Test Bed to Real Deal

[sdotson]

I have set up a WAMPS environment on my local machine and have imported a snapshot of my current forum's database for testing.

Once I have all the options set etc.. what is required to make it live.

In other words, is it as simple as

1. Shutting down the old forum
2. Taking a new snapshot
3. Importing the new data
4. Uploading all of my local files to the server

Betweens steps 2 & 3 what should I do about the "old" DB data. Can I wipe them clean? Where does VB store all of the options and settings. I obviosuly do not want to loose them.

[Colin F]

Are you going to do the import on your local machine again?
If so then that looks correct. Make sure you also upload the database to the server in step 4 though.

The old db data you previously imported can be removed from impex's help.php

[sdotson]

When I import again do I run the risk of loosing the customizations i have made in VB (admin settings?)

For example will I need to reapply the permissions etc.. that I am now applying to the forums.

[Colin F]

Settings no, but you will have to reapply permissions to forums, usergroups, users, ... Basically everything you've changed to something that you imported you'll have to reapply.

[sdotson]

I want to understand this exactly.

I have a fully functional forum with OLD imported data. I want to wipe out the user and forum data but keep everything else (styles etc..) intact.

What is the minimum I need to wipe out and then re-import. I'm trying not to have to do any "rework".

Thanks...

[Colin F]

There's no minimum as such, but some modules have dependant modules.
If you reimported users for example, but not posts, then all the posts you imported the first time would not have the correct user associated to them.
If you reimported threads but not posts, the threads would probably be empty.

[sdotson]

Alright...

so what is the prefered workflow to "clean" a forum and to reimport an entire forum?

Please don't say it's to reinstall...;)

[Colin F]

The help.php file has a function to clear all the imported data.

[Jerry]

The help.php does the best it can and is usually fine, importing into a clean install is the only way of being 100% sure.