I am fairly new to SMF 2.0.2 and have just completed configuring it with 320 Member-Groups and corresponding Forum Boards for each Member-Group. All of my work to-date has been accomplished offline on my localhost (home office) XP-Pro server running with XAMPP.
The next step:To integrate this package with a client's WordPress + BuddyPress powered website already online at (ficticious domain)
mainsite.com. The client wants the SMF package installed at
mainsite.com/smf (located in a new smf directory within the site's root).
The Client's system:When someone registers for an account at
mainsite.com, the registration form collects the registrant's name, email, postal code, and a password. Once submitted, scratch-built functions (compatible with and in the WordPress site at mainsite.com) query an
external d-base which contains the organization's master membership data.
A query checks the
external d-base for a name and email match. If the match is positive (they exist), another query pulls the registrant's Member ID and Regional ID from the external d-base and adds them to his/her user profile for mainsite.com when the user's account is created and activated.
The Mission:I do not have access to the client's servers or databases (their security policy), and the client's IT guy doesn't have time to figure out how to integrate the SMF package so that it is compatible with their WP + BuddyPress package already running on mainsite.com. The SMF package also needs to pull member information from their external d-base.
When a member logs into mainsite.com, they need to be automatically logged in to the SMF site at mainsite.com/SMF at the same time. Once logged in, the link to the SMF Forums will be added to the main menu-bar at mainsite.com. Clicking the "Forums" link in the main menu bar will land them on the main SMF Forum Boards page.
The SMF package will also need to pull the member's Regional ID from the client's external d-base and use that to:
1) automatically set the member's Member-Group already created (named identical to the Regional ID)
2) assign the same-named (Regional ID) Forum Board to be visible to the member when they are on the main Forums page.
Question:Am I right to assume that I would need to use the API to accomplish all of that?
And, if so, what would be involved in getting there (broadly speaking of course).
