Can you add PHPBB attachment support to Vanilla Porter? (I'll pay you)

I want to export my PHPBB database and move over to Vanilla Forums, but I have a few hundred attachments that must come along on the move. With the current version of Vanilla Porter, exporting PHPBB attachments does not work.

I have contacted gConverter and they will export my database (attachments and all) and move it to Vanilla for $65. I have also contacted the Vanilla Forum services who say they can do it as well, but have not replied back with a price.

While $65 seems like a decent deal, I would rather pay $65 and have an updated Vanilla Porter that everyone can use for free.

My question to you, is there anyone out there that has the ability, time, desire to update Vanilla Porter to seamlessly import PHPBB attachments into Vanilla. I will gladly pay you the $65 instead of gConverter as long as the end program is free for everyone to use.

If this isn't do able (I realize $65 isn't very much money), does anyone have any experience with gConverter? Are they professional? Did you have any problems? Do you feel safe handing them a copy of your database?

Cheers

Cooper

That would be great to have a free phpbb to Vanilla importer with all features such as attachment importer, but as far as I understand this is a hard work, this should import from any phpbb versions to any Vanilla version, so as you understand they have to create lots of combinations for this converter, and keep update for each phpbb and Vanilla release, so this is а tremendous work and this takes hundreds of dollars not $65.
There is one important thing as well, I don't think that free converter will provide professional support like it's doing gConverter, you'll have to do whole work and fix all issues yourself.
Yes I know gConverter guys, they converted my friend's WoWBB to xenForo, that was perfect done, you can see the recent work of this guys here http://gconverter.com/portfolio/, they have a lots of customers, lots of good feedback and they have converted thousand CMS and Forums, so I don't think that there is any problem with the feeling safe handing them a copy of your database or something else.

Todd

The phpbb3 porter exports the attachments table so that it is ready to use with Vanilla. In order to complete the process you need to do the following:

1. Make sure the FileUpload plugin is enabled before doing the import.
2. Do the import.
3. Copy your phpbb attachments to /uploads/FileUpload.

Homebrew_Korea

This does not work for me.

The plugin was enabled but that directory didn't exist so I created it and copied all the files from /phpbbboad/files to /vanillaboard/uploads/FileUpload. The files coming from phpbb have file names like this "1528_3c56af0366b8bd1d3e4310b5da2184ad", instead of the original names. Most of my attachments are images and if I download the above example, I can open it without issue and see the image.

In the Vanilla Board, posts which have attachments still have the bbcode [attachment=0]Homer.jpg[/attachment], but no file is actually displayed or available. Do I need to tell the FileUpload plugin to process the files that I copied in the /uploads/FileUpload directory?

Cheers.

x00

Then you need to know the hash algorithm the phpbb uses, then apply that to the original file names

Why people still allow uploads to their site in this day an age, what with all the file sharing sites about is a bit beyond me.

camo

@xOO probably because they dont ever want to see this all over their forum....



Free file hosts are unreliable and can delete images for whatever reason. If the images are on YOUR database, they are always going to be there, unless YOU delete them.
Server space/bandwidth is not as costly as it once was.

x00

You don't have to uses unregistered services, just tell them to use dropbox. You can even handle the API yourself, I've done that for wordpress.

Bandwidth cost is relative. Many people uses CDS for their site, you can even use dropbox as a CDS. It speeds up the loading considerably. Why pay for what you don't need?

Homebrew_Korea

Exactly....I want to have all the images that people upload on hand and not have to worry about the example above.

I will try have a search around the net to try and convert the file names to the proper name.

Thanks!

Homebrew_Korea

So I tried a few files before figuring out how to convert all the file names, and it doesn't work. I added the file with the proper filename to the FileUpload dir, but no go. In the post it just has the bbcode, but no image. For example, [attachment=0]IMG_0965.jpg[/attachment]. Maybe this is the problem?

Another thought, do I need to change the permissions on the files once I upload them to the directory? They are 644 now.

Thanks again for the help!

Cheers.

x00

yes that is the problem, you need filter the bbcode, you might do this in plugin. You could use DiscussionController_BeforeCommentDisplay_Handler and PostController_BeforeCommentDisplay_Handler.


bbcode is not standardised, which is why I wouldn't recommend it, if you are starting from scratch.

Homebrew_Korea

Ya, unfortunately that is well beyond my capability. :(

Looks like I might be paying that $65.

x00

I'll do it for you. send me a pm and we will discuss.