We have a forum that was upgraded in 2007 from UBB 5.44b, and incrementally upgraded to 7.5.4.2 that we are running now. The conversion went very well, and over time I've actually been able to change some of the old anonymous posts to the real user that posted them (before we required registration to post).

Prior to running UBB 5.44b, we used a forum hosted on the International Sailing Federation website in 1999 and 2000. We have the files for the postings. They are all in html in a single directory. Here is a link to the "top level". If you drill down you'll see a tiered forum hirearchy. Just don't click on the ISAF Sailing Forums link, because it no longer exists.

So my question - Does anyone know of a way to import these posts into the existing UBB 7.5.4.2 forum so it preserves the post, dates, titles and post names? If I have to bring them into a single forum, then use moderator privileges to move them, that's ok.

would prolly need to write an importer.. not a major job, but a 'generic' importer doesn't exist..

things like usernames would have to assume there was some sort of mapping to existing users or maybe used an anon user, who posted with a name instead..

would really be just what a site scraper would do, recursively calling from the top level and working down the layers..

maybe some rules for destination forums would also be added..

nice thing is that it is only topics/posts.. not a full blown import.. so ubbt_POSTS and ubbt_TOPICS would bear the brunt.. to a lesser degree, ubbt_FORUMS (post counts, if applicable) and ubbt_USERS (once again post counts, if applicable).. then you could use the cpanel content rebuilder to do the rest of the clean up..

can be done, but it's custom work..

What would be really slick is to add to the stock code to allow us to merge or split a ubb board. Going both ways.

So you could have a old board and a second new board.Merge the old board into a existing new board like this topic is about. Or instead of pruning topics allow us to export the selected topics to a separate UBB board.

Cat does the Meow!

agreed..

i've already added 'arcive topics' on a board an instead of pruning (prune is STILL allowed).. it just moves the ubbt_POSTS stuff to ubbt_POSTS_ARCHIVE and then sets the TOPIC_STATUS to 'A' (can't remember the exact field name)..

then really a small mod to showflat, postlist, search and ubbthreads.inc.php allows for them to exist and be displayed normally, but they don't affect the 95% daily operations..

this takes the load of running the board WAY down and also makes showflat and post list scream like a new board does