phpBB2 into current vBulletin3, confused about associate users function

[Paul_M]

Long story, but here's the situation in brief.

Started a forum on yapBB (php bulletin thing) in 2001. Changed to vBulletin in 2002, and at some point pruned all the old posts. I waanted them back (by popular demand). So I found the SQL files, made the old forum back together and then updated that to phpBB2 with ease.

Now I have my forums Jan 2001 - July 2001 in phpBB2, and from Dec 2001 to current in vBulletin 3.

I want to import the old posts from the phpBB2 into vBulletin 3, that seems straight forward. However, I'd like the correct users to have those posts attributed to them... So....

When I associate users, how does that affect the CURRENT status of the users on the active vBulletin 3 forum? Do they gain the posts I'm importing, do they lose anything, is it any bother at all?

Thanks in advance!

[Jerry]

So there users on the back up SQL have the same email address in their profiles ?

As long as the users on both boards have the same email they registered with I could add the auto-associate on email address to the phpBB importer (which I should do anyway) then you could merge them that way, which is a lot eaiser.

Yes, when they are assosiated they gain the posts and PM's of the users they are assosiated with.

[Paul_M]

Have the users re-registered on the new board ?

As long as the users on both boards have the same email they registered with I could add the auto-associate on email address to the phpBB importer (which I should do anyway) then you could merge them that way, which is a lot eaiser.

Yes, when they are assosiated they gain the posts and PM's of the users they are assosiated with.It's basically the same forum, but phpBB2 is now from Jan 2001 to July 2001, and vBulletin3 from Dec '01 to present. There's about 200 users who regestered back then, who are still members now, who's posts I'd like to be "re-associated" when I merge in the phpBB2 (which is currrently effectively an archive of "the early days").

If that makes sense?

Forums:

www.mini2.com/forum/ (http://www.mini2.com/forum/)
www.mini2.com/phpforum/ (http://www.mini2.com/phpforum/)

Some examples of the users who are on both forums:

http://www.mini2.com/forum/memberlist.php?&order=ASC&sort=joindate&pp=50&ltr=

http://www.mini2.com/phpforum/memberlist.php?

Some of them might have new email addresses, it's not a problem to enter the userids to associate manually, as they're the same (lots of copy and pasting) as long as the vBulletin members will only gain (regain) their posts, and nothing else?

[Jerry]

Some of them might have new email addresses, it's not a problem to enter the userids to associate manually, as they're the same (lots of copy and pasting) as long as the vBulletin members will only gain (regain) their posts, and nothing else?

You will have to run the import forums and threads module so that the import has the historic thread structure to put the posts into.

If the import posts (with forums and threads) are the only modules you run, then yes thats all they will get.

[Paul_M]

Thanks, worked swimmigly.

Couple of users had to be manually merged later (no idea why), but other than that, I now only have a 5 month gap in my forums history!

Just wish I never pruned the old posts in the first place!

:rolleyes: :D