Set up SweetDate

This guide takes you from a new WordPress site to a working SweetDate community.

1. Install, register and import a demo

1. Install SweetDate and the SweetDate child theme, then activate SweetDate Child. The SweetDate Panel opens (Appearance > SweetDate Panel).
2. Register SweetDate with your purchase code on the Dashboard tab.
3. Import a demo on the Demo Data tab. The import installs and activates SweetDate Theme Core, Elementor, BuddyPress and BP Profile Search, and adds the profile fields and member search forms.

Not importing a demo? Install the plugins yourself on the Plugins tab of the panel: click Install & activate required, then install the recommended plugins you need.

2. BuddyPress settings

1. Go to Settings > BuddyPress > Components and turn on the features you want (for example Extended Profiles, Friend Connections, Private Messaging).
2. Check that every BuddyPress component has its page assigned. Your community does not work properly without them.
3. Go to Settings > Permalinks and use Post name. BuddyPress pages need pretty permalinks.

3. SweetDate community options

All in the Sweetdate menu of WordPress admin (the theme options). Click Save Changes after each section.

• Buddypress > Online status: shows a colored dot over the avatars of members who are online.
• BP Profile Tabs: turn on Enable profile tabs customisation and choose the profile field groups shown as tabs. A tab shows only when the member filled in its fields (in Profile > Edit).
• Profiles matching: turn on Activate custom matching settings to set how the match percentage between members is calculated. For example: Starting percentage 0, Enable complementary fields on, Complementary fields percentage 10, and a percentage for each other field, up to 100%.

4. Home page and blog page

The demo import sets the front page. To change it, go to Settings > Reading, choose A static page and pick your Homepage and Posts page. You can also click Set as front page next to an imported page at the end of the demo import.

5. Memberships (optional)

For a paid or membership site, install Paid Memberships Pro from the Plugins tab and set up your levels. See Memberships.

Updating

Keep your changes in the child theme, then follow Update SweetDate and its plugins.