GravityOps Forum allows you to customize the URLs for your community to ensure they are clean, descriptive, and user-friendly.
1. Global Configuration #
Navigate to Forms > GravityOps > Forum and click on the Configuration tab to find the following settings:
Forum Base Slug #
This is the base URL for all forum content. The default is forum (e.g., your-site.com/forum/). You can change this to something else like community or discussions.
Enable Custom Rewrite Rules #
- Enabled (Default): This setting provides the most seamless experience. The plugin creates “pretty” URLs (e.g.,
your-site.com/forum/general-discussion/123). - Disabled: If your site has complex permalink structures or conflicts, you can disable rewrite rules. The forum will then only be accessible via shortcodes and query parameters (e.g.,
your-site.com/forum-page/?gofrm_forum=general-discussion).
Strict Pretty URLs #
When rewrite rules are enabled, this setting ensures that all forum links strictly use the centralized /forum/ URL structure. It prevents the plugin from “jumping” to separate WordPress pages that might contain forum shortcodes for custom layouts.
2. Board and Forum Slugs #
In the Forums tab, you can set individual slugs for each Board and Forum.
- Board Slugs: Useful for board management and internal organization. They are not currently used as a dedicated segment in front-end forum routes.
- Forum Slugs: Used in front-end forum URLs.
For example, if your base slug is forum and your forum slug is general, the forum URL would be: your-site.com/forum/general/
Topic URLs use the topic entry ID as the last segment: your-site.com/forum/general/123
3. Troubleshooting Permalink Issues #
If you encounter 404 Not Found errors or if navigation is not working after setting up your forum:
- Check Permalinks Structure: For custom rewrite rules to work, your WordPress permalink structure (under Settings > Permalinks) must be set to something other than Plain.
- Re-save Settings: Go to the Configuration tab and click Save Configuration again. This triggers a refresh of the rewrite rules.
- Flush Rewrite Rules: Go to Settings > Permalinks in the main WordPress menu and simply click Save Changes without making any changes to the permalink structure.
- Check for Conflicts: Ensure that no other page or post on your site has the same slug as your “Forum Base Slug.”
- Shortcode Mode Configuration: If using shortcode mode (rewrites disabled), ensure you have at least one page with the
[gofrm_index]shortcode. This page will act as the “Home” for your forum navigation.
