Upgrading a Dev site

[Necrophyte]

Running 5.2.5
In the interest to save some down time. I set up a dev site so I can make sure everything is working and to where I need it. I've modified templates, and custom mods. In that time the live site has still be in use, and the users and posts, as well as usergroups and ranks have been changed.
My question is, what tables would be required so that I could just run the upgrade on our live site, and then move the users, nodes, usergroups and ranks over to the dev site. Make sure all works properly still. And then just copy the files, and DB over to live. Instead of running through all the processes of customizing everything again.
There is the obvious: user, userfield, nodes, usergroup, ranks

Or is there another way that is more efficient, that won't overwrite templates.
Is it easier to move over the templates and such?

[Mark.B]

You cannot do it that way. You need to upgrade the entire database.

Customised templates are not overwritten, they are either merged or, if this isn't possible, left as they are, you are then notified of those in the admincp so you can manually revert and re-apply changes.

[Necrophyte]

I get that I need to upgrade the entire database, so maybe I'm not explaining this right. If I have the dev site which is running 5.2.5. The live site is running 4.2.3. I want to upgrade the live site now to the 5.2.5. But I don't want to redo every single template, install all the custom mods, and all the custom pages again. There has to be a way to just update the forums portion, or move over the templates.

[Mark.B]

I get that I need to upgrade the entire database, so maybe I'm not explaining this right. If I have the dev site which is running 5.2.5. The live site is running 4.2.3. I want to upgrade the live site now to the 5.2.5. But I don't want to redo every single template, install all the custom mods, and all the custom pages again. There has to be a way to just update the forums portion, or move over the templates.

Absolutely nothing from 4.2.3 will work with 5.2.5, so what you're thinking simply won't work anyway.
vB4 products, add-ons, styles, templates - none of them are compatible with vB5. It's a completely different piece of software. You keep your content (posts etc) and members, but that's it.

[Necrophyte]

Right, Ok we're in the same book, but not the right page. What I mean is, I have modified the templates on the 5.2.5 site with custom mods. I don't care about the format of the 4.2.3 site. I need the posts from the 4.2.3 site. If I move the 4.2.3 db and upgrade it. All my templates and mods will be gone on the 5.2.5 site. How can I keep the mods and stuff I have done on the 5.2.5 site.

[In Omnibus]

Right, Ok we're in the same book, but not the right page. What I mean is, I have modified the templates on the 5.2.5 site with custom mods. I don't care about the format of the 4.2.3 site. I need the posts from the 4.2.3 site. If I move the 4.2.3 db and upgrade it. All my templates and mods will be gone on the 5.2.5 site. How can I keep the mods and stuff I have done on the 5.2.5 site.

The short answer is: You can't. Virtually nothing built for vB4.x is compatible with vB5.x

[Mark.B]

I thought that was the situation at first. If I've read it right, however, it's about moving stuff from the 5.2.5 dev site to the 5.2.5 live site, which is a bit more straightforward.

[Necrophyte]

This is correct mark!

[Mark.B]

Right, Ok we're in the same book, but not the right page. What I mean is, I have modified the templates on the 5.2.5 site with custom mods. I don't care about the format of the 4.2.3 site. I need the posts from the 4.2.3 site. If I move the 4.2.3 db and upgrade it. All my templates and mods will be gone on the 5.2.5 site. How can I keep the mods and stuff I have done on the 5.2.5 site.

Ok...easiest way to achieve that is to export the style from the dev site and import it (after the upgrade) onto the live site. Should work with no issues.

You can do the same with products.

Any template hooks on the dev site will just need to be manually recreated on the live site, but this shouldn't be a big job.

[Necrophyte]

Ok Mark thank you. That should get me most of the way. My apologies for not fully explaining properly in the first place.
Is their anyway to keep the new pages created with site editor?? Not entirely a big deal but, again. Would save trouble.