Installation & Setup
This guide walks you through installing BuddyPress Statistics and configuring it for your community.
Requirements
Section titled “Requirements”Before installing, make sure you have:
- WordPress 6.5 or higher
- PHP 8.0 or higher
- BuddyPress or BuddyBoss Platform, installed and active
- Administrator access to your WordPress site
WordPress will not activate the plugin on a site running an older WordPress or PHP version.
Installation
Section titled “Installation”BuddyPress Statistics is a premium plugin. Download the plugin zip from your Wbcom Designs account first.
Upload from WordPress Admin
Section titled “Upload from WordPress Admin”- Go to Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin
- Choose the
buddypress-stats.zipfile and click Install Now - Click Activate Plugin
After activation the plugin takes you to its admin page automatically.
Via FTP
Section titled “Via FTP”- Unzip
buddypress-stats.zipon your computer - Upload the
buddypress-statsfolder to your site’s plugins folder - Go to Plugins in WordPress admin
- Find BuddyPress Statistics and click Activate
If BuddyPress (or BuddyBoss Platform) is not active, the plugin deactivates itself and shows a notice saying it requires BuddyPress.
Activate Your License
Section titled “Activate Your License”Go to WB Plugins > BP Statistics > License, paste your license key, and activate it. An active license gives you automatic updates and priority support.
Initial Configuration
Section titled “Initial Configuration”All settings live under WB Plugins > BP Statistics > Settings, split into three sub-tabs: General, Display, and Maintenance.
Step 1: Choose what members and groups see (Settings > General)
Section titled “Step 1: Choose what members and groups see (Settings > General)”Under Member Profile Statistics:
- Profile Statistics tab - tick “Show a Statistics tab on every member profile”
- Charts shown on profiles - choose any of Activity over time, Engagement (likes / reactions), Private messages, Group participation
The profile tab still appears if you leave every chart unticked. It then shows the member’s impact, day streak, and journey sections only.
Under Group Statistics:
- Group Statistics tab - tick “Show a Statistics tab on every group”
- Charts shown on groups - choose any of Activity levels, Top contributors, Membership growth, Active vs. inactive members
Select at least one group chart. While none are selected, the Statistics tab is hidden on groups.
Click Save changes.
Step 2: Choose who sees the tabs (Settings > Display)
Section titled “Step 2: Choose who sees the tabs (Settings > Display)”- Who Sees the Profile Statistics Tab - tick the user roles whose members get a Statistics tab on their own profile. Administrators always have access. All roles are ticked until you change them; untick every role and only administrators see member Statistics tabs.
- Who Sees the Group Statistics Tab - tick the group roles (Administrator, Moderator, Member) and group privacy levels (Public, Private, Hidden) that show the tab.
Step 3: Set data retention and privacy (Settings > Display)
Section titled “Step 3: Set data retention and privacy (Settings > Display)”Under Data Retention & GDPR:
- Activity log retention - number of days to keep activity log entries (1 to 730). A daily cleanup job removes older entries. Values below 7 are treated as 7 days. Default: 90 days.
- IP anonymization - “Anonymize stored IP addresses (GDPR-friendly)”. When on, the last part of each IP address is zeroed before it is saved. On by default.
Click Save changes. Settings apply immediately.
Frontend Setup
Section titled “Frontend Setup”Profile Statistics Tab
Section titled “Profile Statistics Tab”The Statistics tab appears on member profiles for logged-in members once it is enabled on Settings > General and their role is ticked on Settings > Display. Members see the tab on their own profile; administrators can see it on every profile. Profile URLs follow the pattern /members/username/statistics/.
Group Statistics Tab
Section titled “Group Statistics Tab”The Statistics tab appears on group pages for group members whose group role and the group’s privacy level are both ticked on Settings > Display.
Widgets
Section titled “Widgets”Add widgets via Appearance > Widgets:
BP Stats - Member Activity Summary
- Shows a member’s activity counts with an optional chart
- Also available as the shortcode
[bp_stats_modern_widget]
BP Stats - Group Analytics
- Shows analytics for the group being viewed; appears on group pages only
BP Stats - Groups Overview
- Shows totals for all community groups and the most active groups
Verifying Installation
Section titled “Verifying Installation”Check the Dashboard
Section titled “Check the Dashboard”- Go to WB Plugins > BP Statistics > Overview
- You should see the Community Pulse, summary cards, and charts
- If charts are empty, data appears after members log in and take part in the community
Backfill Historical Data
Section titled “Backfill Historical Data”If you installed the plugin on a site with existing BuddyPress activity, go to WB Plugins > BP Statistics > Settings > Maintenance and run Full historical indexing to add past activity to the log.
Recommended Settings
Section titled “Recommended Settings”For most communities:
| Setting | Recommended Value |
|---|---|
| Profile Statistics tab | On |
| Group Statistics tab | On, with at least one group chart selected |
| Who Sees the Profile Statistics Tab | The member roles on your site (for example Subscriber) |
| Activity log retention | 90 days |
| IP anonymization | On |
Troubleshooting
Section titled “Troubleshooting”No data showing?
- Data appears after members log in and take part in the community after activation
- Run Full historical indexing (Settings > Maintenance) to add data from before activation
Plugin won’t activate?
- Make sure BuddyPress or BuddyBoss Platform is active first
- Check that your site runs WordPress 6.5+ and PHP 8.0+ (Tools > Site Health > Info)
Members don’t see the Statistics tab?
- See Settings - Display: the member’s role must be ticked and saved