Merge & Import Question

[xlegends]

Hi guys,

I have 2 forums at VB425/php71

The goal is, I want them merged into 1 forum and changed over to XenForo.


Is it best to merge them first then import into XenForo or import them separately into XenForo then merge.

So basically is it easier to merge as 2 Vb forums or 2 XenForo forums?

Also, all I care about is the members, forums, threads & posts.


As u know, merging tools for VB/impex are outdated and would require to be contracted out.

I thought maybe it would be easier for me or whomever to do the merge after they convert to XenForo.

 

[Paul B]

It likely doesn't make much difference but you may as well import the first VB forum into XF, then import the second.

 

[xlegends]

Brogan,

Are u saying import them on top of each other with the same importer?

 

[Paul B]

Any number of forums from different software can be imported into the same XF installation.

Accounts with the same name or email address can be merged or renamed.

 

[xlegends]

Any number of forums from different software can be imported into the same XF installation.

Accounts with the same name or email address can be merged or renamed.

This is music to my ears.

Now, I have like a thousand overlapping clients. Is there an automation process or do I have to interact every step when there is a duplicate detected?

 

[Paul B]

The XF2 importers automatically rename them and then tell you at the end what they were changed to.

This allows CLI importing (and multi-threaded importing) to complete without being interrupted.

 

[xlegends]

Hi mr Brogan,

I did a trial run last night. I used PHP import option instead of the CLI command line so I can see what that looks like. All went pretty smooth. Only 1 minor issue. The forum (node) permissions were a little off which is no biggie if thats expected.

Also, I didnt do the XF docs recommended preparation step of moving all the vb4 forums into 1 category on source DB. Not sure if that would have helped the permissions to migrate better. I skipped it cause it seemed like a lot of work.

Let me know if u have any further recommendations. If not, Im going to restore XF to the default clean initial setup DB and then I will migrate both vb4 forums one at a time on top of each other. This time I will run both imports via CLI.

 

[Paul B]

Im going to restore XF to the default clean initial setup DB

Nice to hear you did that step first.

So many don't which means redoing a lot of initial prep work setting up the options, style, etc.

 

[xlegends]

ya so im looking thru I had special mod groups, Team Mods, chief mods, etc that didnt get migrated as mods and all my regular custom user posts go to moderation.

This is no normal that some of the user/group and mode permissions are off a bit?

If so Im ready to roll and do a real migration and clean up after.

 

[Paul B]

The mapping isn't an exact science, which is why all user groups and permissions should be checked after importing.

Make a note of any steps you take for your test imports and it's then easy and quick to work through those steps when doing the final import.

 

[xlegends]

Brogan is this the correct

XenForo redirects for vBulletin 4

XF 2.1 - XenForo redirects for vBulletin 4

XenForo redirects for vBulletin After you have completed your vBulletin import, you will probably want to have any URLs pointing to your original vBulletin installation automatically redirect to their corresponding XenForo URL. This can be done with minimal effort, using the XenForo redirects...

xenforo.com

I thought it shipped with the product?

 

[Paul B]

Redirection scripts are not part of the core.

You will need an add--on.

 

[djbaxter]

XenForo redirects for vBulletin 4

XF 2.1 - XenForo redirects for vBulletin 4

XenForo redirects for vBulletin After you have completed your vBulletin import, you will probably want to have any URLs pointing to your original vBulletin installation automatically redirect to their corresponding XenForo URL. This can be done with minimal effort, using the XenForo redirects...

xenforo.com

I thought it shipped with the product?

The latest version is 1.1.5 - download it here:

XenForo Redirects for vBulletin

XF301VB is a XenForo 2 add-on, which extends the XenForo router with the ability to accept URLs pointing to vBulletin content and seamlessly, permanently redirect them to their equivalent content in XenForo after the content has been imported...

xenforo.com

 

[xlegends]

thank u very much @djbaxter

Also I am importing 2 vb4 Dbs. There is no issue with using 2 different Import log tables?

 

[djbaxter]

I've never done that but since it's working on your Xenforo database I think it should be fine. Just not sure how you would do it though.

@Brogan can you address this?

 

[xlegends]

from what I see here is you can choose which log table to use during this redirection process

Import notes: vBulletin | Manual | XenForo

End-user documentation for XenForo

xenforo.com

So, not sure what happens when I do the 2nd DB import and attempt to redirect. If u can not redirect 2 different imports than what may happen is I wont redirect the first DB import (retain IDs) and redirect the 2nd.

 

[djbaxter]

That is exactly the question, @xlegends. You may need an edit to the redirection addon but I have no idea what would be required.

 

[xlegends]

Well I installed the redirect addon, went to options, I picked out of the import log hit save and nothing happened.

Even the first DB forum I imported where it kept the same IDs, the old links aren't accessible


vb4 old link
/forums/showthread.php?267-Vip-Support-Poll!!!

XF new link
/forums/index.php?threads/vip-support-poll.267/


and the 2nd import is more complex as the IDs changed


any ideas?

 

[djbaxter]

I would submit a support ticket.