This guide covers what your server needs, how to install HappenBoard, and what happens the moment you activate it.
Requirements
- WordPress 6.5 or later
- PHP 8.2 or later
- MySQL 5.7 or later, or MariaDB 10.3 or later
If you are unsure what your site runs, open Tools → Site Health → Info in your WordPress admin. The Server and Database sections give you the PHP and database versions.
Installing from your WordPress admin
- Go to Plugins → Add New.
- Search for HappenBoard.
- Click Install Now, then Activate.
Installing from a zip file
- Go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin.
- Select the zip file and click Install Now.
- Click Activate Plugin.
What happens when you activate
A HappenBoard entry appears in your admin sidebar, and the setup wizard opens so you can set your defaults straight away.
Behind the scenes, activation also creates the database tables the plugin needs, registers the event post type along with its categories and tags, and grants the HappenBoard permissions to the Administrator and Editor roles. Administrators get everything. Editors can manage events, venues, organizers and attendees, but not settings or integrations.
If the plugin will not activate
WordPress refuses to activate a plugin whose requirements are not met, and shows the reason. In practice the cause is almost always a PHP version below 8.2. Ask your host to switch you to PHP 8.2 or later, which most control panels expose as a one-click setting.
What’s next
- Work through the setup wizard.
- Create your first event.
- Read the overview if you landed here first.