I wanted to add a forum to my WordPress blog but everything I came across did not integrate well (design/page continuity, etc.) or was too simple for my tastes… Then I came across a tutorial here (there are a few around, that’s just the one I tripped across). Following the tutorial I had a somewhat more integrated forum…
…where the blood-splatter of our butchery won’t stain anything…
With the lessons learned and the release of PunBB 1.2.15 I decided to see if I could do a better job. Since the first install/integration I had added a css-based navigation menu and some random quotes which did not display when my banner/header was displayed above the PunBB forum.

Annoyed, I picked up the scissors and started running….

Important to this whole process is where I installed PunBB. I chose /wp-content/myforums. If you do choose to install in a different location/path just modify my examples accordingly, however, you may experience problems if you move it outside the ‘wordpress’ directory (YMMV).

Since I didn’t want to re-design or customize PunBB any more then necessary, I used their template system as well as their include/user feature (allows a user to ‘include’ their own PHP scripts/pages).

First I had to massage my WordPress theme’s header.php into 2 files I named head.php and body.php so there wasn’t any DOCTYPE duplication and it would be valid XHTML strict. About now is a good time to copy your header/php file to a place where the blood-splatter of our butchery won’t stain anything.

The following will only work in versions less than 2.3
With 2.3 I had to remove all calls to WP functions.

1. Remove all lines (at the top of the header.php file) that refer to and (as these would duplicate what PunBB 1.2.15 already sends)
2. Add this in it’s place, right at the top: (this allows our WordPress functions to be used)
3. Scroll down to the (head closing) tag and delete it AND everything that follows through the rest of the file.
4. Save it as /wp-content/myforums/include/user/head.php
5. Re-open the original, unedited header.php file (same one we used above)
6. Delete everything from line #1 all the way through, and including, the tag
7. Now save that as /wp-content/myforums/include/user/body.php
8. Now open your themes footer.php
9. Scroll down to the end of the file and delete any reference to the closing tags
   and
10. Now save that as /wp-content/myforums/include/user/foot.php
11. Now open /wp-content/myforums/include/template/main.tpl
12. After the line containing but before the line insert the line:
13. Then, after the line containing but before the line
    insert the line:
14. And finally, after the 2 closing