Importing into an empty vBulletin, i.e. a fresh install.
Merge import
Importing into a board that contains data and users that exists on both boards. Most systems will have the ability to merge users on email address so the users in the target board gain ownership of the imported data.
Differential import
This is just terminology and not supported.
A differential import is when the source board is left open when imported into the target, and the user wishes to do a 2nd import at a later date to get the new data from the source board that has been created since the first import. i.e. the difference in the data.
Internal link parsing
This is currently under review for development.
Internal links are links that exists in posts in the source board, to threads and posts in the original source board i.e.
Note:
Check this link out ...
www.example.com/phpBB/viewtopic_84050.html
www.example.com/phpBB/viewtopic_84050.html
Internal link parsing, is finding all the links in posts that point to other posts and threads in the board being imported and updating them with the correct URL and postid/threadid, its not just the URL to change the id changes as well.
Source system
The system being imported from.
Target system
The system being imported to, vBulletin.
Stand alone
Running ImpEx outside of the adminCP.
ImpEx installed
Running ImpEx inside the adminCP.
Core
The core files that are needed for ImpEx to run :
ImpExConfig.php, ImpExController.php, ImpExData.php, ImpExDatabase.php, ImpExDisplay.php, ImpExDisplayWrapper.php, ImpExFunction.php, ImpExModule.php, ImpExSession.php, cpnav_impex.xml, db_mysql.php, help.php, impex_language.php, index.php,
vbfields.php.
System
A group of files in a directory of the system name that you are using to import the source board from. i.e. phpBB/000.php, phpBB/001.php ... etc
Module
The individual file of a system, i.e. impex/systems/ipb2/004.php , The IPB 2 user module.
Userid mapping
When importing a source board that has a 3rd party application, for instance a gallery, the gallery will usually use data from the user table based on the userid.
When a board is imported the userid's are assigned depending on the auto_inc value of the database, the existing number of users in the database, etc.
Basically regardless of what a 3rd party vendor will tell you, that you must force the user id's into vBulletin and that it can be done and that's the ideal way to proceed, the reality is :
Warning:
YOU CANNOT FORCE THE USER ID'S INTO VBULLETIN WITH OUT BREAKING IT
This is a big reoccurring issue with 3rd party products, the ideal way is to be able to remap the userid's in the 3rd party product to the new vBulletin userid.