress can all benefit from.

What new features would you like to see? 

There is a great utility I found today for optimising PNG files. You simply drag a file onto the application icon and ping does its job. This is an OSX utility so is only available for Macs. The author’s website seems to have closed however I found a download at MacUpdate.

Ping! 1.0.1 - MacUpdate via kwout

bbPress 0.8.3.1 has been released. This is a minor update to bbPress.I have run some tests on my dev server and have not identified any need to update the bbPressRaw blank themes. The addition of the breadcrumbs did not require the themes to be modified since the default template files are automatically loaded.Please leave a comment if you identify any problems using these themes with bbPress 0.8.3.1.

It can be tricky to develop a bbPress theme if you are not very familiar with CSS and HTML. This is made more difficult by the need to copy theme files to remote FTP server so you can test them. Even if you’re a pro this can be time consuming!

You can save some time if you develop and test your themes directly on your own computer rather than a remote server. Many will find that the recipe for setting up an adequately configured HTTP server with PHP and MySQL involves a mixed bag of ingredients - including newt’s eyes!

Pre-configured Apache (HTTP) / MySQL (database)/ PHP stacks have been available for a long time on the Linux platform. These are also available on Windows and Mac OSX. My personal favourites are:

• Apache2Triad (Windows); and
• MAMP (Mac OSX).

These systems provide all you need to install development installations of bbPress on your own computer! Apache2triad has configuration pages that run through your browser. It also includes simple status bar tools for starting, stopping and restarting the apache server. MAMP includes a control panel application and a dashboard widget for managing your apache installation. Both systems include phpMyAdmin which makes setting up a MySQL database for you test site a breeze!

I have historically used a mix of Linux servers on my local network for development sites. I have recently started using the professional MAMP Pro on my MacBook for this purpose. This allows me to take my development projects on the road. MAMP Pro provides more advanced configuration than the standard MAMP package provides.

Before switching to the Mac I used to take development projects on the road using apache2triad. I once spent 12 hours developing a website using apache2triad whilst on a day ferry crossing to Tasmania.

Note:
I also recommend that you setup some form of mail server on your local network if this is not otherwise available. This is essential if you need to test the e-mail notifications used by bbPress. Setting up a mail server is not for the faint-hearted and is beyond the scope of this discussion.

An ounce of html, a dash of php and a sprinkling of CSS … developing a theme for bbPress can be fiddly. This post provides you with some ingredients and a recipe to make the process easier.

Read the rest of this entry »

bbPress is a forum … ? Right ? … Yes - so it should show the forums as tables that look more like table.

I have created new versions of all of the blank bbPress forum themes to provide a slightly more tabular style. This will give you a starting point that seems more natural.

Other minor changes include:

• Layout-specific CSS rules into a separate CSS file called layout.css;
• Bug in 2-column themes has been fixed - this were not showing sticky topics correctly on the front page; and
• Some of the template files are using the template tags added by bbPress 0.8.3 that are prefixed with bb_.

The updates can be found on the bbpress theme downloads page.

Enjoy!

The theme switcher plugin has now been installed and can be used to preview the blank / raw bbPress themes. Go to the bbprressraw forums to access the theme switcher (look for a drop-down box at the bottom of the page).

My bbpress blank themes are now available! The themes are available on the theme downloads page.

The themes have been tested with and are compatible with bbPress 0.8.3. Please post any issues in the forums.

A great new resource for bbPress forum administrators and web designers will be launching here soon. I’ve prepared a bunch of blank themes to use as a starting point for developing your own custom bbPress themes. I have developed a number of theme variations. These themes were inspired by the free blank Wordpress themes at Tomorrows Laundry.

Once I have finished testing the themes and created the download tarballs and zipballs they’ll be made available on the theme download page.