Wbcom Designs BuddyX Docs
← Back to product Buy Now

Getting Started

Install BuddyX, complete the 45-minute first-time setup, and pick the kind of site you want to build.

Choose Your Path

You've finished the Quick Start first-time setup - your site has a logo, brand color, fonts, menu, footer, and the 4 essential pages. Now pick what kind of site you're building. Each path below tells you what to do next.

Haven't done the Quick Start yet? Start there - every path below assumes the basics are already in place.

What kind of site fits your idea?

Pick the description that fits best:

Path Best for Time to launch
A. Personal or company blog Writers, content creators, journalists, company news pages 1-2 hours after Quick Start
B. Portfolio Designers, photographers, freelancers, agencies showcasing work 2-3 hours
C. Business / brochure site Small businesses, consultancies, service providers, landing pages 1-2 hours
D. Community / social site Member networks, alumni groups, fan communities, hobby clubs 3-4 hours

None of these quite fit? BuddyX is flexible - most sites are a blend. A blog with a small portfolio section. A business site with a member community. A portfolio with a blog. Pick the path closest to your main goal, then borrow steps from another path as needed.

Looking for e-commerce, online courses, or a marketplace? Those features come from separate Wbcom Designs plugins (each free + pro version, sold separately). See the in-house plugin catalog. BuddyX free + plugins lets you stack only what you need.

A. Personal or company blog

What you're building: A site whose main purpose is publishing articles. Readers come for the content. Front page shows latest posts or a curated mix.

Recommended setup

  1. Pick a blog layout - go to Appearance → Customize → Site Blog. BuddyX ships 4 layouts:

    • Default - classic single-column posts with featured image on top
    • List - featured image left, text right (magazine-style)
    • Grid - card layout (2 or 3 columns)
    • Masonry - Pinterest-style staggered grid Pick what fits your content's image-to-text ratio. Image-heavy posts → Grid or Masonry. Text-heavy long-form → Default or List.

  2. Set excerpts vs full posts - same panel, Blog Excerpt setting. Excerpts make the archive feel curated; full posts feel like a stream.

  3. Sidebar layout - go to Appearance → Customize → Site Sidebar. For blogs, right sidebar is most common (Western reading order). The sidebar shows recent posts, categories, search.

  4. Sidebar widgets - Appearance → Widgets → Sidebar. Add: Search, Recent Posts, Categories, Tag Cloud, Archives. Or your Mailchimp signup widget.

  5. Featured images matter - every blog post needs a featured image (1200×630px is a good size). It shows in the archive, in social-share previews, and at the top of the single post.

  6. Categories + Tags - categories are broad topics (3-10 total), tags are specific keywords (per-post). A blog without categories looks unfinished - set up 3-5 before publishing.

  7. Comments - Settings → Discussion. Default comments work fine. For a low-spam blog, turn on Comment must be manually approved until you have community norms.

Optional plugins for blogs

  • Yoast SEO or Rank Math - SEO basics (sitemap, meta titles, social-share images)
  • WP Rocket or W3 Total Cache - caching for faster pages
  • Akismet - spam comment filtering (built into WordPress, just needs activation)

Pro tier (optional)

BuddyX Pro adds: 14 color presets, 7 typography presets, per-page sidebar settings (so a single post can override the global sidebar), sign-in popup, and more customizer surface.

B. Portfolio

What you're building: A site that showcases your work. Visitors come to see what you've done. Imagery is everything.

Recommended setup

  1. Use the Grid or Masonry blog layout - Appearance → Customize → Site Blog → Layout = Grid or Masonry. Each "post" is a portfolio piece; the featured image is the work itself.

  2. Or use Pages instead of Posts - for a small portfolio (under 20 pieces), each portfolio item is a Page, not a blog post. Build a single "Work" page with a grid block linking to each.

  3. Featured images are non-negotiable - every portfolio piece needs a strong featured image. Aim for consistent dimensions (1200×900 or 1200×1200 work well). Mismatched aspect ratios make a portfolio look unprofessional.

  4. Use block patterns to build the homepage - when editing the Home page, click + → Patterns → BuddyX. Drop in a Hero pattern, a Features Grid pattern, a Call-to-action pattern. Replace placeholder text with your value prop + sample work links.

  5. Single post layout - Appearance → Customize → Site Blog → Single Post. For portfolios, Wide content width + No sidebar lets each piece breathe full-width.

  6. Contact form - every portfolio site needs a contact form. Use a free plugin (WPForms Lite, Contact Form 7) and embed on the Contact page from Quick Start Step 7.

Optional plugins for portfolios

  • Smart Slider 3 (free) - hero sliders if you want motion on the homepage
  • EWWW Image Optimizer or Smush - auto-compress images so they load fast (portfolio sites are image-heavy)
  • Jetpack Galleries or Modula - masonry galleries within a portfolio piece (e.g., a project shot from multiple angles)

Pro tier (optional)

BuddyX Pro adds the per-page settings (so the portfolio archive can override the global sidebar setting, the homepage can override the layout, etc.) - useful when portfolio pieces need different presentations than blog posts.

C. Business or brochure site

What you're building: A site that explains what your business/service offers, builds trust, and channels visitors to contact you. Few pages, focused content.

Recommended setup

  1. Use the static homepage from Quick Start Step 8 - your homepage is a designed landing page, not a blog feed.

  2. Build the homepage with block patterns - when editing the Home page, drop in:

    • Hero pattern - large headline + subhead + primary call-to-action button
    • Features grid - 3 or 4 cards explaining what you do
    • Pricing table (if relevant) - service tiers
    • Testimonials - social proof
    • Call-to-action - final "Contact us" or "Get started" prompt Replace placeholder text with your real copy.

  3. Service / pricing pages - create a Services page or one page per service (Pages → Add New). Link them from the main menu.

  4. About + Contact done in Quick Start - already covered.

  5. Sidebar usually OFF for landing pages - business sites look more focused without sidebars. Appearance → Customize → Site Sidebar → Default Page → No sidebar.

  6. No blog needed? - that's fine. Just remove "Blog" from your menu (Appearance → Menus). You can still have a few pages without a blog.

  7. OR a blog acts as your news/insights section - if you do want a blog, "Blog" or "News" or "Insights" in the menu. The Settings → Reading config from Quick Start Step 8 already separates Home (landing) from Blog (posts list).

Optional plugins for business sites

  • WPForms Lite - contact form, quote request form, newsletter signup
  • Yoast SEO or Rank Math - local SEO matters for businesses (Yoast Local SEO add-on or Rank Math's local SEO)
  • MonsterInsights or Site Kit by Google - analytics dashboard inside WordPress
  • Mailchimp for WordPress (free) - newsletter signup form
  • WooCommerce - if you sell services or digital products. Free, fully supported by BuddyX

Pro tier (optional)

BuddyX Pro adds the sign-in popup (visitors sign in via a popup instead of redirecting to /wp-login.php) - useful if your business site has a customer login (client portal, member dashboard).

D. Community or social site

What you're building: A site where the value comes from members - profiles, friendships, groups, activity. The "product" is the member experience.

This is BuddyX's specialty path. The theme was built community-first.

Recommended setup

  1. Install BuddyPress - Plugins → Add New → search "BuddyPress" → Install → Activate. BuddyPress is free, made by the WordPress Foundation, ~600,000 active sites.

  2. Configure BuddyPress components - Settings → BuddyPress → Components. Enable:

    • Extended Profiles - member profiles with custom fields
    • Account Settings - let members manage their account
    • Activity Streams - the community feed (Twitter-like timeline of member activity)
    • Notifications - in-app notifications
    • Friend Connections - friendships between members
    • Private Messaging - DMs
    • User Groups - sub-communities within your site
    • Site Tracking (optional) - posts/comments show in the activity feed

  3. Configure BuddyPress pages - Settings → BuddyPress → Pages. BuddyPress creates the Members, Groups, Activity, Register, Activate pages automatically on activation. Just make sure each one is mapped to its correct page.

  4. Add Members + Groups + Activity to your menu - Appearance → Menus → Add the BuddyPress pages. Most community sites put Activity, Members, Groups in the primary menu.

  5. BuddyPress sidebar layout - Appearance → Customize → Site Sidebar:

    • Member directory & profile - both sidebars or right sidebar
    • Groups directory & single group - same
    • Activity stream - usually right sidebar with "Who's online" / "Recently active" widgets

  6. Customizer → Community Settings panel - controls visible only when BuddyPress is active:

    • BuddyPress avatar style - round vs. square avatars
    • More BuddyPress-specific settings as needed

  7. Member onboarding - create a Welcome page or a "Getting started" group that new members are auto-added to (use a free plugin like "BuddyPress Auto-Add Friends" or a welcome-message plugin).

  8. Member registration - Settings → General. Check Anyone can register. Set New User Default Role to Subscriber. Without this, your registration form is closed and no one can join.

Optional community plugins

  • BuddyPress Group Email Subscription - members get group activity by email (highly recommended)
  • bbPress - adds forums alongside BuddyPress (free, WordPress Foundation)
  • rtMedia - photo/video uploads in member profiles + activity
  • Akismet + Anti-spam BuddyPress - keep spam signups out

Pro tier + in-house plugins (optional)

For richer community features, the Wbcom Designs in-house plugin ecosystem (each plugin has a free version + a pro version sold separately):

  • Jetonomy - adds forums, Q&A, ideas, and trust levels - a modern community surface beyond BuddyPress's defaults
  • MediaVerse - native video upload + hosting + player for member content
  • WB Gamification - points, ranks, badges, leaderboards (turn passive members into active ones)
  • WP Career Board - community + job board hybrid
  • WP Ads Manager - monetize the community with display ads

And BuddyX Pro (the theme) adds: sign-in popup (better signup UX than /wp-login.php redirect), per-page settings, more BuddyPress customization options, and dark customizer surface.

What if my site is a mix?

That's normal. Most real sites blend paths:

  • Blog + community - a content site with member discussions. Activate BuddyPress + use blog layout from Path A.
  • Business + blog - a brochure site with news/insights. Quick Start gives you Home + About + Contact; add a blog from Path A.
  • Portfolio + blog - designers showing work + writing about process. Grid layout for portfolio, separate Blog page for posts.
  • Business + member portal - a business site with a client login area. BuddyPress with selective restriction (use a free privacy plugin like "BP Private Site").

Pick the path that matches your main goal. Borrow steps from other paths as you grow.

Where to go after picking a path

After completing your path:

  • Recipes - focused walkthroughs for specific outcomes (match the demo design, customize brand colors and fonts)
  • Color Scheme - every color setting explained
  • Dark Mode - color mode + visitor toggle
  • FAQ - common questions
  • Glossary - plain-English definitions of every WordPress + BuddyX term

Got a different kind of site in mind and unsure where to start? Email support@wbcomdesigns.com with a one-paragraph description of what you're building - we'll point you to the right combo of theme + plugins.

Installation Guide

Three install paths - pick whichever fits your setup.

Just want the short version? Quick Start Step 1 covers install in 2 minutes, then walks through first-time setup.

What you need

Requirement Minimum (theme header) Recommended
WordPress 4.8 6.0+ for full feature support
PHP 7.4 8.1+
MySQL 5.7 8.0+
Memory limit 64 MB 256 MB

Note: BuddyX 5.1.0's theme header declares WordPress 4.8+ minimum, but the modern features (block patterns, block editor integration, FSE-style theme.json tokens) work best on WordPress 6.0+. We recommend WordPress 6.0 or newer for new installs.

Check what you have at Tools → Site Health → Info.

Path 1 - Install from WordPress.org (recommended)

This is the easiest path and the one we recommend for most users.

  1. Log in to your WordPress admin (yoursite.com/wp-admin/)
  2. Go to Appearance → Themes → Add New
  3. Search for BuddyX
  4. Click Install on the BuddyX card (by wbcomdesigns)
  5. Click Activate when the button changes

Done. You should see BuddyX's default look when you visit your site front page.

Updates install via the same panel - Appearance → Themes → BuddyX → Update Available when a new version ships.

Path 2 - Upload a zip file

Use this if you downloaded BuddyX from GitHub or wbcomdesigns.com instead of WordPress.org.

  1. Download buddyx.zip from one of:
  2. Log in to WordPress admin
  3. Appearance → Themes → Add New → Upload Theme
  4. Choose buddyx.zip → Install Now
  5. After install completes, click Activate

Don't unzip the file before uploading - WordPress expects the zip itself.

Updates: when uploading a new version this way, WordPress will warn that a theme with the same name exists. Click Replace current with uploaded to update. Your Customizer settings and content are preserved.

Path 3 - Manual install via FTP/SFTP

Use this when you can't access the WordPress admin (e.g., debugging a broken site).

  1. Download buddyx.zip (see Path 2)
  2. Unzip it locally - you'll get a folder named buddyx
  3. Connect to your site via FTP/SFTP (use FileZilla, Cyberduck, or similar)
  4. Navigate to /wp-content/themes/
  5. Upload the entire buddyx folder
  6. Log in to WordPress admin → Appearance → Themes
  7. Click Activate on the BuddyX card

After install: required additional plugins

None. BuddyX is self-contained. It does not require Kirki, Redux, or any external framework.

In 5.0.x and earlier, BuddyX required the Kirki plugin for customizer controls. In 5.1.0, BuddyX ships its own in-theme customizer framework - Kirki is no longer needed.

Optional plugins by use case

Use case Plugins to install
Community site BuddyPress (free, buddypress.org)
Forums bbPress (free) or Jetonomy (free version, from wbcomdesigns.com)
Blog SEO Yoast SEO or Rank Math (free tiers fine)
E-commerce WooCommerce (free)
Caching WP Rocket (paid), W3 Total Cache (free), LiteSpeed Cache (free if on LiteSpeed host)
Image optimization EWWW Image Optimizer or Smush (free)
Forms WPForms Lite or Contact Form 7 (free)
Backups UpdraftPlus or BlogVault (free tiers)
Spam protection Akismet (free; included with WordPress)

None are theme dependencies; pick based on what your site needs.

Verifying install

After activation, visit your site front page. You should see:

  • The BuddyX logo placeholder (or your site title in text) in a header
  • A primary menu (or "Add a menu" placeholder if you haven't built one)
  • The default red-on-soft-gray BuddyX palette
  • A footer with widget areas (empty until you add widgets)

If you see a "white screen of death" or PHP errors, see Troubleshooting → My site looks broken.

Upgrading from an older BuddyX version

From 5.0.x to 5.1.0

5.1.0 is a major release. Your Customizer settings, content, and BuddyPress configuration are preserved automatically; no manual migration needed.

Before upgrading on a production site:

  1. Take a backup - your hosting dashboard usually has a one-click backup; or use UpdraftPlus / BlogVault.
  2. Test on staging first if possible - most hosts offer a one-click staging site.
  3. Note any active child theme - child themes from 5.0.x continue working, but if your child theme overrode any of the Kirki-based files (now removed), you may see issues. Check after upgrade and remove obsolete child-theme overrides if needed.

To upgrade:

  1. Dashboard → Updates - if BuddyX shows an update, click Update.
  2. After update completes, clear all caches (caching plugin, host cache, CDN).
  3. Visit your front page in incognito to verify.

What changed in 5.1.0: Kirki removed (replaced by in-theme framework), unified design-token system, dark mode added with FOUC-free first paint, asset manifest, 8 style presets. See the 5.1.0 release notes for full details.

From 4.x or earlier

Same process as above, but expect a larger visual shift since you're skipping multiple major versions. Strongly recommend a staging test first.

Uninstalling BuddyX

Important: deactivating BuddyX doesn't delete your customizer settings or content. They're preserved in the database in case you reactivate later.

  1. Appearance → Themes
  2. Activate a different theme (you must have one active)
  3. Hover over the BuddyX card → Theme Details → Delete

This removes the theme files. Customizer settings remain in the database (wp_options table, theme_mods_buddyx row) - only relevant if you reinstall BuddyX later, in which case your old settings come back.

Common install issues

"Theme zip is invalid"

You're uploading a wrong zip. The zip from wordpress.org or GitHub is correct. If you downloaded from Wbcom Designs as a .zip from an "All Files" download, it may be a wrapper zip containing the real zip - unzip once, then upload the inner buddyx.zip.

"Memory exhausted" during install

Your PHP memory limit is too low. Either:

  1. Ask your host to raise WP_MEMORY_LIMIT to 256M
  2. Or add this to wp-config.php (above the "stop editing" line): define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M');

"Style.css missing in stylesheet"

You uploaded the wrong zip or the wrong folder. Make sure you're uploading the buddyx.zip from wordpress.org or the contents of the buddyx folder (not a parent directory containing it).

After install, my customizer settings from another theme don't show up

Customizer settings are stored per-theme. Each theme has its own theme_mods_<slug> entry. BuddyX won't read settings saved under a different theme's name. To migrate settings between themes, you'd need to manually map equivalent settings using a plugin like Customizer Export/Import or a developer's WP-CLI command.

Related

Introduction to BuddyX

Welcome to BuddyX - a beautiful, community-ready WordPress theme that works for any kind of site you want to build.

What BuddyX is

BuddyX is a free WordPress theme designed to look great out of the box and scale with your site as it grows. It's built on modern web foundations (CSS custom properties, responsive design, accessibility-first markup) and includes everything most sites need without requiring extra plugins or paid add-ons.

You can use BuddyX for:

  • A personal or company blog - clean reading experience with 4 layout choices
  • A portfolio - featured-image-led grids that showcase your work
  • A business landing site - block patterns for hero sections, pricing, contact
  • A community / social site - full BuddyPress integration for member profiles, groups, activity feeds, private messaging

The same theme handles all four - you don't need a different theme for each. Pick the layout and plugins that fit your site's purpose.

Built-in theme features

  • Member-ready community surface - BuddyPress works smoothly the moment you install it (no extra theme setup needed)
  • 4 blog layouts - Default (classic), List (image + text side-by-side), Grid (cards), Masonry (Pinterest-style)
  • 8 style presets - pick a ready-made palette (Cool, Dark, Editorial, Minimal, Monochrome, Pastel, Vibrant, Warm) as your starting look; any custom colors you set still take priority
  • Dark mode - light / dark / auto color modes with a built-in toggle for visitors. First-paint correct (no flash on load)
  • Modern typography - Google Fonts catalog, customizable per heading level
  • Block patterns - pre-designed page sections you drop into pages to build them faster
  • WP Starter Content - fresh-install demo pages pre-populate the Customizer so you can see what your site could look like before touching settings
  • Responsive everywhere - mobile / tablet / desktop / large desktop all work out of the box
  • Translation-ready - full localization support via Loco Translate or WPML / Polylang
  • Performance-tuned - modern CSS architecture, conditional asset loading, minimal JavaScript

BuddyX free is enough to run a solid website

Everything you need to launch a real, professional site is in this free theme. Blog, portfolio, business site, community - all four work out of the box without any paid add-on. The features above (4 blog layouts, dark mode, BuddyPress integration, block patterns, modern typography, responsive design) are not "lite versions" of something better; they're the actual features that ship.

When you need more - the in-house plugin ecosystem

Each capability below is a separate plugin from Wbcom Designs (same team that builds BuddyX). Each plugin has a free version you can install anytime - and a pro version sold separately when you need premium features. You pick only what your site needs.

Plugin What it adds Pricing
Jetonomy Forums, Q&A, ideas, trust levels - modern community surface Free + Pro (sold separately)
MediaVerse Native video upload + hosting + player Free + Pro (sold separately)
WB Gamification Points, ranks, badges, leaderboards Free + Pro (sold separately)
WP Career Board Job board + resume management Free + Pro (sold separately)
WP Ads Manager Display ad zones, sponsorship slots, ad rotation Free + Pro (sold separately)
Listora (coming soon) Directory builder Free + Pro (sold separately)
Learnomy (coming soon) First-party LMS for courses Free + Pro (sold separately)

You don't need any of these to launch a great-looking, functional site today - but they're there when your site grows into the kind that needs them.

And BuddyX Pro (the theme)

BuddyX Pro is a separate product - the premium version of this theme, sold separately. It adds 14 color presets, 7 typography presets, sign-in popup, per-page settings, dark customizer surface, and extra customization options. It's optional. BuddyX free is a complete theme on its own.

See BuddyX Pro at wbcomdesigns.com when you're ready, or browse the Wbcom plugin catalog to see all in-house plugins.

Who BuddyX is for

You are BuddyX helps you
A blogger or content creator Publish articles with a clean reading experience + 4 layout options to match your style
A community builder Run a social network, fan community, alumni network, or hobby group - BuddyPress integration is first-class
A small-business owner Launch a fast, professional brochure site with hero pages, pricing, and contact
A designer or developer Use as a base for client sites - clean code, child-theme support, design-token system for easy customization

What you need

Requirement Minimum Recommended
WordPress 4.8 (theme header) 6.0+ for full feature support
PHP 7.4 8.1+
MySQL 5.7 8.0+

Required additional plugins: none. BuddyX ships its own customizer framework in-theme.

Optional plugins (for community features): BuddyPress (free, from buddypress.org or your WordPress plugin directory).

Get started

Quick Start (about 45 minutes)

The mandatory first-time setup - every site needs these basics regardless of what kind of site you're building.

  1. Install + activate the theme (2 min)
  2. Site identity (5 min) - logo, title, tagline, favicon
  3. Colors (5 min) - pick your brand color, button color, etc.
  4. Fonts (5 min) - pick a body font + heading font
  5. Header + menu (8 min)
  6. Footer (5 min)
  7. Essential pages (10 min) - Home, About, Contact, Privacy Policy
  8. Set your homepage (3 min)
  9. (Optional) Dark mode (2 min)

Full Quick Start Guide →

Choose your path

After the mandatory setup, pick what kind of site you're building:

Customizer overview

All theme settings live in Appearance → Customize:

Panel What it controls
Site Identity (core WP + BuddyX) Logo, Dark Mode Logo, site title, tagline, favicon
General Site layout, container width, border radius, page mapping, site loader
Typography Fonts per heading level, body font, menu font, site-title font
Site Header Header layout, sub-header, menu, header icons
Site Skin 8 style presets, 50+ color settings, dark mode + visitor toggle
Site Blog Blog layout (Default / List / Grid / Masonry), excerpt, post styles
Site Sidebar Sidebar positions per content type
Site Footer Footer section + copyright section
Community Settings (when BuddyPress active) BuddyPress avatar style + community settings
Site Performance Local font hosting, preload, font-cache flush
WP Login Custom login-page logo + title

Next steps

Got questions? Open an issue on the BuddyX GitHub repo, post on the WordPress.org support forum, or check the FAQ. Friendly help is one click away.

Quick Start - First-time setup

This is the mandatory walkthrough every BuddyX site needs, regardless of what kind of site you're building. About 45 minutes start to finish. When you're done, your site looks professional and is ready for real visitors.

After this, jump to Choose Your Path to pick what kind of site you're building (blog / portfolio / business / community).

Before you start

You need:

  • A WordPress site (WordPress 6.0 or newer, PHP 7.4 or newer)
  • Admin access (you can reach wp-admin)
  • About 45 minutes and a logo file ready (PNG or SVG, transparent background ideal)

Terms used here: "Customizer" = WordPress's live preview tool at Appearance → Customize. Every theme setting in BuddyX lives there. Changes don't go live until you click Publish.

Step 1 - Install + activate the theme (2 minutes)

Two install paths - pick whichever you prefer:

Option A: Install from WordPress.org (recommended for most)

  1. Go to Appearance → Themes → Add New
  2. Search for BuddyX
  3. Click Install on the BuddyX card, then Activate when the button changes

Option B: Upload a zip

  1. Download buddyx.zip from wordpress.org/themes/buddyx or the GitHub release page
  2. Go to Appearance → Themes → Add New → Upload Theme
  3. Choose buddyx.zip → Install Now → Activate

Your site front page should now show BuddyX's default look. Don't worry if it looks generic - that's fixed in the next 8 steps.

Step 2 - Site identity: logo, title, tagline, favicon (5 minutes)

Go to Appearance → Customize → Site Identity.

Customizer → Site Identity panel showing Logo, Dark Mode Logo, Site Title, Tagline, and Site Icon fields

Setting What to set Why
Logo Upload your logo (PNG/SVG with transparent background) Replaces the text site title in the header
Dark Mode Logo (BuddyX 5.1.0) Optional alternate logo that shows when the site is in dark mode Lets a dark-on-light logo flip to light-on-dark so it stays readable
Site title Your site's name Shows in the browser tab + search results, and as a fallback if you skip logo
Tagline A short one-line description (optional) Shows below the title on some layouts and in search-engine listings
Site icon (favicon) Square image, 512×512 recommended The tiny icon in browser tabs and bookmarks

Click Publish at the top.

First-time tip: A simple horizontal logo (PNG, transparent background, around 200px wide) works for almost any layout. If you don't have one yet, leave it blank and your Site Title will display as text - that's perfectly fine for now.

Dark Mode Logo tip: only set this if your main logo doesn't read well on a dark background. If you skip it, BuddyX uses your standard logo in both modes - fine for most logos.

Step 3 - Colors: pick your brand color (5 minutes)

Go to Appearance → Customize → Site Skin.

Customizer → Site Skin section showing Color mode (Light/Dark/Auto), Show color-mode toggle, Toggle position, and the 8-preset Style picker

You have two paths - pick one:

Path A - Use a style preset (fastest)

  1. Find the Style preset picker (8 swatches: Default, Cool, Dark, Editorial, Minimal, Monochrome, Pastel, Vibrant, Warm)
  2. Click a preset - the preview updates immediately
  3. Click Publish

That's it. Each preset is a complete palette designed to look good together. If you want to fine-tune later, any custom color you set below the preset always takes priority over the preset's defaults.

Path B - Set custom colors

  1. Scroll to Brand → Site Primary Color (the default is the BuddyX red #ef5455)
  2. Pick your brand color from the color picker
  3. (Optional) Adjust the Buttons subsection - by default buttons inherit the primary color
  4. (Optional) Adjust Body, Headings, Header, Footer background and text colors if needed
  5. Click Publish

Don't overthink it: most sites only need to set 1-3 colors. The default palette already has good contrast everywhere. Set your brand color and move on - you can always come back later.

For the full color reference, see skin-colors/color-scheme.md.

Step 4 - Fonts: pick a body font + heading font (5 minutes)

Go to Appearance → Customize → Typography.

Customizer → Typography → Body showing Family / Weight / Style / Size / Line Height / Letter / Transform / Align / Decoration controls

Section What to set Recommended
Body Typography Font family + base size A readable sans-serif (Inter, Open Sans, Lato) at 16px
Headings → H1, H2, H3 Font family (often the same family or a contrasting one) Pair a serif for headings + sans-serif for body, OR one family for everything

BuddyX includes the entire Google Fonts catalog (1000+ fonts). All free. All licensed for commercial use.

Click Publish.

Two-font rule of thumb: pick one heading font + one body font. More than two fonts on a page looks chaotic. If unsure, set everything to the same family - that always looks clean.

Performance tip: After picking fonts, go to Customize → Site Performance and turn on Load Google Fonts locally - Google Fonts will be cached on your server instead of pulled from Google's CDN. Faster page loads, better privacy.

Step 5 - Header + menu (8 minutes)

Step 5a - Build the menu (5 minutes)

WordPress menus live at Appearance → Menus (not Customize). One-time setup:

  1. Appearance → Menus → Create a New Menu
  2. Name it Primary (or anything - it's just for your reference)
  3. From the left panel, add pages: Home, About, Blog, Contact (or whatever pages you have)
  4. Drag items to reorder. Indent an item to make it a sub-item (dropdown)
  5. Under Menu Settings → Display location, check Primary (the location BuddyX uses for the main header menu - mobile inherits this menu automatically)
  6. Click Save Menu

Don't have these pages yet? That's fine - see Step 7 below. You can come back and add them to the menu after.

Step 5b - Header layout + features (3 minutes)

Go to Appearance → Customize → Site Header.

Customizer → Site Header section showing Sticky Header, Search Icon, Login Link, Register Link toggles - all ON by default

Setting What it does
Sticky header (on by default) The header stays visible as visitors scroll. Recommended on.
Search icon (on by default) Shows a search icon in the header so visitors can find content.
Sign-in / Register links (on by default) Shows "Sign in" / "Register" links in the header. Useful for community sites; turn off for purely brochure sites.
Cart icon (conditional) Shows only if WooCommerce/FluentCart/SureCart is active. Auto-hides on non-shop sites - that's why you won't see this toggle until you install one of those plugins.

Click Publish.

Step 6 - Footer (5 minutes)

Step 6a - Footer widgets (3 minutes)

WordPress widgets live at Appearance → Widgets (not Customize).

  1. Go to Appearance → Widgets
  2. You'll see 4 footer widget areas: Footer 1, Footer 2, Footer 3, Footer 4
  3. Add what's relevant - common choices:
    • Footer 1: a "Search" widget or "About" text block
    • Footer 2: "Recent Posts" widget
    • Footer 3: a "Navigation Menu" widget pointing to a "Useful Links" menu
    • Footer 4: "Custom HTML" widget with your social-media icons or contact info

Leave any area empty and that column collapses. You're not required to fill all 4.

Step 6b - Copyright text (2 minutes)

  1. Appearance → Customize → Site Footer → Copyright
  2. Edit the copyright line. The default © [year] [site name] is fine to start
  3. Click Publish

Step 7 - Essential pages (10 minutes)

Every professional site needs at least these 4 pages. Create them now even if you don't have full content yet - you can fill them in later.

For each, go to Pages → Add New:

Page Title Starting content
Home Home A few sentences about what your site does. Add a hero image + a "Learn more" button (or block patterns - see below)
About About Your story / company background. 2-4 paragraphs is plenty. Add a team photo if you have one
Contact Contact Your email, phone, optional address. Or embed a contact form (use a plugin like WPForms or Contact Form 7)
Privacy Policy Privacy Policy WordPress generates a draft for you at Settings → Privacy. Customize it for your site

Use BuddyX block patterns to build pages faster: when editing a page, click the + button → Patterns → BuddyX. You'll see ready-made sections (hero, pricing, contact, features grid). Drop one in, replace the placeholder text with your content. Saves an hour vs. building from scratch.

Don't forget: set the Privacy Policy page

  1. Settings → Privacy → Select a Privacy Policy page → Privacy Policy (the page you just created)
  2. Save

Step 8 - Set your homepage (3 minutes)

By default, WordPress shows your latest blog posts at the root URL. For most sites, you want a static landing page instead.

  1. Settings → Reading
  2. Under Your homepage displays, choose A static page
  3. Homepage: pick the Home page you created in Step 7
  4. Posts page: pick a page named Blog (create one first if you don't have one - empty page, just titled Blog)
  5. Save Changes

When a visitor lands at yoursite.com/, they now see your Home page. The Blog page lists all your posts. Standard pro-site setup.

Want a blog-style homepage instead? (Latest posts at the root URL.) Skip this step entirely and choose Your latest posts instead of A static page.

Step 9 - (Optional) Dark mode toggle (2 minutes)

BuddyX includes a built-in dark mode. Visitors can switch between light, dark, and "auto" (matches their device).

Go to Appearance → Customize → Site Skin → Color Mode (Color Mode is the first subsection of Site Skin - see the screenshot in Step 3).

Setting Default What it does
Default color mode Light What new visitors see (Light / Dark / Auto). "Auto" matches the visitor's device.
Show color-mode toggle On (Show) Adds a sun/moon button visitors can use to switch modes.
Toggle position Both Header (next to menu icons) / Mobile (mobile menu only) / Both.

The toggle is on by default - visitors get to choose. If you want a one-look-only site, set Show color-mode toggle to Hide.

Click Publish.

The sun/moon icon then appears in your header. Visitors clicking it cycle Light → Dark → Auto and the choice is remembered across page loads.

Front-end home page in light mode with sun toggle icon visible in the header

After click → dark mode applies and persists. No flash of light mode on subsequent page loads (FOUC-free first paint).

Same home page rendered in dark mode after toggle click - moon icon now shown in header, FOUC-free first paint

Dark mode is fully wired across every page: blog, BuddyPress community surfaces, WooCommerce (if active), comments, forms. No flash-of-wrong-color on page load. See skin-colors/dark-mode.md for the full reference.

You're done

Your site now has:

  • A logo, title, tagline, and favicon
  • A brand color (and an 8-preset starting palette)
  • A primary body font + heading font
  • A working header + menu
  • A footer with widgets and copyright
  • Home, About, Contact, and Privacy Policy pages
  • A static homepage with a separate Blog page
  • Dark mode (if you enabled it)

Total time: ~45 minutes if you have a logo ready and don't get distracted picking fonts.

What's next?

Now that the basics are in place, pick what kind of site you're building. Each path has different next steps:

→ Choose Your Path

Common paths: personal/company blog, portfolio, business / brochure, community / social site.

Or browse focused recipes:

Recipe What you'll build
Match the demo design Your site looks like the published BuddyX demo
Customize colors and fonts A site that reflects your brand colors and typography

Common questions

My logo is huge / tiny. How do I resize it? WordPress's default logo size works for most logos. If yours doesn't fit, resize the source image (use Canva, Photoshop, or a free tool like Squoosh.app) before uploading. The most common good logo size is around 200×60 pixels for horizontal logos or 60×60 for square ones.

Where do I add my social media links? BuddyX doesn't ship a dedicated social-icons setting. Use a footer widget (Step 6a) with a "Custom HTML" widget containing your social links, OR install a free plugin like "Social Icons Widget" - the icons then go into any widget area.

I don't see the "Style preset" picker in Step 3. You're probably on an older version. The 8 style presets shipped in BuddyX 5.1.0. Update to the latest version at Dashboard → Updates if available, or download fresh from wordpress.org.

Can I undo a change? Yes - every Customizer change is staged in the preview until you click Publish. If you regret a change after publishing, just go back to that setting and change it again. There's no "version history" for Customizer changes, but every setting is editable forever.

Do I have to use BuddyPress? No. BuddyX works perfectly as a regular blog / business / portfolio theme without BuddyPress. The community features only activate when the BuddyPress plugin is installed. See Choose Your Path for non-community paths.

Related

Stuck on a step? Post on the WordPress.org BuddyX support forum, open an issue at the BuddyX GitHub repo, or email support@wbcomdesigns.com. Friendly help is one click away.

Recipes

Step-by-step walkthroughs for the most common BuddyX projects.

Recipe: Customize your colors and fonts

What you'll build: A BuddyX site that reflects your brand - your color palette, your fonts, your visual identity. The site stops looking like "default BuddyX" and starts looking like your project.

Time: ~45 minutes (faster if you already have your brand decisions made)

Prerequisites:

  • BuddyX activated, Quick Start complete
  • Your brand color(s) decided (the main one matters most)
  • A logo file (PNG or SVG, transparent background)

Before you start - three brand decisions

If you don't have these decided yet, decide now (it'll save you Customizer time):

  1. Your primary brand color - one hex code (e.g., #0066CC for blue). This is the single most influential decision.
  2. Your heading font - should it match the body font or be different? Sans-serif everything is safest; serif headings + sans body is classic.
  3. Your body font - pick something legible. Inter, Open Sans, Source Sans, Lato, Roboto, IBM Plex are all safe sans-serif choices.

No designer / not sure? A safe default: one sans-serif font for everything (e.g., Inter at 16px body, Inter Bold for headings) + your brand color as the only accent. Looks professional, never wrong.

Step 1 - Site identity (5 minutes)

Customize → Site Identity:

Customizer Site Identity panel with Logo, Dark Mode Logo, Site Title, Tagline, and Site Icon fields

  1. Logo - upload your logo. Best as PNG (transparent background) or SVG, around 200×60 pixels for horizontal logos.
  2. Dark Mode Logo (optional) - alternate logo for when the site is in dark mode. Only set this if your main logo doesn't read well on dark backgrounds.
  3. Site title - your brand name (shows in browser tabs even when you have a logo).
  4. Tagline - your one-liner (or leave blank).
  5. Site icon (favicon) - upload a square 512×512 image.

Click Publish.

Step 2 - Pick your primary color (3 minutes)

Customize → Site Skin → Brand → Site Primary Color:

  1. Click the color swatch
  2. Either:
    • Paste your brand color's hex code (e.g., #0066CC)
    • Use the color picker to pick visually
  3. Watch the preview - buttons, menu hover, link hover all instantly take the new color

Click Publish to commit.

One color goes far: BuddyX uses the primary color across buttons, menu hover, link hover, site title hover, footer link hover, copyright link hover, and the site loader. You usually don't need to set anything else color-wise.

Step 3 - Pick (or pass on) a style preset (3 minutes)

Customize → Site Skin → Style preset:

The 8 presets are starting palettes. Each pairs accent colors, surface colors, and contrast levels.

Preset When to pick it
Default You set your primary color and want everything else at BuddyX defaults
Cool Tech / SaaS / professional services - cool-blue feel
Dark Dark-first sites (designer portfolios, music, gaming)
Editorial Magazines, content publishers, news - restrained palette
Minimal Personal sites, portfolios - subtle and clean
Monochrome Pure black-white-gray. Designer / agency portfolios
Pastel Lifestyle, wellness, design - soft and approachable
Vibrant Energetic brands - saturated accent colors
Warm Hospitality, food, lifestyle - earthy palette

You don't have to pick one - leaving Style preset on Default is perfectly fine. Pick a preset if it's closer to your visual brand than the default palette.

Remember: your Site Primary Color from Step 2 stays the primary even if you pick a preset. The preset only fills in elements you haven't customized yet.

Click Publish.

Step 4 - Adjust button colors (3 minutes, optional)

By default, buttons use your Site Primary Color for background + border, white text. That's usually right.

But if your primary color is light (e.g., a pastel yellow), white button text on a light button is unreadable. Fix:

Customize → Site Skin → Buttons:

Setting Suggested
Button text A dark color (e.g., #111111) if your button background is light
Button text hover Same as above

For most brand colors (medium-to-dark), the defaults work. Only adjust if the contrast looks wrong.

Quick test: visit a page with a button. Can you read the button text clearly without squinting? If yes, you're good. If no, change button text color or background.

Step 5 - Pick your body font (5 minutes)

Customize → Typography → Body Typography:

Customizer Typography Body section with Family / Weight / Size / Line Height / Letter / Transform / Align / Decoration controls

  1. Font Family - pick from the Google Fonts dropdown (1000+ options)
    • Safe bets: Inter, Open Sans, Source Sans Pro, Lato, Roboto, IBM Plex Sans, DM Sans
    • Variable / personality: Outfit, Plus Jakarta Sans, Manrope
  2. Font Size - 16px is the standard body size. Don't go smaller; readability suffers.
  3. Line Height - 1.6 to 1.8 for prose; 1.4 is tight (good for UI text but not for reading).

Click Publish.

Don't see Google Fonts loading? See Troubleshooting → Fonts aren't loading.

Step 6 - Pick your heading font (5 minutes)

Customize → Typography → Headings Typography:

You can set H1-H6 individually. Most sites set them all to the same family + size scale.

Strategy What to do
One font everywhere Pick the same family as your body for H1-H6. Adjust font weight (e.g., 700 Bold) and font size for hierarchy.
Serif headings + sans body Pick a serif (e.g., Playfair Display, Lora, Cormorant) for H1-H3. Leave H4-H6 at body family or default.
Display font for hero, body for everything else Pick a display font (e.g., Bebas Neue, Anton, Oswald) only for H1. H2-H6 stay at body family.

For each H1-H6:

  • Font Family - your heading font
  • Font Size - H1 around 40-48px, H2 around 32-36px, H3 around 24-28px, H4-H6 progressively smaller
  • Font Weight - usually 600 or 700 for headings; some display fonts only come in 400

Click Publish.

Heading colors are in Site Skin, not Typography - H1-H6 colors live at Customize → Site Skin → Headings (default #111111 for all). Change there if you want headings in your brand color (though most sites keep them dark for readability).

Step 7 - Menu typography (3 minutes)

Customize → Typography → Menu Typography:

  • Font Family - usually the same as your body font (consistency reads professional)
  • Font Size - 14-16px works for desktop menus
  • Font Weight - 500 or 600 (slightly bolder than body for clarity)
  • Text transform - UPPERCASE feels assertive; standard case feels friendly

For sub-menu items, Sub Menu Typography has the same fields.

Click Publish.

Step 8 - Localize fonts for speed + privacy (2 minutes)

By default, BuddyX loads Google Fonts from Google's CDN. You can host them on your own server instead:

Customize → Site Performance:

Customizer Site Performance section showing Load Google Fonts Locally master toggle (off by default)

  1. Load Google Fonts Locally → On (the master toggle - off by default)
  2. After step 1, two additional controls appear:
    • Preload Local Fonts → On (tells the browser to start downloading fonts in parallel with HTML)
    • Flush Local Fonts Cache button - click after changing fonts so the cached files refresh

Click Publish.

This:

  • Faster page loads - no DNS lookup to Google
  • Better privacy - Google doesn't see your visitors loading fonts
  • Better GDPR compliance - no third-party request to a US-based CDN

Note: if you change fonts after enabling local hosting, BuddyX caches the new font files automatically. If you ever need to clear the cache, there's a Flush local font cache button on the same Customize → Site Performance panel.

Step 9 - Visual check (5 minutes)

Visit your site in an incognito window (so the admin bar doesn't distort the layout):

  1. Home page - does the hero feel like your brand?
  2. A blog post - is body text readable? Do headings stand out enough?
  3. A button - is the button text readable on the button background?
  4. The header menu - does the menu font look right with the logo?
  5. Footer - does the footer color scheme balance the header?
  6. Toggle dark mode - click the sun/moon icon. Does the dark version look ok? (If you customized button text to dark, it might disappear on a dark-mode button - adjust if needed.)
  7. Mobile - resize the browser narrow, or check on your phone. Anything broken?

Step 10 - Iterate

Brand customization is rarely one-shot. After living with your site for a few days:

  • A color might look "off" once it's on every button - adjust the primary
  • A font you loved in isolation might feel wrong for body - try a different one
  • The H1 size might be too big or small - adjust

Every Customizer setting is editable forever. Come back when you have feedback.

Common questions

Where's the "color preset" feature with 14 options? That's a BuddyX Pro feature (14 color presets + 7 typography presets). BuddyX free has 8 style presets which combine palette ideas - see Step 3. If you need fine-grained preset control, BuddyX Pro is the upgrade path.

Can I use my own font (not a Google font)? Not directly in the Customizer. To use a custom font (Adobe Fonts, self-hosted), you'll need a small CSS snippet in a child theme or via the "Additional CSS" panel (Customize → Additional CSS) - declare the @font-face and override --bx-color-* token... wait, that's a font, not a color. Set font-family on body / h1-h6 in Additional CSS.

My brand color is light-on-light or hard to read. You can't override physics. If your brand color is, say, light yellow, you'll need:

  • Dark button text (Step 4)
  • Darker hover states than your primary
  • Maybe don't use the brand color for body links - use a higher-contrast color and reserve brand color for buttons + accents only

Consider using a darker shade of your brand color for the Customizer (and the lighter version in your logo).

How do I save my brand setup to reuse on another site? WordPress has a built-in Tools → Export which includes Customizer settings. On the new site, Tools → Import. Or copy specific theme_mods via WP-CLI: wp option get theme_mods_buddyx > brand.txt on the source, wp option update theme_mods_buddyx "$(cat brand.txt)" on the destination.

Related

Recipe: Match the demo design

What you'll build: Your site looks like the published BuddyX demo / screenshots at wordpress.org/themes/buddyx.

Time: ~30 minutes

Prerequisites:

What "match the demo" actually means

The BuddyX demo is the out-of-box look with sample content. On a fresh install with no customization, you're already 80% there. The remaining 20% is: loading the same starter content + leaving Customizer defaults alone.

This recipe walks through making sure you didn't accidentally drift from the demo look.

Step 1 - Verify you're on the latest BuddyX (1 minute)

  1. Dashboard → Updates - if BuddyX shows an update, install it
  2. Appearance → Themes → BuddyX → Theme Details - confirm version 5.1.0 or newer

The demo screenshots on wordpress.org/themes/buddyx are produced from the latest release. Older versions look slightly different.

Step 2 - Reset to defaults (if your site is already customized)

If you've been experimenting and want to start over:

Option A - Reset just the Customizer

Use the Customizer Reset plugin (free at wordpress.org):

  1. Plugins → Add New → search "Customizer Reset" → Install → Activate
  2. Appearance → Customize → Reset (now appears at bottom of the panel)
  3. Confirm

This wipes only Customizer settings; your posts, pages, widgets, and menus stay.

Option B - Reset everything (only do this on a test site)

If your site is a test install and you want a true fresh start, the easiest path is to reinstall. Don't do this on a production site.

Step 3 - Load WP Starter Content (5 minutes)

WordPress has a built-in starter content feature that BuddyX uses. On a fresh install, the Customizer shows demo pages, demo widgets, and demo Customizer values as a preview. Saving that preview locks it in as your real content.

How to trigger starter content

Starter content only shows when:

  1. Your site has no published pages or posts (other than the auto-generated "Sample Page" / "Hello World")
  2. You haven't already published any Customizer changes

If both are true:

  1. Appearance → Customize
  2. You'll see a banner offering to load starter content - accept it
  3. The preview will show: a Home page, About page, Contact page, Blog widgets, the BuddyX header + menu, default colors
  4. Click Publish to make it real

If the banner doesn't appear, your site has too much existing content. Either trash all pages/posts first or use a fresh install.

Already past this stage? That's fine. You can manually recreate the demo pages following Quick Start Step 7.

Step 4 - Leave Customizer settings at default (verify, 5 minutes)

Walk through these Customizer panels and make sure nothing's been changed from the default. If you don't remember changing something but it's not default - reset just that setting (clear the value or pick the default again).

Site Identity

Setting Default
Site title Your site name (set this to whatever you want - the demo uses the site title)
Tagline Either empty or your one-liner
Logo Empty (the demo uses just the text site title)

Site Skin

Setting Default
Default color mode Light
Show color-mode toggle On
Toggle position Both
Style preset Default (empty value) - no preset selected
Site Primary Color #ef5455
Body background #f7f7f9
Box background #ffffff
Site links #111111
Header background #ffffff

Site Header

Setting Default
Sticky header On
Search icon On
Cart icon On (auto-hides if no shop plugin active)
Sign-in link On
Register link On

Site Layout

Setting Default
Site layout Wide (wide)
Container width 1170px
Global border radius 8px
Button border radius 6px
Form border radius 6px

Site Loader

Customizer Site Loader section showing Show site loader = OFF (5.1.0 default)

Setting Default
Show site loader Off (5.1.0 default - the modern asset pipeline loads fast enough that a loader is optional)
Loader type Dots
Loader background #ef5455
Loader color #ffffff

Want the loader anyway? Turn it on at Customize → Site Loader → Show site loader. The default-off matches the wordpress.org demo (no loader). Some marketing screenshots show the loader; those reflect older releases or a customized demo.

Typography

The demo uses the default WordPress font stack. If you've picked a specific Google font, switch back to Default (the dropdown's first option) for each typography setting (Body, H1-H6, Menu).

Step 5 - Verify the menu structure (2 minutes)

The demo menu has these items:

  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Contact

If you ran starter content (Step 3), these were auto-created. Verify at Appearance → Menus → Primary Menu.

If yours is different, edit the menu to add/remove items so it matches.

Step 6 - Verify the homepage is set (1 minute)

Settings → Reading:

  • Your homepage displays → A static page
  • Homepage → Home (or whatever your Home page is named)
  • Posts page → Blog

If yours shows Your latest posts instead, the front page will be the blog feed, not the demo home. Change it.

Step 7 - Take a screenshot, compare to the demo (5 minutes)

  1. Visit your site front page in an incognito/private browser window (so you're not viewing it as a logged-in user with the admin bar showing)
  2. Compare to wordpress.org/themes/buddyx
  3. Spot the difference

Common drift you might see:

  • Logo where the demo has none - remove your logo if you want the demo look (or leave it if you want your logo, which is most sites' choice)
  • Different colors - verify Site Skin defaults from Step 4
  • No loader - turn on Site Loader (Step 4)
  • Different menu - verify menu items (Step 5)
  • Different homepage - verify static homepage setting (Step 6)

Step 8 - Optional: enable BuddyPress for the community demo

The demo screenshots on wordpress.org are the general-theme demo (no BuddyPress). If you want the community-flavored demo from the BuddyX product page:

  1. Plugins → Add New → BuddyPress → Install → Activate
  2. Settings → BuddyPress → Components → enable Activity, Members, Groups, Notifications, Friend Connections, Private Messaging, User Groups
  3. Settings → BuddyPress → Pages → make sure each component is mapped to its auto-created page
  4. Add Activity, Members, Groups to your Primary Menu (Appearance → Menus)
  5. Visit yoursite.com/members/ and yoursite.com/activity/ - you should see styled member/activity pages

Now your site has the community surfaces. Add a few test users to flesh out the member directory (or use a demo-user generator plugin).

You're done

Your site now matches (or closely matches) the BuddyX demo:

  • Out-of-box BuddyX colors (red primary on soft-gray)
  • Default WordPress fonts
  • Wide site layout, sticky header, optional loader
  • Light mode with visitor toggle
  • Home / About / Blog / Contact menu
  • Static homepage, separate blog page

Next steps

You probably want to NOT match the demo exactly - the demo is a baseline; your site should reflect your brand. So:

Common questions

Where's the "import demo content" button? BuddyX doesn't ship a one-click demo importer. WordPress's built-in starter content (Step 3) is the supported path. For richer demo data on community sites, BuddyPress + the BuddyX Pro release ships a Demo Importer; the free release doesn't.

Can I change the demo to look like a different BuddyX demo? The wordpress.org demo is the only official "demo" for free BuddyX. Wbcom Designs runs other showcase sites with different configurations - those use BuddyX Pro + extra plugins, not free BuddyX.

My demo doesn't match a screenshot I saw somewhere else. Make sure the screenshot is from the latest BuddyX free, not from a Wbcom Designs marketing page (which often shows Pro features). The official "this is what free BuddyX looks like" reference is wordpress.org/themes/buddyx.

Related

Skin & Colors

Color tokens, dark mode, style variations - everything that controls how BuddyX looks.

Color Scheme - Site Skin

The Site Skin panel at Appearance → Customize → Site Skin is where you control every color on your site. BuddyX gives you two approaches:

  1. Pick a style preset - 8 ready-made palettes, one click. Fastest path.
  2. Set custom colors - 50+ individual color settings if you need precise brand matching.

Both approaches work together. A preset sets a starting palette; any custom color you set overrides the preset for that specific element.

Quick start: Most sites only need to set 1-3 colors. The defaults already look good and meet WCAG-AA contrast. If you're in a rush, just pick a style preset and call it done.

Customizer → Site Skin section showing Color mode (Light/Dark/Auto), Show color-mode toggle, Toggle position, and the 8-preset Style picker

Path 1 - Style presets (fastest)

BuddyX ships 8 style presets plus the Default look:

Preset Palette feel
Default BuddyX red (#ef5455) on soft-gray surfaces
Cool Sky-blue accents on cool-gray surfaces
Dark Light text on near-black surfaces (designed as a starting point for dark-first sites)
Editorial Restrained, magazine-style palette with strong contrast
Minimal Subtle accents, pared-down color use
Monochrome Black, white, and grays - no chromatic accents
Pastel Soft pastel palette with gentle contrast
Vibrant Saturated, energetic accent colors
Warm Earthy reds, oranges, and warm grays

How to apply a preset

  1. Appearance → Customize → Site Skin
  2. Find the Style preset picker (swatches at the top of the panel)
  3. Click a preset - preview updates immediately
  4. Click Publish

Each preset card previews the palette before you pick, so you can see what you're getting.

Custom colors win over presets

If you've already set custom colors and then apply a preset, your custom colors still take priority for those specific elements. The preset acts as the "starting layer"; the customizer is the "fine tune layer" on top.

This means you can:

  • Set your brand primary color manually
  • Then pick a preset for everything else
  • Your brand color stays; the preset only affects elements you didn't customize

Path 2 - Custom colors (precise brand match)

When you need an exact brand color, set the Site Primary Color first:

  1. Appearance → Customize → Site Skin → Brand → Site Primary Color
  2. Pick your brand color (e.g., #0066CC)
  3. Click Publish

The primary color is the most influential single setting - it controls:

  • Buttons (background, border, hover)
  • Menu hover + active states
  • Link hover
  • Site title hover
  • Footer / copyright link hover
  • Site loader background

For most sites, just changing Site Primary Color is enough - every other color is set to a sensible default that pairs with the primary.

When to go deeper

If you need finer control, BuddyX exposes 50+ individual color settings organized into clusters:

Cluster 1 - Color Mode (4 settings)

Setting Default What it does
Default color mode Light Light / Dark / Auto (matches visitor's device)
Show color-mode toggle On Sun/moon button visitors can use to switch
Toggle position Both Header / Mobile / Both
Style preset Default 8 preset palettes (see above)

See Dark Mode for details.

Cluster 2 - Brand (1 setting)

Setting Default Used for
Site Primary Color #ef5455 Buttons, menu hover, link hover, brand accents everywhere

Cluster 3 - Body (4 settings)

Setting Default Used for
Body background color #f7f7f9 Main page background
Content background color #f7f7f9 Behind post/page content
Box background color #ffffff Cards, post boxes, panels
Secondary background color #fafafa Subtle alternate-row backgrounds
Body text color (under Typography) #505050 Paragraph and body text
Site links color #111111 Default link color
Site links hover color #ef5455 Link hover (inherits primary)

Cluster 4 - Headings (6 settings)

Setting Default Used for
H1 color #111111 Page titles, single-post titles
H2 color #111111 Section headings
H3 color #111111 Sub-section headings
H4 color #111111 Smaller headings
H5 color #111111 Very small headings
H6 color #111111 Smallest headings

Most sites set all six to the same color. Set per-level only if you want a visual hierarchy beyond size alone.

Cluster 5 - Header (5 settings)

Setting Default Used for
Header background color #ffffff Top header bar background
Site title color #111111 Text site title (if no logo)
Site title hover color #ef5455 Hover state
Tagline color #757575 Tagline below title
Menu text color #111111 Primary menu links
Menu hover color #ef5455 Menu link hover
Menu active color #ef5455 Current-page menu link
Sub-header text color #111111 Optional secondary header row

Cluster 6 - Buttons (6 settings)

Setting Default Used for
Button background #ef5455 All primary buttons
Button background hover #f83939 Hover state
Button border #ef5455 Outline buttons
Button border hover #f83939 Outline hover
Button text #ffffff Button label
Button text hover #ffffff Hover label

Contrast tip: button text on button background must meet WCAG-AA contrast (4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large text). The defaults pass. If you customize, test with a tool like WebAIM Contrast Checker.

Cluster 7 - Footer (4 settings)

Setting Default Used for
Footer title color #111111 Widget titles in footer
Footer content color #505050 Footer widget text
Footer links color #111111 Widget links
Footer links hover color #ef5455 Link hover

Footer background is set via Customize → Site Footer → Background (a background image / color combo, not just a color).

Cluster 8 - Copyright (5 settings)

Setting Default Used for
Copyright background #ffffff Bottom copyright bar background
Copyright border #e8e8e8 Top border separating from footer
Copyright content #505050 Copyright text
Copyright links #111111 Links in copyright bar
Copyright links hover #ef5455 Hover state

"Set Custom Colors" toggle

Under Customize → Site Skin there's a Set Custom Colors? switch (default Yes).

  • Yes - the custom color settings above are exposed and applied.
  • No - the customizer hides individual color settings; the theme uses its built-in palette (or the active style preset's palette) only.

Leave this On for most sites. Turn off only if you want to deliberately constrain yourself / a junior editor to the preset palettes.

How colors are wired internally

For developers + curious users:

BuddyX 5.1.0 uses CSS custom properties (design tokens) to keep colors consistent. The Customizer values you set get converted into tokens like:

  • --bx-color-primary ← Site Primary Color
  • --bx-color-bg-body ← Body Background
  • --bx-color-text-primary ← Body Text color
  • --bx-color-button-bg ← Button background
  • ...etc.

These tokens cascade through every stylesheet. When you change a color in the Customizer, only the token's value updates - every place that uses the token updates automatically.

This is also why dark mode can flip colors smoothly: dark mode swaps the same tokens to dark values. No double-set-everything-twice required.

See Design Tokens reference for the full token list.

Common scenarios

"I want my brand color everywhere - buttons, links, hover"

Set Site Primary Color. Everything else inherits automatically. Don't fiddle with individual button/link/hover settings unless you need a different shade.

"I want a dark mode with my own colors"

BuddyX free uses a theme-controlled dark palette - when dark mode is active, the theme applies a near-black background with light text. You can't set per-element dark colors in the free Customizer.

If you need full dark-mode color control, BuddyX Pro adds 30+ dark_* Customizer fields for that purpose. Or use a child theme to override the dark tokens directly.

"I want consistent colors across blog + BuddyPress + WooCommerce"

BuddyX is built on a single token system - every surface (blog, community, shop) reads from the same --bx-color-* tokens. Set your colors once; they apply everywhere.

"My color change isn't appearing"

See Troubleshooting → I changed a Customizer setting but the front-end didn't update. Most often it's caching.

Related

Dark Mode

BuddyX includes a built-in dark mode that works across every page - blog, BuddyPress community surfaces, WooCommerce (if active), comments, forms, footer. No flash-of-wrong-color on page load. No external plugins required.

Quick answer: Dark mode is on by default in the visitor toggle (the sun/moon button in the header). Default look is Light, with an Auto option that matches the visitor's device. See Quick Start Step 9 for first-time setup.

The three color modes

BuddyX has three "Default color mode" choices at Appearance → Customize → Site Skin → Color Mode → Default color mode:

Mode What new visitors see
Light (default) Bright background, dark text - the traditional web look
Dark Dark background, light text - the modern alternative
Auto Matches the visitor's device. macOS/Windows/iOS/Android can be set to Light or Dark system-wide; "Auto" follows that.

Setting: site_color_mode (default light)

Most sites pick Light. Auto is a nice touch if your audience is design-/dev-oriented (they often have dark-mode set system-wide). Dark as a default is bold and best for content sites with mostly evening reading.

The visitor toggle

The sun/moon icon button in the header lets visitors switch modes on their own. Their choice persists across page loads (via localStorage) - so if a visitor toggles dark, every page they visit on your site stays dark.

Light mode (default): sun icon visible in the header.

Front-end home page in light mode with sun toggle icon in the header

After click → dark mode applies: moon icon shown, palette flips, choice saved to localStorage.

Same home page rendered in dark mode - moon icon in header, FOUC-free first paint

Toggle settings

At Customize → Site Skin → Color Mode:

Customizer → Site Skin showing Color mode buttons (Light/Dark/Auto), Show color-mode toggle switch, and Toggle position radio (Header/Mobile/Both)

Setting Default What it does
Show color-mode toggle On (Show) Adds a sun/moon button. Turn off if you want a one-look-only site.
Toggle position Both Where the button appears: Header (desktop nav), Mobile (mobile menu only), Both.

Settings: site_color_mode_toggle_show (default on), site_color_mode_toggle_position (default both)

Hiding the toggle entirely

If you want a "this site is always light" or "this site is always dark" look:

  1. Customize → Site Skin → Color Mode → Show color-mode toggle → Hide
  2. Set Default color mode to whatever you want everyone to see
  3. Publish

The toggle is gone; everyone sees the same look.

No flash on page load

A common dark-mode complaint on other themes is the "FOUC" (Flash of Unstyled Content) - a page briefly loads light, then snaps to dark.

BuddyX 5.1.0 specifically prevents this with a first-paint script in the <head> that:

  1. Reads the visitor's saved preference (or the device's system preference if Auto is set)
  2. Adds the correct dark/light class to <html> before the page renders
  3. The browser paints the correct colors from the very first frame

You don't need to do anything to enable this - it's automatic. If you ever see a flash on a BuddyX 5.1.0+ site, see Troubleshooting → Dark mode flashes on page load.

The dark palette (in free)

When dark mode is active, BuddyX free applies a theme-controlled dark palette:

Element Dark color
Page background #0a0a0a (near-black)
Elevated surfaces (cards, modals) #161616
Subtle surfaces #101010
Primary text #f5f5f5 (off-white)
Muted text #a0a0a0
Accent / Primary #ff6b6b (slightly brighter red than light mode's #ef5455, for dark-bg contrast)
Button background #ff6b6b
Button text #0a0a0a (dark text on bright button)
Border / divider #2a2a2a

These values are designed to meet WCAG-AA contrast on the dark background and pair cleanly with the light-mode brand color.

Can I change the dark palette in free?

Not in the Customizer - BuddyX free does not expose per-element dark-mode color settings.

You have three options if you need different dark colors:

  1. Pick the "Dark" style preset - Customize → Site Skin → Style preset → Dark. This sets a dark-themed light-mode palette (so the site looks dark even in light mode); not the same as actual dark-mode customization, but works for "dark-first" sites where you don't need a separate light variant.

  2. Use BuddyX Pro - BuddyX Pro adds 30+ dark_* Customizer fields letting you set every dark color individually (dark body bg, dark heading colors, dark button colors, dark footer, etc.). Sold separately.

  3. Use a child theme - override the --bx-color-* tokens in a child theme's CSS, scoped to [data-color-mode="dark"]. Example:

    [data-color-mode="dark"] {
  --bx-color-accent: #00d4ff;
  --bx-color-bg: #001020;
}

How dark mode works internally

For developers + curious users:

BuddyX uses CSS custom properties (tokens) to define every color. When dark mode is active, the same tokens get re-assigned to dark values.

:root {
  --bx-color-bg: #f7f7f9;       /* light mode */
  --bx-color-fg: #111111;
}

[data-color-mode="dark"] {
  --bx-color-bg: #0a0a0a;       /* dark mode */
  --bx-color-fg: #f5f5f5;
}

body {
  background: var(--bx-color-bg);   /* reads either, no duplication */
  color: var(--bx-color-fg);
}

The token system means every page picks up dark mode automatically - there's no per-page or per-component dark-mode code to maintain.

See Design Tokens reference for the full token list.

How dark mode persists

When a visitor clicks the toggle:

  1. Their choice is saved to localStorage (browser-side, no cookies, no server roundtrip)
  2. On every subsequent page load, the first-paint script reads localStorage and applies the correct class before rendering
  3. The choice survives navigation, tab close + reopen, and browser restart
  4. If the visitor clears their browser data, their choice resets to the site's default

This works for all visitors - logged in or guest. No user-account dependency.

Block patterns + dark mode

WordPress block patterns (Gutenberg patterns) use a separate color system: --wp--preset--color--*. BuddyX 5.1.0 specifically maps these block presets to its dark tokens, so block-pattern-built homepages render correctly in dark mode.

If you're using BuddyX block patterns or third-party patterns, they should "just work" in dark mode out of the box.

If you see a pattern that breaks in dark (e.g., dark text on dark background somewhere unexpected), file a GitHub issue with a screenshot.

Common scenarios

"I want my site to be always-dark"

  1. Customize → Site Skin → Color Mode → Default color mode → Dark
  2. Show color-mode toggle → Hide
  3. Publish

Everyone sees dark, no toggle.

"I want my site to follow the visitor's device automatically"

  1. Default color mode → Auto
  2. Show color-mode toggle → Hide (since Auto already follows the visitor - toggle is redundant)
  3. Publish

"I want the toggle but only on mobile (not header)"

  1. Show color-mode toggle → Show
  2. Toggle position → Mobile
  3. Publish

Desktop visitors don't see the toggle; mobile visitors find it in the mobile menu.

"Dark mode breaks a specific plugin's UI"

Report it to us at support@wbcomdesigns.com with: (1) the plugin name + version, (2) the page URL where it breaks, (3) a screenshot in dark mode, (4) the BuddyX version. We test against BuddyPress, WooCommerce, FluentCart, SureCart, bbPress, and the WordPress core surfaces. Other plugins may have their own light-only color assumptions that need a small CSS bridge.

Related

FAQ & Support

Quick answers, troubleshooting, and a plain-English glossary of WordPress + BuddyX terms.

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers to the most-asked questions. For deeper topics, see Troubleshooting or Glossary. Still stuck? Email support@wbcomdesigns.com.

About BuddyX

Is BuddyX really free?

Yes. BuddyX is 100% free on WordPress.org. No required paid add-ons, no "lite" version trick. Every feature you see in the docs ships in the free theme.

BuddyX Pro (the premium theme, sold separately) adds extra features on top - 14 color presets, 7 typography presets, sign-in popup, per-page settings, dark customizer surface. Optional.

Do I need BuddyPress to use BuddyX?

No. BuddyX works fine as a regular blog / portfolio / business theme without BuddyPress. The community features only activate when BuddyPress is installed. See Choose Your Path for non-community use cases.

What's the difference between BuddyX (free) and BuddyX Pro?

Feature Free Pro
8 style presets (palette) Yes Yes (14 color presets)
Typography presets No 7 typography presets
Dark mode + visitor toggle Yes Yes
Per-element dark color customization No 30+ dark_* customizer fields
Sign-in popup No Yes
Per-page settings No Yes
Dark customizer surface No Yes
BuddyPress integration Yes (full) Yes (full)
WooCommerce / FluentCart / SureCart Yes Yes
LearnDash / Dokan / WCFM No special styling Deep integration
Block patterns Yes More patterns
Google Fonts Yes (1000+) Yes (1000+)
Translation-ready Yes Yes
4 blog layouts Yes Yes

The free theme is enough for most use cases. Upgrade to Pro when you've outgrown the free customization surface.

How is BuddyX different from BuddyBoss Theme?

Both are community-ready WordPress themes. BuddyBoss Theme is a paid theme (~$228/yr) bundled with the BuddyBoss Platform plugin (paid alternative to BuddyPress). BuddyX (free) works with both BuddyPress (free) and BuddyBoss Platform.

If you want a single all-in-one paid product, BuddyBoss is your option. If you prefer free + add-ons-only-when-needed, BuddyX (+ free BuddyPress + the Wbcom Designs in-house plugin catalog) is the path.

Does BuddyX support Full Site Editing (FSE)?

BuddyX is a classic (non-FSE) theme with strong block-editor support for pages and posts. Block patterns, the block editor for content, theme.json for design tokens - all supported. But the header, footer, and templates are PHP-rendered (not block-rendered like FSE themes).

If you specifically need a block theme with the full Site Editor, BuddyX is not it. For block-based community work, the WordPress ecosystem doesn't yet have a strong FSE-native community theme. Most community sites continue using classic themes.

Setup + Customization

How long does first-time setup take?

About 45 minutes if you have a logo + brand color ready. See Quick Start - 9 mandatory steps.

Where do I set my colors?

Appearance → Customize → Site Skin. See Color Scheme.

Where do I set my fonts?

Appearance → Customize → Typography. See Customize your colors and fonts.

Where do I upload my logo?

Appearance → Customize → Site Identity → Logo. See Quick Start Step 2.

Can I change the layout per page?

The free theme uses global layout settings - your sidebar option, container width, etc. apply across all pages of a given type (all blog archives, all single posts, all default pages).

Per-page settings (the ability to override the global setting on a single page) is a BuddyX Pro feature.

Can I use a child theme?

Yes. Standard WordPress child theme rules apply. Create a child theme with at least:

  • style.css declaring Template: buddyx
  • functions.php enqueuing parent + child styles

Most users don't need a child theme - BuddyX covers customization through the Customizer. Use a child theme only if you need to edit PHP templates or add complex custom CSS.

BuddyPress + community

Does BuddyX work with the latest BuddyPress?

Yes. BuddyX 5.1.0 is tested with BuddyPress 12.x and 14.x. The BuddyX team uses BuddyPress on our own sites and tests every major BuddyPress release.

Does BuddyX support BuddyBoss Platform?

Yes. BuddyX's BuddyPress integration applies to both BuddyPress (free) and BuddyBoss Platform (paid). Use whichever fits your needs.

Can I make my community members-only?

Yes, but you'll need a third-party privacy plugin. Options:

  • BP Private Site (free) - basic redirect-to-login for community URLs
  • MemberPress / Paid Memberships Pro / Restrict Content Pro - full membership platforms with paid tiers, content gating, recurring billing

BuddyX's theme features work with all of these.

E-commerce

Does BuddyX work with WooCommerce?

Yes. BuddyX includes full WooCommerce styling out of the box - shop page, single product, cart, checkout, account. Configure shop layout at Customize → Site Sidebar → WooCommerce Sidebar.

Does it support digital downloads / subscriptions?

WooCommerce + the right extensions handles digital downloads, subscriptions, etc. BuddyX styles the standard WooCommerce templates; specialized add-on UIs (like Subscriptions account pages) usually inherit WooCommerce's defaults and look fine.

For lighter-weight digital-goods alternatives, BuddyX also includes FluentCart and SureCart styling.

What about marketplace plugins (Dokan, WCFM)?

The free BuddyX theme has basic compatibility - marketplace pages render correctly because they use WooCommerce templates underneath. For polished vendor-dashboard styling specifically tuned to Dokan / WCFM / MultiVendorX, BuddyX Pro adds deeper integration.

Performance + SEO

Is BuddyX fast?

Yes. BuddyX 5.1.0 has a modern asset pipeline: conditional CSS loading (only loads what each page needs), font preloading, minimal JavaScript, FOUC-free dark mode. Pair with a caching plugin for production-grade speed.

Does BuddyX hurt SEO?

No. BuddyX outputs clean, semantic HTML with proper heading hierarchy, accessible markup, and mobile-responsive layouts. It works with any SEO plugin (Yoast, Rank Math, SEOPress, All in One SEO).

Does BuddyX support Core Web Vitals optimization?

The theme defaults already score well on Core Web Vitals (LCP, FID/INP, CLS). For top-tier scores, add a caching plugin, optimize images (EWWW / Smush), and enable Load Google Fonts locally in Customize → Site Performance.

Updates + Support

How often is BuddyX updated?

Major releases (5.x → 5.y) ship 2-4 times a year. Minor releases (5.1.0 → 5.1.1) ship as needed for bug fixes - often within a week of a reported issue.

How do I get support?

Channel Best for
WordPress.org BuddyX forum Public Q&A, free, community-supported
GitHub issues Bug reports, developer-level questions
support@wbcomdesigns.com Direct email, response within 1 business day

How do I report a bug?

GitHub issues is best for bug reports - include:

  • BuddyX version + WordPress version + PHP version
  • Active plugins list
  • Reproduction steps
  • Screenshot / screen recording if visual

How do I request a feature?

Open a GitHub discussion or email support@wbcomdesigns.com with what you're trying to do. Feature requests with a clear use case (not just "add X") get traction faster.

How do I follow BuddyX development?

Licensing + commercial use

Can I use BuddyX on a client site?

Yes. BuddyX is licensed GPL v2 or later - same as WordPress. You can install it on any site (yours, client, multisite), modify it, redistribute it. No license keys, no per-site limits.

Can I sell sites built with BuddyX?

Yes. Building a site for a client using BuddyX is fully allowed. You can keep the theme on the client's site indefinitely.

Can I use the BuddyX brand / logo / screenshots in my own marketing?

The BuddyX name and Wbcom Designs logo are trademarks. You may say "built with BuddyX" or "uses BuddyX theme" in your client work attribution. Don't claim BuddyX is your own product or use the Wbcom Designs logo on your own marketing as if endorsed.

Plugin catalog

What's the Wbcom Designs plugin catalog?

Wbcom Designs (the team behind BuddyX) builds in-house WordPress plugins, each with a free version and a pro version sold separately. They're designed to work cleanly with BuddyX:

Plugin What it adds
Jetonomy Modern community surface - forums, Q&A, ideas, trust levels
MediaVerse Native video upload + hosting + player
WB Gamification Points, ranks, badges, leaderboards
WP Career Board Job board + resume management
WP Ads Manager Display ad zones, sponsorship slots, ad rotation
Listora (coming soon) Directory builder
Learnomy (coming soon) First-party LMS

Browse the full catalog at wbcomdesigns.com/downloads/.

Are these plugins required for BuddyX?

No. BuddyX is a complete theme on its own. The plugin catalog gives you optional features when your site grows beyond what the theme alone covers.

Do I have to use BuddyX Pro to use these plugins?

No. The plugins work with the free BuddyX, with BuddyX Pro, and with most other WordPress themes. They're independent products.

Related

Glossary

Plain-English definitions of WordPress, BuddyX, and related terms you'll encounter in these docs. Listed alphabetically - use Cmd+F (Mac) / Ctrl+F (Windows) to find a term quickly.

If a term isn't defined here and isn't obvious from context, email support@wbcomdesigns.com and we'll add it.

A

Activity Stream (BuddyPress) - The shared feed of recent posts, replies, comments, and updates from all members of your community. Similar to Twitter's home timeline or Facebook's news feed. Available when BuddyPress is active.

Admin (WordPress user role) - A user with full control over your site. Can install plugins, change themes, edit content, manage other users. The first user you create when installing WordPress is an Admin.

Akismet - A free spam-filtering plugin built into WordPress. Catches spam comments and registrations. Needs a free API key (sign up at akismet.com) to activate.

Auto Mode (BuddyX Color Mode) - A setting where your site automatically displays in light or dark colors based on the visitor's device preference. Visitors with Mac/Windows/iOS/Android set to "dark mode" see your site dark; everyone else sees it light. See Dark Mode.

B

bbPress - A free WordPress plugin that adds discussion forums. Used for traditional forum-style sites where members create topics and reply to each other. Often paired with BuddyPress for full community sites.

Block (WordPress) - The building unit of the modern WordPress editor. Each paragraph, image, heading, button, or video is a "block" you can move around. Replaced the older "classic editor" in WordPress 5.0.

Block Editor (WordPress) - The modern editor used when you create or edit a page/post. Also called "Gutenberg" (the project codename). Lets you drag-and-drop blocks to build pages. The default WordPress experience since 2018.

Block Pattern (WordPress) - A pre-designed group of blocks you can insert with one click. BuddyX ships several patterns for hero sections, features grids, and call-to-action sections. Access via the block editor: Patterns → BuddyX.

Brand color - A specific color (usually a "hex code" like #FF5733) that represents your company or project. Used consistently across your site for buttons, links, accents. Set via Customize → Site Skin → Site Primary Color.

BuddyPress - A free, open-source WordPress plugin that adds community features: user registration, member profiles, activity feeds, groups, private messaging. The most popular choice for community sites on WordPress. Free at buddypress.org. BuddyX is built community-first to work with it.

BuddyX Pro - The paid premium version of this theme. Adds 14 color presets, 7 typography presets, sign-in popup, per-page settings, and dark customizer surface. Sold separately at wbcomdesigns.com. The free BuddyX is a complete theme on its own - Pro is optional.

C

Cache - Saved copies of web pages or data, kept to avoid recomputing them. Browsers cache pages so revisits load faster. WordPress can use page caching (via plugins like WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache, LiteSpeed Cache) to serve pages without running PHP each time. After making changes, you may need to clear (or "purge") your cache to see updates.

Capability (WordPress) - A specific permission, like "can publish posts" or "can install plugins." User roles (Admin / Editor / Author / Subscriber) are bundles of capabilities.

Category (WordPress) - A way to group blog posts by broad topic (e.g. "News", "Tutorials"). One post can belong to multiple categories. Categories typically appear in navigation. Different from Tags which are finer-grained keywords.

CDN (Content Delivery Network) - A network of servers worldwide that store copies of your site's files (images, CSS, JS). When a visitor in Australia loads your site, the CDN serves files from a nearby server instead of your origin server - faster page loads. Common CDNs: Cloudflare, Bunny, KeyCDN.

Child Theme - A custom version of a theme that inherits from a "parent" theme (BuddyX, in this case). Lets you customize without losing your changes when the parent updates. Recommended only if you plan to edit PHP or CSS files directly.

Color Mode (BuddyX 5.1.0) - One of three settings for how your site displays: Light, Dark, or Auto. Light always uses bright colors; Dark always uses dark; Auto matches the visitor's device. See Dark Mode.

Cookie (web browser) - A small piece of data your site stores in the visitor's browser. BuddyX uses cookies (and localStorage) to remember a visitor's color-mode choice across page loads. Subject to consent laws in some jurisdictions (GDPR, CCPA).

Custom Post Type (CPT) (WordPress) - A custom kind of content beyond the built-in Posts and Pages. Example: WooCommerce adds a "Product" custom post type.

Customizer (WordPress Customizer) - The visual settings panel at Appearance → Customize in your WordPress admin. Lets you change colors, fonts, header layout, etc. with a live preview on the right. The main place you'll spend time configuring BuddyX. Changes don't go live until you click Publish.

Customizer Framework (BuddyX 5.1.0) - The in-theme framework that powers BuddyX's Customizer controls. Pre-5.1.0, BuddyX used the third-party Kirki plugin; 5.1.0 ships its own framework, so no extra plugin is needed.

D

Dark Mode - A version of your site that uses dark backgrounds + light text (instead of the traditional light backgrounds + dark text). Easier on the eyes in low light. BuddyX includes built-in dark mode + a visitor toggle. See Dark Mode.

Dashboard (WordPress) - The back-end admin area you see after logging in to your site. The URL is yoursite.com/wp-admin/. Distinct from the "front-end" which is what visitors see.

Database (WordPress) - Where WordPress stores all your content (posts, pages, settings, comments, users). Usually MySQL or MariaDB. You don't need to touch the database directly for normal use.

Demo Content / Starter Content - Pre-built example pages and Customizer values that WordPress shows on a fresh install. BuddyX ships starter content so a brand-new install previews like a real site before you configure anything. See the Match the demo recipe → Step 3 for how to trigger it.

E

Editor (WordPress user role) - A user who can write, edit, and publish posts and pages - including other users' content. One step below Admin (can't install plugins or change themes).

Excerpt (WordPress) - A short summary of a blog post used in archive listings (the page that lists multiple posts). Either WordPress auto-generates it from the post's opening, or you write a custom one.

F

Favicon / Site Icon - The small icon shown next to your site title in browser tabs, bookmarks, and mobile home-screen shortcuts. Must be a 512×512 square image. Set in Appearance → Customize → Site Identity.

Featured Image (WordPress) - The main image attached to a blog post. Shown in archive listings, social shares (Facebook/Twitter preview), and at the top of single-post pages. Set in the right-side panel when editing a post.

Footer - The bottom section of every page, usually holding copyright text, site links, social icons, and widgets like recent posts or contact info. Configure via Customize → Site Footer and Appearance → Widgets.

Forum (community feature) - A traditional discussion area where members create topics and others reply. Usually organized by category. WordPress supports forums via plugins like bbPress (free) or Jetonomy (from Wbcom Designs, free + pro version sold separately).

FOUC (Flash of Unstyled Content) - The brief flash visitors see when a page loads in the "wrong" colors (e.g., light then snaps to dark). BuddyX 5.1.0 specifically prevents this - dark-mode visitors see dark from the very first paint, no flash. See Dark Mode.

Front-end - The public side of your site that visitors see. Opposite of "back-end" / "dashboard" (the admin side at /wp-admin/).

G

GDPR - The European Union's General Data Protection Regulation. Requires sites to disclose what visitor data they collect, get consent for tracking, and let visitors request data deletion. If your site serves any EU traffic (it probably does), you need a Privacy Policy page and (depending on what tracking you use) a cookie consent banner.

Google Fonts - A library of 1000+ free fonts hosted by Google. BuddyX ships full integration - pick any font from the Google library in Customize → Typography. Optionally, BuddyX can host the fonts on your own server (Customize → Site Performance → Load Google Fonts locally) for faster loads and better privacy.

Group (BuddyPress) - A sub-community within your site. Members join groups based on shared interest, like a Facebook group. Each group has its own activity feed, members list, and (optionally) forum. Different from a bbPress Forum, which is topic-based not membership-based.

Gutenberg - The project codename for WordPress's modern Block Editor. See Block Editor.

H

Header - The top section of every page, holding your logo, main menu, and possibly a search icon, cart icon, color-mode toggle, etc. Configure via Customize → Site Header.

Hex code (color) - A 6-character code that represents a specific color, like #ef5455 (BuddyX's default red). Prefixed with #. Most color pickers accept hex codes.

Homepage (WordPress) - The page visitors see at your domain root (e.g. yoursite.com/). By default, WordPress shows your latest blog posts here. Most sites override this with a custom "Home" page via Settings → Reading.

Host / Web hosting - The company whose servers your WordPress site runs on. Examples: SiteGround, Cloudways, WP Engine, Kinsta. Different from your "domain registrar" (where you bought your site's URL).

HTTPS / SSL - Encrypted, secure version of HTTP. A site at https:// (with the padlock icon in the browser) has an SSL certificate that encrypts data between visitor and server. Required by Google for SEO; essential for any site collecting payments or logins. Most hosts provide free SSL via Let's Encrypt.

J

Jetonomy (Wbcom Designs plugin) - A modern community plugin from the same team that builds BuddyX. Adds forums, Q&A, ideas, and trust levels. Free version + pro version sold separately. Designed to integrate cleanly with BuddyX.

Jetpack - A WordPress plugin from Automattic (the company that makes WordPress.com). Offers traffic stats, related posts, social sharing, image optimization, and security features.

K

Kirki - An older third-party WordPress Customizer framework. BuddyX used Kirki pre-5.1.0. In 5.1.0, BuddyX replaced Kirki with its own in-theme Customizer Framework - fewer plugin dependencies, faster customizer load, smaller asset footprint.

L

Landing page - A standalone page designed to convert visitors to take a specific action (sign up, buy, download). Usually has a hero section, key benefits, social proof, and a clear call-to-action. Build with BuddyX's block patterns.

Light Mode - The traditional "bright background, dark text" appearance of most websites. Opposite of Dark Mode. See Color Mode.

Live Preview (WordPress Customizer) - The right-side panel in the Customizer that shows what your settings will look like, updated as you change them. Changes don't apply to the live site until you click Publish.

Loco Translate - A free WordPress plugin for translating themes and plugins into other languages without writing code. Edit translations directly in your WordPress admin. BuddyX is fully translation-ready.

Logo - The image (usually with your brand name) shown in the header instead of (or alongside) the text site title. Upload via Customize → Site Identity → Logo. Best as a transparent PNG or SVG, 200-300px wide.

M

MediaVerse (Wbcom Designs plugin) - A plugin for native video upload, hosting, and playback from Wbcom Designs (BuddyX team). Free version + pro version sold separately.

Member Directory (BuddyPress) - The public page listing all the members of your community. Visitors browse member cards, filter, search. URL is typically /members/.

Member Profile (BuddyPress) - A page representing a single community member with their avatar, name, bio, activity, and social connections. URL is typically /members/<username>/.

Menu (WordPress) - The list of links shown in your header (or elsewhere). Built at Appearance → Menus. You can have multiple menus assigned to different "locations" (Primary, Footer, etc.).

P

Page (WordPress) - Static content like Home, About, Contact, Privacy Policy. Unlike Posts, Pages don't have categories, tags, or chronological order. Used for site furniture, not articles.

Patterns (Block Patterns) - See Block Pattern.

Permalink - The full URL of a page or post (e.g. yoursite.com/blog/my-first-post/). WordPress lets you choose the URL pattern at Settings → Permalinks.

PHP - The programming language WordPress is written in. BuddyX requires PHP 7.4 or newer (PHP 8.x recommended). You don't need to know PHP for normal use; it's relevant only if you're building a custom plugin or child theme.

Plugin - A WordPress add-on that adds features. Install via Plugins → Add New. Most popular plugins are free; some are paid or have free + paid tiers.

Polylang / WPML - Plugins that turn WordPress into a multilingual site. WPML is paid + comprehensive; Polylang has a free tier. Different from Loco Translate, which translates the theme/plugin text but not your content.

Post (WordPress) - A blog entry with date, author, and (usually) categories + tags. Listed chronologically on your blog page. Different from a Page, which is static.

Primary Color / Site Primary Color (BuddyX Site Skin) - Your main brand color, used across buttons, links, and accent UI. Set via Customize → Site Skin → Site Primary Color. The default is #ef5455 (BuddyX red). The most influential single color setting in the theme.

Primary Menu (WordPress) - A "menu location" - a named slot in your header where one of your menus appears. BuddyX registers two menu locations: Primary (the main header menu, also used on mobile) and User Menu (only when BuddyPress is active, controls the logged-in user dropdown). Footer content lives in widget areas, not a menu location.

Privacy Policy - A page disclosing what data your site collects, how it's used, and how visitors can request deletion. Required by GDPR, CCPA, and similar laws. WordPress ships a template at Settings → Privacy → Create New Page - customize the template to match what your specific site actually does.

Publish (WordPress / Customizer) - The action that makes your changes live to visitors. Drafts are saved-but-not-public; Published content is live. In the Customizer, the Publish button (top right) commits your changes; the Preview area shows them before you publish.

R

Rank Math - A free + paid WordPress SEO plugin, alternative to Yoast SEO. Helps your articles rank in Google by analyzing titles, content length, keywords, and metadata.

Responsive design - A design that adapts to different screen sizes - looks right on desktop, tablet, and phone. BuddyX is fully responsive out of the box.

S

Sidebar (WordPress) - A column beside your main content where widgets appear (recent posts, search box, social links, etc.). BuddyX lets you choose left / right / none / both per content type (blog archive, single post, page, BuddyPress, WooCommerce, bbPress) via Customize → Site Sidebar.

Site Icon - See Favicon.

Site Identity (WordPress Customizer) - The Customizer section where you set your site title, tagline, logo, and favicon. Customize → Site Identity. The first place to visit when setting up a new site.

Site Loader (BuddyX) - An optional animated loader shown briefly while a page loads. Off by default in 5.1.0 (the modern asset pipeline loads fast enough not to need it). Enable + customize via Customize → Site Loader.

Site Skin (BuddyX) - The Customizer section where you control all the site's colors, including the 8 style presets, the 50+ individual color settings, and the Color Mode toggle. Customize → Site Skin. Pre-5.1.0 this was called "Skin Settings"; renamed for clarity.

Slug - The URL-friendly part of a title. The page titled "About Our Company" might have slug about-our-company and URL /about-our-company/. WordPress generates slugs automatically; you can edit them when creating or editing content.

SSL - See HTTPS.

Starter Content - See Demo Content.

Static page - A page set as your homepage (instead of WordPress showing your latest blog posts). Set via Settings → Reading → Your homepage displays → A static page. Most sites use a static "Home" page.

Sticky header (BuddyX header setting) - Makes the header stay visible as the visitor scrolls (instead of scrolling off-screen). On by default. Toggle via Customize → Site Header.

Style preset / Style variation (BuddyX 5.1.0) - A pre-tuned palette you apply with one click. BuddyX free ships 8 style presets (Cool, Dark, Editorial, Minimal, Monochrome, Pastel, Vibrant, Warm) plus the Default look. Pick a preset as your starting palette; any custom color you set below still takes priority. See Color Scheme.

T

Tag (WordPress) - A keyword associated with a blog post (e.g. "react", "tutorial", "beginner"). More granular than Categories; one post can have many tags. Visitors can browse posts by tag.

Tagline (WordPress Site Identity) - A short one-line description of your site that appears below or near the site title. The default tagline is "Just another WordPress site" - change it via Customize → Site Identity.

Taxonomy (WordPress) - A way to organize content. Categories and Tags are the two built-in taxonomies. Plugins can add custom taxonomies (e.g. WooCommerce adds "Product Category" and "Product Tag").

Template - A PHP file that defines how a specific type of page is displayed (single posts, blog archive, search results, etc.). Themes ship templates; you customize them via child themes.

Theme - The visual + structural foundation of your WordPress site. Controls layout, typography, colors, and the templates for different page types. BuddyX is a theme. Only one theme is active at a time; switch via Appearance → Themes.

Theme Mod (WordPress) - The technical name for a value saved by the Customizer. Stored in the WordPress database under theme_mods_<theme_slug> option. Customizer settings are "theme mods"; widgets/posts/pages are not.

Token (CSS Custom Property) (BuddyX 5.1.0 architecture) - A CSS variable used to keep colors consistent across the site. BuddyX uses tokens like --bx-color-primary, --bx-color-bg-body, --bx-color-text-primary. Customizer values are resolved into tokens, then tokens are referenced throughout the stylesheets. See Design Tokens reference.

W

WB Gamification (Wbcom Designs plugin) - A points / ranks / badges / leaderboards plugin from the BuddyX team. Free version + pro version sold separately.

Widget (WordPress) - A reusable content block (like Recent Posts, Search, Tag Cloud) you can drop into your sidebar or footer widget areas. Configure at Appearance → Widgets.

WooCommerce - The free, industry-standard WordPress plugin for selling things online. Handles cart, checkout, payments (via gateways like Stripe and PayPal), shipping, inventory, taxes, and order management. BuddyX supports WooCommerce out of the box (shop layout, product layouts, sidebars).

WP Admin / WordPress Admin / Dashboard - The back-end area at yoursite.com/wp-admin/. Where you write posts, manage settings, install plugins. Only logged-in users with appropriate roles see this.

WP Ads Manager (Wbcom Designs plugin) - A plugin for display ad zones, sponsorship slots, and ad rotation from the BuddyX team. Free version + pro version sold separately.

WP Career Board (Wbcom Designs plugin) - A job board + resume management plugin from the BuddyX team. Free version + pro version sold separately.

WPML - A paid plugin for building multilingual WordPress sites. The most full-featured multilingual solution; alternative to Polylang.

Y

Yoast SEO - A free + paid WordPress SEO plugin, the most widely-used. Helps your articles rank in Google by analyzing titles, content length, keywords, readability, and metadata.

A note on terminology

WordPress and its ecosystem use a lot of overlapping or interchangeable words. A "Customizer" is technically the "WordPress Customizer". "Site Skin" is BuddyX's name for the customizer section that controls colors; some other themes call this "Theme Options" or "Styling". A "dashboard" usually means the WP Admin area.

When in doubt, search the WordPress documentation at wordpress.org/documentation/ or ask us at support@wbcomdesigns.com - we're happy to clarify any term that's not covered here.

Related

Troubleshooting

Common issues and how to fix them. If your issue isn't here, see FAQ or email support@wbcomdesigns.com.

My site looks broken / unstyled

Symptom: After activating BuddyX, your site shows raw HTML - no colors, no fonts, layout is broken.

Most likely cause: A caching plugin or your hosting cache is serving stale CSS from the previous theme.

Fix:

  1. Clear your caching plugin's cache (WP Rocket → Settings → Clear Cache, etc.)
  2. Clear your host's server cache (in your hosting dashboard, or the host's caching plugin if they install one)
  3. Hard-refresh your browser: Cmd+Shift+R (Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+R (Windows)
  4. Try a different browser or an incognito/private window to bypass your browser cache entirely
  5. If using a CDN (Cloudflare etc.), purge its cache too

Still broken? Open browser developer tools (F12 → Network tab → reload) and check whether buddyx-styles.css returns 200 OK or 404. A 404 means file-permission issues - contact your host.

I changed a Customizer setting but the front-end didn't update

Symptom: Set a color in Customize → Site Skin, clicked Publish, but the live site still shows the old color.

Most likely cause: Caching, again.

Fix:

  1. In the Customizer: make sure you clicked the blue Publish button at the top (not just hit Esc). Until you publish, settings exist only in the preview.
  2. Clear all caches (see above - caching plugin → host cache → browser → CDN)
  3. Hard-refresh the front-end page

Still not updating? A child theme or another plugin may be overriding the setting. Temporarily switch to the Twenty Twenty-Four default theme - does the color appear correctly there? If yes, return to BuddyX. If no, the issue is plugin-related.

The color-mode toggle (sun/moon icon) isn't showing

Symptom: You expect a dark/light toggle button in the header but don't see one.

Check:

  1. Customize → Site Skin → Color Mode - is Show color-mode toggle set to Show? (It's on by default.)
  2. Customize → Site Skin → Color Mode → Toggle position - is it set to Header, Mobile, or Both? If set to Mobile, it only appears in the mobile menu (you won't see it on desktop). Change to Header or Both to make it visible on desktop.
  3. Is your header layout overriding the icons? Some custom header configurations may hide icon slots.

My logo is huge / tiny / cropped

Symptom: After uploading a logo in Customize → Site Identity, it displays at an unexpected size.

Cause: WordPress doesn't resize your logo - it uses your image's source dimensions (scaled responsively).

Fix:

  1. Resize your logo to a sensible size before uploading - most horizontal logos work at around 200×60 pixels; most square logos at around 60×60.
  2. Use a tool like Squoosh.app, Canva, Photoshop, or Preview (Mac) to resize.
  3. Use a transparent PNG or SVG so it sits cleanly over any header background color.
  4. After uploading a smaller version, clear caches and hard-refresh.

BuddyX free doesn't have a "logo size" Customizer setting (Pro does). The fix is to resize the source image.

Fonts aren't loading

Symptom: You picked a Google font in Customize → Typography, but the site still shows the default sans-serif.

Possible causes:

  1. Caching - clear caches and hard-refresh first.
  2. Wrong setting - make sure you selected a font in the Font Family dropdown (not just changed the size or weight).
  3. Google Fonts blocked - if you have Customize → Site Performance → Load Google Fonts locally turned on, the fonts are pulled from your own server. Make sure your server has write permissions to wp-content/uploads/ (where BuddyX caches the local font files).
  4. Browser console errors - open developer tools (F12 → Console). If you see CORS errors or font 404s, that points to a server-config issue with your host.

Fix:

  1. Turn off Load Google Fonts locally temporarily (to test if Google's CDN itself works for your server)
  2. If that fixes it, your server has a write-permission issue on wp-content/uploads/. Contact your host.
  3. If the font still doesn't load even from Google's CDN, your server may be blocking fonts.gstatic.com. Whitelist that domain (your host can help).

My BuddyPress activity feed / member directory isn't styled

Symptom: After installing BuddyPress, the activity, members, or groups pages look unstyled or off.

Check:

  1. BuddyPress version - BuddyX is tested with the latest BuddyPress. Update via Plugins → Installed Plugins.
  2. BuddyPress Components - Settings → BuddyPress → Components. Make sure Activity, Members, Groups, etc. are enabled.
  3. BuddyPress Pages - Settings → BuddyPress → Pages. Each component must be mapped to a real page (BuddyPress auto-creates these on first activation).
  4. Cache - community page caches are notorious. Clear caches.

The site loader spins forever (or shows a brief flash)

Symptom: When loading a page, a spinning loader appears and either never goes away, OR shows for a fraction of a second then disappears.

Check:

  1. Customize → General → Site Loader - is Show site loader turned on? The 5.1.0 default is off (the loader is optional). If it's on and looks wrong, try turning it off.
  2. JavaScript error - open browser developer tools (F12 → Console). If you see red errors, a plugin or custom code may be breaking JS. The loader hides itself when the page finishes loading; if JS is broken, it can hang.

Fix:

  1. Turn off the loader if you don't need it (5.1.0 default).
  2. If you need it, troubleshoot the JS error - disable plugins one at a time to find the culprit.

Dark mode flashes on page load

Symptom: When loading a page as a dark-mode visitor, the page briefly shows light before snapping to dark.

Cause: This shouldn't happen on BuddyX 5.1.0+ - the FOUC-free first paint specifically prevents it. If you're seeing it, you're on an older version OR a plugin is delaying the inline dark-mode script.

Fix:

  1. Update BuddyX to the latest 5.1.x - Appearance → Themes → BuddyX → Update Available (if shown), or upload the latest zip from wordpress.org.
  2. If a caching plugin is HTML-minifying the inline <script> that BuddyX puts in <head> for first-paint, that script may run later than it should. Exclude head inline scripts from minification in your caching plugin's settings.
  3. Hard-refresh and test in incognito.

My header / menu disappears on mobile

Symptom: On a phone-sized screen, the menu doesn't appear (or the whole header looks empty).

Check:

  1. Appearance → Menus → Menu Settings → Display location - make sure your menu is assigned to Primary. (BuddyX registers two menu locations: Primary and User Menu - the latter only when BuddyPress is active. Mobile uses the Primary menu automatically; footer content uses widgets.)
  2. Customize → Site Header - verify your header layout option supports mobile (all BuddyX header layouts do).
  3. Resize your browser window from wide → narrow to see the breakpoint. The mobile menu (hamburger) usually appears around 1024px.

My footer widgets aren't appearing

Symptom: You added widgets at Appearance → Widgets → Footer 1/2/3/4 but the footer is blank or shows different widgets.

Check:

  1. Right widget area - BuddyX has 4 footer columns: Footer 1, 2, 3, 4. Make sure you added widgets to the right one(s).
  2. Cache - clear caches.
  3. Theme override - if you're using a child theme that customized the footer template, it may be ignoring BuddyX's widget areas. Switch off the child theme temporarily to test.

I uploaded a file but it doesn't appear

Symptom: Tried to upload an image, video, or file but it fails (or only sometimes works).

Most likely cause: Hosting upload limits.

Fix:

  1. WordPress upload limit - varies by host. Check at Media → Add New (you'll see "Maximum upload file size: XX MB" at the bottom).
  2. Your file is over the limit - either reduce the file size (use Squoosh.app, Handbrake for videos), OR ask your host to raise the limit (usually they need to bump upload_max_filesize in php.ini).
  3. PHP errors - large uploads may hit PHP timeout or memory limits. Look in your hosting dashboard for PHP error logs.

I can't see the Customizer / settings panel

Symptom: Appearance → Customize is missing, or clicking it shows an error.

Check:

  1. User role - only Administrators can access the Customizer by default. Are you logged in as Admin?
  2. JS error - open browser developer tools (F12 → Console). Customizer relies on JavaScript; a JS error from a plugin can break it. Disable plugins one at a time.
  3. Caching/CDN - sometimes the Customizer fails when JS is aggressively minified. Exclude /wp-admin/ from caching in your caching plugin.

After updating BuddyX, my customization is gone

Symptom: Just updated to a new BuddyX version and the colors, fonts, or layouts look reset.

Most likely cause: Caching, not actual data loss. WordPress updates don't delete Customizer settings.

Fix:

  1. Clear all caches (caching plugin, host cache, browser cache, CDN)
  2. Hard-refresh
  3. Go to Appearance → Customize - your saved settings should still be there, just not visually applied yet due to old cached CSS

If a setting is actually missing, you may have upgraded from a pre-5.1.0 version that used a slightly different setting name. The 5.1.0 release carefully migrates old setting IDs - but if you see a specific setting reset, email support with the setting name and we'll investigate.

Block patterns aren't showing up in the editor

Symptom: When editing a page, you click + → Patterns and don't see BuddyX patterns.

Check:

  1. WordPress version - block patterns require WordPress 6.0+. Update at Dashboard → Updates.
  2. Patterns category - in the patterns dropdown, look under the BuddyX category specifically. There may also be a WordPress core patterns category - don't confuse them.
  3. Plugin conflicts - some "block library" plugins override the patterns UI. Try deactivating them.

Where do I report a bug?

If your issue isn't here and you've ruled out caching, plugin conflicts, and theme-version mismatch:

  1. WordPress.org BuddyX support forum - wordpress.org/support/theme/buddyx/. Community-supported, public.
  2. GitHub issues - github.com/vapvarun/buddyx/issues. Best for technical / developer bugs.
  3. Email support - support@wbcomdesigns.com. We respond within 1 business day.

Helpful info to include:

  • Your WordPress version (Dashboard → At a Glance, or Tools → Site Health → Info)
  • Your BuddyX version (Appearance → Themes → BuddyX → Theme Details)
  • Your PHP version (Tools → Site Health → Info)
  • A list of active plugins
  • A clear description of the symptom + screenshot if visual
  • Steps you've already tried

Related

Something unclear? Open a support ticket →

Buy BuddyX