bbPress Permalinks with ID

This plugin transforms default bbPress permalinks (URLs) that use slugs into permalinks that use numeric IDs.

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Stable version on WordPress.org — wordpress.org/plugins/bbpress-permalinks-with-id/.

FAQ

How to install the plugin?

1. Download the plugin via the WordPress admin interface or execute wp plugin install bbpress-permalinks-with-id.
2. Activate bbPress and this plugin via the WordPress admin interface or execute wp plugin activate bbpress-permalinks-with-id.
3. Flush rewrite rules using one of the following methods:
   • Visit the /wp-admin/options-permalink.php page. WordPress automatically flushes rewrite rules every time you access this page, without requiring you to press the "Save Changes" button.
   • Alternatively, execute the wp rewrite flush command from WP-CLI.

How to uninstall the plugin?

1. Deactivate the plugin via the WordPress admin interface or execute wp plugin deactivate bbpress-permalinks-with-id.
2. Delete the plugin via the WordPress admin interface or execute wp plugin delete bbpress-permalinks-with-id.
3. Flush rewrite rules using one of the following methods:
   • Visit the /wp-admin/options-permalink.php page. WordPress automatically flushes rewrite rules every time you access this page, without requiring you to press the "Save Changes" button.
   • Alternatively, execute the wp rewrite flush command from WP-CLI.

Important: URLs with IDs may have been shared on the internet, indexed by search engines, or referenced in your forum content. After uninstalling this plugin, those links will no longer function.

What URLs are supported?

The following table shows currently supported URL structures and their original counterparts. Note that the original URLs remain accessible.

The URL components forums, forum, topic, reply, and paged are dynamic values that can be modified through bbPress settings.

URL + ID	URL + slug (bbPress default)
/forums/forum/	/forums/forum/
/forums/forum/111/	/forums/forum/test/
/forums/forum/111/edit/	/forums/forum/test/edit/
/forums/forum/111/page/2/	/forums/forum/test/page/2/
/forums/topic/222/	/forums/topic/test/
/forums/topic/222/edit/	/forums/topic/test/edit/
/forums/topic/222/page/2/	/forums/topic/test/page/2/
/forums/reply/333/	/forums/reply/test/
/forums/reply/333/edit/	/forums/reply/test/edit/
/?post_type=forum	/?post_type=forum
/?post_type=forum&p=111	/?post_type=forum&forum=test
/?post_type=forum&p=111&edit=1	/?post_type=forum&forum=test&edit=1
/?post_type=forum&p=111&paged=2	/?post_type=forum&forum=test&paged=2
/?post_type=topic&p=222	/?post_type=topic&forum=test
/?post_type=topic&p=222&edit=1	/?post_type=topic&forum=test&edit=1
/?post_type=topic&p=222&paged=2	/?post_type=topic&forum=test&paged=2
/?reply=333	/post_type=reply&reply=test
/?reply=333&edit=1	/post_type=reply&reply=test&edit=1

Does the plugin change URLs in the interface?

Yes. URLs within theme templates that are generated using the get_post_permalink() function will adopt the ID-based structure.

Do the old URLs in static content change?

No. Static content stored within the wp_posts table remains unaltered. The plugin only modifies the code responsible for generating and handling URLs.

Do the default URLs with slugs continue to work?

Yes. The original URLs with slugs remain accessible. However, the plugin does not provide automatic redirection from slug-based URLs to ID-based URLs.

How is the plugin tested?

The plugin undergoes manual testing with the latest WordPress and bbPress versions using the official Twenty Twelve (twentytwelve) theme. Additionally, automated code analysis tools test compatibility with both legacy and current versions, including Psalm and PHP Code Style validation (see .github/workflows/tests.yml).

Why use URLs with IDs instead of slugs?

• Your forum operates in a language other than English and contains non-Latin characters.
• Forum and topic titles include non-letter symbols (emojis, special characters such as <).
• You frequently update slugs and titles of forums and topics and require more reliable and permanent URLs.
• Shorter, cleaner URLs that are easier to share and remember.

Credits

Photo on banner created by Jay Mantri.