=== Forumax – AI Powered Advanced Community Forum Plugin ===
Contributors: spiderdevs, mdjwel, delweratjk
Tags: forum, community, forum plugin, discussion, voting
Requires at least: 5.0
Tested up to: 6.9.4
Requires PHP: 7.4
Stable tag: 2.3.0
License: GPLv2 or later
License URI: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html
Donate link: https://forumax.spider-themes.net/pricing

Build powerful communities with Forumax. A fully standalone, feature-rich forum plugin with voting, private replies, and Elementor integration.

== Description ==

**Forumax** is the ultimate standalone community forum solution for WordPress. Designed for forum administrators, content creators, and community managers, Forumax provides a complete suite of powerful features to create professional, engaging forums with minimal effort—no external forum dependencies required.

### What is Forumax?

Forumax provides a complete, self-contained platform for building support forums, knowledge bases, or discussion communities. It includes everything you need to foster engagement, manage content effectively, and create an exceptional user experience right out of the box.

### Key Features of Forumax

**🎯 Unified Forum Builder**
Take complete control of your forums with our intuitive, built-in builder. View all forums and topics in one organized dashboard, filter by status (open, closed, pending, spam), and manage discussions efficiently without navigating multiple pages.

**🔐 Private & Confidential Replies**
Enable users to post private responses visible only to forum owners and moderators. Perfect for sensitive discussions, support tickets, and confidential advice while maintaining full transparency where needed.

**✅ Solved Topics System**
Help community members quickly identify answered questions. Mark topics as solved to display a prominent 'Resolved' badge, reducing duplicate questions and improving user experience. Visitors instantly know which topics have solutions.

**⭐ Smart Voting & Reputation System**
Empower your community with a built-in AJAX-powered voting system. Users vote on the most helpful replies, automatically elevating quality answers to the top. Build reputation-based authority and encourage quality contributions.

**📎 Media Attachments & File Sharing**
Allow users to attach files, documents, images, and media directly to replies. Organized attachment sections make it easy for community members to share resources, code snippets, documents, and collaborate effectively.

**💡 Advanced Forum Statistics Widget**
Display real-time forum information including topic count, reply count, last activity, and most active users. The 'Current Forum Info' widget provides visitors with a quick overview of forum vitality and engagement.

**🎨 Elementor Page Builder Integration**
Create stunning forum layouts using Elementor's drag-and-drop builder. Use specialized Forumax widgets to display forums, topics, and replies on any page with full customization control. No coding required.

**⚡ Lightweight & Performance-Optimized**
Forumax is built for speed. It loads assets intelligently—CSS and JavaScript only when needed. Minimal footprint ensures your forum runs fast without bloat.

**🔧 Intuitive Admin Interface**
Create, edit, and delete forums and topics directly from the Forumax admin dashboard. Streamlined interface eliminates confusion and reduces admin overhead.


== Free Features: ==

* **Live Customizer** – Instantly preview and customize forum styles with real-time visual controls.

* **Pre-made Templates** – Start quickly using professionally designed forum templates for common use cases.

* **Unified Forum Builder** – Build and manage forums, topics, and layouts from one centralized builder.

* **Voting on Topics & Replies** – Allow users to upvote or downvote topics and replies for engagement.

* **Solved Topic** – Mark topics as solved to highlight correct answers and improve usability.

* **Frontend Brand Color Option** – Customize forum brand colors directly from frontend settings easily.

* **Who Can Upload Files** – Control user roles and permissions for uploading files in forums.

* **Pagination in Forum Builder** – Manage large forums efficiently with built-in pagination support.


### PRO Features - Everything You Need for Advanced Community Management:

Upgrade to **Forumax Pro** for enterprise-grade forum management:

1. **Real-Time Admin Notifications** - Stay updated with instant dashboard alerts for new posts, moderation requests, and community activity.

2. **Smart User Notifications** - Keep members engaged with real-time updates on subscribed forums, topics, and replies they care about.

3. **Mini User Profiles** - Display compact user profile cards with activity summaries, follower counts, and quick-view reputation.

4. **Pre-Built Elementor Templates** - Import professional forum layouts with one click. Fully customizable templates for forums, knowledge bases, and support centers.

5. **"I've the Same Question" Feature** - Reduce duplicate threads by letting users indicate similar questions, improving forum organization.

6. **Anonymous Posting** - Allow sensitive discussions without revealing user identity. Ideal for support forums and confidential advice.

7. **Dynamic User Profile Links** - Generate personalized profile URLs for logged-in users. Perfect for user bios and contributor pages.

8. **Topic Approval Workflow** - Control content quality with admin-approval for new topics. Prevent spam and maintain forum standards.

9. **Advanced File Management** - Support multiple file uploads with increased size limits. Delete attachments independently or with content.

10. **Powerful Voting Controls** - Guest voting restrictions, prevent closed-topic voting, disable self-voting, admin voting privileges, and vote-based sorting.

11. **External Image Insertion** - Insert images via URL or media library picker. Enhance replies with visual content effortlessly.

12. **Auto-Approval System** - Automatically publish reply replies instantly. Streamline moderation workflows and maintain conversation flow.

13. **Attachment Moderation** - Approve/unapprove replies containing files for enhanced content security and compliance control.    

## Promax Features:

**Reply Timeline Navigation**
Automatically loads more replies when users scroll down. A reply timeline is visible beside the replies to help users follow long discussions easily.

**Live Chat**
Adds a private real-time chat system. A chat icon is visible on the right side of the site to open the chat box. Admins can set default assistants from the settings. Users can chat with the assistant or with forum participants. Messages support likes, replies, emojis, and file or video sharing. Chat can also be started by hovering over forum, topic, or reply users.

**Emoji for Topics and Replies**
Allows users to add expressive emojis to forum topics and replies, making conversations more engaging, emotional, and easier to understand.

**Real-Time Alerts**
Displays instant notifications when new topics are published or existing discussions are updated, keeping users informed without refreshing the page.

**Social Login**
Allow users to sign up and log in instantly using Google, Facebook, or Twitter, reducing friction and increasing overall registration conversion rates.

**Analytics**
Get powerful insights into forum performance with real-time statistics, activity trends, user engagement metrics, and resolution data—all presented in a clear, actionable dashboard view.

## AI Integration (via Our AI Plugin) ##

Forumax can be extended with powerful AI capabilities using the **AI Tools**, designed to automate support workflows, improve engagement, and transform forum discussions into valuable long-term content.

**Important:** AI features require the [Antimanual AI Plugin](https://wordpress.org/plugins/antimanual) and an active AI provider connection.

## AI-Powered Forum Replies ##

Instantly generate intelligent, context-aware replies to forum topics. Improve response time, reduce moderator workload, and maintain consistent support quality across your community.

**Ideal for:**

* Support forums
* Product discussions
* Knowledge-sharing communities

## Convert Solved Topics into Posts ##

Automatically convert resolved forum topics into structured WordPress posts.

**Each generated post can include:**

* Problem summary
* Accepted solution
* Key insights and takeaways

This feature turns your forum into a living knowledge base while improving SEO and long-term content value.

## Smarter Community Management ##

***By combining Forumax core features with AI automation, moderators can:***

* Reduce repetitive replies
* Scale support without increasing team size
* Keep forums clean, searchable, and helpful

**Forumax + AI transforms discussions into long-term assets.**

### Video Overview
[youtube https://youtu.be/l2rlT_Qwd60?si=gjBh1VJupitL0Rh8]

> **Note:** We have renamed our plugin from **BBP Core** to **Forumax**. All features previously available in BBP Core are still here and fully supported.

> **Important:** After updating to version 2.0.0, the plugin will be renamed to `forumax`. This may cause WordPress to deactivate the plugin. **If deactivated, please simply reactivate it.**

### Important Links
- [ Get Pro Version](https://forumax.spider-themes.net/pricing)
- [ Live Demo](https://forumax.spider-themes.net/creative-helpdesk)
- [ Full Documentation](https://helpdesk.spider-themes.net/docs/forumax-wordpress-plugin)
- [ Learn More](https://forumax.spider-themes.net)

== Frequently Asked Questions ==

= 🎯 Who Should Use Forumax? =
Forumax is perfect for WordPress site owners, community managers, support teams, and anyone who wants a professional forum solution without custom coding.

= 🔄 Is Forumax Compatible with My Theme? =
Yes! Forumax works seamlessly with any WordPress theme.

= 💻 Do I Need Coding Skills? =
Absolutely not! Forumax is designed for non-technical users. All features are accessible through intuitive admin interfaces and visual builders. No coding required.

= 🎨 Can I Customize the Forum Layout? =
Completely! With Elementor integration, you can drag-and-drop customize forum layouts. Pre-built templates and full styling options give you unlimited design flexibility.

= 📦 What Version of WordPress Do I Need? =
Forumax requires WordPress 5.0 or higher and PHP 7.4 or greater.

= ⚙️ Is Forumax Performance Optimized? =
Yes. Forumax only loads necessary assets when needed, ensuring minimal impact on site performance and fast loading times.

= 🐛 How Do I Report Bugs or Get Support? =
Found an issue? Report it on our [GitHub repository](https://github.com/spider-themes/forumax/issues). For detailed help, visit our [Documentation](https://helpdesk.spider-themes.net/docs/forumax-wordpress-plugin).

= 💪 What Features Are in the Pro Version? =
Forumax Pro adds advanced features like real-time notifications, pre-built templates, anonymous posting, advanced attachments, topic approval workflow, and more. [Check Pro pricing →](https://forumax.spider-themes.net/pricing)

= 🤖 Does Forumax include AI features? =
Forumax supports AI-powered features through the our AI Plugin. This allows AI-generated replies, Convert Resolved Topics into Posts etc.

== Installation ==

Getting started with Forumax is quick and easy. Follow these simple steps:

= Prerequisites =

Before installing Forumax, ensure you have:
* WordPress 5.0 or higher
* PHP 7.4 or greater
* MySQL 5.6 or greater

= Installation Method 1: Install from WordPress Admin Dashboard (Recommended) =

1. Go to **Plugins → Add New** in your WordPress dashboard
2. Search for **"Forumax"** in the plugin search box
3. Click the **Install Now** button
4. After installation completes, click **Activate Plugin**
5. Navigate to **Forumax → Settings** to configure features (optional but recommended)
6. Start building your community!

= Installation Method 2: Manual Upload via FTP/cPanel =

1. Download the `forumax.zip` file from the plugin page
2. Extract the ZIP file on your computer
3. Upload the extracted `forumax` folder to `/wp-content/plugins/` directory via FTP or cPanel File Manager
4. Go to **Plugins** in your WordPress admin and locate Forumax
5. Click **Activate Plugin**
6. Configure settings in **Forumax → Settings**

= Installation Method 3: Upload ZIP from WordPress Admin =

1. Download the `forumax.zip` file
2. Go to **Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin**
3. Select the downloaded ZIP file and click **Install Now**
4. After installation, click **Activate Plugin**
5. Configure your forum settings

= Troubleshooting Installation =

**Getting PHP errors?**
Verify your PHP version is 7.4 or higher. Contact your hosting provider to upgrade if needed.

**Still need help?**
Visit our [Documentation](https://helpdesk.spider-themes.net/docs/forumax-wordpress-plugin) or check our [Support Repository](https://github.com/spider-themes/forumax/issues)

## WHAT’S NEXT? 

If you like Forumax, then consider checking out our other WordPress Plugins: 

[EazyDocs](https://wordpress.org/plugins/eazydocs) – Powerful knowledge base plugin to easily create and manage professional documentation, wikis, and helpdesk sections.

[Antimanual](https://wordpress.org/plugins/antimanual) – AI-powered assistant that automates content creation, documentation, and support, transforming static sites into dynamic experiences.

[Advanced Accordion Block](https://wordpress.org/plugins/advanced-accordion-block) – Lightweight Gutenberg block for creating visually appealing, organized accordion sections with extensive styling options.

[Changeloger](https://wordpress.org/plugins/changeloger) – Transform plain text changelogs into visually stunning, organized representations with pagination and version links.

[Jobus](https://wordpress.org/plugins/jobus) – Comprehensive job board solution transforming your site into a recruitment platform with dashboards and ATS.

[Spider Elements](https://wordpress.org/plugins/spider-elements) – Versatile library of 20+ creative widgets to enhance Elementor and build professional websites.

== Screenshots ==

1. Advanced Forumax Dashboard – Unified interface for monitoring forum activity and system health
2. Advanced Forum Builder Dashboard - Unified interface for managing forums, topics, and discussions
3. Intuitive Forumax Settings - Configure all features from one organized dashboard
4. Forum Root Page – Clean, modern, and user-friendly forum interface
5. Topic Page – Clean, modern, and highly readable topic interface
6. Ask Question Form – Clean, modern, and intuitive ask question form

## Why Choose Forumax? ##

***The Trusted Choice for Communities***

- **1000+ Active Users:**  Join thousands of community managers using Forumax
- **Actively Maintained:** Regular updates with new features and security patches
- **Security First:** Built with WordPress security best practices
- **Scalable Solution:** Handles small communities to large enterprise forums
- **Beginner-Friendly:** Intuitive UI requires no technical knowledge
- **Expert Support:** Responsive team ready to help you succeed
- **Open Source:** Community contributions welcome on GitHub

== Ready to Transform Your Forum? ==

**Start with Forumax Free today and upgrade to Pro when you're ready for advanced features.**

[Get Started →](https://forumax.spider-themes.net) | [View Pricing →](https://forumax.spider-themes.net/pricing) | [Read Documentation →](https://helpdesk.spider-themes.net/docs/forumax-wordpress-plugin)

== Support & Community ==

- [Complete Documentation](https://helpdesk.spider-themes.net/docs/forumax-wordpress-plugin)
- [Report Issues & Suggest Features](https://github.com/spider-themes/forumax/issues)
- [Visit Official Website](https://forumax.spider-themes.net)
- Contact: spiderthemes247@gmail.com

== Upgrade Notice ==

= 2.3.0 =
Adds forum subscriptions, inline topic editing, Active Members widget, and profile avatar upload. Fixes pagination and block registration issues. Update recommended.

= 2.0.0 =
Major Release: Rebranding to Forumax! Now a fully standalone forum plugin. No bbPress dependency required.

= 1.4.0 =
Important update with new Forum Builder features, pagination support, and security enhancements. Recommended for all users.

= 1.3.2 =
Critical security and compatibility fixes. Update recommended for improved stability and theme compatibility.

== Changelog ==

= 2.3.0 (10 April 2026) =
* New: Forum Subscription — users can subscribe to any forum and get email notifications when new topics are posted.
* New: Inline Topic Editing — edit topic title and content directly on the page with a built-in visual editor, no page reload needed.
* New: Topic Actions Menu — admin action links now appear in a clean three-dot (⋮) dropdown menu in the topic header.
* New: Active Members Section — see who's participating in a topic with profile pictures and hover info cards in the sidebar.
* New: Profile Photo Upload — users can now upload their own profile picture from the profile edit page.
* Improved: Forum Page Design — tighter spacing, smaller headings and badges, and softer card corners for a more modern look.
* Improved: Reply & Reaction Buttons — the Reply and Reactions buttons now sit side by side for a cleaner layout.
* Improved: Threaded Reply Avatars — avatar sizes now reduce at each nesting level for a cleaner look in deep threads.
* Improved: Thread Collapse Button — the expand/collapse button for nested replies now has a smoother, more polished design.
* Improved: Profile Pagination — updated to match the forum page style with flat square buttons and brand color highlighting.
* Improved: Forum Description Box — redesigned with a modern flat style, accent border, and full dark mode support.
* Improved: Forum Builder Tabs — filter tabs now reset properly when switching between forums.
* Improved: Block Theme Compatibility — shortcodes, hybrid themes, and forum layouts all work reliably on block themes.
* Improved: Vote History Migration — existing vote records are automatically updated to the new privacy-safe format without losing any data.
* Security: Voting Privacy — anonymous votes now store encrypted identifiers instead of raw data, fully GDPR compliant.
* Fixed: Forum page detection was not returning results correctly in some cases.
* Fixed: Filter tab highlighting was not updating properly when switching forum tabs.
* Fixed: Forum Builder pagination was showing even when there were fewer than 10 topics.
* Fixed: Duplicate pagination on profile pages (Subscriptions, Favorites, Engagements, Replies) — now shows only one.
* Fixed: Reply date links were pointing to the wrong page.
* Fixed: Topic and reply content was showing formatting codes instead of clean text.
* Fixed: Search results styling issue on the forum page.

= 2.2.1 (26 February 2026) =
* Fixed: Forumax widgets not appearing in Elementor editor by updating to the latest widget registration hook.
* Fixed: Duplicate block registration conflict between bbp-core and forumax-pro plugins.
* Fixed: Search icon visibility issue by syncing compiled CSS and correcting SVG styling.
* Fixed: Duplicate ID conflict that caused missing login form fields on the single topic page.
* Fixed: Forumax license activation issue resolved.
* Fixed: Styling issue in forum single block.
* Restored: Missing Single Forum layout 3 & 4 templates, styles, and recompiled frontend assets.
* Optimized: Voting sort backfill process and initialized required meta for consistency.
* Improved: Forum statistics caching mechanism for better reliability and performance.

= 2.2.0 (21 February 2026) =
* New: Advanced styling controls for Forum Posts block with border, spacing, shadow, and typography options.
* New: Auto-Close Stale Topics feature with cron scheduling and admin settings support.
* New: Unanswered Topics count and list added to the admin dashboard.
* Added: Nonce verification in reply sorting AJAX handler for improved security.
* Added: Post type selector and dynamic keyword links in Search block.
* Added: Comprehensive style controls for search input, button, and results dropdown.
* Improved: Forum Posts block design flexibility with enhanced typography, colors, and layout controls.
* Improved: Gutenberg blocks architecture by splitting render logic into dedicated render classes.
* Improved: Overall Gutenberg blocks structure and performance.
* Fixed: REST API 403 error for forum and topic post types in Gutenberg editor.
* Updated: POT file with new translatable strings for search and block controls.

= 2.1.1 (14 February 2026) =
* Added: Backup & Restore settings for safer configuration management.
* Improved: User topics pagination redesigned with proper templates and updated styling.
* Improved: “Topics Started” list now limited to 10 items per page for better performance.
* Improved: User profile pagination styling enhanced for topics, subscriptions, favorites, and engagements.
* Improved: Forum layout refined for small screen devices.
* Improved: Avatar border radius, reply voting position, and reaction wrapper responsiveness updated.
* Improved: Expensive forum and topic count queries cached for faster performance.
* Updated: Theme compatibility notice expanded to include child themes.
* Updated: Keymaster badge and voting styles refreshed.
* Fixed: Empty pagination template issue in user topics list.
* Fixed: Duplicate pagination removed from single forum topic page.
* Fixed: Reply author role detection issue.
* Fixed: CSRF vulnerability in solved topic actions.
* Fixed: Forumax admin panel filter pagination issue.

= 2.1.0 (28 January 2026) =
* New: Dashboard page added with comprehensive forum statistics overview  
* New: Quick Actions section for easy access to Forum Builder, New Forum, New Topic, and Settings  
* New: Recent Topics and Recent Replies activity sections on the Dashboard  
* New: Engagement statistics showing average replies per topic and total discussions  
* New: System Info panel displaying Forumax, bbPress, WordPress, and PHP version details  
* New: Helpful Links section with quick access to Documentation, Support, and Live Demo  
* New: Demo data import option for easy setup  
* New: Emoji reactions for topics and replies  
* New: Social sharing option for topics with configurable sharing settings  
* New: Reply timeline option and sticky topic injection  
* New: Real-time alert options in topic settings  
* New: Social login options with hook support for login form  
* New: Chat settings options  
* New: Forumax sidebar registration  
* New: Topic view tracking functionality  
* Improved: Modern, premium dashboard design with card-based layout, gradient header, and enhanced sidebar including Upgrade to Pro section and system information  
* Improved: Forum single page redesigned with improved UI  
* Improved: Forum, widget, avatar, support info, and voting button styles for better consistency and theme compatibility  
* Improved: Forum CSS optimized for responsive layout and theme compatibility  
* Improved: Admin review notice UI  
* Tweaked: Bootstrap removed, responsive issues fixed, unused CSS and old assets cleaned up  
* Tweaked: Admin notices removed on Forumax admin pages  
* Tweaked: Topic and reply revision logs visibility restricted to authors only  
* Fixed: Hide theme sidebars on forum pages to prevent duplicate sidebar display  
* Fixed: Topic count issue after import  
* Fixed: Trash filter label hidden on small screens  
* Fixed: AJAX actions secured with nonce verification and proper input sanitization

[See full changelog and version history →](https://forumax.spider-themes.net/changelog)