Adding the posts and accounts (converting)

[Drae]

I think I read somewhere here that when you're converting an existing community forum onto Xenforo, that you should make a 'blank back-up' of the XF forum once installed on the server.

My questions though are for the bit after that:

When the posts and accounts are moved over onto Xenforo, should I have already created the forums and sub-forums for them to go into?

Will I have to manually move them all into the right sections/How does it work?

In case it is needed: Converting from Zetaboards > PHPBB > Xenforo

 

[Jake Bunce]

When the posts and accounts are moved over onto Xenforo, should I have already created the forums and sub-forums for them to go into?

Will I have to manually move them all into the right sections/How does it work?

The importer brings over the forums too. You don't need to create the forums / categories before the import.

 

[Chris D]

If it was vBulletin for example, then all of the forums are created automatically, all of the posts moved and put in the correct forums, all of the members and their avatars will be carried across, etc.

In most cases you should not have to do anything manually.

EDIT: Ninjaaaa...

 

[MagnusB]

If you are doing an intermediate import you should check your first step before proceeding. When going from Zetaboards, I am pretty sure passwords won't get imported, so my guess is that the importer just sets random passwords and lets you send out emails to users when you are ready to. As xF imports passwords from phpBB, the temporary passwords that are set will be imported and you will have to advice users about this (that they need to reset their password).

Much of this depends on your Zetaboard import though, and how much is imported. The phpBB -> xF importer works pretty good.

 

[Drae]

I'll have to ask the gentleman @Ashkir about the ZB to PHPBB regarding the forums and password then, but it sounds good otherwise.

Thank you guys!

 

[abdfahim]

The phpBB -> xF importer works pretty good.

Indeed pretty good. Just updated my phpBB to xF 2 weeks back, it was perfect importing.

 

[Drae]

Another question - for accounts that have been deleted but their posts remain, what will happen to those on conversion and does/will it show the original username instead of 'deleted user'? Anybody know?