After shipping BuddyPress 2.0, the plugin’s core contributors decided to adopt WordPress’ features-as-plugins development model for working on the possibility of a new media component. Mathieu Viet, better known as @imath, has been working on an Attachments API that will allow BuddyPress to store media as attachments. Plugin developers will also be able to make use of the new API for handling media and files.
@imath reported today that the plugin is now ready for preliminary testing with Group and Member attachments and avatars. With the plugin activated, a new Attachments menu is added to the user profile menu where users can manage (edit/delete) attachments:
Here’s an example of a group avatar cropped using the “BP Media Editor”:
A robust media component is one of the features that BuddyPress site administrators request most often. If you’re hoping for this to become a reality, you can help by testing the plugin while it’s being developed.
BuddyPress Attachments requires BP 2.0+ and WordPress 3.9+. You can download it from the plugin’s homepage on Github, where you’ll also find a wiki for installing and using it. @imath is seeking feedback from different types of users. Here’s how you can help:
- Test it, report bugs, add recommend enhancements and add your feedback
- Plugin authors can test for conflicts, such as duplicate names in functions
- Contribute code: Pull requests and patches are welcome
If you want to see the progress on the plugin so far, the video below is a live demonstration where you can view the bleeding edge version 1.0 of the plugin in action. Download it from Github and take it for a test drive. You can also follow along and contribute to the development discussion on Trac.
I feel sorry for the plugin developers who are arguing over which one of them has the best BP media plugin….lol