Refactor group forums component to use bbPress 2.0+ plugin

[boonebgorges]

This ticket should be deprecated in favor of more specific tickets when the time comes; consider this a placeholder for our roadmap.

A straightfoward port would require:

• Replacing all calls to BB_Query with corresponding calls to bbPress 2.0 API
• Replacing all calls to bbPress 1.0 template functions (like the tag cloud stuff) with corresponding WP-only functions
• Deprecating the BPDB class and the other machinery intended to integrate bbPress 1.0 databases with the WP database

We may also talk about the possibility of rethinking the necessity of the connections between forums and groups, and what ramifications it has for UI, etc.

[johnjamesjacoby]

I have a plan for this, and it might actually fall more into bbPress 2.1 than it does BuddyPress 1.6. Will be out for the next ten days, but will put some thought together after Sept. 29 to start some discussion.

[johnjamesjacoby]

Talked it out in BP core dev chat today. This one is all mine.

[boonebgorges]

Sweet. Please share (ideas and code) as you move along. I'd like us to have a clear strategy with respect to the deprecation of (or refactoring of, as the case may be) the existing bp-forums component - templates, API functions, etc. That way we'll be able to do plenty of planning and publicity regarding how plugin authors and site admins should proceed with existing forum-related plugins, etc.

FWIW, if we *do* decide to deprecate the existing bp-forums altogether, I think that we have to have break it into a separate plugin and have it ready for release on 1.6 release day, for those who don't want to convert to the new bbPress and lose compat with their old plugins and templates.

The other possibility is to refactor as much of the existing bp-forums infrastructure as we can to use the new bbPress, including BP wrappers for bbp template tags (for template backpat).

Anyway, looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

[boonebgorges]

Bump.

IMO this is one of the two killer features of the 1.6 BP release (alongside the new Dashboard/Akismet Activity stuff). But, it's getting very close to our planned release, and I'm not sure where things stand.

I think we need to have at least a week or two to mess with this in our dev environments *before* going into beta, as it's pretty extensive, and there will probably be lots of little stuff to fix. That means that if we were to see it in the next couple days, we would probably still be cool for a xmas-ish beta. Otherwise, we'll have to start deciding as a team whether (a) we're going to delay the release so that we can include this feature, or (b) we're going to punt it to 1.7.

I would rather not punt, of course, but I don't want to delay BP 1.6 by more than a week or two.

[InterMike]

I think I speak for many, when I say that'd I'd happily wait a week or two so this very important feature is included :)

[anointed]

+1 to NOT punting. This is pretty much the ONE feature that most people have been waiting for.

[fanquake]

Agree with InterMike and anointed, +1 for not punting.

[modemlooper]

+1

[ploobers]

+1. This is a major reason for myself and many others not implementing BuddyPress yet.

[johnjamesjacoby]

Please see ​#BB3654 for tracking the development of this feature on the bbPress side. Most recently check ​[BB3654] for how the UI and forum creation is currently working.

Setting the overall "root forum" is the same as before, but the concept of a "root group category" doesn't yet exist, so it's a little wonky. Little kinks but overall progress is good, but late.

Also of note is a multiple to multiple relationship of forums to groups and groups to forums. Showing the same forum in multiple groups also will not be integrated yet, and may not ever be needed.

bbPress 2.1 is introducing the new concept of creating/editing/trashing/deleting/spamming forums from within the theme via a new row_actions template convention which is similar to the WordPress Admin Post-row, which opens the door for a theme to also have a "Moderator View" in the future. Lots of little things started that bbPress will get first and BuddyPress will inherit in future versions.

I'll post more details on bpdevel and bbpdevel soon.

[netweblogic]

+1 on not punting. good things are worth waiting for ;)

[johnjamesjacoby]

(In [5871]) Decouple group-forum delete from group delete function. See #3598.

[johnjamesjacoby]

(In [5872]) Rearrange group create template to move old forum creation to bottom, and simplify logic and output. See #3598.

[johnjamesjacoby]

(In [5873]) Remove 'extra step' verbiage from component setup. See #3598.

[johnjamesjacoby]

(In [5880]) Tweak Forums component description. See #3598.

[johnjamesjacoby]

(In [5881]) Fix typo from r5880. See #3598.

[johnjamesjacoby]

(In [5885]) First pass at rearranging settings and forums settings screens to accommodate bbPress 2.x migration:

• Simplify and move old bb-config.php file write logic into Settings screen
• Introduce new functions for checking what possible mode the Forums screen is in
• Deprecate old forum admin code for now, will probably be removed later
• Deprecate $bp->bbconfig setting and use bp_get_option() instead
• Clean up the Settings screen and add dedicated groups for Profiles and Forums
• See #3598
• More to do

[boonebgorges]

The core team has decided that, in order to get BP 1.6 out the door, we're going to backpedal some of r5885, and release without the complete migration to bbPress 2.x. It'll still be possible to use bbPress in the same way as in BP 1.5.x. We plan for the 1.7 dev cycle to be short, and largely dedicated to this feature.

See also #4258

[Sadr]

Replying to johnjamesjacoby:

Also of note is a multiple to multiple relationship of forums to groups and groups to forums. Showing the same forum in multiple groups also will not be integrated yet, and may not ever be needed.

I definitely think showing the same forum in multiple groups could be needed. Take these two groups for instance:

• Bear Game
• Animal Libraries

Here we're talking about a game, Bear Game, and a bunch of general purpose libraries that the game developer uses for all of his games, nicknamed Animal Libraries. The Animal Libraries group would have its Animal Libraries forum. The Bear Game group would have its Bear Game forum, and it would also benefit greatly from being able to display the Animal Libraries forum, since the majority of the activity going on in that forum that coincides with the development of the Bear Game is probably directly related to it.

More importantly though, I'd like groups to be able to show topics from one or more specific tags, just like the wp.org plugin pages. Is this functionality part of this ticket's scope?

[johnjamesjacoby]

(In [6581]) Legacy Group Forums:

• Retire bbPress 1.1 group forums component.
• Creates new "Retired" components group, where old components go to die.
• Deprecate "Forums" settings tab; use Legacy Forums Setting instead.
• Remove associated code for old forums admin UI.
• See #4493.
• Fixes #3598.