bbPress Integration
Protect bbPress forums and use iMember360 shortcodes in forum content.
Introduction
bbPress is a popular WordPress plugin for creating discussion forums on your website.
iMember360 provides built-in integration with bbPress, enabling forum protection based on Keap contact data and shortcode support in forum content.
Automatic Integration
Unlike other iMember360 extensions, bbPress integration is built into the iMember360 core plugin. There is no separate extension to enable.
When bbPress is installed and active on your site, iMember360 automatically detects it and enables the integration features.
Forum Protection
The iMember360 Protection metabox appears when editing forums, allowing you to restrict forum access based on:
- Membership Levels – Require specific membership levels to access the forum.
- Tag-Based Access – Require or exclude contacts with specific Keap tags.
- WordPress Roles – Restrict access to specific user roles.
How to Protect a Forum
- Go to Forums → All Forums in WordPress admin.
- Edit an existing forum or create a new one.
- Find the iMember360 Protection metabox.
- Configure your access rules.
- Save the forum.
Topic and Reply Inheritance
Topics and replies automatically inherit protection settings from their parent forum.
| Content Type | Protection Setting |
|---|---|
| Forum | Configurable via iMember360 Protection metabox |
| Topic | Inherits from parent forum |
| Reply | Inherits from parent forum |
You don't need to configure protection on individual topics or replies. Protecting the forum automatically protects all content within it.
Shortcode Support
iMember360 shortcodes work in bbPress content, enabling personalization and dynamic content in your forums.
Supported Locations
- Forum descriptions
- Topic content
- Reply content
- Forum, topic, and reply titles
Examples
Personalized welcome in forum description:
Welcome back, [i4w_db_firstname]! This is your exclusive members forum.
Display contact data in a topic:
Your membership status: [i4w_db_custom field="MembershipLevel"]
Conditional content in replies:
[i4w_has_tag tag_id="123"]
Thank you for being a Premium member!
[/i4w_has_tag]
Shortcode Security
For security reasons, when users submit topics or replies containing shortcodes, iMember360 converts the square bracket syntax [i4w_...] to curly brace syntax {i4w_...}. This prevents users from executing arbitrary shortcodes.
Administrators can use standard shortcode syntax [i4w_...] in forum descriptions and other admin-created content.
Use Cases
Members-Only Discussion Forum
Create a private forum for paying members:
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Membership Level | Premium Members |
All topics and replies within this forum are automatically protected.
VIP Support Forum
Restrict access to customers with a specific tag:
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Has Tag | VIP Customer (Tag ID: 500) |
Tiered Forum Access
Create multiple forums with different access levels:
| Forum | Access Requirement |
|---|---|
| General Discussion | All logged-in users |
| Bronze Members Forum | Bronze Membership Level |
| Silver Members Forum | Silver Membership Level |
| Gold Members Forum | Gold Membership Level |
Course Community Forum
Create a forum for course participants:
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Has Tag | Course Enrolled (Tag ID: 750) |
Best Practices
- Protect at forum level – Since topics and replies inherit protection, configure access at the forum level for easier management.
- Use clear forum names – Name protected forums clearly so members understand the access requirements.
- Combine with roles – Use WordPress role requirements alongside tag-based protection for additional security layers.
- Test access – Preview your forums as different user types to verify protection works correctly.