ForumWP Setup

Overview

This detailed guide will walk you through setting up and using the ForumWP extension with Ultimate Member, explaining all the features, user roles, permissions, and the new ForumWP Notifications feature. This integration allows you to seamlessly connect ForumWP with Ultimate Member, offering an enhanced experience for managing users and forum interactions.

1. ForumWP Extension Setup and Features

The ForumWP extension integrates the ForumWP plugin with Ultimate Member, allowing for a seamless user experience. Once activated, the ForumWP extension adds a new "Forums" tab in the WordPress menu, making it easier to manage forum content and settings directly from the WordPress dashboard.

2. ForumWP Profile Integration with Ultimate Member

One of the key features of the ForumWP extension is the integration of ForumWP statistics directly into the Ultimate Member profile. The default ForumWP profile is replaced with a Forums tab that contains important user statistics such as topics, replies, and interactions like bookmarks and likes

How to Configure the Forums Tab

  1. Navigate to: Ultimate Member > Settings > Appearance > Profile Menu > Forums Tab.

  2. Here, you can customize the visibility of the Forums tab and configure how users will interact with the forum content directly from their profiles.

The Forums tab can display the following sub-tabs.

  • Topics: Displays the number of topics the user has created.
  • Replies: Shows the number of replies the user has posted in forums.
  • Likes: Shows the topics or replies that the user has liked.
  • Bookmarks: Displays any topics or replies the user has bookmarked.
  • Subscriptions: Shows the user's subscriptions to topics or forums.

Important: The Likes, Bookmarks, and Subscriptions options will only appear if these features are activated within ForumWP settings.

Activating Modules in ForumWP

  1. To enable Likes, Bookmarks, and Subscriptions, go to Forums > Settings > Modules.
  2. Toggle the options to activate these features.

Users can also manage their forum subscriptions (unsubscribe) and likes (unlike topics/replies) directly from their Ultimate Member profile.

Pro Features: Some advanced features (like Likes, Bookmarks, and Subscriptions) require the ForumWP Pro plugin.

3. Managing User Roles and Permissions in ForumWP

The ForumWP extension gives you the flexibility to manage which users can access certain forums, post topics, and reply to existing topics, based on their roles. This is particularly useful for restricting content and controlling access to specific forums.

Configuring Permissions for User Roles

  1. Go to wp-admin > Ultimate Member > User Roles.
  2. Click on Edit Role for the role you want to configure.

  3. Scroll down to the ForumWP Permissions section to manage the role's forum permissions.

Available Permissions

  • Disable forums tab: This option hides the Forums tab from users with the selected role. This is useful if you want to hide forum content from certain user roles.
  • Disable create new topics: Prevent users in this role from creating new topics in forums.
  • Disable create new replies: Restrict users from replying to existing topics.

You can also configure permissions on a  per-forum basis, allowing you to control who can create new topics and replies in specific forums.

4. Forum Writing Permissions and Access Control

The ForumWP extension enables granular control over forum participation by allowing you to specify which roles can write or view content in specific forums.

Restricting Forum and Topic Access

  1. Go to Forums > Select Your Desired Forum and click Edit.

  2. On the editing screen, look for the UM Permissions widget.

  3. From here, you can specify or select:
    • Which user roles can create new topics in this forum.
    • Which user roles can post replies in this forum.

Access Control for Forums

To block access to a forum for certain roles:

  1. Use the Access Control widget.
  2. Activate the Access Control feature for forums and topic CPTs.
  3. Configure which roles can view the forum and topics within it. You can even redirect unauthorized users to a custom URL (such as the main forums page or another URL).

5. ForumWP Notifications in Ultimate Member

The ForumWP Notifications feature allows users to manage their forum-related notifications directly from their Ultimate Member account, giving them control over which activities trigger email notifications (e.g., new replies, new topics, subscriptions).

Managing ForumWP Notifications

ForumWP notifications are now integrated with Ultimate Member's existing notifications system. Users can control what forum activities they want to be notified about through the Notifications tab in their Ultimate Member account.

To configure notifications:

  1. Navigate to User Profile > Account Settings > Notifications, or click the Gear Icon on the user profile page and go to My Account > Notifications.
  2. Under the Notifications tab, users can Enable or Disable Notifications. Choose whether to receive email notifications for the following forum-related activities:

    ForumWP

    • Enable notification for mentions: Get notified when another user mentions you in a topic or reply.

    Subscriptions module of ForumWP-Pro

    • New Topic: Get notified when a new topic is posted in the forums.
    • New Reply: Choose to receive notifications when someone replies to a topic you are participating in.

    Post moderation module of ForumWP-Pro

    • Topic has been approved: Get notified when a new pending topic has been approved.
    • Topic has been declined: Get notified when a new pending topic has been declined.
    • Reply has been approved: Get notified when a new pending reply has been approved.
    • Reply has been declined: Get notified when a new pending reply has been declined.

6. Conclusion

The ForumWP extension provides powerful features for managing forum interactions and user roles within Ultimate Member. Integrating forum statistics, permissions, and notifications, it enhances the user experience for both admins and members. The ability to manage and restrict access to forums, control forum writing permissions, and send notifications makes this integration ideal for community-driven sites and membership-based forums.

With the added ForumWP Notifications feature, users can now fully customize their notification preferences for forum activities directly within the Ultimate Member account, ensuring they never miss important updates.

Important: To use advanced features like Likes, Bookmarks, and Subscriptions, you will need the ForumWP Pro plugin.