Add all BP tables to $wpdb

[slaFFik]

So it will be much easier to retrieve them, the same like $wpdb->posts or $wpdb->postmeta.

Currently only some of the tables are added: wp_bp_groups_groupmeta is added while wp_bp_groups is not.

[boonebgorges]

Can you say more about how they're easier to retrieve? $wpdb->bp_groups vs buddypress()->groups->table_name? It's not that I'm totally opposed, I just don't want to do it without good reason.

The meta tables are special cases - we put them there because WP's meta functions need them.

[slaFFik]

And that's the point. It's not consistent - some tables are available in $wpdb, others are not.
I have a habit to use $wpdb to retrieve DB table names (which is good, imo). And now in custom queries where post types are mapped to some groups (so wp_posts, wp_postmeta and wp_bp_groups etc in 1 query) I need to use different approach in getting table names.

I strongly believe, that:

$data = $wpdb->get_results($wpdb->prepare("SELECT ... FROM {$wpdb->posts}, {$wpdb->postmeta}, {$wpdb->bp_groups} WHERE ...", $data)); 

looks better, than:

$db_bp_groups = buddypress()->groups->table_name;
$data = $wpdb->get_results($wpdb->prepare("SELECT ... FROM {$wpdb->posts}, {$wpdb->postmeta}, {$db_bp_groups} WHERE ...", $data)); 

[johnjamesjacoby]

I tend to agree; they probably do belong in $wpdb.

We'll either need to add them to the BuddyPress class to maintain backwards compatibility, or add support for them in a magic getter method to pull from $wpdb when requested.

[DJPaul]

I don't really think there's any point. Consistency for consistency's sake here doesn't seem to offer any benefits. Adding them to let us use the WP meta API was the only reason we added what we already have.

If you want to patch them in, I don't mind, but I don't think we want to change all our buddypress()->groups->table_name etc queries in our SQL statements to use the wpdb syntax unless you have a really great reason.

[boonebgorges]

I don't see a huge benefit myself, but there's also no harm in putting them there.

[DJPaul]

This has had no traction over two years nor any new demand, so let's not do this.