Admin Settings Reference

Complete guide to all BuddyPress Member Reviews plugin settings. Access settings at Settings > BP Member Review in your WordPress admin.

General Settings Tab

Review Submission Settings

Enable Multi Reviews

Option: Yes/No
Default: Yes
Description: Allow members to submit multiple reviews for the same person. When disabled, each member can only review another member once.

Display Submit Review Button

Option: Yes/No
Default: No
Description: Show the “Submit Review” button on member profiles. Disable to hide the review form (useful if you want to limit who can submit reviews).

Auto Approve Member Review

Option: Yes/No
Default: Yes
Description: Automatically approve reviews when submitted. When disabled, reviews require admin approval before appearing on profiles.

Enable Review Update

Option: Yes/No
Default: Yes
Description: Allow members to edit their own reviews after submission. Works with both single and multi-review modes.

Display Settings

Display Member Rating in Members Directory

Option: Yes/No
Default: Yes
Description: Show member ratings on the main members directory page. Helps visitors quickly identify top-rated members.

Number of Reviews Per Page

Option: Number
Default: 5
Description: How many reviews to display per page on member profiles before pagination appears. Set between 1-50.

User Role Permissions

Select Member Roles to Write Reviews

Option: Multi-select dropdown
Options: Administrator, Editor, Author, Contributor, Subscriber, Custom Roles
Default: All roles selected
Description: Choose which user roles are allowed to submit reviews. Only selected roles can write reviews on member profiles.

User Roles to Accept Reviews

Option: Multi-select dropdown
Options: Administrator, Editor, Author, Contributor, Subscriber, Custom Roles
Default: All roles selected
Description: Choose which user roles can receive reviews on their profiles. Only members with selected roles will have the review section visible on their profile.

Email Notification Settings

Send Email on Review Submission

Option: Yes/No
Default: Yes
Description: Email the reviewed member when someone submits a review about them.

Review Notification Email Subject

Field: Text
Default: “You Have Received a New Review on [site-name]”
Description: Subject line for review notification emails. Use [site-name] to dynamically insert your website name.

Review Notification Email Message

Field: Textarea
Default: Pre-formatted message
Description: Email body sent to reviewed members. Use placeholders for dynamic content.

Available Placeholders:

[user-name] – Name of the reviewed member
[reviewer-name] – Name of the person who wrote the review
[review-link] – Link to view the review
[site-name] – Your website name
[site-admin] – Site administrator name

Example:

Hi [user-name],

[reviewer-name] has left you a review.

View the review here: [review-link]

Thanks,
[site-name]

Approval Email Settings

These settings appear when Auto Approve Member Review is set to No. They control the email sent to the site administrator when a new review requires manual approval.

Approval Email Subject

Field: Text
Default: “A New Review Requires Your Approval on [site-name]”
Description: Subject line for the admin notification email when a review is submitted and awaits approval.

Approval Email Message

Field: Textarea
Default: Pre-formatted message
Description: Email body sent to the site administrator for review approval. Use placeholders for dynamic content.

Available Placeholders:

[review-aproval-link] – Link to the admin approval page for the review
[site-admin] – Site administrator name
[site-name] – Your website name

BuddyPress Notifications

BuddyPress Notifications

Option: Yes/No
Default: Yes
Description: Enable or disable BuddyPress notifications when someone receives a review. When enabled, members see a notification in their BuddyPress notification dropdown alerting them about new reviews on their profile.

Privacy and Moderation Settings

Enable Anonymous Review

Option: Yes/No
Default: No
Description: Allow members to submit reviews anonymously. The reviewer’s name will be hidden, showing only “Anonymous” on the review.

Post Review to Activity Stream

Option: Yes/No
Default: No
Description: Create an activity post when a review is submitted. Shows in the BuddyPress activity feed.

Enable Review Owner Reply

Option: Yes/No
Default: Yes
Description: Let reviewed members reply to reviews left on their profile. Replies appear beneath the original review.

Enable Review Flag/Report

Option: Yes/No
Default: Yes
Description: Allow members to flag inappropriate reviews. Flagged reviews appear in the admin for moderation.

Review Flag Threshold

Option: Number
Default: 5
Description: Automatically hide reviews after receiving this many flags. The review remains in the admin for review but disappears from the frontend.

Criteria Settings Tab

Enable Multi Criteria

Enable Multiple Criteria

Option: Yes/No
Default: No
Description: Allow reviews to rate members across multiple criteria (e.g., Communication, Reliability, Professionalism). When disabled, only a single overall rating is used.

Managing Criteria

Adding New Criteria:

Click Add New Criterion
Enter criterion name (e.g., “Communication Skills”)
Check Active to enable immediately
Click Save Changes

Editing Criteria:

Locate the criterion in the list
Click the name to edit inline
Toggle Active checkbox to enable/disable
Click Save Changes

Reordering Criteria:

Hover over a criterion row
Click and drag the handle icon (⋮⋮)
Drop in the desired position
Click Save Changes

Deleting Criteria:

Uncheck Active to disable
Click Delete icon
Confirm deletion
Click Save Changes

Note: Deleting criteria removes associated ratings from existing reviews.

Default Criteria Examples

Communication: How well the member communicates
Reliability: Dependability and consistency
Quality: Quality of work or contributions
Professionalism: Professional behavior and conduct
Friendliness: Approachability and attitude

Display Settings Tab

Review Labels

Review Label (Singular)

Field: Text
Default: “Review”
Description: Singular form used throughout the plugin (e.g., “Submit Review”, “1 Review”).

Review Label (Plural)

Field: Text
Default: “Reviews”
Description: Plural form used throughout the plugin (e.g., “5 Reviews”, “All Reviews”).

Common Label Customizations:

Testimonials: “Testimonial” / “Testimonials”
Endorsements: “Endorsement” / “Endorsements”
Ratings: “Rating” / “Ratings”
Feedback: “Feedback” / “Feedback”
References: “Reference” / “References”

Rating Color

Star Rating Color

Field: Color picker
Default: #FFC400 (Gold)
Description: Color used for filled star ratings throughout your site. Affects member profiles, directories, widgets, and shortcodes.

Color Selection Tips:

Use your brand color for consistency
Ensure sufficient contrast with backgrounds
Test on both light and dark areas
Common choices: Gold (#FFC400), Orange (#FF9800), Blue (#2196F3), Red (#F44336)

Shortcode Tab

Reference for all available shortcodes. See Shortcodes for complete reference.

Pro Features Tab

Preview of Pro features available when you upgrade. See the Pro Features Overview for complete details.

Pro Features Include:

Review modes (Testimonials, Endorsements)
Verified reviewer badges
Flexible criteria management
Member skills tracking
REST API endpoints
Advanced admin dashboard
Priority support

Access Pro Settings:

After upgrading to Pro, additional settings tabs appear:

Review Mode: Switch between Review, Testimonial, and Endorsement modes
Skills: Configure member skills tracking
API: Enable and manage REST API access
Dashboard: Configure the admin review dashboard

Saving Settings

Important: Always click Save Changes at the bottom of each tab before switching tabs. Settings are saved per-tab, not globally.

Verification:

After saving, you’ll see a success message: “Settings saved successfully.”

Resetting to Defaults

To reset settings to default values:

Deactivate the plugin at Plugins > Installed Plugins
Activate the plugin again
Previous settings remain in the database

To completely reset (including removing all reviews):

Deactivate the plugin
Delete the plugin
Reinstall from scratch

Warning: This permanently deletes all reviews and ratings.