The BuddyPress Template Pack plugin has been downloaded over 85,000 times since its release in February of 2010. In case you’ve never used it before, the BP Template Pack plugin guides you through the process of using your existing WordPress theme in order to display BuddyPress pages and content. Boone Gorges announced an update to this plugin this week:

The plugin now provides templates that are 100% up-to-date with the latest stable release of BuddyPress, which means that users will get all of the features and AJAX niceties enjoyed by sites that use the bp-default theme.

If you’ve already been using BP Template Pack you can replace your existing BP templates by clicking the “Reset” button at Dashboard > BP Compatibility. You’ll need to back up your BP template folders. The next step is to manually delete the BP Template folders from your active theme, which includes activity, blogs, forums, groups, members, and registration.

WordPress themes vary wildly from one to another, so even after adding the BuddyPress Template Pack plugin, you may need to make further template or CSS adjustments. That’s where the BuddyPress codex come in handy with its BP Template Pack Walkthrough – Easy Level tutorial.

The tutorial will walk you through the process of adjusting the HTML structure and CSS to properly display BuddyPress within your WordPress theme.

There’s no need to worry when using the BP Template Pack plugin, as the process is completely reversible. It does not modify any of your existing template files so you can rest easy knowing that you’ll always be able to go back to those if you can’t get it working correctly.

If not being able to use your own WordPress theme has held you back from adding BuddyPress in the past, now is a great time to try the BP Template Pack plugin. It’s now ready to use with the latest version of BuddyPress, so your theme won’t be missing anything.