Requirements
Before installing the plugin, confirm your site meets these requirements.
Software requirements
Section titled “Software requirements”| Requirement | Minimum | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| WordPress | 3.0.1 | Tested up to 6.9 |
| BuddyPress | Any actively maintained version | See note below |
| BuddyPress Extended Profiles component | Must be active | Required — activation is blocked without it |
| PHP | 7.4 or higher recommended | PHP 8.2 supported |
BuddyBoss Platform can be used in place of BuddyPress. The plugin detects which platform is active and adjusts its behavior automatically.
Required BuddyPress components
Section titled “Required BuddyPress components”The plugin checks for two BuddyPress components at activation time and every time WordPress loads the admin area:
- BuddyPress itself (
class_exists('BuddyPress')) — if BuddyPress is deactivated after the plugin is already active, the plugin will silently deactivate itself. - Extended Profiles (xProfile) (
bp_is_active('xprofile')) — the matching engine reads xProfile field values to calculate scores, so this component is mandatory.
The Friends and Follow components are optional:
- Friends component — needed to send friend requests from suggestion cards. The plugin hides friend-request UI on sites where the Friends component is off.
- Follow component (BuddyPress Follow plugin) or BuddyBoss Activity Follow — needed to show follow suggestions and follow buttons. Neither is required; the plugin detects whichever is available.
Checking component status
Section titled “Checking component status”In your WordPress admin, go to Settings > BuddyPress > Components and confirm that Extended Profiles is checked. If you are using BuddyBoss Platform, the equivalent screen is in BuddyBoss > Components.
No custom database tables
Section titled “No custom database tables”This plugin does not create any custom database tables. All data is stored in WordPress options and in the existing BuddyPress xProfile tables. Two composite indexes are added to the xProfile tables at activation to speed up queries on large communities — these are non-destructive and removed if you uninstall the plugin.
Multisite
Section titled “Multisite”The plugin is compatible with WordPress Multisite. Profile field configuration is per-site (each site in the network has its own settings). If you use the plugin on a network-activated basis, each sub-site must have BuddyPress and the xProfile component active.