Getting Started With WPMU and BuddyPress – Part 2: Installing BuddyPress

After part one, where we installed WPMU, in this, part two, we’ll be installing and getting started with BuddyPress.

Step 1: Log in

This really is simple. Log in and select the ‘Plugins’ tab from the list down the side. Simple step done. Could get a bit more complicated from here on in.

Step 2: The installation

You’ll then be greeted by a page looking like the one below (unless you’ve fiddled about). Select the option in the picture and you’ll be at the (familiar) standard WordPress plugins page. In the search box, type in ‘BuddyPress’ and hit search. On the next page, find BuddyPress and select ‘install’. Then activate BuddyPress and you’re done! Or sort of. Not…

Step 3: Moving stuff about

Here’s where it gets vaguely difficult. Fire up your FTP client and locate /wp-content/plugins/buddypress/. Next thing to do is download the bp-themes file. It doesn’t matter where to; you can delete it in a sec. Once the file is downloaded, we’re going to upload it again. Just to keep things simple (you might be able to do this without downloading in some FTP clients, but the majority don’t support this). Navigate to /wp-content/ and re-upload the file. Final thing to do is open up the bp-themes file you just downloaded and upload the bphome file within it to /wp-content/themes/. You can then delete the bp-themes file.

Step 4: Activate!

Now that you’ve installed BuddyPress and moved some folders about, visit your installation’s homepage and you’ll see it’s…. the same. Next, we’re going to activate the BuddyPress theme. The the backend, select the options ‘Themes’ under the ‘Site Admin’ menu. You’ll see one theme option ‘BuddyPress Default Home Theme’ that hasn’t been activated. Select the ‘Yes’ radio box and then click ‘Update Themes’.

Step 5: Default theming

Theming is something that we’ll cover more in part three (if you’re not already, make sure you grab the RSS feed so you don’t miss the post!). In the meantime, select the ‘Appearance’ tab, then click the BuddyPress default theme and click activate in the top right hand corner. Check the homepage again and you should see something like this:

Step 6: Have a play around

Now that you’ve installed BuddyPress, have a play around. There’s so much stuff to do, it’d be hard to highlight it all now, so you’ll have to find it out yourself :P. Next time we’ll be installing some more themes and some other stuff – if you want to suggest something, leave a comment. Make sure you’ve got the RSS feed so you don’t miss the next post!