Forums
The forum list. Every forum a member can see, with its description, how busy it is, and its topics one tap away.
Before you start
Section titled “Before you start”| Plugin | ForumWP |
| Also uses | ForumWP Pro, optional — for the follow bell |
| Endpoint group | Forums, and Forums Pro when Pro is active |
| Plan | Every plan |
Add it to your app
Section titled “Add it to your app”Drag Forums onto a navigation bar or into the side drawer.
Place Forum Feed alongside it if you also want a single list of everything, which is how most members prefer to read.
Settings
Section titled “Settings”| Setting | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Title, Description | Shown at the top | Empty |
| Group by category | Files each forum under its category heading | On |
| Search | Shows a search box above the list | On |
| Create Forum button | Adds a button beside the search box that opens the new-forum form | Off |
| Restrictions | Which roles see the tab | Everyone |
How a topic row is proportioned — the vote arrows, avatar, badge, card corners and reply indent — is set once for every forum screen under Global App Settings → Appearance → Forums.
Group by category does nothing on a site with forum categories switched off in ForumWP — the app draws one flat list rather than empty headings. A forum that belongs to no category is listed under Other, so nothing disappears.
Create Forum button opens the same form as the New Forum feature, without needing a tab of its own. ForumWP only lets moderators create forums on a default site, so the button is drawn only for members who can — everybody else sees the search box alone, and you do not have to restrict anything to keep it out of their way.
What your members see
Section titled “What your members see”Forums, each showing its title, description, topic and reply counts, and when it was last posted in. A padlock marks a locked forum. Tapping one opens its topics in the same layout the feed uses. Counts past a thousand are shortened, so 2,100 replies reads 2.1k.
With ForumWP Pro’s subscriptions module on, a bell on each row follows the forum, so its new topics reach the member’s notifications.
Private and hidden forums
Section titled “Private and hidden forums”Visibility is enforced by ForumWP on your site, not by the app. A forum a member cannot see on the web is not returned to the app either — including private and hidden forums, which never appear in this list for members without access.
When it does not work
Section titled “When it does not work”| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| The list is empty | The Forums endpoint group is off | Turn it on in Memberside → REST API |
| The card is greyed out | ForumWP is inactive | Activate it |
| Everything is in one list | Forum categories are off in ForumWP | Turn them on, or leave grouping off |
| No follow bell | ForumWP Pro, or its subscriptions module, is off | Turn the module on |
| A forum is missing | Its visibility excludes the member | Check the forum in ForumWP |