The Converter

elbekko · 2008-09-16 09:42:40

I've taken the task upon me to create the converter. The basic idea is pretty simple, but the implementation will need quite a bit of testing.
One thing is certain though: with the way it is now, it'll be PHP5 only, for the simple fact I want proper OOP to do it.

The main idea behind the converter is this:

You upload FluxBB to a server
You upload the converter to the same folder as FluxBB
In the converter, you can choose which forum to migrate from. The converter will scan a directory with subdirectories for each converter. In these subdirectories will also be a directory extensions, which the forum-specific converter will scan. This directory can contain install and migration tools for certain extensions like PMs, which would be created and maintained by that extension's author.
You fill in the data you'd fill in on a standard install (DB info, admin login, ...), and also provide the DB info for the forum you're migrating from.
FluxBB is fully installed by calling install.php, and a cache file is generated in the converter directory with the DB info of the forum you're migrating from.
The basic converter interface defines a function for each FluxBB table that needs to get data from another forum, so obviously things like the search and extensions are omitted there. The forum-specific converter must then implement this interface, but can also define its own extra functions for handling, say, subforums (if an extension for that isn't available etc). All that is up to that forum-specific converter, and it implements it how it wishes.
The selected converter gets loaded, and gets passed a stage number to its constructor. With this the converter can, for example, process users and a 1000 posts, then redirect to converter.php?stage=2, and do the next 1000 posts, and so on. Again, this'll be handled by that converter, and this is why we need that cache file I mentioned earlier.
When done, you get a link to your converted forum and it should be fine.

What do you think of it? Have you noticed any great flaws in the plan (I'm sure you have)?

I'd really like some feedback on this, since I have no past experience converting forum software

Christian · 2008-09-16 09:56:23

PHP5 only means a lot of people will knock on your door, asking why the converter doesn't convert their bitchy phpbb forum running with PHP4.

That's nearly the same as if you make FluxBB PHP5 only.

Not that I use PHP4, but I bet their will be a lot of problems.

elbekko · 2008-09-16 10:02:13

Well, implementing all that in PHP4 would mean I'd get gray hair fairly quickly.

Christian · 2008-09-16 10:09:33

So you already got gray hair when you started contributing to FluxBB!?

Jérémie · 2008-09-16 10:09:47

Yes, and no. I think the Converter should, if possible, have the same requirements as FluxBB itself. Because people will choose the software based on its requirements, and then may hit a wall with the Converter.

However, if that's a big deal, I think the system requirements should say something like “PHP 4.x for the forum, PHP 5.x for the Converter”.

But if FluxBB dropped the PHP 4 support altogether, that would be fine too, since it's quite easy to explain to people that the PHP group itself dropped it over a year ago.

elbekko · 2008-09-16 10:13:51

Christian wrote:

So you already got gray hair when you started contributing to FluxBB!?

Not that I know of, no

Jérémie wrote:

Yes, and no. I think the Converter should, if possible, have the same requirements as FluxBB itself. Because people will choose the software based on its requirements, and then may hit a wall with the Converter.

That's true, but the converter isn't really part of the forum software. Think of it as a game designed to run on all platforms, but a tool for that game created in .NET 3.

But if FluxBB dropped the PHP 4 support altogether, that would be fine too, since it's quite easy to explain to people that the PHP group itself dropped it over a year ago.

I'm not sure we want to do that yet, but it would make a few things easier I guess. But for now, there's no need yet.

To be honest, I don't think people that have a forum with enough content 'worth converting' will be running PHP4

Christian · 2008-09-16 10:20:50

elbekko wrote:

To be honest, I don't think people that have a forum with enough content 'worth converting' will be running PHP4

What if they want to convert their big forum from a board running on PHP4 to FluxBB running on PHP5?

elbekko · 2008-09-16 10:24:40

That isn't a problem, since the converter runs on the same server as FluxBB, which would be PHP5.

Strofanto · 2008-09-16 10:54:06

What forum system will be included in the converter?

elbekko · 2008-09-16 10:57:34

No idea yet. We did play with the idea of including converters for switching database (so FluxBB on pgSQL -> FluxBB on MySQL for example).

Strofanto · 2008-09-16 10:58:10

elbekko wrote:

No idea yet. We did play with the idea of including converters for switching database (so FluxBB on pgSQL -> FluxBB on MySQL for example).

That's a good idea IMO.

liquidat0r · 2008-09-16 12:12:19

Strofanto wrote:

What forum system will be included in the converter?

The major ones / most popular ones I presume.

Strofanto · 2008-09-16 12:14:36

liquidat0r wrote:

most popular

vBulletin is the most popular?

*dies a little inside*

Reines · 2008-09-16 12:30:23

elbekko wrote:

with the way it is now, it'll be PHP5 only, for the simple fact I want proper OOP to do it.

I don't like that idea, it should have the same requirements as FluxBB does.

Strofanto wrote:

What forum system will be included in the converter?

The idea is to create it in such a way that there is a base then each forum software will have it's own class (file) which describes how to convert from it, meaning people (or we) can add support for extra things if needed. I assume initially we would aim to support the most popular ones and then consider adding support for others if requested.

elbekko · 2008-09-16 13:55:51

Find me interfaces in PHP4, and sure. I can try doing it another way, but I doubt it'll be that easy to do.

Felix · 2008-09-16 14:27:35

It will be much cleaner in PHP5.

And PHP4 is dead... People should start to realize it and push their hosting companies...

And plus for this one

Smartys · 2008-09-16 15:40:05

elbekko wrote:

Find me interfaces in PHP4, and sure. I can try doing it another way, but I doubt it'll be that easy to do.

If you write the code for PHP5, I can write a PHP4 compatible version.
Interfaces don't exist in PHP4, but you can fake it. You just need to have an interface class for PHP5 and a fake interface class (a class with the proper methods defined but that simply calls die) for PHP4. Obviously not the same as a real interface, but it should be close enough to allow the code to run on PHP4.

eternal243 · 2008-09-16 16:04:22

Smartys wrote:

elbekko wrote:
Find me interfaces in PHP4, and sure. I can try doing it another way, but I doubt it'll be that easy to do.
If you write the code for PHP5, I can write a PHP4 compatible version.
Interfaces don't exist in PHP4, but you can fake it. You just need to have an interface class for PHP5 and a fake interface class (a class with the proper methods defined but that simply calls die) for PHP4. Obviously not the same as a real interface, but it should be close enough to allow the code to run on PHP4.

thats smart! (no pun intended)

elbekko · 2008-09-16 16:04:55

That's what I was thinking, but it's a mess.

chris · 2008-09-16 16:13:48

This is a great idea and all, but perhaps Flux's limited development resources would be better used to complete 1.3 before it is diverted to build tools of no use to those of us already using Flux.

elbekko · 2008-09-16 16:26:58

The thing is, that right now us developers have to somewhat wait for the markup to be finished, as you can see from the current active tickets.
And I don't want to waste that time

Now, this is only a sideproject I'm doing since mainly I'm still focused on the core. But it still needs to be done.

SuperMAG · 2008-09-16 19:27:10

also check the mybb converter, migrater (whatever) its has prety much all the features that are needed.

kpdesign · 2008-09-16 20:36:07

liquidat0r wrote:

Strofanto wrote:
What forum system will be included in the converter?
The major ones / most popular ones I presume.

elbekko -

I appreciate you taking on this effort - I know it's a lot of work, but will be worth it in the end so that more folks can switch to FluxBB.

I'd like to add one forum program to the list of requested converters that's missing from the big-boards.com list - Vanilla.

Thanks!

elbekko · 2008-09-16 20:58:00

I've already mentioned what will likely be included (the converter between pgsql/mysql/sqlite). The rest will be created later on I guess, by the development team or by the community.

ProWeb · 2008-09-20 04:13:11

elbekko wrote:

To be honest, I don't think people that have a forum with enough content 'worth converting' will be running PHP4

For the record, I've got one of the biggest forums running PunBB and I'm still on PHP4. Not that I need a converter, I'm just saying that if my site was on another platform and I couldn't convert it because of PHP5 requirement, that would be a deal breaker.

Also, I didn't know there was discussion about FluxBB requiring PHP5 in the future?!?

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The Converter

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